Copyright: DK/monacoeye • Peru • April 2011 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Inca Tern
Latin: Larosterna inca
Other: Charrán inca (Es)
Family: Laridae • Terns
Range: Peru, Chile
Similar:

A beautiful Inca Tern, Paracas, Islas Ballestas, Peru, sent in by Dirk.

Copyright: AW/monacoeye • Do not copy • Iceland • May 2011

Bird name: Black Legged Kittiwake
Latin: Rissa tridactyla
Other: Kittiwake (UK) • Mouette tridactyle (Fr) • Dreizehenmöwe (De) • Drieteenmeeuw (Nl) • Gaviota tridáctila (Es) • Tretåig mås (Sv)
Family: Laridae • Gulls
Range: Iceland, UK, North Pacific, North Atlantic.
Similar:

A colony of Kittiwakes perched on cliffs in Iceland. Kittiwakes are small gulls with yellowish-green bills.

More photos...

Photos copyright: AW/monacoeye • Do not copy • Iceland • May 2010

Bird name: Great Black Backed Gull
Latin: Larus marinus
Other: GBBG • Goéland marin (Fr) • Mantelmöwe (De) • Gavión atlántico (Es) • Grote mantelmeeuw (Nl) • Havstrut (Sv) • Alcatraz-comum (Pt)
Family: Laridae • Gulls
Range: Iceland, Northern Europe, Canada, north Atlantic coasts.
Similar: Lesser Black-backed Gull

This Great Black-Backed Gull was also seen in Reykjavik in May. Pale pinkish legs, darker wings, heavier bill, larger size than Lesser Black-backed Gull. The GBBG is the largest of all gulls, with a 1.6 m wingspan.

See “more photos” for comparisons with other gulls.More photos...

Copyright: AW/monacoeye • Iceland, May 2011 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Iceland Gull
Latin: Larus glaucoides
Other: Kumlien’s Gull ? (US) • Polarmöwe (De) • Kleine burgemeester (Nl) • Vitvingad trut (Sv)
Family: Laridae • Gulls
Range: N Atlantic Ocean coast, Greenland, Iceland, UK, Scandinavia
Similar: Glaucous Gull

In Iceland, in May, the Iceland Gull is far more common than the rare Glaucous Gull, apparently. A large gull, taking four years to maturity. In most plumages it is a very light-coloured gull.

See “more photos”, for comparison with Great-black Backed Gulls, Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gulls.

Below, from left to right, Iceland Gull, juvenile Herring Gull, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Zaandvoort, Holland, Feb 2011 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: European Herring Gull
Latin: Larus argentatus
Other: Goéland argenté (Fr) • Gaviota argéntea (Es) • Gabbiano reale nordico (It) • Silbermöwe (De) • Gaivota-prateada, gaivota-argêntea (Pt) • Zilvermeeuw (Nl) • Gråtrut (Sv)
Family: Laridae • Gulls
Range: NW Europe coast: Iceland, GB, Eire, Scandinavia, Netherlands, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium
Similar: Yellow-legged Gull

These European Herring Gulls were seen as the winter sun was setting on the seaside town of Zaandvoort in Holland, during a stopover between flights. The Herring Gull is the most common gull in this area and in the UK.

Herring Gulls reach adult plumage (pictured above) after four years - white head and body, grey wings with black near tip and white at very tip, yellow bill with red spot, light yellow irises, pinkish legs. Juveniles have mottled dark brown plumage, with black bills and eyes. The lighter and yellower the bill, the closer the bird is to adulthood.

Below, sub-adult European Herring Gulls, February, Holland.

More photos...

Copyright: RN/monacoeye • Do not copy without permission • Isla de Los Lobos, Jan 2010

Bird name: Dolphin Gull
Latin: Leucophaeus scoresbii
Other: Gaviota austral, gaviota gris (Es)
Family: Laridae • Gulls
Range: Chile, Argentina, Falklands coasts
Similar:

You can recognise the Dolphin Gull at the bottom of this picture by its bright red bill.

Copyright: monacoeye • Danube Delta, May 2009 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Whiskered Tern
Latin: Chlidonias hybridus
Other: Guifette Moustac (Fr) • Fumarel cariblanco (Es) • Mignattino piombato (It)
Family: Laridae • Terns
Range: Widespread Africa, Eurasia, Asia, Australasia.

The Whiskered Tern is the largest of the Marsh Terns. More often seen in ones and twos than in large groups. They were very common in some areas of the Danube Delta in May, which is when they return to Europe from Africa.

Whiskered Terns often hover over rivers and lakes with their head down looking for fish. The main confusion species where I saw them in the Danube Delta and Nice was the Common Tern, which is whiter below has a longer, pointier, redder bill with black tip and long tail feathers. The Whiskered Tern in breeding plumage is sooty below, with dark red bill and legs, and short tail.

More photos...

Copyright: TH/monacoeye • Perth, Australia • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Silver Gull
Latin: Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae
Other:
Family: Laridae • Gulls
Range: Australia

The Silver Gull is the most common gull in Australia. The adult has a red bill, subadult have black bills.

Many thanks to Tania for providing this great set of photos from Perth.

More photos...

Copyright: AT/monacoeye • Do not copy without permission. California, Dec 2010

Bird name: Western Gull
Latin: Larus occidentalis
Other:
Family: Laridae • Gulls
Range: Western coast of North America

Thanks to Alasdair for sending in this shot of a Western Gull, and a few other birds from California!

The Western Gull is a large white-headed gull, which lives on the west coast of North America.

Below, in “more photos”, a first winter Western Gull.More photos...

All photos copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Common Tern
Latin: Sterna hirundo
Other: Sterne pierregarin (Fr) • Charrán común (Es) • Andorinha-do-mar-comum (Pt) • Sterna comune (It) • Fluss-Seeschwalbe (De) • Visdief (Nl) • Fisktärna (Sv)
Family: Laridae • Terns
Range: Widespread
Similar:

The Common Tern is a summer visitor to the Côte d’Azur from April and good numbers can be seen in the Var estuary, where it breeds. Nests are often simple affairs - a couple of branches and a dip in the ground. One parent stays with the eggs or chicks while the other brings back fish. Common Terns seem to like to stand on rocks that just protrude from the flowing river. The dry river bed stones camouflage the birds well.

The Common Tern can be identified, in summer plumage, by its bright red bill with black tip, forked tail and red legs. In the Mediterranean it is unlikely to be confused with another tern as the only others with similar bill colour are the much larger Roseate Tern and the darker smaller Whiskered Tern, both are also less common and behave differently.

In the Northern winter Common Terns migrate south and exchange their distinctive black-tipped red bill and black cap for a black bill and white forehead. They can be distinguished from other similar terns by the dark mark on the fold of wing, very dark red legs, and tail streamers shorter than wing when standing.

Many more Common Tern photos here.









More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Cote d’Azur • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Yellow Legged Gull
Latin: Larus michahellis
Other: Goéland leucophée (Fr), Gabian • Gaviota patiamarilla (Es) • Gabbiano reale zampegialle (It)
Family: Laridae • Gulls
Range: Mediterranean coastline

The Yellow-legged Gull is a large gull, common in Monaco and along the Côte d’Azur in the summer.

It is closely related, and similar in appearance to, the Herring Gull and Caspian Gull, and even more closely related to the Great Black Backed Gull and Armenian Gull.

The adult (4th year) Yellow-legged Gull has black wing tips with small white windows at tips, grey upper wing, yellow bill and legs, with a large red spot on beak, pale irises with red eye-ring and red gape.

Juveniles (1st years) have dark beaks and mottled brown feathers, pink legs and feet, and dark irises.

2nd years have less brown in feathers, dark bill and irises.

3rd years have some yellow and some black on bill, pale yellow legs, pale irises, and quite a bit of grey adult feathers.

Many more Yellow-legged Gull photos here




More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Costa del Este, Panama, 9 May 2010

Bird name: Laughing Gull
Latin: Leucophaeus atricilla
Other: Larus atricilla • Gaviota reidora americana (Es) • Gaivota-alegre (Br), guincho-americano
Family: Laridae • Gulls
Range: North, Central, South America

Laughing Gull is the most common gull in Panama, seen here in large numbers by the airport shoreline in Panama City, mixed with Black Bellied Plover and other shorebirds and sea birds.

Laughing Gull adults in breeding plumage have a black cap and red bill, the majority of those above are immatures.More photos...

Copyright: AW/monacoeye • Do not copy • Iceland • May 2010

Bird name: Lesser Black Backed Gull
Latin: Larus fuscus
Other:
Family: Laridae • Gulls
Range: Iceland, Northern Europe, Atlantic coasts
Similar: Great Black Backed Gull

These presumed Lesser Black-Backed Gulls were seen in Iceland in May. LBBGs have yellow legs whereas Great Black-Backed Gulls have pinkish legs.


More photos...

Photos copyright: AW/monacoeye • Do not copy • Iceland • May 2010

Bird name: Arctic Tern
Latin: Sterna paradisaea
Other:
Family: Laridae • Terns
Range: Arctic and sub-Arctic breeding. Migrating to Antarctica.
Similar:

The Arctic Tern is the only Tern seen in Iceland. These were seen out at sea in May.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Mostardas, Brazil • November 2009

Bird name: Black Skimmer
Latin: Rynchops niger
Other: Talha-mar (Br)
Family: Laridae • Skimmers

The Black Skimmer is unmistakable by its large red and black bill and large size. Here a few were standing with a group of common terns on the beach - although Skimmers are not Terns, they are very similar to Terns.

There are only three species of Skimmer in the world, all with the protruding lower bill which they use to skim fish out of the sea, and cat-like vertical pupils, which are unique in the bird world.

The Black Skimmer lives in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean.

More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Mostardas, Brazil • November 2009

Bird name: Large Billed Tern
Latin: Phaetusa simplex
Other: Trinta-réis-grande (Br)
Family: Laridae • Terns
Range:
Similar:

The Large-billed Tern can be identified by its large size, large yellow bill and dark primaries. More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Mostardas, Brazil • November 2009

Bird name: Yellow Billed Tern
Latin: Sternula superciliaris
Other: Sterna superciliaris • Trinta-réis-anão (Br)
Family: Laridae • Terns
Range:
Similar:

The Yellow-billed Tern is a coastal South-American Tern. It has a yellow bill in all seasons. Its first five primary feather (at the end of the wing) are black.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Mostardas, Brazil • November 2009

Bird name: Snowy Crowned Tern
Latin: Sterna trudeaui
Other: Trudeau’s Tern • Trinta-réis-de-coroa-branca (Br)
Family: Laridae • Terns
Range:
Similar:

The Snowy-crowned Tern is fairly easy to recognise as it’s the only Tern in Brazil with a white head and dark eye-stripe. In the breeding season, its bill base is orange, the middle is black and the tip is yellow, as pictured here. Outside of the breeding season the orange part turns black.

The Snowy-crowned Tern lives in south-eastern South America.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Mostardas, Brazil • November 2009

Bird name: Gull Billed Tern
Latin: Gelochelidon nilotica
Other: Sterna nilotica • Trinta-réis-de-bico-preto (Br) • Sterne hansel (Fr)
Family: Laridae • Terns
Range:
Similar:

Almost certainly a Gull-billed Tern, flying above the marshes of Lagoa do Peixe in Southern Brazil.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Lagoa do Peixe, Brasil • November 2009

Bird name: Kelp Gull
Latin: Larus dominicanus
Other: Southern Black Backed Gull • Gaivotão • Karoro
Family: Laridae • Gulls

Various stages of Kelp Gull seen in the south of Brazil in November.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Mostardas, Brazil • November 2009

Bird name: Brown Hooded Gull
Latin: Chroicocephalus maculipennis
Other: Larus maculipennis • Gaviota-maria-velha (Br) • Gaviotín • Gaviota Cáhuil • Chelle
Family: Laridae • Gulls

The Brown-hooded Gull looks remarkably similar to our European Black-headed Gull. Brown head, dark red bill and legs in breeding season - though it’s a little larger than the Black-headed Gull. Found in southern South America near wetlands etc.More photos...

Photos copyright: monacoeye • Danube Delta, Romania • May 2009 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Pallas’s Gull • Great Black Headed Gull
Latin: Larus ichthyaetus
Other: Pallas’s Gull • Great Black Headed Gull
Family: Laridae • Gulls

Probably the most unusual bird I saw on my trip, this Pallas’s Gull, or Great Black-headed Gull, flew past as we were exploring the canals near Sulina. I took it for a deformed Mediterranean Gull at the time ! Fortunately I bothered to snap a photo, or I would never have known…More photos...

Photos copyright: monacoeye • Nice • May 2009 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: White Winged Tern
Latin: Chlidonias leucopterus
Other: Guifette leucoptère
Family: Laridae • Terns
Range:
Similar:

This White Winged Tern behaved very much like the Whiskered Terns, also Marsh Terns, which could be seen last week, swooping down to the surface of the water. It has a very distinctive black head and beak. According to Collins, not very common in Western Europe.More photos...

Bird name: Little Tern
Latin: Sterna albifrons
Other: Sternula albifrons • Sterne naine
Family: Laridae • Terns
Range:
Similar:

Quite a few Little Terns in Hyeres yesterday. The Little Tern is the smallest of the sea terns. Adults in summer plumage have a black-tipped yellow bill and black cap with white forehead.More photos...

Bird name: South American Tern
Latin: Sterna hirundinacea
Other:
Family: Laridae • Terns
Range:
Similar:

A blurry photo of a South American Tern from a few years ago…More photos...

Bird name: Sandwich Tern
Latin: Sterna sandvicensis
Other: Thalasseus sandvicensis • Sterne caugek
Family: Laridae • Terns
Range:
Similar:

A couple of Sandwich Terns seen on the beach in Hyeres. Summer adults have black bills with yellow tips.More photos...

The Black Headed Gull is in the foreground. The other gulls are Mediterranean Gulls, in summer plumage. Photos taken May 2009, Camargue.

Head: Med Gull is black, Black Headed Gull is chocolate
Legs and beak: Med Gull bright red, BHG off red
Wing tips: Med Gull white, BHG dark
Size: Med Gull slightly larger than BHGMore photos...

Bird name: Mediterranean Gull
Latin: Larus melanocephalus
Other: Ichthyaetus melanocephalus
Family: Laridae • Gulls

Photo: monacoeye • Monaco • Mar 2009

Photo: March 2009, CamargueMore photos...

Bird name: Black Headed Gull
Latin: Larus ridibundus
Other: Chroicocephalus ridibundus • Laughing Gull
Family: Laridae • Gulls

Photo: monacoeye • Camargue • March 2009More photos...

066 Family: Laridae - Gulls, Terns & Skimmers - IOC 2.5 - 2010

Skimmers Rynchops and terns with gulls - separation of Rynchopidae and Sternidae problematic.

Anous stolidus - Brown Noddy - Widespread Tropical Ocean
Anous tenuirostris - Lesser Noddy - W, NW Indian Ocean - Sooty Noddy?
Anous minutus - Black Noddy - tropical

Procelsterna cerulea - Blue Noddy - W, C Pacific Ocean
Procelsterna albivitta - Grey Noddy - S Pacific Ocean

Rynchops niger - Black Skimmer - Widespread North America, Latin America
Rynchops flavirostris - African Skimmer - Widespread Africa
Rynchops albicollis - Indian Skimmer - E Pakistan to Burma

Gygis alba - White Tern - Widespread Tropical Ocean - Angel Tern?

Creagrus furcatus - Swallow-tailed Gull - Galápagos Islands - W South America coasts

Rissa tridactyla - Black-legged Kittiwake - N coasts - N Atlantic & Pacific
Rissa brevirostris - Red-legged Kittiwake - Aleutian Islands, Pribilof Islands - N Pacific

Pagophila eburnea - Ivory Gull - N coasts - Arctic Ocean

Xema sabini - Sabine's Gull - N coasts - NW South America, SW Africa, coasts

Chroicocephalus genei - Slender-billed Gull - SW Eurasia
Chroicocephalus philadelphia - Bonaparte's Gull - NC, NW North America - South America & N Central America coasts
Chroicocephalus scopulinus - Red-billed Gull - New Zealand
Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae - Silver Gull - Australia
Chroicocephalus bulleri - Black-billed Gull - New Zealand
Chroicocephalus serranus - Andean Gull - W South America
Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus - Brown-headed Gull - C Eurasia - Middle East, Asia
Chroicocephalus maculipennis - Brown-hooded Gull - E, S coasts
Chroicocephalus ridibundus - Black-headed Gull - Widespread Eurasia - Africa, Asia - Now Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus - Grey-hooded Gull - Widespread South America, Africa
Chroicocephalus hartlaubii - Hartlaub's Gull - SW coast
Chroicocephalus saundersi - Saunders's Gull - E coast

Hydrocoloeus minutus - Little Gull - C Eurasia, North America - E North America, W Europe

Rhodostethia rosea - Ross's Gull - N coasts - Arctic Ocean

Leucophaeus scoresbii - Dolphin Gull - extreme S coasts
Leucophaeus fuliginosus - Lava Gull - Galápagos Islands
Leucophaeus atricilla - Laughing Gull - Widespread North America, Latin America coasts
Leucophaeus pipixcan - Franklin's Gull - C North America - W Latin America coasts
Leucophaeus modestus - Grey Gull - WC coast

Ichthyaetus relictus - Relict Gull - C Eurasia - E China
Ichthyaetus audouinii - Audouin's Gull - Med & NW Africa coasts
Ichthyaetus melanocephalus - Mediterranean Gull - W Eurasia - Med coasts
Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus - Pallas's Gull - C Eurasia - Middle East, India - Was Great Black-headed Gull
Ichthyaetus leucophthalmus - White-eyed Gull - Red Sea
Ichthyaetus hemprichii - Sooty Gull - east Africa & Middle East coasts

Larus pacificus - Pacific Gull - S, W Australian coasts
Larus belcheri - Belcher's Gull - WC coast - Was Band-tailed Gull
Larus atlanticus - Olrog's Gull - SE coast
Larus crassirostris - Black-tailed Gull - E coast
Larus heermanni - Heermann's Gull - W coast
Larus canus - Mew Gull - W Europe to Siberia & NW North America - widespread
Larus delawarensis - Ring-billed Gull - Widespread North America, Middle America
Larus californicus - California Gull - NC, W North America, Middle America
Larus marinus - Great Black-backed Gull - coastal E North America & W Europe
Larus dominicanus - Kelp Gull - S coasts
Larus glaucescens - Glaucous-winged Gull - coastal N Pacific
Larus occidentalis - Western Gull - W coast
Larus livens - Yellow-footed Gull - coastal NW Mexico & S California
Larus hyperboreus - Glaucous Gull - Widespread Eurasia, N America N coasts
Larus glaucoides - Iceland Gull - N AO coast
Larus thayeri - Thayer's Gull - N North America - W North America coast
Larus argentatus - European Herring Gull - N Europe - New name
Larus smithsonianus - American Herring Gull - Widespread N America - Split from L. argentatus
Larus vegae - Vega Gull - NE, E Eurasia
Larus cachinnans - Caspian Gull - C Eurasia to NE China - SW, E Asia - Was Yellow-legged Gull
Larus michahellis - Yellow-legged Gull - W Eurasia - Split from L. cachinnans
Larus armenicus - Armenian Gull - SW Eurasia
Larus schistisagus - Slaty-backed Gull - NE, E coast
Larus fuscus - Lesser Black-backed Gull - W Europe to C Northern Siberia; Eurasia, also Greenland and Iceland - N Africa, SW Europe to NW India; also E North America

Gelochelidon nilotica - Gull-billed Tern - Widespread Worldwide

Hydroprogne caspia - Caspian Tern - Widespread Worldwide except South America

Thalasseus maximus - Royal Tern - coasts
Thalasseus bergii - Swift Tern - coasts of E Africa to the S Pacific
Thalasseus elegans - Elegant Tern - W coasts
Thalasseus bengalensis - Lesser Crested Tern - Widespread Africa, Asia, Australasia coasts
Thalasseus bernsteini - Chinese Crested Tern - E coasts - Philippines, Borneo
Thalasseus sandvicensis - Sandwich Tern - northern Europe to Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas - S Europe to N Africa, Persian Gulf, India
Thalasseus acuflavidus - Cabot's Tern - Widespread N America, Latin America coasts from Virginia to French Guiana, Argentina - Pacific coast from Mexico to Ecuador; Atlantic coast from Florida to Uruguay - New World Cabot's Tern including Cayenne Tern. sister to Elegant Tern, not Sandwich Tern

Sternula albifrons - Little Tern - Widespread Africa, Eurasia, Asia, Australasia
Sternula saundersi - Saunders's Tern - Middle East - to India & Malaysia
Sternula antillarum - Least Tern - Widespread N America, Mid America - N South America coast
Sternula superciliaris - Yellow-billed Tern - Widespread South America
Sternula lorata - Peruvian Tern - coasts Ecuador to Chile
Sternula nereis - Fairy Tern - S, SW, W coasts
Sternula balaenarum - Damara Tern - W, SW coasts

Onychoprion aleuticus - Aleutian Tern - N Pacific coasts - S China Sea, Philippines?
Onychoprion lunatus - Spectacled Tern - SW Pacific Ocean
Onychoprion anaethetus - Bridled Tern - Widespread Tropical Ocean
Onychoprion fuscatus - Sooty Tern - Widespread Tropical Ocean

Sterna aurantia - River Tern - E Pakistan through India to S Vietnam
Sterna dougallii - Roseate Tern - Widespread Worldwide coasts
Sterna striata - White-fronted Tern - New Zealand - SE Australia
Sterna sumatrana - Black-naped Tern - coasts - Indian Ocean, S Pacific
Sterna hirundinacea - South American Tern - W, S, SE coasts
Sterna hirundo - Common Tern - Widespread Eurasia, N America - widespread coasts
Sterna repressa - White-cheeked Tern - Middle East, coasts - W India
Sterna paradisaea - Arctic Tern - N Eurasia, N America - Subantarctic Ocean
Sterna vittata - Antarctic Tern - Widespread Southern Ocean
Sterna virgata - Kerguelen Tern - S islands
Sterna forsteri - Forster's Tern - Widespread North America, Middle America
Sterna trudeaui - Snowy-crowned Tern - S South America
Sterna acuticauda - Black-bellied Tern - India through Southeast Asia

Chlidonias albostriatus - Black-fronted Tern - New Zealand
Chlidonias hybrida - Whiskered Tern - Widespread Africa, Eurasia, Asia, Australasia
Chlidonias leucopterus - White-winged Tern - Widespread Eurasia - Africa, Asia, Australasia
Chlidonias niger - Black Tern - Widespread N America, Eurasia - Lat Am coasts

Phaetusa simplex - Large-billed Tern - Widespread South America

Larosterna inca - Inca Tern - W coast