Damara Tern

SCI Name:  Sternula balaenarum
Protonym:  Sternula balaenarum Contrib.Orn.[Jardine] 7 p.160
Taxonomy:  Charadriiformes / Laridae / Sternula
Taxonomy Code:  damter2
Type Locality:  Damaraland.
Author:  Strickland
Publish Year:  1853
IUCN Status:  Vulnerable

DEFINITIONS

STERNULA
(Laridae; Ϯ Little Tern S. albifrons) Dim. < genus Sterna Linnaeus, 1758, tern; "69. Familie.  Seeschwalben, Sterna.  ...  141. Gattung. Sternula.  361. minuta." (Boie 1822); "Sternula Boie, Isis, 1822, (1), col. 563, Mar., 1822—type, by monotypy, Sterna minuta Linnaeus = Sterna albifrons Pallas." (Hellmayr & Conover 1948, XIII, 301).
Var. Sternulla, Sternella.

STURNELLA
(Icteridae; Ϯ Eastern Meadowlark S. magna) L. sturnellus  little starling  < dim. sturnus  starling. Formerly the American icterids were included with the starlings in Sturnidae (hence the frequent use of Gr. ψαρ psar  starling in icterid genera); "79. STOURNELLE, Sturnella.  Sturnus, Linn. Gm. Lath.  Bec droit, entier, convexe en dessus, obtus et dilaté à la pointe; mandibule supérieure à base prolongée et arrondie dans les plumes du front. — Pouce plus fort et plus long que les doigts latéraux.   Esp. Stourne, ou Merle à fer-à-cheval, Buff." (Vieillot 1816); "Sturnella Vieillot, 1816, Analyse, p. 34. Type, by monotypy, "Stourne, ou Merle à fer-à-cheval" Buffon = Alauda magna Linnaeus." (Blake in Peters 1968, XIV, 177).
Var. Sturnellus, Sternella, Sturela, Sturnela.
Synon. Cirulus, Pedopsaris, Pezites, Trupialis.

balaenarum
L. balaenarum  of the whales  < balaena  whale  < Gr. φαλαινα phalaina  whale; i.e. Walvis Bay, Damaraland, Namibia  < Afrikaans Walvisbaai  < Dutch Walvisch Baai Whale Bay (Sternula).