Text extracted from Gill B.J.; Bell, B.D.; Chambers, G.K.; Medway, D.G.; Palma, R.L.; Scofield, R.P.; Tennyson, A.J.D.; Worthy, T.H. 2010. Checklist of the birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica. 4th edition. Wellington, Te Papa Press and Ornithological Society of New Zealand. Pages 191, 223, 230 & 240-241.

Order CHARADRIIFORMES: Waders, Gulls and Terns The family sequence of Christidis & Boles (1994), who adopted that of Sibley et al. (1988) and Sibley & Monroe (1990), is followed here.

Suborder LARI: Skuas, Gulls, Terns and Skimmers Condon (1975) and Checklist Committee (1990) recognised three subfamilies within the Laridae (Larinae, Sterninae and Megalopterinae) but this division has not been widely adopted. We follow Gochfeld & Burger (1996) in recognising gulls in one family (Laridae) and terns and noddies in another (Sternidae). The sequence of species for Stercorariidae and Laridae follows Peters (1934) and for Sternidae follows Bridge et al. (2005).

Family STERNIDAE Bonaparte: Terns and Noddies Sterninae Bonaparte, 1838: Geogr. Comp. List. Birds: 61 – Type genus Sterna Linnaeus, 1758.

Most recommendations from a new study of tern and noddy relationships, based on mtDNA (Bridge et al. 2005), have already been adopted by the Taxonomic Subcommittee of the British Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee (Sangster et al. 2005) and the American Ornithologists’ Union Committee on Classification and Nomenclature (Banks, R.C. et al. 2006). This follows many years of disagreement about the generic classification of terns for which 3–12 genera have recently been used (see Bridge et al. 2005). The genera and their sequence recommended by Bridge et al. (2005) are accepted here, with the exception that we place the crested tern in Sterna rather than Thalasseus, because the evidence for the latter association is weaker (Sangster et al. 2005).

Genus Sterna Linnaeus Sterna Linnaeus, 1758: Syst. Nat., 10th edition 1: 137 – Type species (by tautonymy) Sterna hirundo Linnaeus. Thalasseus Boie, 1822: Isis von Oken, Heft 1: col. 563 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Thalasseus cantiacus (Gmelin) = Sterna sandvicensis Latham.

Sterna vulgaris Ellman (1861: 7472 – New Zealand) is a junior synonym of Sterna striata according to Sibson (1992) but the description is inadequate, the beak colour does not fit S. striata, the Mäori name refers to S. caspia and there is no type specimen; therefore, S. vulgaris cannot be identified and is a nomen dubium. Sterna parva Ellman (1861: 7473 – New Zealand) could refer to several small tern species and, with no type specimen to confirm its identity, S. parva is also a nomen dubium.

Sterna striata Gmelin White-fronted Tern Sterna striata Gmelin, 1789: Syst. Nat., 13th edition 1(2): 609 – New Zealand. Sterna velox Gould, 1843: Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1842 (10): 139 – Bass Strait. Junior primary homonym of Sterna velox Cretzschmar, 1827 = Sterna bergii velox Cretzschmar, 1827. Sterna frontalis G.R. Gray, 1845: in Richardson & J.E. Gray (eds), Zool. Voy. ‘Erebus’ & ‘Terror’, Birds 1(8): 9, pl. 20 – New Zealand. Sterna melanorhyncha Gould, 1848: Birds of Australia 7(36): pl. 26 – Tasmania. Junior secondary homonym of Sternula melanorhyncha Lesson, 1847. Sterna albifrons Peale, 1848: U.S. Expl. Exped. 8: 279, 337 – Bay of Islands. Junior secondary homonym of Sternula albifrons Pallas, 1764. Sterna atripes Ellman, 1861: Zoologist 19: 7473 – New Zealand. Sterna longipennis; Finsch 1867, Journ. für Ornith. 15: 339, 347. Not Sterna longipennis Nordmann, 1835. Sterna longipennis Nordon (sic); Potts 1882, Out in the Open: 216. Not Sterna longipennis Nordmann, 1835. Sterna bethunei Buller, 1896: Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 28: 349 – Auckland Islands. Not Sterna bethunei Travers, 1896. Sterna striata incerta Mathews, 1912: Novit. Zool. 18(3): 208. Unnecessary nomen novum for Sterna melanorhyncha Gould, 1848. Sterna striata christopheri Mathews, 1912: Novit. Zool. 18(3): 209 – Point Cloates, Western Australia. Sterna striata striata Gmelin; Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th ser.): 244. Sterna striata bethunei Buller; Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th ser.): 244. Not Sterna bethunei Travers, 1896. Sterna striata yorki Mathews, 1914: Austral Avian Rec. 2: 86 – Cape York, Queensland, Australia. Sterna striata melanorhyncha Gould; Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 139. Sterna striata aucklandorna Mathews, 1929: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 50: 19. Unnecessary nomen novum for Sterna bethunei Buller, 1896. Sterna striata Gmelin; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 51.

Breeds abundantly from Northland (not Manawatäwhi / Three Kings Islands) to Stewart Island / Rakiura and at the Chatham and Auckland Islands; small numbers on some islands in Bass Strait (Higgins & Davies 1996, Taylor 2000a). A rare visitor to Norfolk (Hermes et al. 1986), Snares / Tini Heke (Miskelly et al. 2001a), Campbell / Motu Ihupuku and Macquarie Islands (Higgins & Davies 1996). Part of the New Zealand population, including many immature birds, migrates to south-east Australia (Hindwood 1946, Clark & Dawson 1957, Serventy et al. 1971, Powlesland & Powlesland 1994b, Higgins & Davies 1996). Taylor (2000a) recognised Sterna striata aucklandorna as breeding at Chatham and Auckland Islands and the distinctiveness of this subspecies is worthy of further investigation (Higgins & Davies 1996). Fossil and midden records from North, South and Chatham Islands (Checklist Committee 1990, Millener 1991); one Late Pleistocene record (Worthy & Grant- Mackie 2003).