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10

White Tern

(Gygis alba)
Alternate name(s): "Angel Tern", "White Noddy", "Love Tern"
Size: 30-33 cm; wing span ca. 75 cm
Weight: 130-140 g

Similar
species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See White Tern at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

Race "candida"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-frontal view of a pair of White Terns in a Norfolk Island pine (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Norfolk Island, January 2008]

Pair of White Terns (photo courtesy of D. Hobday)
[Lord Howe Island, August 2011]

Slightly different posture (photo courtesy of D. Hobday)
[Lord Howe Island, August 2011]

Pair of White Terns (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Wharf, Lord Howe Island, November 2014]

Ventral view of a White Tern (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Wharf, Lord Howe Island, November 2014]

White Tern banking to land in a tree (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Wharf, Lord Howe Island, November 2014]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Oct? - ? Eggs: 1 Incubation period: ? Fledging age: ?

Nest building: N/A Incubation: ? Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Tree fork Material: N/A Height above ground: ?

White Tern with its chick in the "nest", on a major branch of a Norfolk Island pine (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Wharf, Lord Howe Island, November 2014]

Lateral view of a White Tern protecting its chick (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[April 2019]

Dorsal view of a White Tern protecting its chick (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[April 2019]

Dorsal view of a White Tern protecting its chick (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[April 2019]

Frontal view of a White Tern chick (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[April 2019]

Near-frontal view of a White Tern chick; note the well-developed claws used by the chick to hold on to the branch that is its "nest" (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[April 2019]

Near-lateral view of a White Tern chick (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[April 2019]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 52 x 36 mm Colour: Creamy, with varying degrees of dark-brown speckling Shape: Tapered oval

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