page_title: List of birds of India
section_title: Gulls, terns, and skimmers
hierarchical_section_title: List of birds of India / Gulls, terns, and skimmers
caption_attribution_description: English: Black-headed Gull (Non-breeding plumage)
context_page_description: This is a list of the bird species of India and includes extant and recently extinct species recorded within the political limits of the Republic of India as defined by the Indian government are known to have 1349 species as of 2019, of which 78 are endemic to the country. 101 species are globally threatened. The Indian peafowl is the national bird of India. This list does not cover species in Indian jurisdiction areas such as Dakshin Gangotri and oceanic species are delineated by an arbitrary cutoff distance. The list does not include fossil bird species or escapees from captivity.
  This list's taxonomic treatment and nomenclature follow the conventions of the IOC World Bird List, version 10.2. This list also uses British English throughout. Any bird names or other wording follows that convention.
  The following tags have been used to highlight several categories. The commonly occurring native species do not fit within any of these categories.
  Accidental - Also known as a rarity, it refers to a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in India-typically less than ten confirmed records.
  Endemic - a species endemic to India
context_section_description: Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Laridae
  
  Laridae is a family of medium to large seabirds, the gulls, terns, and skimmers. Gulls are typically grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills and webbed feet. Terns are a group of generally medium to large seabirds typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head. Most terns hunt fish by diving but some pick insects off the surface of fresh water. Terns are generally long-lived birds, with several species known to live in excess of 30 years. Skimmers are a small family of tropical tern-like birds. They have an elongated lower mandible which they use to feed by flying low over the water surface and skimming the water for small fish.
caption: Black-headed gull
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