Order: Charadriiformes | Family: Laridae | IUCN Status: Least Concern
Age: Adult | Sex: Unknown|Loc. North America
Age: Adult | Sex: Unknown|Loc. North America
Age: Adult | Sex: Unknown|Loc. North America
Age: Adult | Sex: Unknown|Loc. North America
Identification & Behavior: ~22 cm (9 in). The Least Tern in basic plumage has a white forehead and crown with a black rest of the cap. The bill is black and the legs are yellow. The adult in alternate plumage has a black cap and nape with a white forehead. The bill is yellow with a small black tip. The feet are also yellow. It is similar to the Peruvian Tern but is distinguished by having white underparts, a yellow bill with only a black tip, and a black bill in basic plumage. The Peruvian Tern has a dusky culmen and yellow mandible in both basic and alternate plumages.
Status: The Least Tern is a rare Boreal migrant to Peru. Most sight records come from the coast of northern Peru. Fewer sightings come from further south to Arequipa. It also occurs in Co, Ec, and Br.
Name in Spanish: Gaviotín Chico.
Sub-species: Least Tern (Sternula antillarum).
Meaning of Name: Sternula: Gr. diminutive of Sterna. antillarum: L. referring to the archipelago of the Antilles in the Caribbean.
Distribution Map
Voice
Voice
References:
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- Species range based on: Schulenberg, T. S., D. F. Stotz, and L. Rico. 2006. Distribution maps of the birds of Peru, version 1.0. Environment, Culture & Conservation (ECCo). The Field Museum. http://fm2.fieldmuseum.org/uw_test/birdsofperu on 01/01/2015.