Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...

Gulls, Terns, Skimmers

The Laridae family, consisting of approximately 100 species across 22 genera, includes widely recognizable seabirds such as gulls, terns, skimmers, and kittiwakes. Originating from the French scholar Rafinesque in 1815, this family has experienced various taxonomic reclassifications over time, once separating gulls from terns and skimmers into distinct families. However, molecular studies now support the grouping of these birds under Laridae to reflect their evolutionary relationships more accurately. These seabirds, whose lineage split from that of skuas and auks before the end of the Cretaceous period, have been soaring the skies since the early Paleocene, some 60 million years ago, although there is debate regarding the accuracy of these early dates. Gulls, along with skimmers and noddies, are unique among shorebirds for developing ultraviolet vision. The global distribution of Laridae is a testament to the adaptability of these mostly aerial creatures, whose earliest ancestors were shorebirds.

Regions

Categories

All
African & Green Broadbills
African & New World Parrots
African Barbets
Albatrosses
Anhingas, Darters
Austral Storm Petrels
Barn Owls
Bee-eaters
Bulbuls
Buntings
Bushshrikes
Bustards
Buttonquail
Caracaras, Falcons
Cettia Bush Warblers & Allies
Chats, Old World Flycatchers
Cisticolas & Allies
Cormorants, Shags
Coursers, Pratincoles
Crab-plover
Cranes
Crombecs, African Warblers
Crows, Jays
Cuckoos
Cuckooshrikes
Dapple-throat & Allies
Drongos
Ducks, Geese, Swans
Egyptian Plover
Fairy Flycatchers
Figbirds, Orioles, Turnagra
Finches, Euphonias
Finfoots
Flamingos
Flufftails
Frigatebirds
Gannets, Boobies
Grassbirds & Allies
Grebes
Ground Babblers
Ground Hornbills
Guineafowl

Gulls, Terns, Skimmers

Hamerkop
Herons, Bitterns
Honeyguides
Hoopoes
Hornbills
Hylias
Hyliotas
Ibises, Spoonbills
Indigobirds, Whydahs
Jacanas
Kingfishers
Kites, Hawks, Eagles
Larks
Laughingthrushes & Allies
Leaf Warblers & Allies
Monarchs
Mousebirds
New World Quail
Nicators
Nightjars
Northern Storm Petrels
Old World Parrots
Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches
Ospreys
Ostriches
Owls
Oxpeckers
Oystercatchers
Painted-snipes
Pelicans
Penduline Tits
Penguins
Petrels, Shearwaters, Diving Petrels
Pheasants & Allies
Pigeons, Doves
Pittas
Plovers
Rails, Crakes & Coots
Reed Warblers & Allies
Rollers
Sandgrouse
Sandpipers, Snipes
Secretarybird
Shoebill
Shrikes
Skuas
Starlings, Rhabdornis
Stilts, Avocets
Stone-curlews, Thick-knees
Storks
Sugarbirds
Sunbirds
Swallows, Martins
Swifts
Sylviid Babblers
Thrushes
Tits, Chickadees
Treecreepers
Trogons
Tropicbirds
Turacos
Typical Broadbills
Vangas & Allies
Wagtails, Pipits
Wattle-eyes, Batises
Waxbills, Munias & Allies
Weavers, Widowbirds
White-eyes
Wood Hoopoes
Woodpeckers
Yellow Flycatchers
App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.
11
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Species Categories

African & Green BroadbillsAfrican & New World ParrotsAfrican BarbetsAlbatrossesAnhingas, DartersAustral Storm PetrelsBarn OwlsBee-eatersBulbulsBuntingsBushshrikesBustardsButtonquailCaracaras, FalconsCettia Bush Warblers & AlliesChats, Old World FlycatchersCisticolas & AlliesCormorants, ShagsCoursers, PratincolesCrab-ploverCranesCrombecs, African WarblersCrows, JaysCuckoosCuckooshrikesDapple-throat & AlliesDrongosDucks, Geese, SwansEgyptian PloverFairy FlycatchersFigbirds, Orioles, TurnagraFinches, EuphoniasFinfootsFlamingosFlufftailsFrigatebirdsGannets, BoobiesGrassbirds & AlliesGrebesGround BabblersGround HornbillsGuineafowlGulls, Terns, SkimmersHamerkopHerons, BitternsHoneyguidesHoopoesHornbillsHyliasHyliotasIbises, SpoonbillsIndigobirds, WhydahsJacanasKingfishersKites, Hawks, EaglesLarksLaughingthrushes & AlliesLeaf Warblers & AlliesMonarchsMousebirdsNew World QuailNicatorsNightjarsNorthern Storm PetrelsOld World ParrotsOld World Sparrows, SnowfinchesOspreysOstrichesOwlsOxpeckersOystercatchersPainted-snipesPelicansPenduline TitsPenguinsPetrels, Shearwaters, Diving PetrelsPheasants & AlliesPigeons, DovesPittasPloversRails, Crakes & CootsReed Warblers & AlliesRollersSandgrouseSandpipers, SnipesSecretarybirdShoebillShrikesSkuasStarlings, RhabdornisStilts, AvocetsStone-curlews, Thick-kneesStorksSugarbirdsSunbirdsSwallows, MartinsSwiftsSylviid BabblersThrushesTits, ChickadeesTreecreepersTrogonsTropicbirdsTuracosTypical BroadbillsVangas & AlliesWagtails, PipitsWattle-eyes, BatisesWaxbills, Munias & AlliesWeavers, WidowbirdsWhite-eyesWood HoopoesWoodpeckersYellow Flycatchers

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
David C
Very knowledgeable group
Nice friendly birding community. Very knowledgeable group with a willingness to help.
Jane N
A great app
Enjoying it immensely and finding it useful too. Recording the different birds and counting them is showing me how the present climate is affecting them all. I've trebled the numbers by planting native hedging. A great app.
Safira V
Birding and wellbeing app
Birda is an excellent platform to share your love of Birding and is a great tool of encouragement for a Birding Beginner like me. Birda has a very kind and supportive community of Birding enthusiasts. For me BIRDA is not only a BIRDING but also a WELLBEING App.
Mike T
Sense of Community
A great app, which is continually being improved. What really comes through is the passion of those behind the app. The sense of community is brilliant, so much help and support provided to new and/or in experienced birders.
Emma L
App got me interested in birding!
Super friendly community <3 This app got me interested in birding! It teaches me cool stuff and its super friendly, and fun :) The species guide is really developing my knowledge, and i love seeing cool new birds from round the world!
Marlster24
Recommend for any bird watcher
Very wholesome app: I joined this app with a new interest in watching birds to help me find out what I was spotting. The community is very active in helping identify birds which is great and everyone is very kind so it’s just a nice wholesome community. I would definitely recommend this for any bird spotter 😃
Talli A
My favourite app
As a young birdwatcher who was always keen to be apart of a community but never seemed to find one, my problem was solved downloading this!!! Everyone is so friendly and just as excited to see birds as me 😁
778
Great bird recording
For a while I’ve been trying to find an app to easily record bird lists and day out and struggled to find one that I like. Birda is great for this, straightforward and a great community!
Jake W
Great app
I use this app all the time as it’s quick and easy to log individual sightings or whole birding sessions. It’s an excellent way to meet new people and the forum is full of really friendly people. The challenges are a great way to get involved and learn more about birds. Cannot recommend it enough!
Bryan C
Clean and easy to use
Really enjoying this app, it's clean and easy to use. I love the ease of being able to add those one-off birds without starting a whole checklist. I also like the social aspect, like the parts of my Facebook I like, without the ads and junk, just birds. Can't wait to see it become more populated.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.