Australian tern
Gelochelidon macrotarsa (Gould, 1837)
The Australian tern (Gelochelidon macrotarsa) is a species in the family Laridae, order Charadriiformes. Recorded adults weigh about 218.2 g. Source checklists list it for 1 country: Australia. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
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Quick facts about the Australian tern
- Weight
- 218.2 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Omnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- coastalsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Lifestyle
- Aerialsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Migratorysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- 1 countrysrc for Countries on record
Where does the Australian tern live?
Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.
The Australian tern is listed for 1 country.
- Listed
- Not listed
The same countries as a list
Listed by: ITIS (scope: global), through the Catalogue of Life.
What is the Australian tern?
The Australian tern or Australian gull-billed tern (Gelochelidon macrotarsa) is a tern in the family Laridae, native to Australia. The genus name is from Ancient Greek gelao, "to laugh", and khelidon, "swallow".
From the Wikipedia article “Australian tern” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Australian_tern&oldid=1313730424), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the Australian tern endangered?
The Australian tern is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the Australian tern classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderCharadriiformes
- familyLaridae
- genusGelochelidon
- SpeciesGelochelidon macrotarsa (Gould, 1837)
Synonyms Gelochelidon nilotica cloatesi, Gelochelidon nilotica macrotarsa, Gelochelidon nilotica normani, Geochelidon nilotica macrotarsa, Sterna angelica macrotarsa, Sterna macrotarsa, Sterna nilotica macrotarsa
Other names and names in other languages (28)
- Australian gull-billed ternEnglish
- Greater gull-billed ternEnglish
- Gull-billed tern (Australian)English
- خرشنة نورسية المنقار الأستراليةArabic
- rybák dlouhonohýCzech
- Australsk SandterneDanish
- Australien-LachseeschwalbeGerman
- Australische LachseeschwalbeGerman
- aŭstralia ŝternoEsperanto
- Longkrura ŝternoEsperanto
- Pagaza australianaSpanish
- Sterne australienneFrench
- Sterne à longues pattesFrench
- australska čigraCroatian
- Sterna zampenere australianaItalian
- ハシブトアジサシJapanese
- オーストラリアハシブトアジサシJapanese
- Australinė kirasnapė žuvėdraLithuanian
- Australische LachsternDutch
- sumpsandterneNorwegian
- rybitwa czarnodziobaPolish
- tagaz-australianoPortuguese
- Австралийская чайконосая крачкаRussian
- rybárka austrálskaSlovak
- australisk sandtärnaSwedish
- นกนางนวลแกลบออสเตรเลียThai
- крячок великоногийUkrainian
- 澳洲鸥嘴噪鸥Chinese
Relatives of the Australian tern
Other species in the same genus Gelochelidon.
Gull-billed tern
Gelochelidon nilotica
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the Australian tern?
An adult Australian tern weighs 218.2 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Where does the Australian tern live?
Catalogue of Life checklists list the Australian tern for 1 country: Australia. Checklist coverage is uneven, so the true range may be wider.
Is the Australian tern endangered?
The Australian tern is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
What kind of animal is the Australian tern?
The Australian tern (Gelochelidon macrotarsa) belongs to the family Laridae in the order Charadriiformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Australian tern (Gelochelidon macrotarsa). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/australian-tern
“Australian tern (Gelochelidon macrotarsa).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/australian-tern.
@misc{australian_tern_2026,
title = {Australian tern (Gelochelidon macrotarsa)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/australian-tern},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}