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Large-billed Tern

Phaetusa simplexOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Skuas, Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae)
Codes: Common Name: LBTE Scientific Name: PHASIM ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176948
Least Concern
 
Large-billed Tern
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Overview

Large-billed Tern: Dark gray mantle and short dark gray tail; black cap; white breast, belly, chin, cheeks, and throat; black primaries to the bend of the wing are striking in flight; white secondaries; distinctive large yellow bill. Yellow legs, feet. Direct flight with strong shallow wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Large-billed Tern: South American fresh water species; has been seen in Illinois, Ohio, and New Jersey.

Topo Map: Gull-like Body


Listen to Call

Voice Text

"honk", "cluck-cluck"

Interesting Facts

 The Large-billed Tern was first described in 1789 by Johann Friedrich Gmelin, the German naturalist, botanist and entomologist.

 Though they are usually found singly or in pairs, when resting they may aggregate in small flocks.

 These noisy birds are often captured by indigenous peoples of South America to serve as pets.

 A group of terns are collectively known as a "ternery" or a "U" of terns.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

John Schwarz

Artist

David Wenzel

Splitbar
Range Map for Large-billed Tern

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Family Tern (Laridae)_blue
Species Phaetusa simplex
Length14 - 15 Inches
Wingspan35 Inches

Large-billed Tern

Large-billed Tern: Dark gray mantle and short dark gray tail; black cap; white breast, belly, chin, cheeks, and throat; black primaries to the bend of the wing are striking in flight; white secondaries; distinctive large yellow bill. Yellow legs, feet. Direct flight with strong shallow wing beats.

● Song: "honk", "cluck-cluck"

● Foraging & Feeding: Large-billed Tern: Eats fish and aquatic invertebrates; catches insects in flight; plunges into water. Frequents fresh water rivers and larger lakes, also along sea coasts.

● Breeding & nesting: Large-billed Tern: Monogamous; colonial; often in mixed colonies with other terns and skimmers. No nest material; eggs hidden in grasses and reeds; two pale gray to olive brown eggs with brown blotches. Incubation ranges from 27 to 30 days and is carried out by both sexes; young fed by both parents; first flight at 55-65 days; one brood per year.

● Similar species: Large-billed Tern: No similar species in North America.

Flight Pattern

Direct flight with strong steady shallow wing beats.
Large-billed Tern Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Large-billed Tern: South American fresh water species; has been seen in Illinois, Ohio, and New Jersey.
BreedingMonogamous, Colonial
PopulationRare in North America
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight8.1 Ounces
Gull-like BodyX
BellyX
The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.
BreastX
The upper front part of a bird.
ChinX
The area of the face just below the bill.
MantleX
The upper surface of the back and wings covered with shorter feathers.
PrimariesX
The primaries are the flight feathers specialized for flight. They are attached to the "hand" equivalent part of the wing.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX