Large-billed Tern - BirdForum Opus

Photo by nick scarle
Pantanal, Brazil, October 2014

Phaetusa simplex

Identification

38–42 cm (15-16½ in). A large, relatively short-tailed tern

• Back crown through to ear-coverts
• Grey mantel
• White underparts
• Heavy yellow bill
• Greenish-yellow legs

Distribution

Photo by Stanley Jones
Rio Piquiri, Pantanal, Mato Grosso, Brazil, August 2015

South America: found in Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina
Caribbean: some populations winter in Trinidad

Taxonomy

Subspecies

There are 2 subspecies^[1]:

• P. s. simplex:

East Colombia to eastern Brazil and Amazonia; winters to Trinidad; western Ecuador

• P. s. chloropoda:

• Basins of Río Paraguay and Río Paraná to northern Argentina

Habitat

Mostly large rivers and estuaries, using beaches and sandbars for breeding.

Behaviour

Breeding

They nest singly, or maybe in groups of up to 100 pairs. The clutch consists of 2 spotted olive brown eggs.

Diet

Their diet of fish and insects. They generally plunge-dive for their food.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved September 2016)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Large-billed Tern. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Large-billed_Tern

External Links

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