Little white tern
Little white tern (Gygis microrhyncha) is a small seabird found in French Polynesia and Kiribati, including the Phoenix and Line Islands. It is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.
It used to be considered a subspecies of the white tern, but is now treated as its own species. It was first described by British ornithologist Howard Saunders in 1876, and the name microrhyncha means “small bill.” There are no subspecies.
The little white tern is smaller and has a slimmer bill than the common white tern. It is described as compact, with rounder eyes, shorter wings, and a less deeply forked tail.
Feather detail: the base of its feathers (the calamus) is white, unlike the black calamus found in many common white terns.
The species ranges across French Polynesia and Kiribati, and was first described from three specimens collected in the Marquesas Islands.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 19:37 (CET).