Scientific name Chlidonias Rank Genus | Phylum Chordata Family Sternidae Higher classification Tern | |
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Lower classifications Black tern, Whiskered tern, White‑winged tern, Black‑fronted tern | ||
The name marsh tern refers to terns of the genus Chlidonias, which are typically found in freshwater marshes, rather than coastal locations. The genus name Chlidonias is from Ancient Greek khelidonios, "swallow-like", from khelidon, "swallow".
There are four species:
Notice the hesitation in the gender of the epithet of the scientific names, as they are usually masculine (albostriatus, leucopterus or niger), but in the case of the whiskered tern is mostly used as feminine (hybrida), maybe from the influence of the previous gender used, Sterna.
The black-bellied tern (Sterna acuticauda) and the white-cheeked tern (Sterna repressa) might also be placed in Chlidonias.
References
Marsh tern Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA