Gull-billed Tern (Sterna nilotica)

Special Segments Butterflies of North America Conifers of North America Eastern Birds List of N.A. Insects Home Eastern Wildflowers General Topics Natural History Ecology Family Environment Evolution Home Education Home Conservation Geophysics Paleontology Commercial Organizations

Purchase

A Field Guide to Eastern Birds. by Roger Tory Peterson.

Return to Eastern Gulls and Terns

Color Photograph: U.S. Geological Survey

Gull-billed Tern (Sterna nilotica)

Identification: Length from tip of bill to tip of tail 13 to 15 inches.

Adult Summer Plumage: Crown of head and back of neck black. Face, neck, breast and underside white. Bill triangular, black. Black and wings light gray. Tail concave, but not triangularly indented without projecting tails. Feet black.

Adult Winter Plumage: Similar to the summer plumage, but crown and nape of the neck white with a dull, light gray patch behind the eye.

Immature: Similar to the adult winter plumage.

Similar Species:  Two other tern species do not have projecting tails on the tail. The Sandwich Tern has a distinctive bill which is black at the base of yellow-orange at the tip. The gray of the black and wings is darker than that of the Gull-billed Tern. The Caspian Tern is much larger (20 inches in length) and the bill is red, not black.

Breeding Range (see map below): The Gull-billed Tern breeds along the Atlantic Coast from Long Island south to Florida and the West Indies and westward along the Gulf Coast to southeastern Texas. This species is also found in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

Overwintering Range:  This species overwinters southward into the West Indies.

Habitat: The Gull-billed Tern is found in salt marshes and along sandy beaches.

Food: Small fish, crustaceans, and insects.

Behavior: The Gull-billed Tern, unlike most terns, catches insects, both in the air and on the ground. The species nest in small colonies. The voice is a rough katy-did.

Reproduction:  The clutch consists of 2 to 3 brown-spotted tan eggs. The eggs are laid in a depression lined with pieces of shells. The nest is typically placed on a small island in a salt marsh.