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Gelochelidon nilotica
Medium-sized tern. Stocky, with wide wings. Stout black bill. Tail short and notched. Black cap when breeding. Head nearly white during winter, with dark smudge behind eyes. Wings very pale gray with little black in tips. Body white. Legs black.
Several flying and fishing in a pond at Bayou Segnette State Park. This park is not far from the urban center of New Orleans, yet it features access to two types of wetlands,swamp and marsh. Saltwater intrusion coming into the canals from the Gulf of Mexico created the marsh. This is a remarkable habitat for plant and wildlife.
The totally black bill, almost pure white / light grey mantle and wings help the ID. Other terns have either (partly) orange bill, or yellow tip to the bill, or darker mantle, or black primaries.
For the range you spot it, I am pretty sure this is Gull-billed Tern.
Spotted on May 16, 2013
Submitted on May 21, 2013
