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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.

Regions

Categories

All
African & Green Broadbills
African & New World Parrots
African Barbets
Albatrosses
Anhingas, Darters
Auks
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
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
Rockfowl
Rollers
Sandgrouse
Sandpipers, Snipes
Secretarybird
Shoebill
Shrikes
Skuas
Starlings, Rhabdornis
Stilts, Avocets
Stone-curlews, Thick-knees
Storks
Streaked Scrub Warbler
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
A photo of a African Skimmer (Rynchops flavirostris)

African Skimmer

Rynchops flavirostris
A photo of a Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea)

Arctic Tern

Sterna paradisaea
A photo of a Audouin's Gull (Ichthyaetus audouinii)

Audouin's Gull

Ichthyaetus audouinii
A photo of a Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)

Black-headed Gull

Chroicocephalus ridibundus
A photo of a Black Noddy (Anous minutus)

Black Noddy

Anous minutus
A photo of a Black Tern (Chlidonias niger)

Black Tern

Chlidonias niger
A photo of a Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)

Bonaparte's Gull

Chroicocephalus philadelphia
A photo of a Bridled Tern (Onychoprion anaethetus)

Bridled Tern

Onychoprion anaethetus
A photo of a Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus)

Brown Noddy

Anous stolidus
A photo of a Caspian Gull (Larus cachinnans)

Caspian Gull

Larus cachinnans
A photo of a Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)

Caspian Tern

Hydroprogne caspia
A photo of a Common Gull (Larus canus)

Common Gull

Larus canus
A photo of a Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)

Common Tern

Sterna hirundo
A photo of a Damara Tern (Sternula balaenarum)

Damara Tern

Sternula balaenarum
A photo of a Franklin's Gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan)

Franklin's Gull

Leucophaeus pipixcan
A photo of a Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)

Great Black-backed Gull

Larus marinus
A photo of a Greater Crested Tern (Thalasseus bergii)

Greater Crested Tern

Thalasseus bergii
A photo of a Grey-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus)

Grey-headed Gull

Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus
A photo of a Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica)

Gull-billed Tern

Gelochelidon nilotica
A photo of a Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)

Herring Gull

Larus argentatus
A photo of a Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus)

Kelp Gull

Larus dominicanus
A photo of a Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)

Kittiwake

Rissa tridactyla
A photo of a Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla)

Laughing Gull

Leucophaeus atricilla
A photo of a Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Larus fuscus
A photo of a Lesser Crested Tern (Thalasseus bengalensis)

Lesser Crested Tern

Thalasseus bengalensis

Lesser Noddy

Anous tenuirostris
A photo of a Little Gull (Hydrocoloeus minutus)

Little Gull

Hydrocoloeus minutus
A photo of a Little Tern (Sternula albifrons)

Little Tern

Sternula albifrons
A photo of a Mediterranean Gull (Ichthyaetus melanocephalus)

Mediterranean Gull

Ichthyaetus melanocephalus
A photo of a Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)

Ring-billed Gull

Larus delawarensis
A photo of a Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii)

Roseate Tern

Sterna dougallii
A photo of a Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus)

Royal Tern

Thalasseus maximus
A photo of a Sabine's Gull (Xema sabini)

Sabine's Gull

Xema sabini
A photo of a Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis)

Sandwich Tern

Thalasseus sandvicensis
A photo of a Slender-billed Gull (Chroicocephalus genei)

Slender-billed Gull

Chroicocephalus genei
A photo of a Sooty Tern (Onychoprion fuscatus)

Sooty Tern

Onychoprion fuscatus
A photo of a West African Crested Tern (Thalasseus albididorsalis)

West African Crested Tern

Thalasseus albididorsalis
A photo of a Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida)

Whiskered Tern

Chlidonias hybrida
A photo of a White-winged Black Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus)

White-winged Black Tern

Chlidonias leucopterus
A photo of a Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)

Yellow-legged Gull

Larus michahellis
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Species Categories

African & Green BroadbillsAfrican & New World ParrotsAfrican BarbetsAlbatrossesAnhingas, DartersAuksAustral Storm PetrelsBarn OwlsBee-eatersBulbulsBuntingsBushshrikesBustardsButtonquailCaracaras, FalconsCettia Bush Warblers & AlliesChats, Old World FlycatchersCisticolas & AlliesCormorants, ShagsCoursers, PratincolesCranesCrombecs, 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 & AlliesRockfowlRollersSandgrouseSandpipers, SnipesSecretarybirdShoebillShrikesSkuasStarlings, RhabdornisStilts, AvocetsStone-curlews, Thick-kneesStorksStreaked Scrub WarblerSunbirdsSwallows, MartinsSwiftsSylviid BabblersThrushesTits, ChickadeesTreecreepersTrogonsTropicbirdsTuracosTypical BroadbillsVangas & AlliesWagtails, PipitsWattle-eyes, BatisesWaxbills, Munias & AlliesWeavers, WidowbirdsWhite-eyesWood HoopoesWoodpeckersYellow Flycatchers

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