Gulls and terns · Shorebirds
Gull-billed Tern
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Gelochelidon nilotica
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Voice
Call
How to recognize it
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Body length 35–38 cm
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Short, thick black bill, broad wings and long legs
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Adult in summer with a black cap, grey upperparts and white underparts
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Slow flight over meadows and marshes while feeding
About the species
At a glance, its pale grey back and wings contrast with a white underside. In breeding season, a black cap covers the crown and nape, above a thick black bill; its long dark legs are another clear feature. In winter, the cap recedes and a dark patch remains through the eye.
Its call is a soft, slightly nasal "ker-wik". It flies slowly while searching for food, and unlike many terns it does not usually plunge-dive for fish.
It breeds on coasts, islands, marshes and lakes, nesting in a shallow scrape on the ground. Insects make up much of its food, but it also takes frogs, small mammals and other prey in wet fields or scrub. Northern breeders move south after nesting, wintering in regions including Africa, the Caribbean and southern Asia.
Where to find
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Over meadows and marshes, watch for a slow search flight as the Gull-billed Tern catches insects in midair.
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In May and June, look for nesting colonies on sandy shores and sparsely grassy islands; nests are shallow scrapes in the ground.
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Over wet fields and brushy areas, watch for hunting passes in search of frogs and small rodents.
