Large-billed tern

The large-billed tern (Phaetusa simplex) is a species of tern in the family Laridae. It belongs to the monotypic genus Phaetusa.

Large-billed tern
at Cuiaba river, Pantanal, Mato Grosso state, Brazil
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Charadriiformes
Family:	Laridae
Genus:	Phaetusa Wagler, 1832
Species:	P. simplex
Binomial name
Phaetusa simplex (Gmelin, 1789)

It is found in most of South America (east of the Andes and north of the Pampas). It has occurred as a vagrant in Aruba, Bermuda, Cuba, Panama and the United States.

Its natural habitats are rivers and freshwater lakes.

These birds are rarely found in the UK or in Canada, however, they do appear to enjoy flying individually.

• 
  juvenile at Lagoa do Peixe National Park, Tavares, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil
• 
  in the Pantanal, Brazil
• 
  in the Pantanal, Brazil
• 
  in the Pantanal, Brazil

References

1. BirdLife International (2012). "Phaetusa simplex". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)old-form url