Bird Album
Gull-billed Tern
Gelochelidon nilotica (Gmelin, JF, 1789)
33–42 cmLength94 cmWingspan218 gWeight
It is a tern with a short, thick, gull-like bill, with a black cap in summer that disappears in winter.
Busiest months: April–May · Most records: United States, Spain, China
Looks like Sandwich Tern
How to identify
Field marks
- Bill short, thick, gull-like and black
- Black crown in summer plumage
- Upperparts gray; underparts white
- Wings broad; legs long and black; body sturdy
Male, female and young
Juvenile has a paler mask and looks broadly like an adult in winter. In winter, the adult loses the black cap and has a dark patch around the eye.
Voice
The typical call is “ker-wik”.
Similar species
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: April–May · Most records: United States, Spain, China
Gull-billed Tern has been recorded at 1,652 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 154 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Edwin B. Forsythe NWRUnited States7,216 records
- Edwin B. Forsythe NWR – Wildlife DriveUnited States4,552 records
- Savannah Spoil Site: Area 14AUnited States2,738 records
More places
- Bolivar Flats Shorebird SanctuaryUnited States2,073 records
- Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Ctr.United States1,934 records
- Laguna Atascosa NWRUnited States1,659 records
- Pak Thale Nature ReserveThailand1,610 records
- International Birding and Research Center Eilat (IBRCE)Israel1,576 records
- Changaram Wetlands – EzhupunnaIndia1,315 records
- Jocelyn Nungaray NWR (Anahuac)United States1,282 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 gull-billed tern (Gelochelidon nilotica) is a tern in the family Laridae. It is widely distributed and breeds in scattered localities in Europe, Asia, northwest Africa, and the Americas. The Australian gull-billed tern was previously considered a subspecies.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Gull-billed Tern?
The Gull-billed Tern is about 33–42 cm long, with a wingspan of 94 cm and weighs around 218 g.
Where does the Gull-billed Tern live?
Its breeding range: Palearctic, Africa, Oriental, North America, Middle America, South America: widespread inland, southwestern Europe to northeastern China; coastal China; coastal western North Atlantic and Caribbean; coastal southern California and Mexico; coastal South America and inland north-central Argentina. It is most often recorded in United States, Spain and China.
When is the best time to see the Gull-billed Tern?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April and May (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Gull-billed Tern endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Gull-billed Tern as Least Concern.
What does the Gull-billed Tern eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Gull-billed Tern in?
It belongs to the family Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae), order Charadriiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 33–42 cm
- Wingspan
- 94 cm
- Weight
- 218 g
- Habitat
- Coast & tidal flats
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Feeds in the air
- Migration
- Migratory
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 308 mm
- Tail
- 122 mm
- Bill
- 44 mm
- Tarsus
- 32 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Palearctic, Africa, Oriental, North America, Middle America, South America: widespread inland, southwestern Europe to northeastern China; coastal China; coastal western North Atlantic and Caribbean; coastal southern California and Mexico; coastal South America and inland north-central Argentina
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Subspecies · 2
- Gelochelidon nilotica nilotica inland s Europe, n Africa through the Middle East to Inner Mongolia (ne China) and Indus Valley (c Pakistan) | non-breeding: to inland and coastal sub-sahran Africa (except s), Red Sea, Persian Gulf and s Asia
- Gelochelidon nilotica affinis coastal Bohai Gulf (ec China) to se China | non-breeding: se Asia and Philippines, Indonesian Arch. and n Australia
Classification
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Gulls, Terns, Skimmers Laridae
- Genus
- Gelochelidon
Other birds in the genus Gelochelidon
Australian TernGelochelidon macrotarsa
African SkimmerRynchops flavirostris
Indian SkimmerRynchops albicollis
Black SkimmerRynchops niger
Atlantic White TernGygis alba
Little White TernGygis microrhyncha
Brown NoddyAnous stolidus
Lesser NoddyAnous tenuirostris
Black NoddyAnous minutus
Grey NoddyAnous albivitta
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Eric Kershner/USFWS. ↗
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