The Zoochat Photographic Guide to Shorebirds, Flamingos and Grebes

Water Dikkop (aka Thick-knee or Stone-Curlew) - ZooChat



Hix

 

No I was thinking of a different one...

 

That would be fantastic! Thanks for looking.

I knew that one existed, but it is not a useful picture to represent the species in this thread.

 

I'm not sure this is the proper version of the photo, compare to this one: Image:Cream-colored Courser.jpg - BirdForum Opus

It is also listed as subspecies bogolubovi there, not cursor.

 

Glareola



Collared Pratincole (Glareola pratincola)

This species has a widespread but scattered breeding distribution throughout southern Europe, west Asia, north Africa and sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal east to the Rift Valley and south to the DRC, Namibia, north Botswana, Mozambique and eastern South-Africa. Northern populations (ssp. pratincola) winter south of their range throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Is known to hybridize with Black-winged Pratincole.

Three subspecies recognised by the HBW, though the IOC list does not recognise erlangeri.

pratincola
fuelleborni
erlangeri

Photo by @lintworm in the wild, Tanzania (breeding plumage)



Photo by @HOMIN96 in Zoo Plzen, Czech Republic (non-breeding plumage)




Oriental Pratincole (Glareola malivarium)

The breeding range of this species stretches from extreme south Siberia south to northern India, Sri Lanka, south-east Asia and Taiwan, locally in west Japan and the Ryukyu islands. There are also breeding records from Pakistan, Borneo and the Philippines. Winters south of its breeding range in India, the Maldives, south-east Asia south through Indonesia to New Guinea and Australia.

Monotypic

Photo by @Hix in the wild, Christmas Island



Photo by @Hix in the wild, Christmas Island (immature)




Black-winged Pratincole (Glareola nordmanni)

The breeding range of this species extends from southeastern Europe through Ukraine to southwest Russia and northern Kazakhstan. Sporadically breeds in Belarus, Hungary and Azerbaijan. Winter in southern and (irregularly) western Africa. Is known to have hybridized with Collared Pratincole.

Monotypic

There are no pictures of this species in the Zoochat Gallery at the time of writing.


Madagascar Pratincole (Glareola ocularis)

Endemic breeding bird of Madagascar, but non-breeding visitor to eastern Africa from south Somalia to northern Mozambique.

Monotypic

There are no pictures of this species in the Zoochat Gallery at the time of writing.


Rock Pratincole (Glareola nuchalis)

The range of this species comprises large swaths of tropical Africa, with populations found in Sierra Leone to western Cameroon, Chad, east Sudan to west Ethiopia, central Cameroon east to Uganda and extreme northwest Kenya, and south to south-central Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, northeast Namibia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Two subspecies usually recognised.

liberiae
nuchalis

There are not pictures of this species in the Zoochat Gallery at the time of writing.


Grey Pratincole (Glareola cinerea)

This species breeds along the major rivers and coasts from Mali and Niger to Ghana, Cameroon, extreme southwest Chad, the DRC and northwest Angola.

Deemed monotypic, though HBW notes that the form that occurs along the upper Niger river may merit subspecific status.

There are not pictures of this species in the Zoochat Gallery at the time of writing.


Little Pratincole (Glareola lactea)

Breeding bird from Afghanistan and Pakistan east through the Indian subcontinent (including Sri Lanka) and Myanmar to Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. Scarce non-breeding visitor to the Arabian Gulf and Oman.

Monotypic

Photo by @Chlidonias in the wild, India

Spoiler: References

Clements, J. F., Schulenberg, T. S., Iliff, M. J., Billerman, S. M., Fredericks, T. A., Sullivan, B. L., and Wood, C. L. (2019). The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from Downloadable Checklist | Clements Checklist

Gill, F & Donsker, D. (Eds). (2019). IOC World Bird List (v9.2). doi:10.14344/IOC.ML.9.2. retrieved from https://www.worldbirdnames.org/ioc-lists/ on 27 December 2019)

Maclean, G.L. & Kirwan, G.M. (2020). Collared Pratincole (Glareola pratincola). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from Collared Pratincole (Glareola pratincola) on 26 March 2020).

Maclean, G.L. & Kirwan, G.M. (2020). Oriental Pratincole (Glareola maldivarum). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from Oriental Pratincole (Glareola maldivarum) on 26 March 2020).

Maclean, G.L. & Kirwan, G.M. (2020). Black-winged Pratincole (Glareola nordmanni). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from Black-winged Pratincole (Glareola nordmanni) on 26 March 2020).

Maclean, G.L. & Kirwan, G.M. (2020). Madagascar Pratincole (Glareola ocularis). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from Madagascar Pratincole (Glareola ocularis) on 26 March 2020).

Maclean, G.L. & Kirwan, G.M. (2020). Rock Pratincole (Glareola nuchalis). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from Rock Pratincole (Glareola nuchalis) on 26 March 2020).

Maclean, G.L. & Kirwan, G.M. (2020). Grey Pratincole (Glareola cinerea). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from Grey Pratincole (Glareola cinerea) on 26 March 2020).

Maclean, G.L. & Kirwan, G.M. (2020). Little Pratincole (Glareola lactea). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from Little Pratincole (Glareola lactea) on 26 March 2020).

 

I've uploaded my picture in the gallery! Unfortunately not great quality (taken with a phone through my scope because of the distance) so I'm not sure if it'd belong between all these stunning pictures, but might be interesting enough regardless.

Sociable lapwing, Vanellus gregarius - ZooChat

 

Much appreciated.

Soon I'll be able to resume this thread. The descriptions of the species ranges will probably be a bit less detailed, but as taxonomy has always been the focus of this thread I don't think it will suffer that much from it.

 

Stiltia



Australian Pratincole (Stiltia isabella)

The breeding range of this species extends over the dry regions of north and east Australia, spreading further south in wet years. Also breeding records in southern New Guinea. Migrates north to north Queensland, Northern Territory, New Guinea and the eastern Indonesian archipelago. This species is sometimes associated with or included within Glareola.

Monotypic

Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (non-breeding or immature plumage)



Photo by @Terry Thomas in the wild, Australia (showing the red bill as a sign of breeding plumage)

Spoiler: References

Maclean, G.L. & Kirwan, G.M. (2020). Australian Pratincole (Stiltia isabella). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from Australian Pratincole - Stiltia isabella - Birds of the World on 28 February 2020).

 

LARIDAE



Probably the most daunting task me for has finally come: the Laridae. This family, containing gulls, terns, noddies and skimmers, is not only the largest family, but is also subject to taxonomic disagreement beyond what the other families have brought. The Laridae, and the Larus gulls in particular, are also infamously difficult to identify, given the large number of similar species and the enormous variation in immature plumages. (Note: there are also a large number of unidentified gull pictures in the gallery. I would be grateful for every ID if you’re up for a challenge)

Taxonomically the main structure of this family has had a couple of revisions. Most importantly, the Laridae is actually a composite of three former families: the Laridae (gulls, now subfamily Larinae), Sternidae (terns, including noddies) and Rynchopidae (Skimmers). Despite the differences in morphology, molecular evidence offers strong support for a clade formed by these groups together (e.g. Fain and Houde, 2007 and Baker et al., 2007). The laridae can broadly be divided into four main groups:

Noddies (genera Anous and Gygis)

Previously thought be a basal clade to the terns, but recent molecular analysis has placed the noddies - including the White Tern Gygis alba - as a basal group of the clade containing all remaining Laridae (Baker et al., 2007). Noddies used to be split into two genera: Anous (“dark noddies”) and Procelsterna (Blue and Grey Noddy). However, a study by Cibois et al. (2016) has placed the Procelsterna Noddies firmly within the “dark noddies” clade, making Procelsterna a junior synonym of Anous.

Skimmers (genus Rynchops)

A morphologically distinct group known for their extended lower mandible, resulting in an uneven bill. The skimmers used to be placed in their own family (Rynchopidae), but their close relationship with the other Laridae was already suggested by Paton et al. (2003), though the support was relatively weak. Other molecular studies (Fain and Houde, 2007 and Baker et al., 2007) have found stronger support for inclusion of the skimmers within the Laridae.

Gulls (clade “Larinae”)

Gulls are the most taxonomically challenging group of Laridae. There has been some debate on the monophyly of gulls, with other Laridae seemingly nested within the gulls. Recent radiation, convergent evolution and widespread hybridization plague phylogenetic analyses on this clade. Traditionally, gulls are morphologically divided in “hooded”, “masked”, “black-headed” and “white-headed” groups. One of the more extensive studies regarding gull phylogeny (Pons et al, 2005) found phylogenetic support for these groups, as well as a few small clades (one with Kittiwakes, one with arctic gulls, one with Ross’ and Little Gull) and two species whose relationships were unresolved. Relationships within the clades are also unclear, especially in the “white-headed” Larus gulls. One large-scale phylogenetic study (Sonsthagen et al., 2016) focussing on these species concluded that both ongoing hybridization and recent divergence makes clear species delineations very difficult.

Terns (clade Sternini)

Terns form a sister group to the gulls + skimmers clade, and were formerly assigned their own family Sternidae. Recent phylogenetic analyses however has found strong support for a monophyletic group containing containing the terns as well as the other Laridae groups described here. In general, relationships among tern species are seemingly better resolved (see Bridge et al., 2005 for a large-scale approach) than for gulls, though there are exceptions (e.g. in Thalasseus terns, see Collison et al., 2017).

All things considered the Laridae is a large but very interesting group of Charadriiformes. As said, there’s taxonomic disagreement among major authors. Recently, HBW Alive (which I used here previously for consistency) was lost to Birds of the World (BOW), which requires paid subscription. Therefore I have decided to go with the IOC list as a general guide from now on. Because I started this post before my hiatus I had already listed the “old” HBW taxonomy. The main difference between HBW and IOC is that HBW lumped gulls from Chroicocephalus and Ichthyaetus into Larus, but with Saunders’ Gull placed in its own genus (Saundersilarus). HBW also recognised a second species of Gygis, but IOC lists two more species of Thalasseus. There’s likely also some disagreement within Larus s.l., but that genus is almost constantly changing so I’ll come back to that in due time.


IOC currently lists the following genera:

Anous - (5 species of noddies)

Gygis - (1 species: White Tern)

Rynchops - (3 species of skimmers)

Creagrus - (1 species: Swallow-tailed Gull)

Rissa - (2 species of kittiwakes)

Pagophila - (1 species: Ivory Gull)

Xema - (1 species: Sabine’s Gull)

Chroicocephalus - (11 species of gulls)

Hydrocoloeus - (1 species: Little Gull)

Rhodostethia - (1 species: Ross’ Gull)

Leucophaeus - (5 species of gulls)

Ichthyaetus - (6 species of gulls)

Larus - (23 species of gulls)

Gelochelidon - (2 species of gull-billed terns)

Hydroprogne - (1 species: Caspian Tern)

Thalasseus - (8 species of terns)

Sternula - (7 species of terns)

Onychoprion - (4 species of terns)

Sterna - (13 species of terns)

Chlidonias - (4 species of marsh terns)

Phaetusa - (1 species: Large-billed Tern)

Larosterna - (1 species: Inca Tern)

Spoiler: References

Baker, A. J., Pereira, S. L., & Paton, T. A. (2007). Phylogenetic relationships and divergence times of Charadriiformes genera: multigene evidence for the Cretaceous origin of at least 14 clades of shorebirds. Biology Letters, 3(2), 205-210.

Bridge, E. S., Jones, A. W., & Baker, A. J. (2005). A phylogenetic framework for the terns (Sternini) inferred from mtDNA sequences: implications for taxonomy and plumage evolution. Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 35(2), 459-469.

Cibois, A., Thibault, J. C., Rocamora, G., & Pasquet, E. (2016). Molecular phylogeny and systematics of Blue and Grey noddies (Procelsterna). Ibis, 158(2), 433-438.

Collinson, J. M., Dufour, P., Hamza, A. A., Lawrie, Y., Elliott, M., Barlow, C., & Crochet, P. A. (2017). When morphology is not reflected by molecular phylogeny: the case of three ‘orange-billed terns’ Thalasseus maximus, Thalasseus bergii and Thalasseus bengalensis (Charadriiformes: Laridae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 121(2), 439-445.

Fain, M. G., & Houde, P. (2007). Multilocus perspectives on the monophyly and phylogeny of the order Charadriiformes (Aves). BMC Evolutionary Biology, 7(1), 35.

Gill F, D Donsker & P Rasmussen (Eds). 2020. IOC World Bird List (v10.2). doi : 10.14344/IOC.ML.10.2.

Paton, T. A., Baker, A. J., Groth, J. G., & Barrowclough, G. F. (2003). RAG-1 sequences resolve phylogenetic relationships within Charadriiform birds. Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 29(2), 268-278.

Pons, J. M., Hassanin, A., & Crochet, P. A. (2005). Phylogenetic relationships within the Laridae (Charadriiformes: Aves) inferred from mitochondrial markers. Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 37(3), 686-699.

Sonsthagen, S. A., Wilson, R. E., Chesser, R. T., Pons, J. M., Crochet, P. A., Driskell, A., & Dove, C. (2016). Recurrent hybridization and recent origin obscure phylogenetic relationships within the ‘white-headed’gull (Larus sp.) complex. Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 103, 41-54.

 

I have photos of a decent number of North American gulls and terns, I'll check the galleries and see if there's any gaps I can fill. I know I've uploaded Black-legged Kittiwake and possibly Common Tern already.

 

Awesome pictures. Happy to hear that there are people who saw in the reality all this incredible creatures

 

Anous



Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus)

Highly pelagic outside the breeding season, the breeding range of this species comprises a global wide band around the equator, reaching about 30 degrees north or south of it. The breeding range expands beyond this boundary only in the southern Atlantic. The limits of the pelagic non-breeding distribution of this species are unknown.

BoW currently recognises five subspecies: pileatus occurs from the Seychelles and Madagascar east to Australia, Polynesia, Hawaii and Easter Island; galapagensis occurs at the Galapagos Islands, ridgwayi occurs on the islands of western Mexico and Central America; stolidus on the Carribean and south Atlantic towards western Africa; and plumbergularis in the Red Sea (though this subspecies might be part of pileatus). The population of the Desventuradas islands of Chile may represent another subspecies (currently part of pileatus). IOC recognised the same subspecies as BoW, except for plumbergularis.

pileatus - photo by @Hix in the wild, Christmas Island



galapagensis - photo by @jayjds2 in the wild, Galapagos



ridgwayi
stolidus
plumbergularis


Black Noddy (Anous minutus)

The main breeding range of this species contains the (sub)tropical Pacific, especially the southwest and central part, but also occurs at the Caribbean, equatorial and south Atlantic, and the northeast Indian Ocean. Stays generally close to the breeding sites year round, often returning each night to roost.

BoW and IOC recognise 7 subspecies, mainly differentiated by colouration and size: americanus on the Caribbean; melanogenys on the Hawaiian Islands; diamesus on Clipperton Island, Cocos Island and Malpelo Island; worcesteri on Cavilli Island, Tubbataha Reef, Java Sea and perhaps Ashmore Reef; minutus on the coasts of northeast Australia, eastern New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, Solomon Island and locally through Melanesia and Polynesia to Tuamotu Islands; marcusi on Marcus Island and Wake Island south through Macronesia to the Caroline Islands; atlanticus on several Atlantic islands St. Paul, Fernando de Noronha, Martim Vaz, Ascension, St. Helena, Gulf of Guinea. BoW recognised the last five as belonging to one subspecies group (minutus).

americanus
melanogenys
diamesus
worcesteri
minutus - photo by @Hix in the wild, Tokelau



marcusi
atlanticus


Lesser Noddy (Anous tenuirostris)

This species breeds on several Islands and islets in the Indian Ocean. Pelagic outside the breeding season.

Two subspecies generally recognised: tenuirostris breeds on the Seychelles, Mascarine Islands, St. Brandon, Malvides and Chagos (and possibly in Somalia), while the distribution of melanops comprises the Houtman Abrolhos Islands and probably Ashmore Reef.

tenuirostris
melanops

There are no pictures of this species in the Zoochat Gallery at the time of writing.


Grey Noddy (Anous albivitta)

Formerly placed in Procelsterna, the range of this species comprises a number of islands and islets in the subtropical and temperate Pacific. Usually doesn’t stray far from breeding islands.

BoW and IOC recognise three subspecies: albivitta on Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, New Zealand (offshore islands of northwest and north North Island), Kermadec Islands and Tonga; skottsbergii on Henderson Island, Easter Island, and Sala y Gómez Island; and imitatrix on the Desventuradas Islands off northern Chile. Two subspecies (skottsbergii and imitatrix) are sometimes attributed to the closely related A. ceruleus.

albivitta - photo by @Dannelboyz in the wild, Australia (Filip Island)



skottsbergii
imitatrix


Blue-grey Noddy (Anous ceruleus)

Formerly placed in Procelsterna, the breeding range of this species comprises several tropical oceanic islands in the west Pacific. Usually doesn’t stray far from breeding islands.

Both BoW and IOC recognise 5 subspecies, though internal taxonomy is not fully resolved at the moment as there is overlap between different forms. Currently recognised are saxatilis on Marcus Island and the northern Marshall Islands east to the northwest Hawaiian Islands; nebouxi on Tuvalu east to the Phoenix Islands and south to Fiji and Samoa; ceruleus on Kiritimati, Line Islands and Marquesas Islands; teretirostris on the Tuamotu Islands (and possibly Cook, Austral and Society Islands); and murphyi on the Gambier Islands. Sometimes two subspecies of the closely related A. albivitta (skottsbergii and imitatrix) are attributed to this species.

saxatilis
nebouxi
ceruleus
teretirostris
murphyi

There are no pictures of this species in the Zoochat Gallery at the time of writing.

Spoiler: References

Chardine, J. W., R. D. Morris, M. Gochfeld, J. Burger, G. M. Kirwan, and E. F. J. Garcia (2020). Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.

Gauger, V. H. (2020). Black Noddy (Anous minutus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wur.nl/10.2173/bow.blknod.01

Gochfeld, M., J. Burger, and E. F. J. Garcia (2020). Lesser Noddy (Anous tenuirostris), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wur.nl/10.2173/bow.lesnod1.01

Gochfeld, M., J. Burger, E. F. J. Garcia, and P. F. D. Boesman (2020). Gray Noddy (Anous albivitta), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wur.nl/10.2173/bow.grynod1.01

Gochfeld, M., J. Burger, and E. F. J. Garcia (2020). Blue-gray Noddy (Anous ceruleus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wur.nl/10.2173/bow.bugnod.01

Gill F, D Donsker & P Rasmussen (Eds). 2021. IOC World Bird List (v11.2). doi : 10.14344/IOC.ML.11.2.

Note: as you may have noticed I now use Birds of the World along with the IOC list as my main references. It is the BoW taxonomy that will become the main structure for this thread, though disagreements with the IOC list (and perhaps other sources as well) will certainly be noted in the more controversial taxa.

 

Gygis



White Tern (Gygis alba)

The breeding range of this species is pan-tropical, and extends throughout several small islands and islets in the tropical and subtropical Pacific, Indian and southern Atlantic Ocean between 30 degrees north or south of the equator.

Generally between four to six subspecies recognised, with both BoW and IOC currently recognising four, in two subspecies groups. The Pacific candida group has subspecies candida (Seychelles and Mascarines through the Indian Ocean to central pacific, including Norfolk Island, Kermadec Islands, Hawaii, Marquesas Islands, as well as Cipperton Island, Cocos Island and probably western Colombia) and leucopes (Henderson Island and Pitcairn Island). The Atlantic/Marquesas alba group has subspecies alba (Fernando de Noronha, Trinidad, Ascension, St. Helena) and microchyncha (Marquesas Island from Eiao to Futa Hiva, and apparently Phoenix Islands and Line Islands). Sometimes the two subspecies groups are recognised as separate species.

alba
candida - photo by @Hix in the wild, Tokelau



leucopes
microrhyncha

Spoiler: References

Niethammer, K. R. and L. B. Patrick (2020). White Tern (Gygis alba), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wur.nl/10.2173/bow.whiter.01

Gill F., Donsker D. and Rasmussen P. (Eds) (2021). IOC World Bird List (v11.2). doi : 10.14344/IOC.ML.11.2.

 

Rynchops



Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger)

The breeding range of this species extends from the coastal regions of the United States south through much of Latin America except the sub-Antarctic south and the eastern coast (though it is a winter visitor there). The distribution in North America is mainly coastal, from Massachusetts and Long Island south to southern Mexico in the east, and from southern California south to Nayarit Mexico in the east. In South America this species is mainly found along large rivers, and the distribution is not limited to coastal areas.

Both BoW and IOC recognise three subspecies. The northern subspecies niger breeds along the coasts of the US and Mexico and winters from California south to Panama. The two southern subspecies (once considered separate species) have a neotropical distribution: cinerascens breeds along the coasts of Colombia east to the mouth of the Amazon and south to western Ecuador, and along the large river systems (mostly Orinoco and Amazon) south to Bolivia and northwest Argentina, while intercedens occurs along the large rivers of eastern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, Uruguay and northeast Argentina.

niger - photo by @Maguari in the wild, United States



cinerascens - photo by @toto98 in the wild, Colombia



intercedens

Photo by @Therabu in the wild, Brazil (morphologically seems to fit intercedens, but I’m unsure how much the Brazilian forms overlap)




African Skimmer (Rynchops flavirostris)

The breeding range of this species comprises the major rivers and lakes of sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal east to Sudan and Ethiopia, and south to northern Namibia, the basin of the Zambezi and southern Mozambique.

Monotypic

Photo by @Maguari in the wild, Botswana




Indian Skimmer (Rynchops albicollis)

The breeding range of this species extends from eastern Pakistan through north and east-central India to western Myanmar. The non-breeding range of this species includes the northwestern Indian peninsula and coastal Bangladesh. Status uncertain in several areas, including southern Nepal, western Assam and inland Bangladesh.

Monotypic

Photo by @Chlidonias in the wild, India

Spoiler: References

Gochfeld, M., J. Burger, and K. L. Lefevre (2020). Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wur.nl/10.2173/bow.blkski.01

Zusi, R.L., G. M. Kirwan, and E. F. J. Garcia (2020). African Skimmer (Rynchops flavirostris), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wur.nl/10.2173/bow.afrski1.01

Zusi, R.L., G. M. Kirwan, and E. F. J. Garcia (2020). Indian Skimmer (Rynchops albicollis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wur.nl/10.2173/bow.indski1.01

Gill F., Donsker D. and Rasmussen P. (Eds) (2021). IOC World Bird List (v11.2). doi : 10.14344/IOC.ML.11.2.

 

Creagrus



Swallow-tailed Gull (Creagrus furcatus)

A highly unusual species. Swallow-tailed Gull pairs remain at the nest throughout the day and fish for squid at night. Often pelagic outside the breeding season, breeding colonies are found on the Galapagos Islands (especially the eastern half) and Malpelo Island off western Colombia.

Monotypic

There are no pictures of this species in the Zoochat Gallery at the time of writing.

Spoiler: References

Burger, J., M. Gochfeld, E. F. J. Garcia, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Swallow-tailed Gull (Creagrus furcatus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wur.nl/10.2173/bow.swtgul1.01

Gill F., Donsker D. and Rasmussen P. (Eds) (2021). IOC World Bird List (v11.2). doi : 10.14344/IOC.ML.11.2.

 

lesser noddy Anous tenuirostris oktober 2021 by carl the birder posted 23 Dec 2021 at 11:47 PM

i have adet a photo of lesser noddy now

 

Rissa



Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)

This species has a circumpolar distribution, breeding along the coasts of northern North America, Europe and Asia wherever suitable breeding sites are available. More pelagic in winter and generally found further south, with European populations wintering as far south as the coasts of west Africa.

Two subspecies generally recognised: tridactyla is found in the Arctic basin and the Atlantic ocean, while pollicaris is found in the Pacific Ocean.

tridactyla - photo by @Maguari in the wild, United Kingdom



pollicaris - photo by @LaughingDove, Living Coasts, United Kingdom



Photo by @LaughingDove of a juvenile individual (ssp. tridactyla) to show the distinct plumage differences between age classes.




Red-legged Kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris)

The breeding range of this species is restricted to a small number of remote islands in the Bering Sea. While most seem to leave the Bering Sea in winter, their marine distribution is poorly known.

Monotypic

Photo by @Javan Rhino, Living Coasts, United Kingdom

Spoiler: References

Hatch, S. A., G. J. Robertson, and P. H. Baird (2020). Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wur.nl/10.2173/bow.bklkit.01

Byrd, G. V. and J. C. Williams (2020). Red-legged Kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wur.nl/10.2173/bow.relkit.01

 

Pagophila



Ivory Gull (Pagophila eburnea)

The breeding range of this species stretches from northern Canada through Greenland, Svalbard, Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya and Severnaya Zemlya to the New Siberian Islands and Herald Island. The non-breeding (wintering) range is almost circumpolar, but the most important wintering areas are around Baffin Island, the Davis Strait, Labrador Sea, southeast Greenland and the Bering Strait.

Monotypic

There are no pictures of this species in the Zoochat Gallery at the time of writing.

Spoiler: References

Mallory, M. L., I. J. Stenhouse, H. G. Gilchrist, G. J. Robertson, J. C. Haney, and S. D. Macdonald (2020). Ivory Gull (Pagophila eburnea), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wur.nl/10.2173/bow.ivogul.01

Gill F., Donsker D. and Rasmussen P. (Eds) (2021). IOC World Bird List (v11.2). doi : 10.14344/IOC.ML.11.2.