Terns
Order: Charadriiformes. Family: Sternidae
Terns are a group of generally general medium to large seabirds typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head. Most terns hunt fish by diving but some pick insects off the surface of fresh water. Terns are generally long-lived birds, with several species now known to live in excess of 25 to 30 years. There are 44 species worldwide and 23 species which occur in India.
- Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica
- Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia
- Lesser Crested Tern Thalasseus bengalensis
- Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis
- Great Crested Tern Thalasseus bergii
- River Tern Sterna aurantia
- Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii
- Black-naped Tern Sterna sumatrana
- Common Tern Sterna hirundo
- Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea
- Little Tern Sterna albifrons
- Saunders's Tern Sterna saundersi
- White-cheeked Tern Sterna repressa
- Black-bellied Tern Sterna acuticauda
- Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus
- Sooty Tern Sterna fuscata
- Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida
- White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus
- Black Tern Chlidonias niger (Hypothetical according to Rasmussen and Anderton, 2005)
- Lesser Noddy Anous tenuirostris
- Black Noddy Anous minutus
- Brown Noddy Anous stolidus
- White Tern Gygis alba
Read more about this topic: Birds Of India