Ecology Summary - Gelochelidon nilotica

Language:

Ecology of Gelochelidon nilotica

Main Ref.	Enticott, J. and D. Tipling, 1997
Remarks	Surface seizing; coastal; coastal Islands (Ref. 356). Feeds by dipping to the sea surface with occasional plunge-dives. Breeds colonially in salt marshes, salt works, coastal dunes, islands and freshwater lagoons in southern North America, Caribbean, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and northern Africa (Ref. 84934). Gull-billed terns are observed to display group adherence. This species has a high nest fidelity in stable habitats, and yet when environmental disasters occur, they retain their mates and settle with the same neighbors at the breeding locality (Ref. 87784).

Main Ref.

Enticott, J. and D. Tipling, 1997

Remarks

Surface seizing; coastal; coastal Islands (Ref. 356). Feeds by dipping to the sea surface with occasional plunge-dives. Breeds colonially in salt marshes, salt works, coastal dunes, islands and freshwater lagoons in southern North America, Caribbean, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and northern Africa (Ref. 84934). Gull-billed terns are observed to display group adherence. This species has a high nest fidelity in stable habitats, and yet when environmental disasters occur, they retain their mates and settle with the same neighbors at the breeding locality (Ref. 87784).

Aquatic zones / Water bodies

	Marine - Neritic	Marine - Oceanic	Brackishwater	Freshwater
Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies	supra-littoral zone littoral zone sublittoral zone	epipelagic mesopelagic epipelagic abyssopelagic hadopelagic	estuaries/lagoons/brackish seas mangroves marshes/swamps	rivers/streams lakes/ponds caves exclusively in caves

Highighted items on the list are where Gelochelidon nilotica may be found.

Habitat

Substrate
Substrate Ref.
Special habitats
Special habitats Ref.

Associations

Ref.
Associations
Associated with
Association remarks
Parasitism

feeding

Feeding type	mainly animals (troph. 2.8 and up)
Feeding type Ref.	Enticott, J. and D. Tipling, 1997
Feeding habit	hunting macrofauna (predator)
Feeding habit Ref.	Enticott, J. and D. Tipling, 1997

Trophic Level(s)

Estimation method	original sample		unfished population		Remark
Estimation method	Troph	s.e.	Troph	s.e.	Remark
From diet composition	3.90	0.52			Troph of juv./adults.
From individual food items	4.13	0.62			Trophic level estimated from a number of food items using a randomized resampling routine.
Ref.	Bogliani, G., M. Fasola, L. Canova and N. Saino, 1990

Back to Search