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10

Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica) Alternate name(s): "Long-legged Tern" German name(s): "Lachseeschwalbe" Size: 33-42 cm; wing span 75-90 cm Weight: 150-290 g

Europe: Family Group 10 Family Group 10 Table Great Skua Caspian Gull Great Black-backed Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull American Herring Gull European Herring Gull Yellow-legged Gull Audouin's Gull Slender-billed Gull Iceland Gull Common Gull Ring-billed Gull Black-headed Gull Bonaparte's Gull Mediterranean Gull Little Gull Black-legged Kittiwake Caspian Tern Sandwich Tern Gull-billed Tern Common Tern Arctic Tern Little Tern Forster's Tern Whiskered Tern Black Tern White-winged Black Tern Atlantic Puffin Razorbill Common Guillemot Black Guillemot Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Similar species

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

Physical description Click here for a physical description Gull-billed Terns are medium-sized terns. During the breeding breeding season they have a black cap, white front (throat, neck, chest, belly and vent) and grey wings. The black eyes are surrounded by the black cap, while the frons (base of the bill) is also black. The stout bill is black, the short legs and feet are also black. In eclipse the cap becomes mostly white, with grey patches remaining behind the eyes and some mottled black-and-white remaining at the back of the head. Juveniles are mottled grey, with a mottled cap and black eye patches. Twitcher's tip Compared to other, similar terns, the Gull-billed Tern has the most massive black bill (hence its name).

Taxonomy, classification See Gull-billed Tern at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to the ebird.org website. The global distribution of the Gull-billed Tern is available HERE . Gull-billed Terns are a global species, of which there are 6 extant races. All races are dispersive after the end of the breeding season, and those breeding in the northern hemisphere are the most strongly migratory races. Nominate race "nilotica" have a very extended breeding range, from Europe and North Africa in the West, through the Middle East and southern-central Asia to western China and Thailand in the East. The breeding range of the Asian race "affinis" extends from parts of Indonesia (Borneo, Sulawesi, Sumatra) through the Philippines and south-eastern Asia, South and East China up to Japan in the East. Race "macrotarsa" breeds only in Australia. The three other races, "aranea", "vanrossemi" and "gronvoldi" are found in various parts of the Americas (for details see, e.g., Wikipedia). The northern races tend to spend the winters farther South, e.g. in southern America, in Africa, south-eastern Asia and even New Zealand. Gull-billed Terns, nominate race "nilotica", are breeding migrants to Europe from the South. Apart from a few suitable locations inland, such as major rivers (e.g. Danube) or lakes (Lake Superior), they populate mostly coastal regions. They are found during their migration to the breeding grounds all around the Mediterranean Sea, but also along the Iberian and French Atlantic coastline, the coastlines of England and Wales, the North Sea coastline up to southern Scandinavia and parts of the coastline of the Baltic Sea. Gull-billed Terns can be found above coastal waters, but also in tidal flats and inland, in the shallows of freshwater lakes, including ephemeral lakes and ephemeral wetlands.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "nilotica" J. Pires spotted Gull-billed Terns, nominate race "nilotica" in the Tejo estuary, Portugal, and in Badajoz, Badajoz province, Spain, in the timeframe July to December 2018. A large flock was found in the Tejo estuary, Portugal, in July 2019. More photos shown below were taken by M. Eaton in Egypt. Race "macrotarsa" We have spotted Gull-billed Terns, race "macrotarsa" in Australia. Race "affinis" We have spotted Gull-billed Terns, race "affinis", in Australia.

Photos

Race "nilotica"

ADULT

Sex unknown

BREEDING

Near-frontal/ventral view of a Gull-billed Tern in breeding plumage in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires )
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, July 2019]

Near-frontal/ventral view of a Gull-billed Tern in breeding plumage in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires )
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, July 2019]

Lateral view of a Gull-billed Tern in breeding plumage in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires )
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, July 2019]

Lateral view of a Gull-billed Tern in breeding plumage in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires )
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, July 2019]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a Gull-billed Tern in breeding plumage in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires )
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, July 2019]

Gull-billed Terns in both breeding plumage (black caps) and non-breeding plumage (strong black bills, but white cap), on a roost together with other seabirds, primarily a flock of Black-headed Gulls (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[November 2017]

NON-BREEDING

Lateral view of a Gull-billed Tern in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[November 2017]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Juveniles (the bird sitting highest and the one on the far right) as part of a small group of Gull-billed Terns
(photo courtesy of J. Pires )
[Badajoz, Badajoz province, Spain, July 2018]

Race "affinis"

Gull-billed Terns, race "affinis", were photographed by us in Australia.

Race "macrotarsa"

Gull-billed Terns, race "macrotarsa", were photographed by us in Australia.

Food, Diet

Like all terns, Gull-billed Terns feed on fish and other aquatic animals, which they catch with their bills just under the surface of water in a steep high-speed dive from considerable height.

Flock of about 100 Gull-billed Terns in breeding plumage hunting above a submerged rice paddy (photo courtesy of J. Pires )
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, July 2019]

Gull-billed Tern in breeding plumage about to take off with its prey, which looks like a grasshopper - in which case the bird is the farmer's "best friend" (photo courtesy of J. Pires )
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, July 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a Gull-billed Tern in breeding plumage taking off with its prey, possibly a prawn (photo courtesy of J. Pires )
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, July 2019]

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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