There are several types of small white and gray beach birds that resemble seagulls in appearance. The most common of these are terns, plovers, sanderlings, and some species of gulls that are smaller than the more familiar herring gull. While they may look similar at first glance, there are key differences between seagulls and these smaller beach birds in terms of size, shape, coloring, behavior, habitat, and diet. Quick answers to questions in the opening paragraphs:
What are some examples of small beach birds that look like seagulls? Common examples include least terns, black skimmers, piping plovers, sanderlings, Bonaparte’s gulls, and Sabine’s gulls.
How can you tell them apart from seagulls? Seagulls tend to be larger with thicker bills while small beach birds are more petite with slender bills. Small beach birds also exhibit different behaviors like hovering and plunge diving to catch fish.
Where can these birds be found? On beaches and coastal areas, usually nesting in colonies on sandy beaches or mudflats. Some migrate long distances and winter in tropical areas.
Why do they resemble seagulls? Gulls, terns, and other shorebirds share adaptations for coastal living like water-resistant feathers and bodies designed for swimming, diving, and picking food from the water’s surface. Their colors camouflage them against the sand and surf.
Terns
Terns are graceful, medium-sized birds most closely related to gulls. There are several types of small terns that inhabit beaches and coastal areas.
Least Terns: The least tern is the smallest tern species in North America at about 9 inches in length and a 24 inch wingspan. They have a black-hooded appearance with a sharp black bill, white forehead, gray undersides and tail, and pale gray back and wings. Their legs are yellow and their beak is more slender and delicate than a typical seagull’s.
Habitat and Behavior: Least terns nest in colonies on open sandy beaches and feed by plunge diving for small fish in shallow waters of bays, estuaries, and lagoons. They migrate long distances, wintering along the Central American coast and as far south as northern South America.
Conservation Status: Due to habitat loss, least terns are considered an endangered species in some states. Their nesting colonies are vulnerable to human disturbance and predators.
Black Skimmers: Black skimmers are unique-looking terns with black upper body, white underbody, and oversized red and black bills. The lower mandible of their beak is elongated and they use it to skim the water’s surface while flying to catch fish. They reach 18 inches long with a 44 inch wingspan.
Habitat and Behavior: Black skimmers nest in large colonies on sandbars and beaches, often intermixed with other tern species. They also forage together in groups and migrate in large flocks, wintering on the coasts of Central and South America.
Conservation Status: The black skimmer has a near-threatened conservation status due to habitat loss, human disturbance, and exposure to oil spills in waterways.
Plovers
Plovers are plump-bodied shorebirds that inhabit coastal beaches worldwide. They have short necks and rounded heads compared to the more elongated bodies of terns and gulls. There are over 50 species of plovers including these common small beach plovers:
Piping Plover: Only about 7 inches long, the Piping Plover has sand-colored upper plumage, a white underside, orange legs, and a black breast band. Their name comes from their melodic piping calls.
Habitat and Behavior: Piping plovers nest and feed on open dry sand beaches, dunes, and in coastal wetlands. They are migratory, wintering along the southern Atlantic and Gulf coasts, the Bahamas, and Caribbean.
Conservation Status: Piping plovers are a threatened species due to habitat degradation and disturbances to their nesting areas.
Semipalmated Plover: This plover has a dark gray-brown upper body, white underparts, a narrow pale breast band, yellow-orange legs, and a black bill. They reach 7 inches in length.
Habitat and Behavior: During breeding season, they nest on open tundra near coastal areas and wetlands across Canada and Alaska. They winter in large flocks on mudflats, sandy beaches, lagoons, and estuaries along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
Conservation Status: Still a relatively common shorebird species, but habitat loss and human disturbance are ongoing threats.
Sanderlings
Sanderlings are small pale shorebirds common on beaches worldwide. They have a wingspan of 16-20 inches and grow to 8-9 inches in length.
Identifying Features: In breeding plumage, they have rich reddish color on their head, breast, and shoulders. The rest of their plumage is gray and white. In winter, they are pale gray above and white below. They have a medium-length black bill and legs.
Habitat and Behavior: Sanderlings scurry and dart along the edge of breaking waves on ocean shorelines, eating crustaceans, marine worms, mollusks and other invertebrates. They nest in the Arctic tundra and undertake long migrations to and from wintering grounds on sandy beaches across North America, South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. They often flock together in large numbers.
Conservation Status: Sanderlings have a near-threatened conservation status, with decreasing population trends due to habitat loss and human disturbance in coastal areas.
Small Gulls
While most familiar gulls are quite large, some smaller gull species inhabit shorelines and share a resemblance to terns. Two examples found on North American beaches include:
Bonaparte’s Gull: This small gull reaches 13-14 inches long with a 33 inch wingspan. Breeding adults are all gray with a black head and red legs. They have a very delicate, narrow bill.
Habitat and Behavior: Bonaparte’s gulls nest in large colonies in the interior wetlands and forests of Canada and Alaska. They winter along both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
Sabine’s Gull: With a wingspan around 33 inches and length of 12-14 inches, Sabine’s gulls are elegantly shaped with a forked tail and long, narrow wings. Breeding plumage includes a gray back, white underside, and black hood with yellow on the nape. The triangular bill is black with yellow at the tip.
Habitat and Behavior: They breed in Arctic regions and then migrate long distances to winter on shorelines and pelagic waters in temperate and tropical zones.
Behaviors and Habitats
While small beach birds have a seagull-like appearance, their behaviors, preferred foods and habitats differ in the following ways:
Diet and Feeding
Bird Type | Diet and Feeding Habits |
---|---|
Terns | Plunge dive for small fish, will also eat shrimp, crabs, and aquatic insects. |
Plovers | Run along beach probing for marine worms, mollusks, crustaceans, and insects. |
Sanderlings | Use short bills to probe wet sand for aquatic invertebrates like crabs and marine worms. |
Small gulls | Omnivorous, eat fish, aquatic inverts, seeds, berries, and garbage. |
Habitats Used
Bird Type | Key Habitats |
---|---|
Terns | Sandy beaches, barrier islands, bays, estuaries, lagoons, pelagic zones. |
Plovers | Sandy beaches, coastal wetlands, salt marshes, mudflats. |
Sanderlings | Sandy ocean beaches with surf, some coastal wetlands. |
Small gulls | Beaches, bays, coastal wetlands, pelagic zones. |
Nesting and Breeding
– Terns, plovers, and small gulls nest in colonies on open sandy beaches and flats. Sanderlings nest in high arctic tundra areas.
– The birds engage in elaborate courtship rituals like aerial displays, gift-giving, or digging small nest scrapes in the sand.
– Clutches generally contain 1-3 eggs that have earth-tone spotted or speckled markings to camouflage on the sand.
– Parents share incubation duties and both help feed the precocial young after hatching. Chicks leave the nest within 1-2 days.
Migration
– Many populations are long-distance migrants, breeding in northern latitudes and wintering along southern coasts and tropics.
– Some like piping plovers winter along the same continental coasts as their summer range.
– They often migrate and winter in large mixed flocks of thousands of birds.
Threats and Conservation
Many of these small beach birds face a variety of threats:
– Habitat loss and degradation due to coastal development and human recreation disturbing nesting areas.
– Predation risks from expanded populations of foxes, gulls, and other predators in coastal regions.
– Pollution including oil spills, chemical runoff into coastal waters, and plastic debris which can choke or entangle birds.
– Climate change and sea level rise shrinking available nesting beaches and altering food chain ecology.
Conservation measures include:
– Protecting and managing shorebird breeding and wintering habitats.
– Using symbolic fencing and signage to reduce human recreational impacts.
– Controlling populations of predatory species in sensitive areas.
– Enforcing regulations on pollution of marine ecosystems.
– Monitoring and managing sustainable human use of coastal regions through zoning, visitor limits, and outreach.
Conclusion
Terns, plovers, sanderlings, and small gulls fill an important niche in coastal ecosystems worldwide despite their delicate populations. Paying special attention to species that share our shores allows us to better understand and conserve the web of marine life. Watching the swirling flocks of these birds also links us to the wonders of nature and annual cycles of migration across our planet.