Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
Order: Charadriiformes. Family: Laridae
Gulls are typically medium to large birds, usually grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills, and webbed feet. The large species take up to four years to attain full adult plumage, but two years is typical for small gulls. In North Carolina, 19 species have been recorded. Terns are in general medium to large birds, typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head. They have longish bills and webbed feet. They are lighter bodied and more streamlined than gulls, and look elegant in flight with long tails and long narrow wings. In North Carolina, 14 species have been recorded. Skimmers are tropical and subtropical species. They have an elongated lower mandible. They feed by flying low over the water surface with the lower mandible skimming the water for small fish. One species has been recorded in North Carolina.
- Laughing Gull, Leucophaeus atricilla
- Franklin's Gull, Leucophaeus pipixcan
- Little Gull, Hydrocoloeus minutus
- Black-headed Gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus
- Bonaparte's Gull, Chroicocephalus philadelphia
- Black-tailed Gull, Larus crassirostris (P)
- Mew Gull, Larus canus (R)
- Ring-billed Gull, Larus delawarensis
- California Gull, Larus californicus
- Herring Gull, Larus argentatus
- Yellow-legged Gull, Larus cachinnans (R)
- Thayer's Gull, Larus thayeri
- Iceland Gull, Larus glaucoides
- Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus
- Slaty-backed Gull, Larus schistisagus (P)
- Glaucous Gull, Larus hyperboreus
- Great Black-backed Gull, Larus marinus
- Sabine's Gull, Xema sabini
- Black-legged Kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla
- Brown Noddy, Anous stolidus
- Sooty Tern, Onychoprion fuscata
- Bridled Tern, Onychoprion anaethetus
- Least Tern, Sternula antillarum
- Gull-billed Tern, Gelochelidon nilotica
- Caspian Tern, Hydroprogne caspia
- Black Tern, Chlidonias niger
- White-winged Tern, Sterna leucopterus (P)
- Roseate Tern, Sterna dougallii
- Common Tern, Sterna hirundo
- Arctic Tern, Sterna paradisaea
- Forster's Tern, Sterna forsteri
- Royal Tern, Thalasseus maxima
- Sandwich Tern, Thalasseus sandvicensis
- Black Skimmer, Rynchops niger
Read more about this topic: List Of Birds Of North Carolina