WoRMS taxon details
Sterna Linnaeus, 1758
137047 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:137047)
accepted
Genus
- Species Sterna acuticauda Gray, 1832
- Species Sterna aurantia Gray, 1831
- Species Sterna dougallii Montagu, 1813
- Species Sterna forsteri Nuttall, 1834
- Species Sterna hirundinacea Lesson, 1831
- Species Sterna hirundo Linnaeus, 1758
- Species Sterna lunata Peale, 1848
- Species Sterna paradisaea Pontoppidan, 1763
- Species Sterna repressa Hartert, 1916
- Species Sterna striata Gmelin, 1789
- Species Sterna sumatrana Raffles, 1822
- Species Sterna trudeaui Audubon, 1838
- Species Sterna virgata Cabanis, 1875
- Species Sterna vittata Gmelin, 1789
- Species Sterna cantiaca accepted as Thalasseus sandvicensis (Latham, 1787) (uncertain > unassessed)
- Species Sterna galericulata (uncertain > unassessed)
- Species Sterna magna (uncertain > unassessed)
- Species Sterna minuta (uncertain)
- Species Sterna acuflavida Cabot, 1847 accepted as Thalasseus sandvicensis acuflavidus (Cabot, 1847)
- Species Sterna albifrons Pallas, 1764 accepted as Sternula albifrons (Pallas, 1764) (synonym)
- Species Sterna albostriata (Gray, 1845) accepted as Chlidonias albostriatus (Gray, 1845)
- Species Sterna aleutica Baird, 1869 accepted as Onychoprion aleuticus Baird, 1869 (synonym)
- Species Sterna anaethetus Scopoli, 1786 accepted as Onychoprion anaethetus (Scopoli, 1786) (synonym)
- Species Sterna anglica Montagu, 1813 accepted as Gelochelidon nilotica (Gmelin, 1789)
- Species Sterna antillarum (Lesson, 1847) accepted as Sternula antillarum Lesson, 1847 (synonym)
- Species Sterna balaenarum (Strickland, 1852) accepted as Sternula balaenarum (Strickland, 1852) (synonym)
- Species Sterna bengalensis Lesson, 1831 accepted as Thalasseus bengalensis (Lesson, 1831) (unaccepted > superseded combination)
- Species Sterna bergii Lichtenstein, 1823 accepted as Thalasseus bergii (Lichtenstein, 1823) (unaccepted > superseded combination)
- Species Sterna bernsteini Schlegel, 1863 accepted as Thalasseus bernsteini (Schlegel, 1863) (unaccepted > superseded combination)
- Species Sterna camtschatica Pallas, 1811 accepted as Onychoprion aleuticus Baird, 1869
- Species Sterna caspia Pallas, 1770 accepted as Hydroprogne caspia (Pallas, 1770) (synonym)
- Species Sterna elegans Gambel, 1849 accepted as Thalasseus elegans (Gambel, 1849) (unaccepted > superseded combination)
- Species Sterna eurygnatha Saunders, 1876 accepted as Thalasseus sandvicensis acuflavidus (Cabot, 1847)
- Species Sterna fluviatilis Naumann, 1839 accepted as Sterna hirundo Linnaeus, 1758
- Species Sterna fuscata Linnaeus, 1766 accepted as Onychoprion fuscatus Linnaeus, 1766 (synonym)
- Species Sterna leucoptera Temminck, 1815 accepted as Chlidonias leucopterus (Temminck, 1815)
- Species Sterna lorata Philippi & Landbeck, 1861 accepted as Sternula lorata Philippi & Landbeck, 1861 (synonym)
- Species Sterna maxima Boddaert, 1783 accepted as Thalasseus maximus (Boddaert, 1783) (unaccepted > superseded combination)
- Species Sterna melanogaster Temminck, 1827 accepted as Sterna acuticauda Gray, 1832 (synonym)
- Species Sterna nereis (Gould, 1843) accepted as Sternula nereis (Gould, 1843) (synonym)
- Species Sterna niger Linnaeus, 1758 accepted as Chlidonias niger (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Species Sterna nigra Linnaeus, 1758 accepted as Chlidonias niger (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Species Sterna nilotica Gmelin, 1789 accepted as Gelochelidon nilotica (Gmelin, 1789)
- Species Sterna pileata Scopoli, 1786 accepted as Anous stolidus pileatus (Scopoli, 1786) (unaccepted > superseded combination)
- Species Sterna sandvicensis Latham, 1787 accepted as Thalasseus sandvicensis (Latham, 1787) (unaccepted > superseded combination)
- Species Sterna saundersi Hume, 1877 accepted as Sternula saundersi (Hume, 1877) (synonym)
- Species Sterna sinensis Gmelin, 1789 accepted as Sternula albifrons sinensis (Gmelin, 1789)
- Species Sterna stolida Linnaeus, 1758 accepted as Anous stolidus (Linnaeus, 1758) (unaccepted > superseded combination)
- Species Sterna superciliaris Vieillot, 1819 accepted as Sternula superciliaris (Vieillot, 1819) (synonym)
- Species Sterna tenuirostris Temminck, 1823 accepted as Anous tenuirostris (Temminck, 1823) (unaccepted > superseded combination)
- Species Sterna tschegrava Ödmann, 1782 accepted as Hydroprogne caspia (Pallas, 1770)
marine, terrestrial
Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii. Holmiae [Stockholm]. [iii] + 824 pp. , available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726886 [details] Available for editors 
[request]
[request]
Description Size: small to large. Plumage: white and various shades of grey or black; most with deeply forked tails. Other characters:...
Description Size: small to large. Plumage: white and various shades of grey or black; most with deeply forked tails. Other characters: tarsus short; bill equal to or longer than head, red and/or yellow; legs red or yellow. <389> [details]
WoRMS (2026). Sterna Linnaeus, 1758. Accessed at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=137047 on 2026-07-31
Date
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Nomenclature
original description
Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii. Holmiae [Stockholm]. [iii] + 824 pp. , available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726886 [details] Available for editors [request]
basis of record van der Land, J. (2001). Tetrapoda, <B><I>in</I></B>: Costello, M.J. <i>et al.</i> (Ed.) (2001). <i>European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels,</i> 50: pp. 375-376 (look up in IMIS) [details]
[request]basis of record van der Land, J. (2001). Tetrapoda, <B><I>in</I></B>: Costello, M.J. <i>et al.</i> (Ed.) (2001). <i>European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels,</i> 50: pp. 375-376 (look up in IMIS) [details]
Other
additional source
Urban, E. K.; Fry, C. H.; Keith, S. (1986). The Birds of Africa, Volume II. <em>Academic Press, London.</em> [details]
additional source Jonsson, L. (1993). Vogels van Europa, Noord-Afrika en het Midden-Oosten [Birds of Europe, northern Africa and the Middle East]. Tirion: Baarn, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-5210-187-6. 560 pp. (look up in IMIS) [details]
additional source Jonsson, L. (1993). Vogels van Europa, Noord-Afrika en het Midden-Oosten [Birds of Europe, northern Africa and the Middle East]. Tirion: Baarn, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-5210-187-6. 560 pp. (look up in IMIS) [details]
Present Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
Unreviewed
Description Size: small to large. Plumage: white and various shades of grey or black; most with deeply forked tails. Other characters: tarsus short; bill equal to or longer than head, red and/or yellow; legs red or yellow. <389> [details]
| Language | Name | |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | アジサシ属 | [details] |
