River Tern
Sterna aurantia Gray, JE, 1831
Laridae — Gulls, Terns, Skimmers
River Tern, Sterna aurantia, is a tern of the family Laridae that breeds along rivers in the Oriental Region, from the Indus Valley in Pakistan through sub-Himalayan India to north-western and central Myanmar, south-western China and south-east Cambodia. It is tied mainly to freshwater and is rarely found away from inland waters. It nests in colonies on secluded sandbanks and other open river sites, laying three eggs in a simple scrape on the ground. The species was described by Gray in 1831 and is monotypic, with no recognised geographical variation.
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Laridae — Gulls, Terns, Skimmers
- Breeding range
- Oriental Region: rivers of Indus Valley (c Pakistan), sub-Himalayan India, nw, c Myanmar, sw China, to se Cambodia (formerly s Vietnam)
