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Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus

IUCN Red List history

Year Category
2012 Least Concern
2009 Least Concern
2008 Least Concern
2004 Least Concern
2000 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1994 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1988 Lower Risk/Least Concern

Species attributes

Migratory status full migrant Forest dependency Does not normally occur in forest
Land mass type   Average mass -

Distribution

  Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) 516,000 medium
Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) 30,200,000 medium
Number of locations -
Fragmentation -

Population & trend

  Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
No. of mature individuals poor Estimated 2009
Population trend Unknown -
Number of subpopulations - - -
Largest subpopulation - - -
Generation length (yrs) 11.3 - - -
Population justification: The global population is estimated to number c.610,000-1,500,000 individuals (Wetlands International 2006), while national population estimates include: c.100-10,000 breeding pairs and c.50-1,000 individuals on migration in China; c.10,000-1 million breeding pairs and > c.1,000 individuals on migration in Taiwan and < c.100 breeding pairs and < c.50 individuals on migration in Japan (Brazil 2009).
Trend justification: The overall population trend is uncertain, as some populations are decreasing, while others are increasing or have unknown trends (Wetlands International 2006).

Country/Territory distribution

Country/Territory Occurrence status Extinct Breeding Non-breeding Passage
Anguilla (to UK) Native No Yes    
Antigua and Barbuda Native No      
Aruba (to Netherlands) Native No      
Australia Native No Yes    
Bahamas Native No      
Bahrain Native No Yes    
Barbados Native No      
Belize Native No      
Benin Unknown No      
Bermuda (to UK) Native No     Yes
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (to Netherlands) Native No      
Brunei Native No      
Cambodia Native No      
Canada Native No      
Cayman Islands (to UK) Native No      
Chile Vagrant No      
China (mainland) Native No Yes    
Christmas Island (to Australia) Unknown No      
Cocos (Keeling) Islands (to Australia) Vagrant No      
Colombia Native No      
Comoros Native No      
Costa Rica Native No      
Cuba Native No      
Curaçao (to Netherlands) Native No      
Denmark Vagrant No      
Djibouti Native No      
Dominica Native No      
Dominican Republic Native No      
Ecuador Native No Yes    
Egypt Native No      
El Salvador Native No      
Equatorial Guinea Native No      
Eritrea Native No      
Fiji Native No      
French Southern Territories Unknown No      
Gambia Unknown No      
Ghana Vagrant No      
Greece Vagrant No      
Grenada Native No      
Guadeloupe (to France) Native No Yes    
Guatemala Unknown No      
Guinea Unknown No      
Guinea-Bissau Native No      
Guyana Native No      
Haiti Native No      
Honduras Native No      
India Native No      
Indonesia Native No      
Iran, Islamic Republic of Native No Yes    
Iraq Native No Yes    
Israel Native No      
Jamaica Native No Yes    
Japan Native No      
Jordan Native No     Yes
Kenya Native No      
Kuwait Native No Yes    
Liberia Vagrant No      
Madagascar Native No      
Malaysia Native No      
Maldives Native No Yes    
Martinique (to France) Native No      
Mauritania Native No      
Mauritius Native No Yes    
Mayotte (to France) Unknown No      
Mexico Native No      
Montserrat (to UK) Native No      
Mozambique Native No      
Myanmar Unknown No      
New Caledonia (to France) Native No      
New Zealand Vagrant No      
Nicaragua Native No      
Nigeria Native No      
Oman Native No Yes    
Pakistan Native No      
Palau Native No Yes    
Panama Native No      
Papua New Guinea Native No      
Philippines Native No      
Puerto Rico (to USA) Native No      
Qatar Native No Yes    
Réunion (to France) Unknown No      
Saudi Arabia Native No Yes    
São Tomé e Príncipe Native No      
Senegal Native No      
Seychelles Native No      
Sierra Leone Unknown No      
Singapore Native No      
Sint Maarten (to Netherlands) Native No      
Solomon Islands Native No      
Somalia Native No Yes    
South Africa Native No      
Sri Lanka Native No      
St Kitts and Nevis Native No      
St Lucia Native No      
St Martin (to France) Native No Yes    
St Vincent and the Grenadines Native No      
Sudan Native No Yes    
Taiwan (China) Native No Yes    
Tanzania Native No      
Thailand Native No      
Timor-Leste Native No   Yes  
Togo Native No      
Trinidad and Tobago Native No      
Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) Native No Yes    
United Arab Emirates Native No Yes   Yes
United Kingdom Vagrant No      
USA Native No Yes    
Vanuatu Vagrant No      
Venezuela Native No      
Vietnam Native No      
Virgin Islands (to UK) Native No Yes    
Virgin Islands (to USA) Native No Yes    
Wallis and Futuna Islands (to France) Native No Yes    
Western Sahara Native No Yes    
Yemen Native No Yes   Yes

Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria

Country/Territory IBA Name IBA link
Anguilla (to UK) Dog Island site factsheet
Anguilla (to UK) Sombrero site factsheet
Aruba (to Netherlands) San Nicolas Bay Reef Islands site factsheet
Australia Cape York to Cape Grenville Islands site factsheet
Australia Higginson Island site factsheet
Australia Lowendal Islands site factsheet
Australia South Barnard Islands site factsheet
Australia Stapleton Island site factsheet
Australia Three Hummocks Island site factsheet
Bahamas Booby Island site factsheet
Bahamas Cay Lobos site factsheet
Bahamas Cay Sal site factsheet
Bahamas Conception Island site factsheet
Bahamas Goulding Cay Wild Bird Reserve site factsheet
Bahamas Graham's Harbour site factsheet
Bahamas Great Isaac Cay site factsheet
Bahamas Guana Cays site factsheet
Bahamas Low Cay, High Cay and Sandy Hook site factsheet
Bahamas North Atlantic Abaco Cays site factsheet
Bahamas Peterson Cay National Park site factsheet
Bahamas Samana Cay site factsheet
Bahamas Tee Cay, Goat Cay and Long Rocks site factsheet
China (mainland) Beiji Islands site factsheet
China (mainland) Dongtou Islands site factsheet
China (mainland) Nanji Islands Nature Reserve site factsheet
China (mainland) Taizhou Islands site factsheet
China (mainland) Wuyu Dao Island site factsheet
China (mainland) Yushan Islands site factsheet
China (mainland) Zhongjieshan Islands site factsheet
Cuba Gran Humedal del Norte de Ciego de Ávila site factsheet
Dominica L'llet site factsheet
Dominica Point Des Foux site factsheet
Dominican Republic Siete Hermanos Keys site factsheet
Guadeloupe (to France) Falaises Nord et Îlet de Vieux-Fort de Marie-Galante site factsheet
Guadeloupe (to France) Pointe des Châteaux site factsheet
Indonesia Pulau Manuk site factsheet
Iran, Islamic Republic of Nakhilu, Morghu and Ummal Karam islands site factsheet
Iran, Islamic Republic of Sheedvar island site factsheet
Jamaica Morant Cays and Bank site factsheet
Jamaica Pedro Cays and Bank site factsheet
Japan Yaeyama islands site factsheet
Martinique (to France) Îlets et falaises de Sainte Anne site factsheet
Martinique (to France) Rocher du Diamant site factsheet
Nicaragua Farallones de Cosiguina site factsheet
Nicaragua Farallones de Cosiguina - Marine site factsheet
Oman Barr al Hikman site factsheet
Oman Daymaniyat Islands site factsheet
Oman Halaaniyaat Islands site factsheet
Oman Masirah island site factsheet
Oman Musandam islands site factsheet
Panama Frailes del Sur Islands site factsheet
Saudi Arabia Farasan Islands site factsheet
Saudi Arabia Gulf coral islands site factsheet
Saudi Arabia Gulf of Salwah site factsheet
Saudi Arabia Tarut Bay site factsheet
Somalia Jasiira Ceebaad and Jasiira Sacaada Diin site factsheet
St Kitts and Nevis Booby Island site factsheet
St Lucia Point Sables site factsheet
Taiwan (China) Cat Islet Seabird Refuge, Penghu County Refuge site factsheet
Taiwan (China) Matsu (Mazu) Islands Tern Refuge site factsheet
Taiwan (China) Northern Sea Islets site factsheet
Trinidad and Tobago Little Tobago Island site factsheet
Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) Caicos Bank Southern Cays site factsheet
Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) Turks Bank Seabird Cays site factsheet
United Arab Emirates Islands off Sir Bani Yas island site factsheet
United Arab Emirates Umm Amin site factsheet
Virgin Islands (to USA) Saba Island and Cays site factsheet

Habitats & altitude

Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Marine Coastal/Supratidal Sea Cliffs and Rocky Offshore Islands suitable breeding
Marine Intertidal Rocky Shoreline suitable breeding
Marine Intertidal Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc major breeding
Marine Intertidal Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches major breeding
Marine Intertidal Tidepools suitable breeding
Marine Neritic Macroalgal/Kelp major non-breeding
Marine Neritic Macroalgal/Kelp major breeding
Marine Neritic Pelagic major breeding
Marine Neritic Pelagic major non-breeding
Marine Neritic Seagrass (Submerged) major breeding
Marine Neritic Seagrass (Submerged) major non-breeding
Marine Neritic Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel major non-breeding
Marine Neritic Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel major breeding
Marine Neritic Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs major breeding
Marine Neritic Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs major non-breeding
Marine Neritic Subtidal Sandy major breeding
Marine Neritic Subtidal Sandy major non-breeding
Marine Neritic Subtidal Sandy-Mud major breeding
Marine Neritic Subtidal Sandy-Mud major non-breeding
Marine Oceanic Epipelagic (0-200m) suitable breeding
Marine Oceanic Epipelagic (0-200m) suitable non-breeding
Altitude 0 - 50 m Occasional altitudinal limits  

Utilisation

Purpose Primary form used Life stage used Source Scale Level Timing
Pets Whole Adults and juveniles Wild International Non-trivial Recent

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Sterna anaethetus. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 24/05/2013. Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 24/05/2013.

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife

To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums.

Key facts
Current IUCN Red List category Least Concern
Family Laridae (Gulls and terns)
Species name author Scopoli, 1786
Population size mature individuals
Population trend Unknown
Distribution size (breeding/resident) 516,000 km2
Country endemic? No
Links to further information
- Summary information on this species
- Climate change species distributions