only deliberately coming ashore to nest. Dovekie, Alle alle (A) Thick-billed murre, Uria lomvia (A) Black guillemot, Cepphus grylle (A) Long-billed murrelet, Brachyramphus perdi (A) Ancient murrelet, Synthliboramphus antiquus (A) Gulls, terns, and skimmers Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Laridae Laridae is a family of medium to large seabirds and includes gulls, terns, and skimmers. Gulls are typically gray or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills and webbed feet. Terns are a group of generally medium to large seabirds typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head. Most terns hunt fish by diving but some pick insects off the surface of fresh water. Terns are generally long-lived birds, with several species known to live in excess of 30 years. Skimmers are a small family of tropical tern-like birds. They have an elongated lower mandible which they use to feed by flying low over the water surface and skimming the water for small fish. Black-legged kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla (A) Sabine's gull, Xema sabini (C) Bonaparte's gull, Chroicocephalus philadelphia Black-headed gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus Little gull, Hydrocoloeus minutus Ross's gull, Rhodostethia rosea (A) Laughing gull, Leucophaeus atricilla Franklin's gull, Leucophaeus pipixcan Common gull/short-billed gull, Larus canus/Larus brachyrhynchus (A) Ring-billed gull, Larus delawarensis California gull, Larus californicus (A) Herring gull, Larus argentatus Iceland gull, Larus glaucoides Lesser black-backed gull, Larus fuscus Slaty-backed gull, Larus schistisagus (A) Glaucous gull, Larus hyperboreus Great black-backed gull, Larus marinus Kelp gull, Larus dominicanus (A) Sooty tern, Onychoprion fuscata (A) Least tern, Sternula antillarum (C) Gull-billed tern, Gelochelidon nilotica (C) Caspian tern, Hydroprogne caspia Black tern, Chlidonias niger White-winged tern, Chlidonias leucopterus (A) Roseate tern, Sterna dougallii (A) Common tern, Sterna hirundo Arctic tern, Sterna paradisaea (C) Forster's tern, Sterna forsteri Royal tern, Thalasseus maxima (C) Sandwich tern, Thalasseus sandvicensis (P) (A) Black skimmer, Rynchops niger (C) Tropicbirds Order: PhaethontiformesFamily: Phaethontidae Tropicbirds are slender white birds of tropical oceans with exceptionally long central tail feathers. Their long wings have black markings, as does the head. White-tailed tropicbird, Phaethon lepturus (A) Loons Order: GaviiformesFamily: Gaviidae Loons are aquatic birds, the size of a large duck, to which they are unrelated. Their plumage is largely gray or black, and they have spear-shaped bills. Loons swim well and fly adequately, but are almost hopeless on land, because their legs are placed towards the rear of the body. Red-throated loon, Gavia stellata