Sterna acuticauda (*)
Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Ordo: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Euavialae
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Ordo: Charadriiformes
Subordo: Lari
Familia: Laridae
Subfamilia: Sterninae
Genus: Sterna
Species: Sterna acuticauda
Name
Sterna acuticauda J. E. Gray, 1831
References
Illustrations of Indian Zoology 1 (6): pl.70 fig.3 BHL
IUCN: Sterna acuticauda (Endangered)
Vernacular names
العربية: خرشنة سوداءة البطن
azərbaycanca: Qaraqarın susüpürən
català: Xatrac ventrenegre
čeština: Rybák ostroocasý
Cymraeg: Môr-wennol dorddu
Deutsch: Schwarzbauchseeschwalbe
English: Black-bellied Tern
Esperanto: Nigraventra ŝterno
فارسی: پرستوی دریایی شکمسیاه
suomi: Mustavatsatiira
français: Sterne à ventre noir
magyar: Feketehasú csér
മലയാളം: കരിവയറൻ ആള
नेपाली: उत्क्रोशी फ्यालफ्याले
Nederlands: Zwartbuikstern
پنجابی: کالے ٹڈ آلا ٹرن
svenska: Svartbukig tärna
தமிழ்: கருப்பு வயிற்று ஆலா
Tiếng Việt: Nhàn bụng đen
中文: 黑腹燕鸥
The black-bellied tern (Sterna acuticauda) is a tern found near large rivers in the Indian subcontinent, its range extending from Pakistan, Nepal and India to Myanmar. It has become very scarce in the eastern part of its range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being endangered.
They have a black belly in the summer and a deep forked tail. They can sometimes resemble whiskered terns (Chlidonias hybrida), but the deeper fork of the tail and the black on the lower belly distinguish them from the shallow fork and black closer to the breast on the whiskered tern. Considering that sequence analysis supports moving the similar black-fronted tern ("Sterna" albostriata) into Chlidonias, this species might also be better placed in that genus, but no research has yet been conducted.[2]
Description
The black-bellied tern grows to a length of 32 to 35 cm (13 to 14 in). In the breeding plumage, the crown and nape are black and the upper parts are pale grey. The throat is white and the breast pale grey, gradually darkening to a black belly. The wings are long, slender and pointed and the tail is deeply forked with sharply pointed tips. The bill and feet are yellow or orange and the iris is reddish brown.[3][4] Outside the breeding season, the belly is whitish, the tail is reduced in length and the bill has a dark tip.[1]
Distribution and habitat
The species occurs mostly in Pakistan, Nepal, India and Bangladesh, with a separate range in Myanmar. Its typical habitat is lowland rivers and marshes, and sometimes ditches and pools, at altitudes of up to about 730 m (2,400 ft). It is an entirely inland species and is not found on the coast.[1]
Ecology
The black-bellied tern has long wings but its flight is slow, with much flapping.[3] It feeds on insects and small fish, skimming over the surface of the water and ground to pick up insects, and plunging obliquely into the water to feed on crustaceans, tadpoles and fish.[4] Breeding takes place from February to April, the nesting site usually being a flat sandy location near a river or lake, a sand spit or a sandy island. It does not nest colonially but may nest with other birds such as river terns (Sterna aurantia), pratincoles (Glareola spp.) and Indian skimmers (Rynchops albicollis).[4]
Status
S. acuticauda is classified as being endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[1] The rationale behind this is that the riverine habitats in which it breeds are under threat in much of southeastern Asia and, although it has an extensive range, it is believed to be extinct in southern China, Nepal, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Only in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh are there larger populations, and even in these countries, this bird is thought to be seriously declining, and there may be fewer than one thousand mature individuals in existence.[1] The threats it faces include the degradation of the islands and sandspits on which it breeds, the collection of eggs for food, predation of eggs and chicks by dogs, cats and crows, flooding of nesting sites by the construction of river dams, competition for fish by local fishermen, entanglement in nets, disturbance, extraction of water, sand and gravel dredging and pollution.[1]
References
BirdLife International (2017). "Sterna acuticauda". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T22694711A110488626. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22694711A110488626.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
Bridge, E.S.; Jones, A.W.; Baker, A.J. (2005). "A phylogenetic framework for the terns (Sternini) inferred from mtDNA sequences: implications for taxonomy and plumage evolution". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 35 (2): 459–469. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2004.12.010. PMID 15804415.
Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. Asiatic Society of Bengal. 1834. p. 649.
Gochfeld, M.; Burger, J.; de Juana, E. (2015). "Black-bellied Tern (Sterna acuticauda)". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
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