List of Species of Gulls

The term "gull" is used often to describe large and medium-sized white birds which fly around the ocean and other coastal areas; but, in fact, there are many species that make up the family Laridae, of which gulls are a part. There are 11 different genera of gulls, some with only one species of bird in the genus. Gulls are distinct because of size, coloring and region in which they live.

  1. Genus Larus

    • The Genus Larus contains the most number of gull species. These gulls are usually larger with white and gray coloring, and are spread throughout the world. The species within the Genus Larus are the Belcher's Gull, Black-tailed Gull, Pacific Gull, Olrog's Gull, Heermann's Gull, Ring-bill Gull, California Gull, Common Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Southern Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Yellow-footed Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Western Gull, Cape Gull, Iceland Gull, Kumlien's Gull, European Herring Gull, American Herring Gull, East Siberian Herring Gull, Thayer's Gull, Heuglin's Gull, Caspian Gull, Armenian Gull and the Slaty-backed Gull.

    Genus Ichthyaetus and Genus Leucophaeus

    • The Genus Ichthyaetus are smaller gulls with darker coloring than the Genus Larus. Species in the Genus Ichthyaetus are the White-eyed Gull, Great Black-headed Gull, Relict Gull, Sooty Gull, Audouin's Gull, Mediterranean Gull and the Relict Gull. The Genus Leucophaeus gulls are also dark in color and are found in the Western Hemisphere. They include the Dolphin Gull, Franklin's Gull, Gray Gull, Laughing Gull and Lava Gull.

    Genus Chroicocephalus and Genus Saundersilarus

    • Genus Chroicocephalus are smaller-sized gulls, distinguished because of the color variations on their heads. Included in the Genus Chroicocephalus are the Brown-hooded Gull, Gray-hooded Gull, Red-Billed Gull, Silver Gull, Hartlaub's Gull, Andean Gull, Black-billed Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Brown-headed Gull, Black-headed Gull and Bonaparte's Gull. The Saunders's Gull is often placed in its own Genus (Saundersilarus or Larus saundersi), but sometimes classified with the Genus Chroicocephalus. The Saunders's Gull is a threatened species with habitat in Asia.

    Other Genera

    • There are several smaller Genus categories of gulls, some containing only one of a few unique species. Among those are Ross's Gull (Rhodostethia rosea), Little Gull (Hydrocoloeus minutus), Swallow-tailed Gull (Creagrus furcatus), Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), Red-legged Kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris), Sabine's Gull (Xema sabini) and the Ivory Gull (Pagophila eburnea).