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Gygis candida

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Little white tern
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Genus: Gygis
Species:
G. candida
Binomial name
Gygis candida
Gmelin, 1789

The little white tern (Gygis candida) is a small seabird found in Pacific Ocean.[1] This species was previously considered as the white tern (Gygis alba), but is now recognised as a separate species.[2]

Taxonomy

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The little white tern was first formally described by the German ornithologist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1789. The species epithet is from Latin candidus (white). There are two recognized subspecies.[1] Some authors have postulated that there may be three species of Gygis: Gygis alba, in the Atlantic Ocean, and Gygis candida and Gygis microrhyncha, both in the Pacific.[2]

Description

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The little white tern has a shorter and more conical bill than the common white tern.[1]

Distribution and habitat

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The little white tern ranges throughout the Pacific Ocean.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d BirdLife International (2022). "Gygis candida". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T216558801A219774358. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-2.RLTS.T216558801A219774358.en. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b Pratt, H. Douglas (2020). "Species limits and English names in the genus Gygis (Laridae)". Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. 140 (2): 195–208. doi:10.25226/bboc.v140i2.2020.a10. ISSN 0007-1595.