Gull-billed Tern

Gull-billed Tern
This species is defined as a Review Species . Please submit your records of this species via our record submission page .

Scientific Name: Gelochelidon nilotica

Malay Name: Camar Paruh Tebal Biasa

Chinese Name: 鸥嘴噪鸥

Range: Found in southern Europe, temperate and eastern Asia, north America, eastern South America and Australia. Northern populations winter south to Africa, Middle East, Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Caribbean and northern South America.

Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: nilotica, affinis, aranea, vanrossemi, gronvoldi.

Local Subspecies: affinis

Size: 34.5-37.5 cm

Identification: Non-breeding adult resembles Whiskered Tern but much larger and thicker-billed, has white head with blackish ear-coverts, pale silvery-grey rump and shallow forked tail. Breeding adult has black forehead to nape.

Similar looking species: Black-naped Tern, Common Tern, Whiskered Tern

Habitat: Open seas and mudflat.

Behaviour/Ecology: Has a broad diet and does not depend on fish like other tern species, feeding on insects, small crabs and other prey snatched from the ground, air, or even bushes.

Local Status: Rare visitor

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2019)

Featured reports: Sep 2022, Nov 2022, May 2023, Sep 2023, Oct 2023, Sep 2024

Past records in our database:

Showing only accepted records. Note that records currently under review are also not displayed, and the list may not be a full list of records of this species in Singapore. For more details, check the database here.

Gull-billed Tern at Singapore Strait. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Gull-billed Tern at Sentosa Cove. Photo credit: Francis Yap
Gull-billed Tern at Bali. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Gull-billed Tern at Bali. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Gull-billed Tern)

References:

BirdLife International. (2019). Gelochelidon nilotica. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T62026481A153842241.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Gull-billed Tern. Retrieved on November 17, 2024 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/gull-billed-tern.

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