OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Gelochelidon ("laughing swallow") nilotica ("of the Nile")
Five adult Gull-billed Tern (subspecies G. n. niloctica) at Laguna del Longar, Spain - April 2016
Featured Subspecies: Grelochelidon nilotica nilotica
Weight: 150-292g / Length: 33-42cm / Wingspan: 76-91cm
The Gull-billed Tern is a comparatively powerfully built tern found sporadically across all continents except Antarctica is variable densities. Through much of it's range, it is a coastal species, though it may breed at more inland sites. The colony I encountered was at Laguna del Longar in Toledo province, where they breed on the sandbars, although these birds were washing themselves in the fresher inlet streams closer to the hides.
Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Sternidae
Genus: Gelochelidon
Subspecies: G. n. niloctica, G. n. affinis, G. n. macrotarsa, G. n. aranea, G. n. vanrossemi, G. n. gronvoldi
- Sighting Locations -
- MADRID 2016 TRIP: Abundant at Laguna del Longar (at least fifteen seen around Lagoon at various times)
Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto
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