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Henry Sowell

Vol. I · Est. 2026

Pl. CXXVI
Field-journal plate: Gull-billed Tern
The Gull-billed Tern plate as rendered on the e-ink frame
As rendered on the frame

The Birds · Plate CXXVI

Gull-billed Tern

Gelochelidon nilotica

Laridae · Taxon 144536

Length33–38 cm (13–15 in)
Wingspan85–115 cm (33.5–45.3 in)
Weight150–205 g (5.3–7.2 oz)

Field marks

  1. Heavy, short black bill
  2. Dark eye and black legs
  3. Black cap in breeding plumage
  4. White head with a dark eye patch in nonbreeding plumage
  5. Pale gray upperparts and white underparts
  6. Long, pointed wings and a short, shallowly forked tail

HabitatCoasts, salt marshes, lagoons, mudflats, sandbars, sandy islands, and open wetlands or fields near water.

BehaviorAgile aerial forager that catches insects in flight and swoops to take prey from land or the water surface; rarely plunge-dives. Nests colonially in shallow ground scrapes.

Palette

whitepale silver-grayblackcharcoal gray