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The gull-billed tern (Gelochelidon nilotica), formerly Sterna nilotica is a tern in the family Laridae. The genus name is from Ancient Greek gelao, "to laugh", and khelidon, "swallow". The specific niloticus is from Latin and means of the Nile. The Australian gull-billed tern was previously considered a subspecies.
Scientific Name : Gelochelidon Nilotica
Family : Laridae
Order : Charadriiformes
Class : Aves
Type : Gulls, Terns, And Skimmers
Conservation Status : Least concern (LC)
Size : 33 – 42 cm
Compare Size : House crow -
Wingspan : 76 – 91 cm
Weight : 220 g
Migratory : Resident
Sex Alike : Yes
Nesting Season : April to June. Nest is a slight depression in the sand lined with debris. Nests in mixed colonies.
Other Names :
Hindi : निल तेहरी
Marathi : कà¥à¤°à¤µ चोचीचा सà¥à¤°à¤¯
Habitat:
Lakes, Marshes and Coasts
Breeding:
Eggs - 2 or 3, Pale yellow or greenish stone blotched with purple, red, blackish brown. Both sexes share parental duties.
Feeding:
feeds on insects taken in flight, and also often hunts over wet fields and even in brushy areas, to take amphibians and small mammals
| Male & Female | |
|---|---|
| Bill | short thick gull-like bill |
| Upperparts | grey |
| Underparts | white |
| Crown | black in Breeding plumage, white in Non-Breeding plumage |
| Bill | black |
| Legs | black |
| Nape | black in Breeding plumage, white in Non-Breeding plumage |
| Head | in Non-Breeding plumage has a black patch behind the eyes |
| Juvenile | |
|---|---|
| Note : Juvenile gull-billed terns have a fainter eye patch, but otherwise look much like Non-Breeding adults |
| Date | Location |
|---|---|
| 08 Dec 2018 | Harihareshwar Beach, Raigad, Maharashtra |
