All species › Waders, gulls and terns › Skimmers, noddies, terns and gulls › Comparing gulls
Comparing gulls
All the gulls in the guide side by side, for use in the field. Pick what you see (leg colour, bill, head, wing tips, mantle) and the table keeps what fits.
Size
Legs
Head in breeding plumage
Head in winter plumage
Wing tips
Mantle
Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.
| Species | Size | Legs | Bill | Head in breeding plumage | Head in winter plumage | Wing tips | Mantle | Eye | Eyering | What to look for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little GullHydrocoloeus minutus | small (< 40 cm) | red | black or dark | black hood | white with a dark eye or ear spot | white or very pale | pale grey | dark | inconspicuous | Watch for rounded wings with no black tip and a sooty-black underwing; no other small gull here has such a dark underwing. |
| Ross's GullRhodostethia rosea vagrant | small (< 40 cm) | red | black or dark | white | white with a dark eye or ear spot | grey, matching the mantle | pale grey | dark | red | Look for the wedge-shaped tail and grey underwing with a white trailing edge; Little Gull has a square tail and a blacker underwing. |
| Red-legged KittiwakeRissa brevirostris | small (< 40 cm) | red | plain yellow | white | white with a dark eye or ear spot | black without white | dark grey | dark | red | Look for the short bill, large eye and grey underwing; Black-legged has a paler back and a white underwing. |
| Black-legged KittiwakeRissa tridactyla | small (< 40 cm) | black or dark brown | plain yellow | white | white with a dark eye or ear spot | black without white | medium grey | dark | red | Look for black legs and sharply cut black wingtips with no white; Red-legged has red legs and a darker back. |
| Sabine's GullXema sabini | small (< 40 cm) | black or dark brown | dark with a yellow tip | grey hood | dark half-hood | black with white spots | medium grey | dark | red | In flight, look for the three-part upperwing of grey, black and white, and the forked tail; kittiwakes lack the white triangle. |
| Ivory GullPagophila eburnea vagrant | medium (40–55 cm) | black or dark brown | dark with a yellow tip | white | white or pale grey | white or very pale | white or very pale grey | dark | red | Look for all-white plumage with black legs and a dark, yellow-tipped bill; Glaucous and Iceland are larger and pink-legged. |
| Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia | small (< 40 cm) | red | black or dark | black hood | white with a dark eye or ear spot | black with white spots | pale grey | dark | white or crescents | Look for the thin black bill and the white, translucent underwing; Black-headed has a red bill and dark undersides to the primaries. |
| Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | medium (40–55 cm) | red | red to dark red | brown hood | white with a dark eye or ear spot | black with white spots | pale grey | dark | white or crescents | In flight, watch for dark undersides to the primaries below a white leading edge, and the red bill, larger than Bonaparte's. |
| Laughing GullLeucophaeus atricilla | medium (40–55 cm) | black or dark brown | red to dark red | black hood | white with a dark eye or ear spot | black without white | dark grey | dark | white or crescents | Note the long, slightly drooping bill and wingtips that blend into the grey with no white band; Franklin's is smaller and shorter-billed. |
| Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcan | small (< 40 cm) | black or dark brown | red to dark red | black hood | dark half-hood | black with white spots | dark grey | dark | white or crescents | Look for the white band between grey and black in the wingtip and, in winter, the sharp half-hood; Laughing lacks both. |
| Black-tailed GullLarus crassirostris vagrant | medium (40–55 cm) | yellow to yellow-green | yellow with a black band | white | streaked or smudged | black without white | dark grey | yellow to pale yellow | red | Look for a broad black tail band on an adult and a bill with a black band and red tip; Lesser Black-backed has a white tail. |
| Heermann's GullLarus heermanni | medium (40–55 cm) | black or dark brown | red to dark red | white | streaked or smudged | black without white | dark grey | dark | red | Look for the grey body and red bill; no other gull here is dark slate grey below as well. |
| Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis | medium (40–55 cm) | yellow to yellow-green | yellow with a black band | white | streaked or smudged | black with white spots | pale grey | yellow to pale yellow | red | Look for a complete black ring on the yellow bill, a pale eye and pale grey back; Short-billed has a dark eye and a plain bill. |
| Short-billed GullLarus brachyrhynchus | medium (40–55 cm) | yellow to yellow-green | plain yellow | white | streaked or smudged | black with white spots | medium grey | dark | red | Check for a small plain yellow bill with no ring, a dark eye and a darker grey back than Ring-billed. |
| Common GullLarus canus vagrant | medium (40–55 cm) | yellow to yellow-green | plain yellow | white | streaked or smudged | black with white spots | medium grey | dark | red | Look for large white mirrors in the wingtip and a slightly longer bill than Short-billed; a sure identification needs good photos. |
| Yellow-footed GullLarus livens | large (> 55 cm) | yellow to yellow-green | yellow with a red spot | white | white or pale grey | black with white spots | dark grey | yellow to pale yellow | orange | Look for yellow legs on a dark-backed gull with a very heavy bill; Western has pink legs. |
| Western GullLarus occidentalis | large (> 55 cm) | pink | yellow with a red spot | white | white or pale grey | black with white spots | dark grey | yellow to pale yellow | yellow | Look for a dark grey back with pink legs and a bulbous bill tip; Yellow-footed has yellow legs and an even heavier bill. |
| Kelp GullLarus dominicanus vagrant | large (> 55 cm) | yellow to yellow-green | yellow with a red spot | white | white or pale grey | black with white spots | black or blackish | dark | red | Check for a black back with greenish-yellow legs and one small mirror; Great Black-backed has pink legs, Lesser Black-backed a paler back. |
| American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus | large (> 55 cm) | pink | yellow with a red spot | white | streaked or smudged | black with white spots | pale grey | yellow to pale yellow | orange | Look for pink legs, a pale eye and a pale grey back with black wingtips; Ring-billed is smaller, with yellow legs and a banded bill. |
| Vega GullLarus vegae vagrant | large (> 55 cm) | pink | yellow with a red spot | white | streaked or smudged | black with white spots | medium grey | yellow to pale yellow | red | Look for a darker grey back than American Herring, with a red eyering; Slaty-backed is darker still. |
| Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus | large (> 55 cm) | pink | yellow with a red spot | white | white or pale grey | black with white spots | black or blackish | yellow to pale yellow | red | Look for a black back with pink legs and very large size; Lesser Black-backed is smaller, slate grey and yellow-legged. |
| Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus | large (> 55 cm) | pink | yellow with a red spot | white | streaked or smudged | white or very pale | white or very pale grey | yellow to pale yellow | yellow | Note the large size, heavy bill and short wing projection; Iceland is slimmer, with a rounded head and long wingtips. |
| Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | large (> 55 cm) | yellow to yellow-green | yellow with a red spot | white | streaked or smudged | black with white spots | dark grey | yellow to pale yellow | red | Look for a slate-grey back with bright yellow legs and long wingtips; Great Black-backed is blacker, bigger and pink-legged. |
| California GullLarus californicus | medium (40–55 cm) | yellow to yellow-green | yellow with a red spot | white | streaked or smudged | black with white spots | medium grey | dark | red | Check for a dark eye, yellow-green legs and both a black band and a red spot on the bill; Ring-billed has a pale eye. |
| Glaucous-winged GullLarus glaucescens | medium (40–55 cm) | pink | yellow with a red spot | white | streaked or smudged | grey, matching the mantle | pale grey | dark | red | Look for wingtips the same grey as the back and a dark eye; Glaucous has white wingtips and a pale eye. |
| Slaty-backed GullLarus schistisagus vagrant | large (> 55 cm) | pink | yellow with a red spot | white | streaked or smudged | black with white spots | dark grey | yellow to pale yellow | red | In flight, look for the row of white spots between grey and black in the hand; also bright pink legs. Vega is paler grey. |
| Iceland GullLarus glaucoides | medium (40–55 cm) | pink | yellow with a red spot | white | streaked or smudged | white or very pale | white or very pale grey | yellow to pale yellow | red | Note the rounded head, short bill and wingtips extending well beyond the tail; Glaucous is bulkier, with a heavy bill. |
No species fits this combination. Remove a filter.
The features describe the adult, in breeding and winter plumage where these differ. Immature plumages are much harder and do not belong in a table like this; see the species pages for those.