Blue-billed White Tern
Gygis candida
Introduction
The blue-billed white tern (Gygis candida) is a small seabird belonging to the family Laridae. It occurs throughout the Pacific and Indian Oceans, including the Seychelles, Mascarene Islands, Chagos Archipelago, Maldives, Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, Kermadec Islands, Hawaii, Clipperton Island, Cocos Island, Malpelo Island, Henderson Island, and Pitcairn Island. This species inhabits tropical marine environments, typically nesting on树枝 and rocky ledges rather than the ground. Previously considered conspecific with the white tern (Gygis alba) and little white tern (Gygis microrhyncha), it is now recognized as a separate species.
Description
A medium-sized all-white tern with narrow, dark eyes. The bill is black with a distinctive blue base, giving the species its common name. The bill shape is thick and daggerlike with a sharp-pointed tip. Legs are slaty-blue in color with yellow or white webs. The immature plumage is similar to the adult but with brown fringes on the body and wings, and the base of the bill is black rather than blue.
Distribution & Habitat
This species occurs throughout two main oceanic regions. The nominate subspecies (G.c.candida) inhabits the Indian Ocean (Seychelles, Mascarene Islands, Chagos Archipelago, and Maldives) and tropical Pacific Ocean (Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, Kermadec Islands, Hawaii, Clipperton Island, Cocos Island, and Malpelo Island). The subspecies G.c.leucopes is found on Henderson Island and Pitcairn Island. The species inhabits tropical marine environments and typically nests on elevated sites such as branches and rocky ledges.
Conservation
Giant tortoises have been observed hunting chicks of this species on Fregate Island in the Seychelles, representing a documented predation threat.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Taxonomy
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Laridae
- Genus
- Gygis
- eBird Code
- whiter4
Subspecies (2)
-
Gygis candida candida
Seychelles and Mascarene islands, Chagos and Maldives (Indian Ocean), and islands of southern Pacific from islands off New Guinea, Lord Howe, Norfolk, and Kermadec to Hawaii, Clipperton, Cocos, and Malpelo islands
-
Gygis candida leucopes
Henderson and Pitcairn islands (eastern Polynesia)
Data Sources
Species description from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Taxonomy data from AviList 2025.