Mangoverde :: World Bird Guide :: Terns :: Little Tern

Little Tern Sterna albifrons

Described by: Pallas (1764)
Alternate common name(s): White-shafted Little Tern, Chinese Little Tern
Old scientific name(s): Sternula albifrons

Photographs

Yatsu Higata Nature Observation Center, Chiba, Japan - May 10, 2003 © William Hull  Yatsu Higata Nature Observation Center, Chiba, Japan - Jul 22, 2004 © William Hull  Yatsu Higata Nature Observation Center, Chiba, Japan - May 17, 2003 © William Hull  Yatsu Higata Nature Observation Center, Chiba, Japan - Jul 22, 2004 © William Hull  Yatsu Higata Nature Observation Center, Chiba, Japan - Jul 22, 2004 © William Hull 
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Range

Old World tropical and temperate oceans:
(1) Europe in the British Isles and s. Scandinavia across c. and se. Russia and w. Siberia and w. Mongolia s. in the Mediterranean basin including esturaries of the Acheloos and Evinos Rivers, Greece and coast of n. Africa and Turkey e. to Nepal. This race is presumed to be that breeding at Lake Turkana, Kenya, and also in the Seychelles and Comoro Is. where breeding has not been confirmed.
Winters in n. Africa and nw. India.
(2) Ghana, Nigeria and Chad to Gabon. Marginal populations in Mauritania and Senegambia may be either this race or (1).
(3) Is. in the Persian Gulf. Socotra Is.?
(4) N. India, Burma, Sumatra, Java and probably Sri Lanka.
(5) Se. Siberia, China and Japan (Honshu and Shikoku) to Indochina, Philippines and New Guinea. Recent colonization of is. in Micronesia (Saipan) e. to Hawaii.
Winters in the Philippines, Bismarck Archipelago and New Guinea.
(6) N. and e. Australia (nw. Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland (Townsville, Cairns Esplanade), New South Wales (Botany Bay), Victoria (Port Phillip Bay) and se. South Australia) and e. Tasmania.

Videos

No videos are available for this species

Sounds

Location unknown - Date unknown Source: Massaciuccolis Oasis
Location unknown - Date unknown Source: ETI BioInformatics

References

Clements, James F. Birds of the World: A Checklist. Vista, CA: Ibis Publishing Company, 2000.

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