Black-bellied Tern

Sterna acuticauda Gray, JE, 1831

Black-bellied Tern, Sterna acuticauda, is a tern of the inland Indus Valley in Pakistan, sub-Himalayan India and the Irrawaddy River in central Myanmar. It was described by Gray, JE, 1831, and its breeding range once reached southern China and Vietnam. In summer it shows a black belly and a deeply forked tail. It can be mistaken for Whiskered Tern, but the tail fork is deeper and the dark area lies lower on the body.

Order

Charadriiformes

Family

Laridae — Gulls, Terns, Skimmers

Breeding range

Oriental Region: inland Indus Valley (Pakistan), sub-Himalayan India and Irrawaddy (=Ayeyarwady) River, c Myanmar; formerly to s China and Vietnam