CIBED - - Great Crested Tern -

Thalasseus bergii Great Crested Tern No Local Name

f.LARIDAE Gulls sf.Sterninae

Thalasseus bergii Great Crested Tern No Local Name

f.LARIDAE Gulls sf.Sterninae

Cook Islands Status Summary

Show Notes

Intl. NamesGreat Crested Tern ^EN Greater Crested Tern ^EN Swift Tern ^EN Crested Tern ^EN , Eilseeschwalbe ^DE

Local NamesNo Name^MG,AK

Pacific NamesNo Content

Sci. NamesThalasseus bergii (accepted name) , Sterna bergii, Thalasseus bergii cristata(Stephens, 1826)

High Tax. Eng.k.Animals, p.Vertebrates, c.Birds, f.Gulls - Bird

High Tax. Latink.ANIMALIA, p.CHORDATA, sp.GNATHOSTOMATA, spc.TETRAPODA, c.AVES, sc.NEOGNATHAE, o.Charadriiformes, f.LARIDAE, s.Sterninae

Natl. PresencePresent

Sth. PresenceRR^{+ V}MG^{+ V}AT^-MK^-MT^-AK^{+ V}PL^-MN^-TK^-

Nth. PresenceTN^-MH^-RK^-PK^-NS^-SW⁺

VouchersRR²⁰¹⁴ MG²⁰²³ AK¹⁹⁹⁸ SW²⁰²⁵

Local OriginNative; Vagrant; Breeding elsewhere

Global RangeNo Content

HabitatLand and Aquatic; Marine; Nearshore; Oceanic

ThreatenedNo Content

InvasivenessNo Content

BiosecurityNo Content

Medical StatusNo Content

Harmful StatusNo Content

UsesNo Content

IdentificationNo Content

Multimedia & Other Resources

Photographs: 5
Video: 0
Audio: 1
Documents: 0
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5BD061b_Thal-berg_

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Adult in flight, first known national record

Adult - in flight and perching

Flight

Adults and young

Similar species: 5 different Terns

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Call (McPherson coll.)

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Adult in flight, first known national record (jpg)
Adult - in flight and perching (jpg)
Flight (jpg)
Adults and young (jpg)
Similar species: 5 different Terns (jpg)
Call (McPherson coll.) (mp3)

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Vernacular Names

English and International Names

Great Crested Tern ^EN Greater Crested Tern^EN Swift Tern^EN Crested Tern^EN [non specific] Eilseeschwalbe^DE

Pacific Names

No Pacific Names

Local Names

No Name^MG,AK

No National Names

Island	Status	Main name
National name		None
Rarotonga	+ V	A,nN
Mangaia	+ V	P,nN
Ātiu	-	A,nN
Ma‘uke	-	A,nN
Miti‘āro	-	A,nN
Aitutaki	+ V	P,nN
Palmerston	-	A,nN
Tongareva-write	-	A,nN
Tongareva-speak	-	A,nN
Manihiki	-	A,nN
Rakahanga	-	A,nN
Pukapuka	-	A,nN
Nassau	-	A,nN

National Distribution & Vouchers

National Presence:

Present

Oceanic

Absent

islands: [ , {label: 'Rarotonga', stroke: '#009900', fill: '#00CC00', symbol: 'GR', tris: '', trif: '', top: 404.5, left: 210.5, labelLeft: 222, labelTop: 404} , {label: 'Mangaia', stroke: '#009900', fill: '#00CC00', symbol: 'GR', tris: '', trif: '', top: 427.5, left: 261.5, labelLeft: 274, labelTop: 426} , {label: 'Ātiu', stroke: '#990000', fill: '#CC0000', symbol: 'RR', tris: '', trif: '', top: 372.5, left: 261.5, labelLeft: 244, labelTop: 382} , {label: 'Ma‘uke', stroke: '#990000', fill: '#CC0000', symbol: 'RR', tris: '', trif: '', top: 374.5, left: 282.5, labelLeft: 284, labelTop: 385} , {label: 'Miti‘āro', stroke: '#990000', fill: '#CC0000', symbol: 'RR', tris: '', trif: '', top: 358.5, left: 274.5, labelLeft: 283, labelTop: 351} , {label: 'Aitutaki', stroke: '#009900', fill: '#00CC00', symbol: 'GR', tris: '', trif: '', top: 334.5, left: 210.5, labelLeft: 209, labelTop: 321} , {label: 'Palmerston', stroke: '#990000', fill: '#CC0000', symbol: 'RR', tris: '', trif: '', top: 309.5, left: 112.5, labelLeft: 124, labelTop: 309} , {label: 'Manuae', stroke: '#990000', fill: '#CC0000', symbol: 'RR', tris: '', trif: '', top: 346.5, left: 234.5, labelLeft: 244, labelTop: 338} , {label: 'Takūtea', stroke: '#990000', fill: '#CC0000', symbol: 'RR', tris: '', trif: '', top: 362.5, left: 254.5, labelLeft: 211, labelTop: 363} , {label: 'Tongareva', stroke: '#990000', fill: '#CC0000', symbol: 'RR', tris: '', trif: '', top: 32.5, left: 260.5, labelLeft: 205, labelTop: 31} , {label: 'Manihiki', stroke: '#990000', fill: '#CC0000', symbol: 'RR', tris: '', trif: '', top: 80.5, left: 175.5, labelLeft: 187, labelTop: 80} , {label: 'Rakahanga', stroke: '#990000', fill: '#CC0000', symbol: 'RR', tris: '', trif: '', top: 63.5, left: 173.5, labelLeft: 186, labelTop: 63} , {label: 'Pukapuka', stroke: '#990000', fill: '#CC0000', symbol: 'RR', tris: '', trif: '', top: 88.5, left: 33.5, labelLeft: 45, labelTop: 88} , {label: 'Nassau', stroke: '#990000', fill: '#CC0000', symbol: 'RR', tris: '', trif: '', top: 108.5, left: 46.5, labelLeft: 59, labelTop: 108} , {label: 'Suwarrow', stroke: '#009900', fill: '#00CC00', symbol: 'GR', tris: '', trif: '', top: 162.5, left: 115.5, labelLeft: 127, labelTop: 162} ] , legend: [{label: 'Not Assessed', top: 235, stroke: '#0000a0', fill: '#ffffff', symbol: 'WR', tris: '', trif: ''}, {label: 'Present', top: 250, stroke: '#009900', fill: '#00CC00', symbol: 'GR', tris: '', trif: ''}, {label: '? Present', top: 265, stroke: '#006600', fill: '#00CC00', symbol: 'GWR', tris: '#ACACAC', trif: '#ffffff'}, {label: 'Absent', top: 280, stroke: '#C00000', fill: '#CC0000', symbol: 'RR', tris: '', trif: ''}, {label: '? Absent', top: 295, stroke: '#C00000', fill: '#CC0000', symbol: 'RWR', tris: '#c0c0c0', trif: '#ffffff'}, {label: 'Intercepted', top: 312, stroke: '#990000', fill: '#CC0000', symbol: 'RDR', tris: '#000000', trif: '#000000'}, {label: 'Extirpated/Extinct', top: 331, stroke: '#006600', fill: '#00CC00', symbol: 'RGR', tris: '#660000', trif: '#CC0000'} ]

Island	Status
Rarotonga	+ V
Mangaia	+ V	first record 2023-11
Ātiu	Absent
Ma‘uke	Absent
Miti‘āro	Absent
Aitutaki	+ V	first known record c.1995
Palmerston	Absent
Manuae	Absent
Takūtea	Absent
Tongareva	Absent
Manihiki	Absent
Rakahanga	Absent
Pukapuka	Absent
Nassau	Absent
Suwarrow	+	2025-11

Vouchers for:
Thalasseus bergii

Cook Islands

Southern

Northern

Oceanic

Rarotonga _____ 2014 2fs fieldspecimen 2024-08-20, fieldspecimen, one bird beyond the reef Arorangi School, Grant Terrell of Darwin 200 Voyage on eBird.

Mangaia _____ 2023 2fsP fieldspecimen+photo 2023-11-21, two birds stayed about a week, photographed at the harbour, by Tua Matepi.

Ātiu

Ma‘uke

Miti‘āro

Aitutaki _____ 1998 2fsP fieldspecimen+photo 1998-04, photographed two birds on Honeymoon Island, Gerald McCormack with ID as Thalasseus bergii. _____ 2024 2fsP fieldspecimen+photo 2024-01, photo of two birds on Honeymoon Island by resident Paul Green with ID as Crested Terns noting it as a first record thereby indicating how rare they are.

Palmerston

Manuae

Takūtea

Tongareva

Manihiki

Rakahanga

Pukapuka

Nassau

Suwarrow _____ 2025 2fsP fieldspecimen+photo 2025-11, fieldphoto detailed, Kas Silk with ID Kas Silk as Thalasseus bergii, vagrant, no colony.

no data available

Identification

Local Origin and Global Range

Habitat

no data available

Threatened

no data available

Invasive/Pest Status

no data available

Biosecurity

Medicinal

no data available

Species Uses

References

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2026) Cook Islands Biodiversity & Ethnobiology Database, Version 2026.03.23 - Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at https://naturalheritage.gov.ck/cibed
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Vernacular Names

English and International Names

Pacific Names

Scientific Names and Taxonomy

Accepted Name

Synonyms

National Distribution & Vouchers

Vouchers for:
Thalasseus bergii

Identification

Local Origin and Global Range

Habitat

Threatened

Invasive/Pest Status

Biosecurity

Medicinal

Species Uses

References

Citation Information

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Cook Islands Status Summary

Multimedia & Other Resources

Vernacular Names

Accepted Name

Synonyms

Vouchers for: Thalasseus bergii

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Vouchers for:
Thalasseus bergii