Click on image to enlarge. Colloquial names given in brackets where appropriate.

GULLS

Ivory Gull (Ice Partridge) is a rare but regular winter visitor, more often seen in the northern part of the province. It feeds off carrion and small marine life. Adults are pure ivory white; this is an immature. © Bruce Mactavish

Black-headed Gull visits Newfoundland in fairly large numbers each winter. We believe these birds are coming here from Iceland. The species also breeds in Newfoundland in very small numbers. This is a picture of an immature bird, taken in January. It closely resembles the Bonaparte's gull, which can also occur in Newfoundland. Note that the undersides of the outer primaries on the bird in this picture are black. The same feathers are white in a Bonaparte's gull.

Laughing Gull is probably more familiar to anyone who goes to Florida for the winter. In Newfoundland it is an uncommon but regular vagrant. Laughing gulls have no white in the wing-tips.

Franklin's Gull is a small gull that visits rarely from the west. It is a farmland gull and eats worms. Notice the strong white crescent around the eye and the white markings in the wing-tips. 

Ring-billed Gull is a common summer nesting species. The bird on the left is a first-winter bird. Note that the base of the bill is pinkish, and the tip is black. There is a strong contrast between the center and the edges of the feathers on the back. On the right is an adult in breeding plumage. Note the black ring that wraps around the tip of the bill, and the yellowish legs.

  Herring Gull (Seagull, Gull) is a common breeding resident of Newfoundland. On the left is a juvenile bird. Notice the pale brown color and the lack of distinct markings. The bird on the right is an adult in full breeding plumage. Notice the flesh-colored legs and the red spot on the bill, and the blue-gray mantle and wing feathers.

Iceland Gull is a common species in Newfoundland in all seasons except summer, when it returns to the Arctic to nest. Iceland gull is a "white winged" gull with no black in the wingtips. It resembles Glaucous Gull but is much smaller - even smaller than a Herring Gull. This is a picture of a 1st winter bird - note the all-black bill. Photo © Karen Chappell

  Lesser Black-backed Gull (2 photos) is a regular winter visitor from Europe. It is much smaller than a Great Black-backed gull - in fact, it's smaller than a herring gull. The gull on the left is an immature bird. Notice the relatively small, all-black bill, the long pinkish legs, and the long, all-black wing-tips. Also notice the big dark centers to the feathers on the "back". These are called the "scapulars". The bird on the right is a breeding-plumage adult. Note the ashy gray back (darker than a herring gull) and yellow legs. 

Great Black-backed Gull (Saddle-back) is a common breeding resident. It is a very large gull. The wings of the adult are black on the upper side, edged with white and with some white patches in the wingtips. This is a picture of a first-winter bird. Photo © Karen Chappell

  Black-legged Kittiwake (Tickleass, Tickleace) is a small gull that nests on rocky ledges around Newfoundland's coast. Unlike many gulls, which are opportunistic feeders, the Kittiwake depends on marine life for food. A truly pelagic gull, the Black-legged Kittiwake spends all of its life at sea, except for the time it takes to breed. The bird on the left is a juvenile (just fledged). The bird on the right is an adult. Note the all black wing-tips and all yellow bill, and black legs and feet.

TERNS

Caspian Tern is the largest tern in Newfoundland. It is most often seen in the western part of the province around Stephenville and Picadilly, but is also seen on the Burin Peninsula and occasionally in the Port aux Basques area. This gull-sized tern is distinguished by its size, its ragged black cap, and its deep orange bill. Photo © J. Kevin Butler