Cook Islands Biodiversity & Natural Heritage
 

Gygis alba

Kākāia

White Tern

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type Description Download
Open this image in pop-up window Image: Adult, Nestling, and egg 42KB
Open this image in pop-up window Image: Adult resting, Inset - with a fish 193KB
Open this image in pop-up window Image: Eggs on branch 135KB
Play this file in Windows Media Player Sound: Calls near trees 118KB
Play this file in Windows Media Player Video: Adult landing (© TVNZ) 237KB
Open this image in pop-up window Image: Similar species: 5 different Terns 226KB
Open this image in pop-up window Image: Similar species: 4 different Noddys 235KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: White Tern, Pacific Tern, Love Tern, Fairy Tern; German Feenseeschwalbe

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Kākāia (RR MG AT MK MT TS TW), Piraki (AK), Kakavai (PL MH RK), Kākā (PK NS)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE circumtropical

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native, Resident Breeder; Marine, near-shore - pelagic, nest on Land

Enlarged Image of 'Gygis alba'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present    Makatea:
RR 
MG
AT
MK
MT
AK
PL
TK
MN
++++
++?
++++
++?
++?
++?
++?
++?
++?

Northern Group: Present
TN 
MH
RK
PK
NS
SW
++++
++?
++?
++++
++?
++?

Key to Symbols

Scientific Taxonomy

Gygis alba (Sparrman, 1786)
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); TETRAPODA; AVES; NEORNITHES; Charadriiformes; STERNIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Pukapuka: fieldspecimen, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Gygis alba.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org. Copy citation to system clipboard
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