28 (+1) North American Gulls

For learning purposes the gulls that frequent (or infrequent) Texas have been placed in 4 groups based on their distribution in Texas: (The Texas Hex, 6 (+1) Wandering Texans, 13 Lucky Texans and 3 Range-restricted Rarities).

For those interested in learning gulls I suggest you begin with my handout Texas Gulls Overview 2026 then follow up with my additional photos and commentary on the pages listed below.

The Texas Hex are the most common and can be expected in winter at many gulling locations (e.g. lakes, landfills, coasts). Memorizing “Jeff’s Texas Gulls Rules” will help to identify over 90% of gulls in Texas. These rules are supported by direct observation as well as Ebird data.

Feather Groups (Topology)

Knowing the names and locations of feather groups is very beneficial when learning gulls.

Gull Photographs & Commentaries

My photographs and discussions for many of these gull species are found on the pages below. Except where noted otherwise, all photographs are my own.

The Texas Hex

These are the likely gulls for any gull sighting in Texas. If you find a gull start with these species and consider “Jeff’s Texas Gulls Rules“.

6 (+1) Wandering Texans

The 6 (+1) Wandering Texans were formerly on the Texas Birds Records Committee (TBRC) Review List but have been removed based on sufficient documentation in Texas. These species are sparsely, but fairly regularly, seen in Texas during winter, but are exciting finds none-the-less. The (+1) in the title of this group denotes that the Iceland’s presence in Texas consists of 2 sub-species: thayeri and kumlieni, which are fun to identify down to sub-species if possible.

13 Lucky Texans

The 13 Lucky Texans are species that have been documented by 1 or more sightings in Texas (so far there has been 1 well-documented record of the Gray Gull and the Yellow-footed Gull and up to 67 sightings of the Great Black-backed Gull in Texas as of early 2026). These species are extremely rare in Texas and should be photographed, well-documented, and reported to the TBRC if seen.

As very rare species for Texas I have limited experience and photographs of this group. I have a few photos of some species in Texas and for others I have photos from their more usual haunts (e.g. West Coast of North America).

Photos from Texas

Photos from West Coast

  • Glaucous-winged Gull
  • Heerman’s Gull
  • Short-billed Gull
  • Western Gull

One iPhone Photo from Europe

  • Yellow-legged Gull

No photos

  • Black-tailed Gull
  • Gray Gull
  • Slaty-backed Gull (seen in Texas but no photos)
  • Vega Gull

3 Range Restricted Rarities

The last group, the 3 Range Restricted Rarities, have not been documented, and would be extremely unlikely, in Texas. Their usual range is the far north of North America. I have not traveled to the locations where they are seen (yet), therefore I have no photos or commentary on them.

  • Ross’s Gull
  • Ivory Gull
  • Red-legged Kittiwake