Black Tern Chlidonias niger
Slijkplaat, The Netherlands
Culmen: 26.4 mm, total: 58.1 mm, adult male
Sternidae
Other Terns
Three species of small, predominantly on fresh water depending species, also called 'marsh terns'. During migration species may occur in coastal waters. All of them have black bills.
Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus, Resident and migratory in Old World; three subspecies:
C. h. hybridus, breeding southern Europe, North Africa east to China.
C. h. sclateri, breeding South and East Africa and Madagascar.
C. h. fluviatilis, Australia.
C. h. delalandi, East and Southern Africa.
C. h. javanicus, Java to Australia
White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus, widespread from western Europe, Africa to south-east Asia.
Black Tern Chlidonias niger, two subspecies:
C. n. niger, breeding western and Central Europe and Central Asia, migrating along West African coast.
C. n. surinamensis, breeding North America, wintering south in Caribbean.
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Black Tern Chlidonias niger Slijkplaat, The Netherlands Culmen: 26.4 mm, total: 58.1 mm, adult male |
A pretty large tern with a strong all black bill.
Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica, almost cosmopolitan; six subspecies:
G. n. vanrossemi, western North America south to Ecuador.
G. n. aranea, eastern North America from Long Island to West Indies.
G. n. gronvoldi, eastern South America: Argentina to Brazil.
G. n. affinis, southern China to Malay Archipelago.
G. n. nilotica, Europe, North and East Africa into Asia to Mongolia.
G. n. macrotarsa, Australia.
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Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica, Location unknown Culmen: ca. 38 mm, total: 85 mm. unsexed adult. |
Large-billed Tern Phaetusa simplex, South America, east of the Andes. A mainly fresh water species with a large yellow bill that is seldom seen at sea.
Inca Tern Larosterna inca, endemic from Humboldt Current from Gulf of Guayaquil to Chilean coast.
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Inca Tern Larosterna inca from captivity Culmen: 44.2 mm, total: 85.6 mm, unsexed adult |
Noddies are relatively small tern-like members of the gull family from the tropical seas around the world. Though many Noddies are rather sedentary, at least not very migratory, individual birds may get displaced over great distances during tropical storms.
Grey Noddy or Blue-grey Noddy Procelsterna cerulea, seven subspecies in the Pacific Ocean, sedentary in breeding ranges:
P. c. cerulea, breeding Christmas Island.
P. c. saxatilis, breeding Hawaiian Chain.
P. c. teretirostris, Society, Marquesas ant Tuamotu Is.
P. c. albivittata, Lord howe, Norfolk, Kermadec and Friendly Is.
P. c. skottsbergii, Henderson and Easter Is.
P. c. nebouxi, Phoenix, Ellice and Samoan Is.
P. c. imitatrix, San Ambrose, San Felix off Chile.
Common Noddy Anous stolidus, four subspecies in tropical and subtropical seas around the world.
A. s. stolidus,Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and subtropical zone of the Atlantic Ocean.
A. s. pileatus, Red Sea, Idian Ocean, off Australia and greater part of the Pacific Ocean.
A. s. galapagensis, around Galapagos Is.
A. s. ridgwayi, Islands off western Mexico and Central America.
Lesser Noddy Anous tenuirostris, two subspecies, only in Indian Ocean.
A. t. tenuirostris, Seychelles Chain.
A. t. melanops, Islands off western Australia.
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White-capped Black Noddy Anous minutus ssp minutus Australia Culmen: 43.8 mm; total: 82.2 mm |
Black Noddy or White-capped Noddy Anous minutus, seven subspecies in Atlantic and Pacific Ocean.
A. m. minutus, western Pacific, from Tuamotu to Queensland, Australia.
A. m. marcusi, Marcus and Wake Is. and Micronesia.
A. m. diamesus, Clipperton and Cocos Is.
A. m. worcesteri, islands off Philippines
A. m. melanogenys, Hawaiian Islands
A. m. americanus, islands off Belize.
A. m. atlanticus, Atlantic from St. Paul's Rocks to St. Helena and Ascension I.
Wide ranging throughout tropical seas.
White Tern or Fairy Tern Gygys alba, six subspecies:
G. a. alba, Atlantic Ocean.
G. a. monte, Indian Ocean: Seychelles, Madagascar and Mascarene Is.
G. a. royana, Kermadec and Norfolk Is.
G. a. candida, Southwest Pacific Ocean.
G. a. rothschildi, Laysan Island.
G. a. microrhyncha, Marquesas Is.
G. a. pacifica, South Pacific east to Easter I.
Literature:
Malling Olsen, K., Larsson H., 1995, Terns of Europe and North America, Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey.
