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| Little white tern | |
|---|---|
| |
| Conservation status | |
 Least Concern (IUCN 3.1) | |
Scientific 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. This species was previously considered as the white tern (Gygis alba), but is now recognised as a separate species.
Taxonomy
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. 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.
Description
The little white tern has a shorter and more conical bill than the common white tern.
Distribution and habitat
The little white tern ranges throughout the Pacific Ocean.
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
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