Seagull Spotter

Something just swooped in, grabbed a fry off your basket, and left before you could finish the sentence “did that seagull just—” Yes. Yes it did. Ocean City runs on a fragile truce with its gulls, and the first step to winning the fry economy is knowing exactly which bird you're up against.

Answer a few questions about the bird you saw — size, head color, bill or leg marks, how it was acting — and we'll narrow it down. Then log the sighting to your Gull-dex: spot every regular for the Junior Ornithologist badge, and keep an eye out for the elusive winter-only “shiny” species. No account needed — your Gull-dex lives right here in this browser.

Not every boardwalk regular is technically a gull — pelicans, terns, and sanderlings get a “not actually a gull” badge, because someone always asks. Species notes are cross-checked against eBird, Audubon's field guide, and the Maryland Coastal Bays Program.

What did you see?

About how big was it?

12 still possible

When you'll see them

Not every bird is here all year — some are boardwalk regulars every month, some show up only for the summer crowds, and a couple are winter-only. Same source notes as the Gull-dex below; some birds' windows aren't pinned down precisely enough to draw a bar, so they're listed with their season note instead.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
  • Laughing Gull

    May through September

  • Herring Gull

    January through December

  • Ring-billed Gull

    January through December

  • Great Black-backed Gull

    January through December

  • Lesser Black-backed Gull

    November through March

  • Bonaparte's Gull

    Winter and migration

  • Royal Tern

    May through September

  • Forster's/Common Tern

    May through September

  • Brown Pelican

    May through November

  • Sanderling

    Migration and winter

  • American Oystercatcher

    May through September

  • Osprey

    March through August

The Gull-dex

12 species logged

Junior Ornithologist

0 / 4 regulars

Spot all the Gull-dex regulars to earn the badge. Winter-only species are rare “shiny” finds — they don't count against you.

Laughing Gull

Leucophaeus atricilla

  • Small gull with jet-black head in summer
  • Red bill and dark gray wings
  • Cackling 'ha-ha-ha' call is distinctive
Summer resident — THE boardwalk gullCommon
Fry-theft threat:

ebird.org · audubon.org

Herring Gull

Larus argentatus

  • Large gull with pale gray back
  • Pink legs and red spot on yellow bill
  • Juveniles are mottled brown
Year-roundCommon
Fry-theft threat:

ebird.org · audubon.org

Ring-billed Gull

Larus delawarensis

  • Medium gull with yellow legs
  • Black ring around yellow bill
  • Most numerous in cooler months
Year-round, most numerous in cooler monthsCommon
Fry-theft threat:

ebird.org · audubon.org

  • Huge — world's largest gull
  • Black back with massive bill
  • Too dignified to chase fries; steals whole crabs instead
Year-roundUncommon
Fry-theft threat:

ebird.org · audubon.org

Shiny
  • Like a smaller Great Black-backed with yellow legs
  • Winter visitor to Ocean City
Winter visitor✨ Shiny — winter rarity
Fry-theft threat:

ebird.org · audubon.org

Bonaparte's Gull

Chroicocephalus philadelphia

Shiny
  • Tiny, tern-like with buoyant flight
  • Shiny-tier winter find off the Inlet
Winter and migration✨ Shiny — winter rarity
Fry-theft threat:

ebird.org · audubon.org

Royal Tern

Thalasseus maximus

Not actually a gull
  • Orange bill with shaggy black crest
  • Not a gull — a common gotcha ID question
SummerSeasonal

ebird.org · audubon.org

Brown Pelican

Pelecanus occidentalis

Not actually a gull
  • Unmistakable; glides inches over the surf in squadrons
  • Crowd favorite; a comeback story from DDT-era decline
Late spring–fallSeasonal

ebird.org · audubon.org

Sanderling

Calidris alba

Not actually a gull
  • Tiny white shorebird sprinting after the wash
  • The wind-up-toy of the swash zone
Migration and winterSeasonal

ebird.org · audubon.org