Gulls, Terns & Skimmers

Look for The Franklin’s gull is a small gull with short wings and a short bill, and a dark hood […]

Look For The Bonaparte’s gull is the smallest gull species commonly found in North America. It has a white tail

Look For The large (18 to 21 inches long) and striking royal tern is easily recognized by its size, white

Perhaps the best field mark for identifying Forster’s tern is its silvery white upperwing highlights. It can take a few seconds

The gull-sized Caspian tern is no wallflower, and as befits its character, the bird is not shy about shouting out

During breeding season the bill, which is black most of the year, is black tipped and the colorful base is

One of our most distinctive birds, the black skimmer is named for its method of foraging—its elongated lower bill (mandible)

The western gull is the only common large dark-backed gull in its range. The heavy yellow bill stands out. Adult

Our most common large gull continent-wide, the herring gull is heavy bodied and heavy billed. In summer adult plumage, the

The great black-backed gull is the largest gull species in the entire world. It has a solid build with broad

The ring-billed gull is a medium-sized (19 inches long) gull, and in adult plumage it has a light gray back

The laughing gull is an extremely handsome bird. A summer adult wears dark gray on the wings and back, contrasting