Terns (Sternidae)
Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica) - HBW 3, p. 645
French: Sterne hansel
German: Lachseeschwalbe
Spanish: Pagaza Piconegra
Taxonomy: Sterna nilotica Gmelin, 1789, Egypt.
Along with Hydroprogne and Thalasseus, genus often merged with Sterna; behaviour intermediate between typical terns and crested terns, and unique combination of characters supports separate generic treatment. Listed as G. anglica in many older works. Proposed race affinis for birds of E Asia and SE China is not separable. Six subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- nilotica (Gmelin, 1789) - Europe S to Mauritania and Tunisia, and E through Middle East, Kazakhstan and Indian Subcontinent to NW China; winters from tropical Africa through Persian Gulf to India.
- addenda Mathews, 1912 - Transbaikalia, Manchuria and E China (Fuzhou to Hainan); winters mainly SE Asia.
- macrotarsa (Gould, 1837) - Australia.
- nilotica (Gmelin, 1789) - Europe S to Mauritania and Tunisia, and E through Middle East, Kazakhstan and Indian Subcontinent to NW China; winters from tropical Africa through Persian Gulf to India.
- addenda Mathews, 1912 - Transbaikalia, Manchuria and E China (Fuzhou to Hainan); winters mainly SE Asia.
- macrotarsa (Gould, 1837) - Australia.
- aranea (Wilson, 1814) - New Jersey (rarely New York) S to Texas, Cuba, Bahamas and Puerto Rico, and sparsely along Mexican coast to Yucatán; winters along Central American coasts and S to Brazil and Peru.
- vanrossemi Bancroft, 1929 - California (coastal plain and Salton Sea) to N Baja California and Sinaloa (and probably S to Gulf of Tehuantepec), with isolated breeding recorded in Alaska (Copper R Delta); winters S to Ecuador.
- groenvoldi Mathews, 1912 - coast and river valleys from French Guiana (Cayenne) to NE Argentina (Buenos Aires); Ecuador and N Peru breeders may be this race or vanrossemi, or an undescribed race.
- Least Concern Enlarge map
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A bird preening on a sand-bar, standing beside another bird Locality Letitia Sandspit, Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Australia (ssp macrotarsa)
Nick Talbot 23 April 2006 6 years ago 17 sec 4.7 -
A bird in non-breeding plumage catching a crab on the reef and flying to eat it at the shore, then cleaning its beak. Locality Babar, Lesser Sundas (ssp macrotarsa)
Josep del Hoyo 31 October 2011 1 year ago 41 sec 4.3 -
A bird flying and searching for a prey Locality Cairns, Queensland, Australia (ssp macrotarsa)
Peter Nash 19 October 2006 6 years ago 38 sec 4.1 -
An immature bird standing on a sand-bar Locality Letitia Sandspit, Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Australia (ssp macrotarsa)
Nick Talbot 23 April 2006 6 years ago 14 sec 4.1 -
A bird in non-breeding plumage on a reef, looking around and flying away. Locality Babar, Lesser Sundas (ssp macrotarsa)
Josep del Hoyo 31 October 2011 1 year ago 37 sec 4 -
A bird preening on a sand-bar Locality Letitia Sandspit, Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Australia (ssp macrotarsa)
Nick Talbot 23 April 2006 6 years ago 15 sec 3.8 -
A bird standing on a sand-bar Locality Letitia Sandspit, Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Australia (ssp macrotarsa)
Nick Talbot 23 April 2006 6 years ago 7 sec 3.7 -
A winter-plumage adult preening, later standing at the shore Locality Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Eldert Groenewoud 28 July 2009 3 years ago 31 sec 3.7 -
A group with some Laughing Gulls and two Forster's Terns at the rear Locality Rio Lagartos, Yucatán State, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico (Southern) (ssp arenea)
Josep del Hoyo 29 September 2006 5 years ago 24 sec 3.5 -
An adult in breeding plumage flying Locality Thargomindah, Queensland, Australia (ssp macrotarsa)
Tom Tarrant 31 March 1995 8 years ago 44 sec 3.5 -
Two birds in flight in non-breeding plumage (then at 30% speed). Locality Modhva, Kutch District, Gujarat, India (ssp nilotica)
Josep del Hoyo 15 February 2011 1 year ago 26 sec 3.4 -
A bird in non-breeding plumage on a reef, looking around. Locality Babar, Lesser Sundas (ssp macrotarsa)
Josep del Hoyo 31 October 2011 1 year ago 22 sec 3.3 -
A bird preening on a sand-bar beside two other birds Locality Letitia Sandspit, Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Australia (ssp macrotarsa)
Nick Talbot 23 April 2006 6 years ago 7 sec 3.3 -
A bird preening on a sand-bar and ruffling its feathers Locality Letitia Sandspit, Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Australia (ssp macrotarsa)
Nick Talbot 23 April 2006 6 years ago 14 sec 3.3 -
Two birds flying Locality Lake Munyanyange, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda (ssp nilotica)
Josep del Hoyo 5 September 2006 6 years ago 33 sec 3.2 -
flying Locality Tendaba, Lower River Division , The Gambia (ssp nilotica)
Daniêl Jimenez 30 December 2011 1 year ago 33 sec 3 -
Two birds together and a Forster's Tern in front, all in non-breeding plumage Locality Rio Lagartos, Yucatán State, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico (Southern) (ssp arenea)
Josep del Hoyo 29 September 2006 5 years ago 17 sec 3 -
Several birds resting Locality Oued Souss, Souss-Massa-Draâ Region, Morocco (ssp nilotica)
Eric Roualet 26 March 2006 2 years ago 5 sec 2
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