Birds of the World

○ ← CHARADRIIFORMES: Laridae (Gulls, Terns, Skimmers) →

Genus: Sternula (7 species)


Little Tern (Sternula albifrons) Range: AF, PAL, OR, AU: w Europe, sw Russia, c Asia, Mongolia to se Russia, Japan, e China, Taiwan and Vietnam; n, w Africa; Persian Gulf and Iraq to Indus Valley (Pakistan) and Gangetic Plain (nc India); Sri Lanka; Gulf of Thailand, Malay Pen., Singapore, and islands off Greate Laem Phak Bia, Ban Laem, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Photograph by JJ Harrison Copyright and usage info This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported. In short: you are free to share and make derivative works of the file under the conditions that you appropriately attribute it, and that you distribute it only under a license identical to this one.


Little Tern (Sternula albifrons) Range: AF, PAL, OR, AU: w Europe, sw Russia, c Asia, Mongolia to se Russia, Japan, e China, Taiwan and Vietnam; n, w Africa; Persian Gulf and Iraq to Indus Valley (Pakistan) and Gangetic Plain (nc India); Sri Lanka; Gulf of Thailand, Malay Pen., Singapore, and islands off Greate Little Swanport, Tasmania, Australia
Photograph by JJ Harrison Copyright and usage info This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported. In short: you are free to share and make derivative works of the file under the conditions that you appropriately attribute it, and that you distribute it only under a license identical to this one.


Least Tern (Sternula antillarum antillarum) Range: NA, MA: Great Plains to Texas and n Louisiana; c California and Gulf of California coasts to Oaxaca (w Mexico), El Salvador and Nicaragua; w North Atlantic coast from Maine to Florida, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea from Bahamas to Lesser Antilles, islands off Green Cay Nature Center, Delray Beach, Florida, USA The smallest tern, unmistakable because of its size, also has a distinctive bill.
Photograph by Tom Friedel © All Rights Reserved.


Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) Immature Range: NA, MA: Great Plains to Texas and n Louisiana; c California and Gulf of California coasts to Oaxaca (w Mexico), El Salvador and Nicaragua; w North Atlantic coast from Maine to Florida, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea from Bahamas to Lesser Antilles, islands off Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
Photograph by Tom Friedel © All Rights Reserved.

View image by Graham Searll on BirdPhotos.com
Damara Tern (Sternula balaenarum) Range: AF: coastal s Angola, Namibia and South Africa


Peruvian Tern (Sternula lorata) Endangered Range: SA: coasts c Ecuador to n Chile Chile
Photograph by Cristián Pinto Copyright and usage info This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported. In short: you are free to share the file for non-commercial purposes under the conditions that you appropriately attribute it, and that you distribute it only under a license identical to this one. You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work.


Fairy Tern (Sternula nereis nereis) Vulnerable Range: AU: w to se Australia, n North I. (New Zealand) and New Caledonia Little Swanport, Tasmania, Australia
Photograph by JJ Harrison Copyright and usage info This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported. In short: you are free to share and make derivative works of the file under the conditions that you appropriately attribute it, and that you distribute it only under a license identical to this one.

No Image
Saunders's Tern (Sternula saundersi) Range: AF, PAL: islands of Red Sea and Persian Gulf, off Somalia and Socotra, patchily to coast of Pakistan, nw India, and Adam's Bridge is. (between India and Sri Lanka)


Yellow-billed Tern (Sternula superciliaris) Range: SA: large rivers of ne Peru, n, c Colombia, n Venezuela and Guianas to ec Argentina Leticia, Amazonas, Colombia
Photograph by Tom Friedel © All Rights Reserved.


Yellow-billed Tern (Sternula superciliaris) Range: SA: large rivers of ne Peru, n, c Colombia, n Venezuela and Guianas to ec Argentina Ecuador Immature or non-breeding plumage.
Photograph by George Cruz (San Jorge Eco-Lodges) © All Rights Reserved.

Much smaller than the other Amazonian tern, the Large-billed Tern. Note black extending from eye to bill.

© Tom Friedel - All Rights Reserved, except for images and data otherwise noted.       Colombia       Panama       Ecuador       Costa Rica       Mexico
Experimental sites:       Peru       Venezuela       The World       Brazil       Bolivia
Really Experimental sites:       Guyana       Cuba