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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.

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Albatrosses
Anhingas, Darters
Asian Barbets
Austral Storm Petrels
Australasian Babblers
Australasian Robins
Australasian Treecreepers
Australasian Warblers
Australasian Wrens
Australian Mudnesters
Australo-Papuan Bellbirds
Barn Owls
Bee-eaters
Berrypeckers, Longbills
Birds-of-paradise
Boatbills
Bowerbirds
Bristlebirds
Bulbuls
Buntings
Bustards
Buttonquail
Caracaras, Falcons
Cassowaries, Emu
Cettia Bush Warblers & Allies
Chats, Old World Flycatchers
Cisticolas & Allies
Cockatoos
Cormorants, Shags
Coursers, Pratincoles
Cranes
Crows, Jays
Cuckoos
Cuckooshrikes
Drongos
Ducks, Geese, Swans
Fairy Flycatchers
Fairy-bluebirds
Fantails
Figbirds, Orioles, Turnagra
Finches, Euphonias
Flamingos
Flowerpeckers
Flufftails
Frigatebirds
Frogmouths
Gannets, Boobies
Grassbirds & Allies
Grebes
Guineafowl

Gulls, Terns, Skimmers

Herons, Bitterns
Honeyeaters
Hoopoes
Hornbills
Ibises, Spoonbills
Ifrit
Jacanas
Jewel-babblers, Quail-thrushes
Kingfishers
Kites, Hawks, Eagles
Larks
Leaf Warblers & Allies
Logrunners
Lyrebirds
Magpie Goose
Megapodes
Melampittas
Monarchs
Mottled Berryhunter
New World Quail
Nightjars
Northern Storm Petrels
Old World Parrots
Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches
Ospreys
Ostriches
Owlet-nightjars
Owls
Oystercatchers
Painted Berrypeckers
Painted-snipes
Pardalotes
Pelicans
Penguins
Petrels, Shearwaters, Diving Petrels
Pheasants & Allies
Pigeons, Doves
Pittas
Plains-wanderer
Ploughbill
Plovers
Rails, Crakes & Coots
Reed Warblers & Allies
Rollers
Sandpipers, Snipes
Satinbirds
Scrubbirds
Shrikes
Shriketit
Sittellas
Skuas
Starlings, Rhabdornis
Stilts, Avocets
Stone-curlews, Thick-knees
Storks
Sunbirds
Swallows, Martins
Swifts
Thrushes
Tits, Chickadees
Treeswifts
Tropicbirds
Typical Broadbills
Vangas & Allies
Vireos, Greenlets, Shrike-babblers
Wagtails, Pipits
Waxbills, Munias & Allies
Whipbirds
Whistlers & Allies
White-eyes
Woodpeckers
Woodswallows, Butcherbirds & Allies
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Species Categories

AlbatrossesAnhingas, DartersAsian BarbetsAustral Storm PetrelsAustralasian BabblersAustralasian RobinsAustralasian TreecreepersAustralasian WarblersAustralasian WrensAustralian MudnestersAustralo-Papuan BellbirdsBarn OwlsBee-eatersBerrypeckers, LongbillsBirds-of-paradiseBoatbillsBowerbirdsBristlebirdsBulbulsBuntingsBustardsButtonquailCaracaras, FalconsCassowaries, EmuCettia Bush Warblers & AlliesChats, Old World FlycatchersCisticolas & AlliesCockatoosCormorants, ShagsCoursers, PratincolesCranesCrows, JaysCuckoosCuckooshrikesDrongosDucks, Geese, SwansFairy FlycatchersFairy-bluebirdsFantailsFigbirds, Orioles, TurnagraFinches, EuphoniasFlamingosFlowerpeckersFlufftailsFrigatebirdsFrogmouthsGannets, BoobiesGrassbirds & AlliesGrebesGuineafowlGulls, Terns, SkimmersHerons, BitternsHoneyeatersHoopoesHornbillsIbises, SpoonbillsIfritJacanasJewel-babblers, Quail-thrushesKingfishersKites, Hawks, EaglesLarksLeaf Warblers & AlliesLogrunnersLyrebirdsMagpie GooseMegapodesMelampittasMonarchsMottled BerryhunterNew World QuailNightjarsNorthern Storm PetrelsOld World ParrotsOld World Sparrows, SnowfinchesOspreysOstrichesOwlet-nightjarsOwlsOystercatchersPainted BerrypeckersPainted-snipesPardalotesPelicansPenguinsPetrels, Shearwaters, Diving PetrelsPheasants & AlliesPigeons, DovesPittasPlains-wandererPloughbillPloversRails, Crakes & CootsReed Warblers & AlliesRollersSandpipers, SnipesSatinbirdsScrubbirdsShrikesShriketitSittellasSkuasStarlings, RhabdornisStilts, AvocetsStone-curlews, Thick-kneesStorksSunbirdsSwallows, MartinsSwiftsThrushesTits, ChickadeesTreeswiftsTropicbirdsTypical BroadbillsVangas & AlliesVireos, Greenlets, Shrike-babblersWagtails, PipitsWaxbills, Munias & AlliesWhipbirdsWhistlers & AlliesWhite-eyesWoodpeckersWoodswallows, Butcherbirds & Allies

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Unbridled Discoveries
Great app for bird lovers
I love this app! It’s a wonderful way to track birding sessions, and also connect you with fellow birders. I also really like the unidentified bird section, it’s a great community tool to help figure out what a never-before-seen bird is!
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!
D3Nature
Great app for learning Birds
I’ve been using the app for a couple of months and love it....Someone said it’s like a real life Pokémon Go for birds. They’re not far off! It’s something that the family can do that gets you out and about. Well worth downloading no matter your age.
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!
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.
Carrie
Makes you want to spot birds more
I think this app is fun. It makes you want to spot birds more so I guess in a way it encourages you to get out and about instead of sitting in front of the TV.
Louise L
Easy to use and accurate
Love this app. It is easy to use and accurate, Their backup communication is really good. I noted a missing species. All through the process, I was kept informed about the progress in correcting the information. I now have the corrected, updated version. 😁 Thanks!
Alice J
Awesome Birding Community
I absolutely love the community aspect of this app. The app is so user friendly and has fun interactive challenges to get you out birding. I’ve tried others but since I’ve started using Birda I’ve not gone back!
Madstherangers
A mordern game changer
Birda is an awesome app, its updated the world of birding to the modern day with a fun and easy to use app. It’s engaging and allows positive interaction with fellow bird lovers!
Emcil24
A Friendly Place
I love using the bird app, I have a pretty good knowledge of birds. But I do have some gaps in it, so it’s nice to have a safe space to check on a sighting to confirm the species. It’s really enjoyable and I love the badges you can collect. It’s like a real life Pokémon go.
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