Marsh tern explained

The name marsh tern refers to terns of the genus Chlidonias, which typically breed in freshwater marshes, rather than coastal locations.

Taxonomy

The genus Chlidonias was introduced in 1822 by the French polymath Constantine Samuel Rafinesque with Sterna melanops Rafinesque = Sterna surinamensis Gmelin, J.F. as the type species.^{[1] [2]} The name Chlidonias is from Ancient Greek, "swallow-like", from, "swallow".^[3]

Species

The genus contains four species:^[4]

Notice the hesitation in the gender of the epithet of the scientific names, as they are usually masculine (albostriatus, leucopterus or niger), but in the case of the whiskered tern is mostly used as feminine (hybrida), maybe from the influence of the previous gender used, Sterna.

The black-bellied tern (Sterna acuticauda) and the white-cheeked tern (Sterna repressa) might also be placed in Chlidonias.

Notes and References

1. Book: Peters . James Lee . James L. Peters . 1934 . Check-List of Birds of the World . 2 . Harvard University Press . Cambridge, Massachusetts . 327 .
2. Rafinesque . Constantine Samuel . On the wandering sea-birds of the western states . 21 February 1822 . Lexington, Kentucky . Kentucky Gazette . 3, col 5 . The article was reprinted in: Rhoads . Samuel N. . 1912 . Additions to the known ornithological publications of C. S. Rafinesque . The Auk . 29 . 191-198 [197] .
3. Book: Jobling, James A . 2010. The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm . London . 978-1-4081-2501-4 . 102.
4. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . Rasmussen . Pamela . Pamela C. Rasmussen . December 2023 . Noddies, gulls, terns, skimmers, skuas, auks . IOC World Bird List Version 14.1 . International Ornithologists' Union . 21 July 2024 .