White Tern

About the White Tern

The Atlantic white tern (Gygis alba), also known as the common white tern, is a small seabird found in the Atlantic Ocean. It is sometimes known as the fairy tern, although this name is potentially confusing as it is also the common name of Sternula nereis. Other names for the species include angel tern and white noddy. The blue-billed white tern (Gygis candida) and the little white tern (Gygis microrhyncha) have sometimes been considered as subspecies of the Atlantic white tern.

The Atlantic white tern was first formally described by the Swedish naturalist Anders Sparrman in 1786 under the binomial name Sterna alba. The genus Gygis was introduced by the German zoologist Johann Georg Wagler in 1832. The name Gygis is from the Ancient Greek guges for a mythical bird and the specific alba is Latin for "white". The blue-billed white tern (Gygis candida) and the little white tern (Gygis microrhyncha) were formerly considered to be subspecies of the Atlantic white tern.

Molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that the white terns are more closely related to the noddies (Anous) than they are to the other terns. This implies that "white noddy" would be a more appropriate English... Wikipedia →