Mindanao (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester). Central and southern Europe to central Asia and China; Australia, New Zealand, Africa in winter.

“Adult in breeding plumage.—Head, neck, and upper back dark, glossy black; coverts on the carpal joint pure white; greater wing-coverts pearl-gray; secondaries darker, passing into slate-gray; primaries frosted with pearl-gray, which soon wears off the outer quills, leaving the webs sooty black, with a well-defined narrow whitish streak down the middle of the inner webs of the four outer primaries; shafts white; back and rump grayish black; upper tail-coverts and tail pure white; under parts deep black; vent white; flanks, under wing-coverts, and axillars black. Bill livid red; feet orange-red; webs of toes much indented. Length, 236; culmen, 28; wing, 208; tail, 79; tarsus, 19; middle toe with claw, 25.

“Adult in autumn and winter plumage.—In the latter part of July, when the molt begins (in Europe), the bird is curiously parti-colored, the new feathers of the head, neck, and under parts being white and those of the back gray (paler than in Hydrochelidon nigra). Later, the under parts, including the under wing-coverts and axillars, become white, the crown and nape being merely mottled with black; but by the following April the black color has reappeared to a considerable extent, especially in the axillars.

“Immature.—In birds which are not mature, though capable of breeding, the black of the under parts has a brownish tinge and the tail-feathers are pearl-gray, especially toward the tips. In winter like the adult.

“Young.—Similar to the winter plumage of the somewhat immature bird, but much mottled with dark brown on the upper parts, and the tail-feathers slightly darker gray with a brownish tinge toward the tips; upper tail-coverts always white.

“Nestling.—Ruddy fawn-color, mottled with black above, unspotted pale cinnamon-brown below.” (Saunders.)

“Observed and shot by us in Mindanao, where it was flying over the rice-fields.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Luzon (Meyer, Murray, Whitehead, McGregor); Mindanao (Bourns & Worcester, Mearns); Palawan (Whitehead, Steere Exp.); Negros (Whitehead). Southwestern, central, and southern Europe to China, Malay Archipelago, Australia, Africa.

“Adult male in breeding plumage.—Forehead, crown, and nape deep black; from the gape to the nape a conspicuous white streak; upper parts slate-gray, darker on the primaries, except when these are new and frosted; shafts white; inner webs of outer pairs of primaries white on the upper and greater part of the inner webs; upper tail-coverts gray; tail-feathers gray, with white outer webs to the outside pair; chin white or very pale gray; throat gray, darkening on the lower part; breast dark slate-gray, which deepens into black on abdomen and flanks; vent and under tail-coverts white; under wing-coverts white; axillars white with a faint tinge of gray. Bill blood-red; feet vermilion, drying to orange-color; webs deeply indented, but less so than in H. leucoptera. Length, 280; culmen, 35; wing, 235 to 241; tail, 96; tarsus, 23; middle toe with claw, 29.

“Indian birds, which are probably almost sedentary, are slightly smaller in size. Some of the birds resident in South Africa are of a distinctly darker hue both above and below than northern examples; Australian specimens, on the other hand, are inclined to be paler.

“Adult female.—Similar to the male, or a trifle paler in general tint.

“Adult in winter plumage.—Upper parts of a paler gray than in the breeding season; forehead white; crown and nape streaked and mottled with black; under parts entirely white; bill and feet reddish brown.

“Young in first plumage.—Crown and nape blackish brown, mantle mottled with brown and with warm cinnamon-brown edges to inner secondaries; tail slightly mottled and edged with ash-brown; the rest like the adult in winter. By December the brown markings are considerably diminished.

“Nestling.—Down at the base of bill black, forehead ruddy fawn-color; upper parts paler fawn, mottled and streaked with black; under parts white, except the throat, which is sooty black for a few days.” (Saunders.)

“Common about the Pasig River and Laguna de Bay. Several flocks were observed in Mindanao feeding over the paddy-fields.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Calayan (McGregor). Countries on both sides of Atlantic Ocean, Indian and African coasts in winter, Brazilian coasts in winter.

“Adult male in breeding plumage.—Forehead, upper lores, crown, and nape black; mantle rather dark pearl-gray; secondaries narrowly margined with white; outer primary with a black outer web, and a broad streak (10 mm.) of very dark gray next the white shaft on inner web, rest of inner web white, except toward tip, where it is dark ash-gray; inner primaries paler gray, with white ‘wedges’ and dark gray margins to inner webs; rump whitish; tail-feathers white, with gray outer webs, those of the streamers darkest; chin and cheeks white; breast and belly pale, vinaceous-gray; under wing- and under tail-coverts white. Bill coral-red, the extreme tip horn-color; iris dark brown; tarsi and toes coral-red. Length, 362; culmen, 43; wing, 267; tail, 165; depth of fork, 82; tarsus, 22; middle toe with claw, 24.

“Female.—Similar to the male.

“Adult in winter plumage.—Like the above, but forehead and crown streaked and mottled with white; colors of bill and feet much duller from September onwards, under parts paler.

“Immature.—Like the above, but the forehead white; a dark gray band along upper wing-coverts; under parts distinctly white.

“Young (in August).—Mantle barred and mottled with ash-brown; outer webs of tail-feathers dark gray; band on wing-coverts more extended than in the immature bird; otherwise similar. In fledglings the upper parts are much marked with warm buff.

“Up to about the end of September the colors of bill and feet become lighter, but afterwards they rapidly go back and become more or less horn-colored.

“Nestling.—Forehead and throat brown; upper parts stone-buff, spotted and streaked with black; under parts white; feet yellow.” (Saunders.)

Basilan Straits (Mearns). Eastern Siberia, Kamtchatka, and Japan; in winter China to New Guinea.

“Coloration.—Similar to that of S. fluviatilis [= hirundo], except that the bill is always black and the feet are blackish. Adults are darker in color, both above and below, but the difference is not great. All the measurements appear identical, or nearly so, except those of the bill, which is altogether smaller, and measures about 45 mm. from the gape.” (Blanford.)

“Adult in winter.—Forehead flecked with white otherwise similar.

“Immature.—Like that of fluviatilis [= hirundo] from which it can hardly be distinguished except by the color of the bill and feet and the somewhat smaller size and more delicate shape of the latter.” (Saunders.)

Ga-bi-o′-ta, general name for gulls and terns.

Agutaya (McGregor); Balabac (Steere); Bantayan (McGregor); Bohol (Everett, McGregor); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Caluya (Porter); Cebu (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Cuyo (McGregor); Guimaras (Bourns & Worcester); Leyte (Everett); Luzon (Bourns & Worcester); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester); Mindanao (Murray, Koch & Schadenberg, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Mindoro (Porter); Negros (Bourns & Worcester, Keay); Palawan (Whitehead, Platen, Bourns & Worcester, White); Panay (Bourns & Worcester); Pata (Mearns); Romblon (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Samar (Bourns & Worcester); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester); Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Sulu (Bourns & Worcester); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester). Liu Kiu Islands and Northern China Sea.

“Adult male in full breeding plumage (type).—Forehead, cheeks, lores, ear-coverts, neck all round, and whole under parts, including lining of wing and bend of wing, pure white; crown and long occipital crest glossy black; mantle, wings, rump, upper tail-coverts, and upper surface of middle rectrices dark smoke-gray, darkest on wings and middle of back, where the color is almost mouse-gray; primary quills white; first primary with outer web, a band along quill on inner web and tip blackish, with a silvery suffusion which is most marked toward center of feather; broad outer margin of inner web, below the black tip, white; second primary similar but black tip deeper in color and extending a short distance down outer margin of inner web, thus inclosing the white of inner web for a short distance; third, fourth, and fifth primaries like second, but black tip gradually growing deeper in color; outer rectrices above pale smoke-gray at tips and along shafts, pale grayish white toward base; second and third rectrices darker on the outer webs and at tip and whitish toward base of inner webs. Bill in dried specimen, dull yellow clouded with olive toward base; feet and tarsi blackish. Wing, 344; tail, 178; tarsus, 28; culmen, 62.” (Bangs.)

“Very common throughout the group, especially abundant about the native fish-pens.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

This is much the largest tern found in the Philippines. Rather local in its distribution but usually found not far from fish-corrals or where schools of small fishes appear near the surface of the water.

Philippine records of this species are usually recorded under Sterna bergii, but the specimens probably belong to the variety S. bergii boreotis. The question can not be cleared up at present.

Didicas Rocks (Worcester); Panay (Sonnerat). African and Indian seas to China, Japan, Moluccas, northern Australian, Pacific Islands; Gulf of Mexico, Western Indies.

“Adult in breeding plumage.—Loral stripe black; upper forehead, crown, and nape black; shoulders slate-gray, passing into dark grayish brown on mantle; no visible white on secondaries; primaries umber-brown, shafts black, the ‘wedges’ on inner webs very narrow and not sharply defined; rump and principal tail-feathers grayish brown like the mantle, but the streamers white on outer and upper portions of inner webs, and the next pair of rectrices whitish at their bases; abdomen and breast grayish white; under wing-coverts and throat pure white. Bill, tarsi, and toes black, the inner webs of the latter considerably excised. Length, 355 to 380; culmen, 45; wing, 262; tail, 190; depth of fork, 102; tarsus, 20; middle toe with claw, 30. The sexes are alike in plumage.

“Adult in winter plumage.—Similar to the above, but the lores and crown mottled with white for a short time.

“Immature.—Generally similar, but with more white on the head; whitish tips to the feathers of the back, which, when fresh, are somewhat gray; a dark line along upper wing-coverts, and less white on outer rectrices. Full plumage is not attained until the bird is at least two years old.

“Young.—Head streaked and mottled with brownish black; feathers of upper parts dark brown with rufous tips, which subsequently become paler, approaching white, and finally wear away; under parts grayish white. Bill and toes brownish.” (Saunders.)

Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester). Tropical and juxtatropical seas of the world.

“Adult in breeding plumage.—Similar to S. anæstheta; but larger, white frontal-band and superciliary stripe broader, the latter oblique and not reaching beyond eye, from which it is separated by a narrow continuation of the black loral stripe; upper surface sooty black, the wedges on inner webs of primaries a trifle paler than the rest; streamers dull white on the outer webs, remaining tail-feathers sooty black; under tail-coverts, abdomen, and flanks grayish white; breast and throat white. Bill and feet black with a slightly reddish tinge, the web between middle and inner toe nearly full, and far less excised than in S. anæstheta. Length, about 430; culmen, 53; wing, 298; tail, about 190; depth of fork, 102; tarsus, 23; middle toe with claw, 28.

“Adult in winter.—Like the above, with white flecks on the lores and crown.

“Immature.—Brownish black above, darker on the upper wing-coverts; outer tail-feathers nearly as sooty black as the rest of the rectrices, except toward the tips; tarsi and toes reddish brown.

“Nestling and young.—The chick when about three days old is streaked with grayish brown and dull white on the upper surface, darkest on the forehead, and chiefly stone-white below; when half fledged, the feathers of the mantle are blackish, with broad white tips, which gradually wear down. When the bird is fully fledged these white tips are much narrower, the feathers of the upper parts are sooty brown, and the under parts are also somewhat paler brown, becoming lighter toward the vent. (In S. anæstheta the under parts are whitish). Bill and feet reddish brown.” (Saunders.)

Luzon (Whitehead); Mindanao (Steere Exp.); Mindoro (Bourns & Worcester); Palawan (Whitehead). Chinese and Indian seas to Australia.

“Adult male in breeding plumage.—Lores black from base of bill to eye; forehead as far as a little beyond the top of eye white; crown and nape black; mandible pearl-gray; secondaries bordered with grayish white; shafts of primaries pure white in the outer, and pale gray in the upper ones; outer web of the outer primary and a broad line next the shaft on its inner web dark gray; on the succeeding primaries paler gray; upper portions and edges of inner webs white; rump pearl-gray; tail and under parts white. Bill gamboge-yellow, tipped with black; tarsi and feet orange-yellow. Length, 280 when the streamers are fully developed; culmen, 35; wing, 188; tail, 145; depth of fork, 86; tarsus, 16; middle toe with claw, 20.

“Adult female.—Slightly smaller than the male and with less developed tail-streamers.

“Adult in autumn.—Similar, with more white on the forehead, and shorter tail-streamers; primaries darker on their terminal portions, owing to the disappearance of the frosting, until the new quills appear.

“Immature.—Like the above, but dull white on crown and the front of the lores; primaries still darker, the outer shafts always white, the other shafts dusky; upper wing-coverts dark gray; tail-feathers grayish, and the streamers not much prolonged; bill dark brown, tarsi and toes ochraceous.

“Young.—Forehead buffish white, crown with black streaks which become confluent on nape; upper parts mottled and barred with buffish brown on a dull gray ground. Bill horn-color; feet ocher-yellow. When the bird is barely fledged the buff-color predominates on the upper surface.” (Saunders.)

“Found by us in great abundance near the center of Mindoro, where it was flying about over the dried beds of streams and alighting among the pebbles, its color assimilating so closely with that of the sand and small stones that it was well nigh impossible to see it on the ground.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Palawan (Platen); Cresta de Gallo (McGregor). Tenasserim, Malay Peninsula, Nicobars, Andamans, northern Mascarene Islands, Pacific Islands, Liu Kiu Islands, northern Australia.

“Adult in breeding plumage.—Forehead and crown pure white; in front of the eye a black triangular patch, the apex of which does not reach base of bill; behind the eye on each side and inclosing the nape a band of black, broad and prolonged in the center; neck white; mantle and rump delicate pearl-gray; shafts of all primaries white; outer primary with the outer web blackish, and the streak next shaft on inner web pale gray; the succeeding primaries palest gray next the shafts on the outer and the inner webs, the inner margins of all being pure white; tail long and forked, the middle tail-feathers pale pearl-gray, the rest white; under parts glossy white, with a beautiful roseate tint. Bill black; tarsi and toes dark brown to black. Length, 343; culmen, 41; wing, 216; tail, 152; depth of fork, 76; tarsus, 18; foot with middle toe, 23. The male appears to have somewhat longer streamers than the female; otherwise the sexes are alike externally.

“Adult in winter plumage.—Differs only in having less black in front of the eye and on the nape.

“Immature.—Similar to the above, but there is a brownish tinge to the black on the nape; wing-coverts ash-gray; a dark line along the carpal joint; webs of the four outer primaries on both sides of the white shafts dark ash-gray (outermost black), outer webs of the tail-streamers also ash-colored.

“Young.—Forehead and crown buffish white, with black streaks which become confluent on nape; feathers of mantle and tail gray, barred with ash-brown and tipped with buff; primaries with a good deal of gray, which throws into strong relief their broad, white, inner margins. Bill ocher-yellow, horn-colored near the tip; toes yellowish brown.

“Nestling.—Above pale buff, spotted and streaked with black and umber-brown; beneath dull drab.” (Saunders.)

Cagayan Sulu (McGregor); Palawan (Whitehead, Platen, McGregor). Tropical and juxtatropical seas of the world.

“Adult male in breeding plumage.—Forehead nearly white at base of bill, passing on the crown into lavender-gray, which deepens on neck into lead-color; lores and orbital region black, with a faint whitish superciliary streak; upper parts chiefly dark brown; primaries, tail-feathers, and their shafts nearly black; under parts dark brown on abdomen and breast, passing into deep lead-color on the throat. Bill blackish; tarsi and toes reddish brown, fully webbed, webs ochraceous. Length, about 406; culmen, 53; wing, 260 to 280; tail, 152 to 178, the fourth feather from the outside the longest; tarsus, 25; middle toe with claw, 39.

“Adult female.—Very similar but, as a rule, somewhat browner on the shoulders and with less lead-color on the throat, slightly smaller, and with a weaker bill.

“Immature.—Similar, but with even less lead-color, and a dark line along the upper wing-coverts.

“Young.—Browner generally and paler; forehead and crown grayish brown; below the forehead a narrow white superciliary line conspicuous by contrast against the blackish lores.

“Fledgling (Ascension I.).—Umber-brown above and below; the whitish streak above the lores very marked, and continuous round base of bill; a slight grayish tint on forehead.

“Downy nestling.—One about five days old (British Honduras: May 12, 1862) has the forehead and crown dull white, lores blackish, upper surface mouse-brown, nape and throat darkest, lower parts paler. Another, only just hatched, is nearly uniform, sooty brown.” (Saunders.)

Luzon (Jagor, Murray, McGregor); Mindanao (Murray, Goodfellow). Europe, northern Asia, Africa, and Indian Ocean; China to Malay Archipelago in winter.

“Adult male in breeding plumage.—Hood coffee-brown; gray mantle, white tail, and white under surface tinged with evanescent roseate; pattern of outer primaries chiefly white, with black tips, and black margins to inner webs; shafts of three outer quills white; outermost quill white, with a narrow black line along the greater part of outer web (touching the shaft in all except very old birds), a black tip, and a blackish edge to the inner margin; second quill similar, but with merely a short hairline of black on the outer web; third quill with a trifle more black running upward from the black tip along the outer web; fourth quill similar, but with a gray center to inner web; fifth quill white on both webs, and with a minute white tip; sixth similar, but the tip gray and broader, so that the black becomes a subterminal bar; seventh similar, but with less and fainter black; upper primaries gray; secondaries paler gray, without conspicuous margins. Bill, tarsi, and toes lake-red; iris hazel. Length, 394 to 406; culmen, 46; wing, 298 to 305; tail, 127; tarsus, 43; middle toe with claw, 39.

“The female is undoubtedly smaller as a rule, though there are exceptions.

“Adult in winter.—Similar, but without a hood; merely a little grayish on the occiput, and blackish on the auriculars. In vigorous birds the indications of a hood reappear in autumn, soon after the completion of the molt, which is in August; but cold weather, combined with a scarcity of nutritive food, arrests the development, and it is not usual to see birds with fully complete hoods till February, though there are many exceptions. A female (by dissection) obtained in the shore-nets at Wells, Norfolk, on November 10, has the under parts, and even the shafts and webs of the primaries, suffused with a beautiful salmon-pink, but this also must be considered unusual.

“Nestling.—Buffish to brown, darkest on the upper parts, spotted and streaked with umber and black on the back, head, and throat.

“Young.—Forehead white, rest of head chiefly grayish brown; upper surface warmer brown, with gray lower wing-coverts; secondaries with blackish centers and white borders; the three outer primaries black on outer webs and at the tips and margins of inner webs, but the centers white, except the outermost, in which there is for a time a dark line inside the shaft; in the succeeding primaries the dark color increases ascendingly on the inner webs, while from the fifth the outer webs are pale gray to brownish, with a little white at tips; tail-feathers white, with a band of blackish brown; under surface dull white. Bill dull yellow, passing into black at the angles; tarsi and toes dull reddish yellow. The brown color is soon lost on the back, which has become gray by December.

“Immature.—Like the adult, with a few brown markings left on the upper wing-coverts, and more black on the outer webs of the primaries. More or less of a brown hood is assumed when the bird is barely a year old, and the band on the tail is lost by the following autumn, when the new primaries appear, with, as has been said, a larger proportion of black than in the adult; in fact the duration of the immature phase is very short. The bird does not breed until the following, or second spring.

“Occasionally the black from the margins of the inner webs of the three outer quills runs in and reaches the shafts, much encroaching upon the usual white centers, though not to the same extent on both wings of the same bird. This is noticeable in two examples obtained at Dinapur in December.” (Saunders.)

This small gull is often abundant about Manila Bay but does not remain throughout the year.

Luzon (Schmacker). Bering Sea and Arctic Siberia; Chinese coasts, Japan, Formosa, and Bonin Islands in winter.

Adult male in breeding plumage.—Head, neck, tail, and under parts white; mantle and wing surface french-gray, with broad white tips to the scapulars and secondaries, making a conspicuous alar bar; all the primaries tipped with white; outermost quill blackish from the base downward (save a narrow gray wedge on inner web), with a white tip 63 mm. in length in mature birds, and a narrow, black bar which divides the white into tip and “mirror” in the majority; second quill blackish for about 10 mm. on both sides of shaft, with a black subterminal bar, a white mirror, and, on the inner web, a broad, gray wedge which sometimes breaks through and joins the mirror; third quill grayish basally, blackish on the lower part of outer web and on the subterminal bar, gray on the inner web, passing into white at the apex of the wedge; fourth similar but gray on both webs above the bar; fifth quill similar but bar narrower; sixth gray, without a bar in mature birds and with a narrow bar in others; the remaining quills gray with white tips. In less mature birds there is no mirror on the second quill. Ring around eye and gape bright orange-red; tarsi and toes pale flesh-color. Length, about 610; wing, 457; tail, 197; culmen, 74; tarsus, 70; middle toe with claw, 66.

The female is smaller and less robust.

Adult in winter.—Similar but head and neck streaked with ash-brown.

Immature and young.—In the first autumn the upper parts are streaked and mottled with brown and grayish buff; quills dark umber, with paler inner webs and whitish tips to most; rectrices similar, but more or less mottled with whitish at bases of two or three outer pairs; feathers of upper tail-coverts brown, with buffish white tips; under parts nearly uniform brown at first, but afterwards brownish gray, mottled; bill blackish, paler at base of lower mandible. The second autumn the head is nearly white, streaked with grayish brown; the upper parts are barred with brown on a grayish ground, though no pure gray feathers have yet made their appearance on mantle; quills paler; tail more mottled with white at the bases of all the feathers. In the third autumn the feathers of the mantle are chiefly gray, with some brownish streaks down the shafts; a faint subapical spot begins to show on the outermost primary; the tail-coverts are partly white, and the dark portion of the rectrices is much broken up; under parts nearly white. In the fourth autumn the subapical patch on first primary is larger, and the quills from the fifth upward are banded with black and tipped with white; tail-feathers white, slightly vermiculated with brown; bill greenish yellow basally, reddish black at the angle. At the molt of the fifth autumn all brown markings are lost, the primaries have white tips, black bars, and gray wedges, though the proportion of dark coloring in quills is greater than it is in older birds. (Compiled from Saunders.)

The only notice of the occurrence of the Vega gull in the Philippine Islands, appears to be the record by Hartlaub.