Gull-Billed Tern
Gelochelidon nilotica
Even though the Gull-Billed Tern prefers to remain close to the oceanic coasts of North and South America, it is primarily a terrestrial feeder, often eating insects, crabs and lizards. A recent breeder in San Diego, its residence and breeding activity, is closely studied. Its presence here is a mixed blessing; it sometimes preys on the chicks of the endangered California Least Tern and Western Snowy Plover.
Most of my meetings with Gull-Billed Terns have occurred while in the company of biologist studying these and other tern species. However, I’ve also met them at the Salton Sea in Imperial County (California).
There are six recognised subspecies of these birds:
- G. n. nilotica breeds in Europe and northern Africa, and east through the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent, and China. They spend winters from tropical Africa through Persian Gulf and India.
- G. n. affinis breeds in eastern Asia and spends winters in southeast Asia.
- G. n. macrotarsa makes its home in Australia. In winter, some roam to New Guinea.
- G. n. aranea breeds in the eastern USA and south to the Caribbean, and spends winters along the Central American coasts and south to Brazil and Peru.
- G. n. gronvoldi lives from norther South America to Argentina.
- G. n. vanrossemi breeds in western USA in California, Mexico, and spends winters south to Ecuador.
Gull-Billed Tern(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: Its not common to be able to photograph groups of Gull-billed terns in flight. Saltworks at South San Diego Bay NWR. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2009:06:03 14:16 |
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Location:
Saltworks |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 400 mm, f/8.0, 1/6000 |
File Name: JCD3556.GullBilledTern |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Gull-Billed Tern(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: Saltworks at South San Diego Bay NWR. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2009:06:03 13:51 |
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Location:
Saltworks |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: Cut_JCD3443.GullBilledTern |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Gull-billed Tern(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: This image was collected as a contribution to the San Diego Bird Atlas project. Saltworks at South San Diego Bay NWR. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2011:02:10 11:44 |
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Location:
Saltworks |
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Camera Information: Nikon SUPER COOLSCAN 4000 ED, |
File Name: A3G02c01-GullBilledTern |
| © 2011 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |
Gull-billed Tern(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: Saltworks at South San Diego Bay NWR. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2009:05:17 12:06 |
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Location:
Saltworks |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2500 |
File Name: JCD8625.GullBilledTern |
| © 2009 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |
Gull-billed Tern(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: Saltworks at South San Diego Bay NWR. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2009:06:03 14:34 |
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Location:
Saltworks |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: JCD3602.GullBilledTern |
| © 2009 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |
Gull-billed Tern(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: Some parent-chick interaction. Saltworks at South San Diego Bay NWR. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2009:06:03 14:32 |
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Location:
Saltworks |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: JCD3588.GullBilledTern |
| © 2009 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |
Gull-billed Tern(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: Some parent-chick interaction. Saltworks at South San Diego Bay NWR. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2009:06:03 14:31 |
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Location:
Saltworks |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: JCD3573.GullBilledTern |
| © 2009 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |
Gull-billed Tern(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: Part of the collection at the Western Foundation of Vertibrate Zoology in Camarillo, California. |
Date Taken: 2011:11:02 11:47 |
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Location:
W F V Z |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 105 mm, f/11.0, 1/3 |
File Name: D3X4703-GullBilledTern |
| © 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Gull-billed Tern(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: Saltworks at South San Diego Bay NWR. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2009:06:03 13:52 |
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Location:
Saltworks |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1500 |
File Name: JCD3450.GullBilledTern.Chick_ |
| © 2009 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |
Gull-billed Tern(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: Saltworks at South San Diego Bay NWR. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2009:06:03 13:51 |
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Location:
Saltworks |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: JCD3443.GullBilledTern |
| © 2009 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |
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Description: With Forsters Tern at South San Diego Bay, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2005:04:15 6:40 |
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Location:
D-Street |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/9.0, 1/320 |
File Name: JCD0804ForstersGullBilledTerns |
| © 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Gull-billed Tern(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: The weigh in, science in action. Saltworks at South San Diego Bay NWR. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2009:05:27 13:51 |
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Location:
Saltworks |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 310 mm, f/9.0, 1/320 |
File Name: JCD0243.GullBilledTern.Chick_ |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Gull-billed Tern Chicks(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: Brand new generation. Saltworks at South San Diego Bay NWR. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2009:05:27 13:50 |
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Location:
Saltworks |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 280 mm, f/6.3, 1/1000 |
File Name: JCD0236.GullBilledTern.Chick_ |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Gull-billed Tern(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: Saltworks at South San Diego Bay NWR. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2009:05:27 13:48 |
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Location:
Saltworks |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 280 mm, f/6.3, 1/1250 |
File Name: JCD0228.GullBilledTern |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Gull-Billed Tern(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: Unless at their nesting sites, group flight of these birds images are uncommon. Saltworks at South San Diego Bay NWR. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2009:05:27 13:47 |
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Location:
Saltworks |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 280 mm, f/6.3, 1/1250 |
File Name: JCD0213.GullBilledTern |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Gull-billed Tern Nest(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: Gull-billed Tern nests are monitored very closely at the Saltworks at South San Diego Bay NWR. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2009:05:27 13:46 |
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Location:
Saltworks |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 |
File Name: JCD0209.GullBilledTern.Egg_ |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Gull-Billed Tern(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: Salton Sea along Lack Road. Imperial County near Calpatria, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:04:27 19:04 |
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Location:
Lack Road |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/10.0, 1/800 |
File Name: D3X7940-GullBilledTern |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Gull-Billed Tern(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: Salton Sea along Lack Road. Imperial County near Calpatria, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:04:27 19:03 |
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Location:
Lack Road |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/10.0, 1/800 |
File Name: D3X7924-GullBilledTern |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Gull-billed Tern(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: Part of the collection at the Western Foundation of Vertibrate Zoology in Camarillo, California. |
Date Taken: 2011:11:02 11:48 |
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Location:
W F V Z |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 105 mm, f/11.0, 1/3 |
File Name: D3X4704-GullBilledTern |
| © 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Gull-Billed Tern(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: Tern survey day at the Saltworks, part of the San Diego National Wildlife Complex. Near Imperial Beach, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:07:08 13:00 |
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Location:
Saltworks |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 400 mm, f/11.0, 1/800 |
File Name: D3X2605-GullBilledTern |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gull-Billed Tern(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: Tern survey day at the Saltworks, part of the San Diego National Wildlife Complex. Near Imperial Beach, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:07:08 13:09 |
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Location:
Saltworks |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 400 mm, f/10.0, 1/800 |
File Name: D3X2675-GullBilledTern |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gull-Billed Tern(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: This bird is on the hunt for the endangered Snowy Plover and Least Tern chicks nesting on the beach at Border Field, south of Imperial Beach, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2015:07:02 11:17 |
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Location:
Border Field |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/5000 |
File Name: D3X1994-GullBilledTern |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gull-Billed Tern(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: This chick is only days old at the Saltworks at South San Diego Bay NWR. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2009:06:03 13:52 |
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Location:
Saltworks |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1500 |
File Name: JCD3450.GullBilledTern.Chick_ |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Gull-Billed Tern(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: At the South San Diego Bay Saltworks in Chula Vista California. Part of the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge. |
Date Taken: 2017:05:17 9:02 |
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Location:
Saltworks |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: GullBilledTern_D5X1209 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gull-Billed Tern(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: Chula Vista Bayfront Park, Chula Vista, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:05:11 6:21 |
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Location:
J-Street |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 |
File Name: D3X6983-GullBilledTern |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging |
Gull-Billed Tern(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: At the South San Diego Bay Saltworks in Chula Vista California. Part of the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge. |
Date Taken: 2017:05:17 10:35 |
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Location:
Saltworks |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 550 mm, f/7.1, 1/8000 |
File Name: GullBilledTern_D5X1662 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gull-Billed Tern(Gelochelidon nilotica) |
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Description: Tern survey day at the Saltworks, part of the San Diego National Wildlife Complex. Near Imperial Beach, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:07:08 13:00 |
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Location:
Saltworks |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 400 mm, f/10.0, 1/640 |
File Name: D3X2599-GullBilledTern |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Elegant Tern(Thalasseus elegans) |
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Description: Chick found during Tern survey day at the Saltworks, part of the San Diego National Wildlife Complex. Near Imperial Beach, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:07:08 13:09 |
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Location:
Saltworks |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 400 mm, f/8.0, 1/640 |
File Name: D3X2683-ElegantTern-Chick |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
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