- Sternula superciliaris
Sterna superciliaris
Identification
23 cm
- Yellow bill
- Yellow legs
- Black cap
- White forehead
- In flight it shows dark outer primaries both above and below and a very shallow fork in the short tail
Juvenile browner than adult
Similar Species
In comparison to Least Tern, the bill always is bigger and yellower.
Distribution
Central and South America
Central America: Trinidad, Tobago
South America: Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
This species was formerly placed in the genus Sterna
Yellow-billed Tern is closely related to Least Tern and Little Tern S. albifrons of the Old World. Other close relatives include the Peruvian Tern S. lorata of South America.
Habitat
Rivers, swamps, and freshwater lakes. Coastal in the Guianas where moulting in large numbers.
Behaviour
Frequently hovers when hunting.
Diet
Their diet consists of small fish, shrimps and insects.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Arthur Grosset
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved January 2015)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Yellow-billed Tern. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Yellow-billed_Tern
