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Gull-billed Tern

Sterna nilotica ORDER: CHARADRIIFORMES FAMILY: LARIDAE

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

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Gull-billed Tern Photo

© gregob

A medium-sized tern with broader wings and a thicker bill than most other terns, the Gull-billed Tern is found along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States and very southern California.

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Appearance

Gull-like
Gull-like
Typical Voice

Adult Description

Medium-sized tern. Stocky, with wide wings. Stout black bill. Tail short and notched. Black cap when breeding. Head nearly white during winter, with dark smudge behind eyes. Wings very pale gray with little black in tips. Body white. Legs black.

Immature Description

Immature resembles winter adult.

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Field MarksHelp

  • Adult
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    Gull-billed Tern

    Adult
    • © 2004 Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Salton Sea, California, March 2000

Similar Species

  • Sandwich Tern has thinner black bill with pale tip and thinner wings.