© GW - monacoeye, all rights reserved, Gambia, Feb 2013

Bird name: Caspian Tern
Latin: Hydroprogne caspia
Other: Sterne caspienne (fr), pagaza piquirroja (Es), gaivina-de-bico-vermelho (Pt), Raubseeschwalbe (De), reuzenstern (Nl)
Family: Laridae • Gulls, Terns
Range: N America, Baltic, Black Sea, Asia, Africa, Australasia, winters S coasts
Similar:

The Caspian Tern is unmistakable as it’s really huge - the biggest tern, about the size of a Lesser Black-backed Gull - with a very big orange-red bill. I saw many of them interspersed with smaller terns and gulls in Gambia on the beach in February.

Comparisons with other terns below (more photos).


Below Caspian Terns with fish on beach in Gambia, Feb 2013.More photos...

© GW - monacoeye, all rights reserved, Gambia, Feb 2013

Bird name: Royal Tern
Latin: Thalasseus maximus
Other: Sterne royale (fr), charrán real (Es), garajau-real (Br), Königsseeschwalbe (De), koningsstern (Nl)
Family: Laridae • Gulls, Terns
Range: Coastal S C & N America, W Africa
Similar:

I saw large colonies of Royal Terns on the beach in Gambia in February, mixed with Grey-hooded Gulls, some Caspian Terns, and other gulls.

Royal Terns are large terns, but smaller than Caspian Terns, with large yellow-orange bills.

Below Royal Terns on beach in Gambia, Feb 2013.

More photos...

© GW - monacoeye, all rights reserved, Gambia, Feb 2013

Bird name: Sandwich Tern
Latin: Sterna sandvicensis
Other: Thalasseus sandvicensis • Sterne caugek (fr), Charrán patinegro (Es), Brandseeschwalbe (De), Beccapesci (It), grote stern (Nl)
Family: Laridae • Gulls, Terns
Range: Coastal S America, C America, W Africa, Arabian Peninsula, india
Similar:

Above, a few Sandwich Terns (left of picture) seen in Gambia mixed in with other terns and gulls.

They are about the same size as the Grey-hooded Gull in the foreground, and much smaller than the Caspian Tern to the right.

Sandwich terns have black bills with yellow tips.

Sandwich Tern in flight, Hyeres, France, summer plumage.

© GW - monacoeye, all rights reserved, Pantanal, Aug 2011

Bird name: Large Billed Tern
Latin: Phaetusa simplex
Other: Trinta-réis-grande (Br), Sterne à gros bec (Fr)
Family: Laridae • Terns
Range: S America
Similar:

The Large-billed Tern is big and has a large yellow bill and dark primaries (upperside).

I saw several Large-billed Terns at one drying pool heaving with Jacarés (Caiman yacare) beside the Transpantaneira highway in the Pantanal in August. Otherwise just the odd one flying about, also in Mostardas, S Brazil.

Large Billed Tern showing dark primaries, Pantanal, August.
More photos...

Copyright: DK/monacoeye • Peru • April 2011 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Inca Tern
Latin: Larosterna inca
Other: Charrán inca (Es)
Family: Laridae • Terns
Range: Peru, Chile
Similar:

A beautiful Inca Tern, Paracas, Islas Ballestas, Peru, sent in by Dirk.

Copyright: monacoeye • Danube Delta, May 2009 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Whiskered Tern
Latin: Chlidonias hybridus
Other: Guifette Moustac (Fr) • Fumarel cariblanco (Es) • Mignattino piombato (It)
Family: Laridae • Terns
Range: Widespread Africa, Eurasia, Asia, Australasia.

The Whiskered Tern is the largest of the Marsh Terns. More often seen in ones and twos than in large groups. They were very common in some areas of the Danube Delta in May, which is when they return to Europe from Africa.

Whiskered Terns often hover over rivers and lakes with their head down looking for fish. The main confusion species where I saw them in the Danube Delta and Nice was the Common Tern, which is whiter below has a longer, pointier, redder bill with black tip and long tail feathers. The Whiskered Tern in breeding plumage is sooty below, with dark red bill and legs, and short tail.

More photos...

All photos copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Common Tern
Latin: Sterna hirundo
Other: Sterne pierregarin (Fr) • Charrán común (Es) • Andorinha-do-mar-comum (Pt) • Sterna comune (It) • Fluss-Seeschwalbe (De) • Visdief (Nl) • Fisktärna (Sv)
Family: Laridae • Terns
Range: Widespread
Similar:

The Common Tern is a summer visitor to the Côte d’Azur from April and good numbers can be seen in the Var estuary, where it breeds. Nests are often simple affairs - a couple of branches and a dip in the ground. One parent stays with the eggs or chicks while the other brings back fish. Common Terns seem to like to stand on rocks that just protrude from the flowing river. The dry river bed stones camouflage the birds well.

The Common Tern can be identified, in summer plumage, by its bright red bill with black tip, forked tail and red legs. In the Mediterranean it is unlikely to be confused with another tern as the only others with similar bill colour are the much larger Roseate Tern and the darker smaller Whiskered Tern, both are also less common and behave differently.

In the Northern winter Common Terns migrate south and exchange their distinctive black-tipped red bill and black cap for a black bill and white forehead. They can be distinguished from other similar terns by the dark mark on the fold of wing, very dark red legs, and tail streamers shorter than wing when standing.

Many more Common Tern photos here.









More photos...

Photos copyright: AW/monacoeye • Do not copy • Iceland • May 2010

Bird name: Arctic Tern
Latin: Sterna paradisaea
Other:
Family: Laridae • Terns
Range: Arctic and sub-Arctic breeding. Migrating to Antarctica.
Similar:

The Arctic Tern is the only Tern seen in Iceland. These were seen out at sea in May.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Mostardas, Brazil • November 2009

Bird name: Black Skimmer
Latin: Rynchops niger
Other: Talha-mar (Br)
Family: Laridae • Skimmers

The Black Skimmer is unmistakable by its large red and black bill and large size. Here a few were standing with a group of common terns on the beach - although Skimmers are not Terns, they are very similar to Terns.

There are only three species of Skimmer in the world, all with the protruding lower bill which they use to skim fish out of the sea, and cat-like vertical pupils, which are unique in the bird world.

The Black Skimmer lives in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean.

More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Mostardas, Brazil • November 2009

Bird name: Yellow Billed Tern
Latin: Sternula superciliaris
Other: Sterna superciliaris • Trinta-réis-anão (Br)
Family: Laridae • Terns
Range:
Similar:

The Yellow-billed Tern is a coastal South-American Tern. It has a yellow bill in all seasons. Its first five primary feather (at the end of the wing) are black.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Mostardas, Brazil • November 2009

Bird name: Snowy Crowned Tern
Latin: Sterna trudeaui
Other: Trudeau’s Tern • Trinta-réis-de-coroa-branca (Br)
Family: Laridae • Terns
Range:
Similar:

The Snowy-crowned Tern is fairly easy to recognise as it’s the only Tern in Brazil with a white head and dark eye-stripe. In the breeding season, its bill base is orange, the middle is black and the tip is yellow, as pictured here. Outside of the breeding season the orange part turns black.

The Snowy-crowned Tern lives in south-eastern South America.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Mostardas, Brazil • November 2009

Bird name: Gull Billed Tern
Latin: Gelochelidon nilotica
Other: Sterna nilotica • Trinta-réis-de-bico-preto (Br) • Sterne hansel (Fr)
Family: Laridae • Terns
Range:
Similar:

Almost certainly a Gull-billed Tern, flying above the marshes of Lagoa do Peixe in Southern Brazil.More photos...

Photos copyright: monacoeye • Nice • May 2009 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: White Winged Tern
Latin: Chlidonias leucopterus
Other: Guifette leucoptère
Family: Laridae • Terns
Range:
Similar:

This White Winged Tern behaved very much like the Whiskered Terns, also Marsh Terns, which could be seen last week, swooping down to the surface of the water. It has a very distinctive black head and beak. According to Collins, not very common in Western Europe.More photos...

Bird name: Little Tern
Latin: Sterna albifrons
Other: Sternula albifrons • Sterne naine
Family: Laridae • Terns
Range:
Similar:

Quite a few Little Terns in Hyeres yesterday. The Little Tern is the smallest of the sea terns. Adults in summer plumage have a black-tipped yellow bill and black cap with white forehead.More photos...

Bird name: South American Tern
Latin: Sterna hirundinacea
Other:
Family: Laridae • Terns
Range:
Similar:

A blurry photo of a South American Tern from a few years ago…More photos...

066 Family: Laridae - Gulls, Terns & Skimmers - IOC 2.5 - 2010

Skimmers Rynchops and terns with gulls - separation of Rynchopidae and Sternidae problematic.

Anous stolidus - Brown Noddy - Widespread Tropical Ocean
Anous tenuirostris - Lesser Noddy - W, NW Indian Ocean - Sooty Noddy?
Anous minutus - Black Noddy - tropical

Procelsterna cerulea - Blue Noddy - W, C Pacific Ocean
Procelsterna albivitta - Grey Noddy - S Pacific Ocean

Rynchops niger - Black Skimmer - Widespread North America, Latin America
Rynchops flavirostris - African Skimmer - Widespread Africa
Rynchops albicollis - Indian Skimmer - E Pakistan to Burma

Gygis alba - White Tern - Widespread Tropical Ocean - Angel Tern?

Creagrus furcatus - Swallow-tailed Gull - Galápagos Islands - W South America coasts

Rissa tridactyla - Black-legged Kittiwake - N coasts - N Atlantic & Pacific
Rissa brevirostris - Red-legged Kittiwake - Aleutian Islands, Pribilof Islands - N Pacific

Pagophila eburnea - Ivory Gull - N coasts - Arctic Ocean

Xema sabini - Sabine's Gull - N coasts - NW South America, SW Africa, coasts

Chroicocephalus genei - Slender-billed Gull - SW Eurasia
Chroicocephalus philadelphia - Bonaparte's Gull - NC, NW North America - South America & N Central America coasts
Chroicocephalus scopulinus - Red-billed Gull - New Zealand
Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae - Silver Gull - Australia
Chroicocephalus bulleri - Black-billed Gull - New Zealand
Chroicocephalus serranus - Andean Gull - W South America
Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus - Brown-headed Gull - C Eurasia - Middle East, Asia
Chroicocephalus maculipennis - Brown-hooded Gull - E, S coasts
Chroicocephalus ridibundus - Black-headed Gull - Widespread Eurasia - Africa, Asia - Now Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus - Grey-hooded Gull - Widespread South America, Africa
Chroicocephalus hartlaubii - Hartlaub's Gull - SW coast
Chroicocephalus saundersi - Saunders's Gull - E coast

Hydrocoloeus minutus - Little Gull - C Eurasia, North America - E North America, W Europe

Rhodostethia rosea - Ross's Gull - N coasts - Arctic Ocean

Leucophaeus scoresbii - Dolphin Gull - extreme S coasts
Leucophaeus fuliginosus - Lava Gull - Galápagos Islands
Leucophaeus atricilla - Laughing Gull - Widespread North America, Latin America coasts
Leucophaeus pipixcan - Franklin's Gull - C North America - W Latin America coasts
Leucophaeus modestus - Grey Gull - WC coast

Ichthyaetus relictus - Relict Gull - C Eurasia - E China
Ichthyaetus audouinii - Audouin's Gull - Med & NW Africa coasts
Ichthyaetus melanocephalus - Mediterranean Gull - W Eurasia - Med coasts
Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus - Pallas's Gull - C Eurasia - Middle East, India - Was Great Black-headed Gull
Ichthyaetus leucophthalmus - White-eyed Gull - Red Sea
Ichthyaetus hemprichii - Sooty Gull - east Africa & Middle East coasts

Larus pacificus - Pacific Gull - S, W Australian coasts
Larus belcheri - Belcher's Gull - WC coast - Was Band-tailed Gull
Larus atlanticus - Olrog's Gull - SE coast
Larus crassirostris - Black-tailed Gull - E coast
Larus heermanni - Heermann's Gull - W coast
Larus canus - Mew Gull - W Europe to Siberia & NW North America - widespread
Larus delawarensis - Ring-billed Gull - Widespread North America, Middle America
Larus californicus - California Gull - NC, W North America, Middle America
Larus marinus - Great Black-backed Gull - coastal E North America & W Europe
Larus dominicanus - Kelp Gull - S coasts
Larus glaucescens - Glaucous-winged Gull - coastal N Pacific
Larus occidentalis - Western Gull - W coast
Larus livens - Yellow-footed Gull - coastal NW Mexico & S California
Larus hyperboreus - Glaucous Gull - Widespread Eurasia, N America N coasts
Larus glaucoides - Iceland Gull - N AO coast
Larus thayeri - Thayer's Gull - N North America - W North America coast
Larus argentatus - European Herring Gull - N Europe - New name
Larus smithsonianus - American Herring Gull - Widespread N America - Split from L. argentatus
Larus vegae - Vega Gull - NE, E Eurasia
Larus cachinnans - Caspian Gull - C Eurasia to NE China - SW, E Asia - Was Yellow-legged Gull
Larus michahellis - Yellow-legged Gull - W Eurasia - Split from L. cachinnans
Larus armenicus - Armenian Gull - SW Eurasia
Larus schistisagus - Slaty-backed Gull - NE, E coast
Larus fuscus - Lesser Black-backed Gull - W Europe to C Northern Siberia; Eurasia, also Greenland and Iceland - N Africa, SW Europe to NW India; also E North America

Gelochelidon nilotica - Gull-billed Tern - Widespread Worldwide

Hydroprogne caspia - Caspian Tern - Widespread Worldwide except South America

Thalasseus maximus - Royal Tern - coasts
Thalasseus bergii - Swift Tern - coasts of E Africa to the S Pacific
Thalasseus elegans - Elegant Tern - W coasts
Thalasseus bengalensis - Lesser Crested Tern - Widespread Africa, Asia, Australasia coasts
Thalasseus bernsteini - Chinese Crested Tern - E coasts - Philippines, Borneo
Thalasseus sandvicensis - Sandwich Tern - northern Europe to Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas - S Europe to N Africa, Persian Gulf, India
Thalasseus acuflavidus - Cabot's Tern - Widespread N America, Latin America coasts from Virginia to French Guiana, Argentina - Pacific coast from Mexico to Ecuador; Atlantic coast from Florida to Uruguay - New World Cabot's Tern including Cayenne Tern. sister to Elegant Tern, not Sandwich Tern

Sternula albifrons - Little Tern - Widespread Africa, Eurasia, Asia, Australasia
Sternula saundersi - Saunders's Tern - Middle East - to India & Malaysia
Sternula antillarum - Least Tern - Widespread N America, Mid America - N South America coast
Sternula superciliaris - Yellow-billed Tern - Widespread South America
Sternula lorata - Peruvian Tern - coasts Ecuador to Chile
Sternula nereis - Fairy Tern - S, SW, W coasts
Sternula balaenarum - Damara Tern - W, SW coasts

Onychoprion aleuticus - Aleutian Tern - N Pacific coasts - S China Sea, Philippines?
Onychoprion lunatus - Spectacled Tern - SW Pacific Ocean
Onychoprion anaethetus - Bridled Tern - Widespread Tropical Ocean
Onychoprion fuscatus - Sooty Tern - Widespread Tropical Ocean

Sterna aurantia - River Tern - E Pakistan through India to S Vietnam
Sterna dougallii - Roseate Tern - Widespread Worldwide coasts
Sterna striata - White-fronted Tern - New Zealand - SE Australia
Sterna sumatrana - Black-naped Tern - coasts - Indian Ocean, S Pacific
Sterna hirundinacea - South American Tern - W, S, SE coasts
Sterna hirundo - Common Tern - Widespread Eurasia, N America - widespread coasts
Sterna repressa - White-cheeked Tern - Middle East, coasts - W India
Sterna paradisaea - Arctic Tern - N Eurasia, N America - Subantarctic Ocean
Sterna vittata - Antarctic Tern - Widespread Southern Ocean
Sterna virgata - Kerguelen Tern - S islands
Sterna forsteri - Forster's Tern - Widespread North America, Middle America
Sterna trudeaui - Snowy-crowned Tern - S South America
Sterna acuticauda - Black-bellied Tern - India through Southeast Asia

Chlidonias albostriatus - Black-fronted Tern - New Zealand
Chlidonias hybrida - Whiskered Tern - Widespread Africa, Eurasia, Asia, Australasia
Chlidonias leucopterus - White-winged Tern - Widespread Eurasia - Africa, Asia, Australasia
Chlidonias niger - Black Tern - Widespread N America, Eurasia - Lat Am coasts

Phaetusa simplex - Large-billed Tern - Widespread South America

Larosterna inca - Inca Tern - W coast