Gelochelidon Explained

Gelochelidon is a genus of terns. It was considered a monotypic genus until the Australian tern was split from the gull-billed tern.

Taxonomy

The genus Gelochelidon was introduced in 1830 by the German zoologist Alfred Brehm.^[1] The type species is the gull-billed tern.^[2] The name combines the Ancient Greek gelaō meaning "to laugh" with khelidōn meaning "swallow".^[3]

The genus contains 2 species:^[4]

Notes and References

1. Brehm . Alfred . Alfred Brehm . 1830 . Beschluss der Uebersicht der deutschen Vögel . Isis von Oken . 23 . cols 985–1013 [994] . German, Latin .
2. Book: Peters . James Lee . James L. Peters . 1934 . Check-List of Birds of the World . 2 . Harvard University Press . Cambridge, Massachusetts . 329 .
3. Book: Jobling, James A. . 2010. The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm . London . 978-1-4081-2501-4 . 171 .
4. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . Rasmussen . Pamela . Pamela Rasmussen . August 2022 . Noddies, gulls, terns, skimmers, skuas, auks . IOC World Bird List Version 12.2 . International Ornithologists' Union . 7 November 2022 .