Bird Album
Atlantic White Tern
Gygis alba (Sparrman, 1786)
23–30 cmLength78 cmWingspan117 gWeight
The Atlantic white tern (Gygis alba), also known as the common white tern, is a small seabird found in the Atlantic Ocean.
Most records: U.S. Outlying Islands, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands
Where and when it's recorded
Most records: U.S. Outlying Islands, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands
Atlantic White Tern has been recorded at 161 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 26 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Midway Atoll – Water Catchment AreaU.S. Outlying Islands1,038 records
- Midway Atoll NWR – Sand IslandU.S. Outlying Islands761 records
- Midway Atoll NWR – Eastern IslandU.S. Outlying Islands410 records
More places
- TetiaroaFrench Polynesia300 records
- Midway Atoll – Brackish SeepU.S. Outlying Islands243 records
- Norfolk Island National Park – Captain Cook MemorialNorfolk Island228 records
- West IslandCocos (Keeling) Islands221 records
- ArideSeychelles202 records
- Pinatang ParkNorthern Mariana Islands179 records
- Cousin Island NRSeychelles175 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The Atlantic white tern (Gygis alba), also known as the common white tern, is a small seabird found in the Atlantic Ocean. It is sometimes known as the fairy tern, although this name is potentially confusing as it is also the common name of Sternula nereis. Other names for the species include angel tern and white noddy.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Atlantic White Tern?
The Atlantic White Tern is about 23–30 cm long, with a wingspan of 78 cm and weighs around 117 g.
Where does the Atlantic White Tern live?
Its breeding range: Tropical Oceans: tropical and subtropical South Atlantic Ocean islands: Fernando de Noronha, Trindade (northeastern, south of northeastern Brazil); Ascension and St. Helena (tropical southeastern Atlantic Ocean). It is most often recorded in U.S. Outlying Islands, Norfolk Island and Northern Mariana Islands.
Is the Atlantic White Tern endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Atlantic White Tern as Least Concern.
What does the Atlantic White Tern eat?
Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.
What family is the Atlantic White Tern in?
It belongs to the family Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae), order Charadriiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 23–30 cm
- Wingspan
- 78 cm
- Weight
- 117 g
- Habitat
- Ocean
- Diet
- Fish, shrimp & shellfish
- Lifestyle
- Feeds in the air
- Migration
- Partial migrant
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 233 mm
- Tail
- 90 mm
- Bill
- 44 mm
- Tarsus
- 12 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Tropical Oceans: tropical and subtropical South Atlantic Ocean islands: Fernando de Noronha, Trindade (northeastern, south of northeastern Brazil); Ascension and St. Helena (tropical southeastern Atlantic Ocean)
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Gulls, Terns, Skimmers Laridae
- Genus
- Gygis
Other birds in the genus Gygis
Little White TernGygis microrhyncha
African SkimmerRynchops flavirostris
Indian SkimmerRynchops albicollis
Black SkimmerRynchops niger
Brown NoddyAnous stolidus
Lesser NoddyAnous tenuirostris
Black NoddyAnous minutus
Grey NoddyAnous albivitta
Blue NoddyAnous ceruleus
Aleutian TernOnychoprion aleuticus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Darrell Parsons. ↗
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