Birdsong field guide
Blue-billed White-Tern
Gygis candida
A small, ethereal seabird known for its immaculate white plumage and the unusual habit of balancing eggs on bare branches without a nest.
What it sounds like
A series of low, guttural croaks and harsh, nasal 'grrt-grrt' notes.
Reference call, compare with what you heard
No reference call found yet · Xeno-canto
Field notes
- Unlike most terns, it does not build a nest, instead laying its single egg directly on a thin branch or rocky ledge.
- Newly hatched chicks possess highly developed feet and sharp claws to cling to their precarious perches during high winds.
- The bill is distinctive for being slightly upturned with a black tip and a vibrant deep blue base.
- It has unusually large, dark eyes adapted for nocturnal or crepuscular foraging of small fish and squid.
- Its feathers are so thin and white that the bird often appears translucent when viewed against the sun in flight.
Habitat
Tropical oceanic islands, coral atolls, and coastal woodlands.
Range
Widespread across the tropical and subtropical Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Similar & commonly confused birds
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