Little Gull Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesLittle Gull
Breeding adult
Small, black-headed gull with red legs, a black bill, and dark underwings.
© Cameron Eckert / Macaulay LibraryYukon Territory, May 04, 2010Juvenile
During migration Little Gulls forage along large lakes or coastal waters for small fish.
© Matthew D. Medler / Macaulay LibraryNew York, August 31, 2014Juvenile
Note slender black bill and small size. The crown and ear patch on some juveniles is brownish black.
© Woody Gillies / Macaulay LibraryNew Brunswick, September 12, 2019Mixed flock
Little Gulls regularly associate with Bonaparte's Gulls and other gull species at roosting sites — usually on beaches or mudflats.
© Matthew D. Medler / Macaulay LibraryNew York, August 31, 2014First summer
First-summer birds have a thin black "M" pattern on the back and a black band on the tail.
© Peter Flood / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, July 11, 2017Nonbreeding adult
Nonbreeding birds are pale gray above with a white tail. In flight, shows dark underwings. Note dark ear patch and smudgy crown.
© Darlene Friedman / Macaulay LibraryMichigan, December 03, 2017Similar SpeciesBonaparte's Gull
Breeding adult
Bonaparte's Gulls are larger than Little Gulls with a longer bill. Breeding adults have dark (not pale) wingtips, and the hood ends higher up on the neck than on Little Gull.
© Yvonne Bieman / Macaulay LibraryOntario, July 23, 2017Similar SpeciesBonaparte's Gull
Nonbreeding adult
In flight, adult Bonaparte's Gulls have flashy white triangles in the upperwing and pale undersides to the wing.
© Caleb Putnam / Macaulay LibraryMichigan, November 27, 2016Similar SpeciesBonaparte's Gull
First winter
Bonaparte's Gulls are more slender, longer necked and less compact than Little Gulls. Nonbreeding and immature Bonaparte's Gulls have a neat dark ear spot, but on Little Gull the black extends up onto the top of the head.
© Brandon Holden / Macaulay LibraryOntario, November 08, 2005Similar SpeciesBonaparte's Gull
First winter
Immature Bonaparte's Gulls have a narrow blackish M pattern on the upperwing; in Little Gulls it is a bolder, blacker pattern.
© Brendan Klick / Macaulay LibraryMichigan, September 09, 2017Similar SpeciesBonaparte's Gull
Juvenile
Note slender shape, long wings, and long bill. Little Gulls are more compact, with shorter wings. Juvenile Bonaparte's have a less bold M pattern on the wings and grayer (less black) secondaries than juvenile Little Gulls.
© Brandon Holden / Macaulay LibraryOntario, August 06, 2007Similar SpeciesBlack-headed Gull
Breeding adult
Black-headed Gulls are larger than Little Gulls, with a much heavier bill that is reddish in breeding season. Breeding adults also have a less extensive, brownish hood than Little Gulls. Black-headed's underwing is dark toward the tips but paler toward the body; it is all-dark in Little Gulls.
© Ian Davies / Macaulay LibraryNorrbottens län [SE-25], June 19, 2015Similar SpeciesBlack-headed Gull
Nonbreeding adult
Larger, longer winged, with a heavier bill than Little Gull.
© Aidan Rominger / Macaulay LibraryOhio, January 09, 2016Similar SpeciesBlack-headed Gull
Immature
Immature Black-headed Gulls are larger and longer necked than Little Gulls, with a heavier bill. They have lighter markings on the wings compared with Little Gulls bolder black pattern.
© Bruce Kerr / Macaulay LibraryScotland, November 03, 2013Similar SpeciesLaughing Gull
Breeding adult
Laughing Gulls are much larger than Little Gulls (they weigh more than twice as much). They have a longer, thicker bill, longer wings, and mostly pale underwings compared to breeding Little Gulls.
© Felipe Pimentel / Macaulay LibraryNew York, July 29, 2017Similar SpeciesLaughing Gull
Nonbreeding adult
Laughing Gulls are much larger, with a heavier bill, than Little Gulls. In nonbreeding plumage, Laughing Gull has little to no black on the top of the head.
© Paul Tavares / Macaulay LibrarySouth Carolina, September 22, 2014Similar SpeciesLaughing Gull
First winter
Young Laughing Gulls are much larger and longer winged, and they lack the M pattern on the wings of immature Little Gulls.
© James Rieman / Macaulay LibraryTexas, September 17, 2017Similar SpeciesBlack-legged Kittiwake
Nonbreeding adult
Black-legged Kittiwakes are larger than Little Gulls, with larger yellow bills.
© Matt Brady / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, February 08, 2012Similar SpeciesBlack-legged Kittiwake
Immature
Immature Black-legged Kittiwakes are larger than Little Gulls, with a neat black ear spot plus a black collar. Little Gulls lack the collar and have black on the crown wrapping down to the ear.
© Evan Lipton / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, November 10, 2015Similar SpeciesSabine's Gull
Juvenile
Both adult and juvenile Sabine's Gulls have a strong pattern of triangles on the wings, with black in the wingtips and clean white on the trailing edge, making a cleaner and more blocky pattern than immature Little Gull's black-on-gray M pattern.
© Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren / Macaulay LibraryMissouri, October 02, 2016Species in This Family
Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers(Order: Charadriiformes, Family: Laridae)
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