Little Tern

SCI Name:  Sternula albifrons
Protonym:  Sterna albifrons Cat.Ois.[Vroeg]Adumbr. p.6 no.271
Taxonomy:  Charadriiformes / Laridae / Sternula
Taxonomy Code:  litter1
Type Locality:  Holland.
Author:  Pallas
Publish Year:  1764
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

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.

albifrons
L. albus  white; frons, frontis  forehead, brow.
● ex “White-fronted Owl” of Latham 1787 (syn. Aegolius acadicus).
● ex “White-crowned Parrot” of Latham 1781 (Amazona).
● ex “Cola aguda vientre de canela” of de Azara 1802-1805, no. 234 (Donacospiza).
● ex “White-fronted Thrush” of Latham 1783 (syn. Miro australis).
● ex “White-faced Manakin” of Edwards 1764 (Pithys).

SUBSPECIES

Little Tern (albifrons)
SCI Name: Sternula albifrons albifrons
albifrons
L. albus  white; frons, frontis  forehead, brow.
● ex “White-fronted Owl” of Latham 1787 (syn. Aegolius acadicus).
● ex “White-crowned Parrot” of Latham 1781 (Amazona).
● ex “Cola aguda vientre de canela” of de Azara 1802-1805, no. 234 (Donacospiza).
● ex “White-fronted Thrush” of Latham 1783 (syn. Miro australis).
● ex “White-faced Manakin” of Edwards 1764 (Pithys).

Little Tern (guineae)
SCI Name: Sternula albifrons guineae
guinea / guineae / guineensis
Guinea, West Africa  < Med. Portuguese name Guiné for the tropical West African lands south of the Senegal River occupied by negroes  < Berber word Ghinawen  negroes.  The name came to refer to the old Grain Coast, Gold Coast, Slave Coast, Benin, Calabar and the Camarones, roughly equivalent to the modern area from Guinea-Bissau to Cameroun.
● TL. Guinea coast; ex “Petite Perruche de Guinée” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 60 (syn. Agapornis pullarius).
● TL. Kintampo, Ashanti Province, Gold Coast (Cisticola).
● TL. Inland parts of Guinea, Africa; ex “Columba maculis triquetris.Triangular-spotted Pigeon” of Edwards 1747 (Columba).
● TL. Nanna Kru, Liberia (subsp. Cyanomitra olivacea).
● Erroneous TL. New Guinea (= Guinea coast, Africa); ex “Pic cardinal de l’isle de Luçon” of Sonnerat 1776 (syn. Dendropicos fuscescens).
● TL. Gunnal, Portuguese Guinea (syn. Fraseria cinerascens).
● TL. Mimika River, New Guinea (see novaeguineae) (syn. Gerygone chrysogaster).
● TL. Volta River, Gold Coast (Melaniparus).
● TL. Portuguese Guinea to the Niger (subsp. Phoeniculus purpureus).
● TL. Loko, Benue River, Nigeria (subsp. Sternula albifrons).

Little Tern (innominata)
SCI Name: Sternula albifrons innominata
innominata / innominatus
L. innominatus  un-named  < in-  not; nominatus  noted  < nominare  to name  < nomen, nominis  name.

Little Tern (pusilla)
SCI Name: Sternula albifrons pusilla
pusilla
L. pusillus  very little, very small  < dim. pusus  little boy  < puer  boy.
● ex “Cinclus dominicensis minor” of Brisson 1760 (Calidris).
● ex “Small Nuthatch” of Catesby 1731, “Petit Torchepot de la Caroline” of Brisson 1760, and “Petite Sittelle à tête brune” of de Buffon 1770-1783 (Sitta).
● ex “Little Sparrow” of Catesby 1731 (Spizella).
● "59. CERTHIA.  ...  pusilla.  2. C. supra grisea, subtus alba, rectricibus fuscis: extimis apice albis.  Certhia fusca minor. Edw. av. 26. l. 26.  Habitat in India." (Linnaeus 1758) (unident.; nom. dub.).

Little Tern (sinensis)
SCI Name: Sternula albifrons sinensis
sinense / sinensis
Mod. L. Sinensis  Chinese  < Sina  China  < Late L. Sinae  Chinese  < Gr. Σιναι Sinai  Chinese. Also a frequent amendment for the toponyms chinensis and sinicus.
● ex “Grand Martinet de la Chine” of Sonnerat 1782 (unident.?Acridotheres sp.).
● ex “Chincou” of Levaillant 1796, pl. 12 (the “Schinkuh” of Forster 1798) (syn. Aegypius monachus).
● ex “Grand Duc de la Chine” of Mauduyt de la Varenne 1782-1787 (unident.?Bubo sp.).
● ex “Chinese Titmouse” of Latham 1783 (Chrysomma).
● ex “Galgulus sinensis” of Brisson 1760, “Rollier de la Chine” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 620, “Rolle de la Chine” of de Buffon 1770-1786, and “Chinese Roller” of Latham 1781 (syn. Cissa chinensis).
● ex “Pie de Macao” of Sonnerat 1782, and “Macao Crow” of Latham 1787 (syn. Dendrocitta formosae).
● Erroneous TL. China (= New Guinea); ex “Perroquet de la Chine” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 514, and “Perroquet vert” of de Buffon 1770-1783 (syn. Eclectus roratus pectoralis).
● ex “Chinese Heron” of Latham 1785 (Ixobrychus).
● ex "Mésange de Nanquin" of Sonnerat 1782, and “Chinese Tanager” of Latham 1783 (syn. Leiothrix lutea).
● ex “Turdus sinensis” of Brisson 1760, and “Chinese Thrush” of Latham 1783 (syn. Leucodioptron canorum).
● ex “Gobe-mouches verdâtre de la Chine” of Sonnerat 1776, and “Wreathed Fly-catcher” of Latham 1783 (Otocompsa).
● ex “Chinese Diver” of Latham 1785 (syn. Phalacrocorax carbo).
● ex “Bécassine de la Chine” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 881, and “Cape Snipe, var. B” of Latham 1785 (syn. Rostratula benghalensis).
● ex “Chinese Nuthatch” of Latham 1781 (J. Gmelin, 1788, nom. oblit.; nec Sitta sinensis J. Verreaux, 1871).
● ex “Chinese Tern” of Latham 1785 (subsp. Sternula albifrons).
● ex “China Owl” of Latham 1801 (syn. Strix seloputo).
● ex “Kinck de la Chine” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 617, “Kink” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Kink Oriole” of Latham 1782 (Sturnia).
● ex “Coucou bleu de la Chine” of Brisson 1760 (?syn. Urocissa erythrorhyncha).
● ex “Ortolan de la Chine” of Sonnerat 1776, and “Chinese Bunting” of Latham 1783 (unident.).
● ex “Tarin de la Chine” of Sonnerat 1776, and “Chinese Siskin” of Latham 1783 (unident.).
● ex “China Warbler” of Latham 1783 (unident.).
● ex “Chinese Jacana” of Latham 1785 (unident.).

Little Tern (placens)
SCI Name: Sternula albifrons placens
placens / placentis
L. placens, placentis  charming, pleasing  < placere  to please.