Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 13–15 in
33–38 cm - Wingspan
- 35.8 in
91 cm - Weight
- 5.3–7.2 oz
150–205 g
Other Names
- Sterne hansel (French)
- Pico de gaviota, Golondrina playera (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- Unlike most terns, the Gull-billed Tern has a broad diet and does not depend on fish. Instead it commonly feeds on insects, small crabs, and other prey snatched from the ground, air, or even bushes. It is also known to eat small chicks of other tern species.
- Although mostly restricted to salt water habitats in North America, the Gull-billed Tern is found in a variety of fresh water habitats across Eurasia.
Habitat
Shore-line
Breeds on gravelly or sandy beaches. Winters in salt marshes, estuaries, lagoons and plowed fields, less frequently along rivers, around lakes and in fresh-water marshes.
Food
Insects
Fish, insects, lizards, aquatic animals, occasionally chicks of other birds.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 1–7 eggs
- Condition at Hatching
- Downy, eyes open, able to walk but stays in nest.
Nest Placement
Ground
Behavior
Flycatching
Plucks prey from ground while in flight, catches flying insects. Does not generally plunge-dive for fish.
Conservation
Least Concern
Populations appear erratic, but mostly stable. Listed as "species of special concern" in California.
Credits
- Parnell, J. F., R. M. Erwin, and K. C. Molina. 1995. Gull-billed Tern (Sterna nilotica). In The Birds of North America, No. 140 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C.