Short abstract from the book: In Denmark the gull-billed tern is a very rare breeding bird
with only 11–16 breeding pairs in the 1990s, all breeding in
the Wadden Sea. It is a rare passage migrant.
In Denmark the first gull-billed tern was ringed in 1910,
with the majority ringed in the late 1920s and the 1930s. No
gull-billed terns have been ringed since 1976.
The recovered birds all belonged to the Danish population,
either ringed as chicks or as fully grown in the breeding season.
The birds were ringed in western and northern Jutland and
on Læsø. The Danish gull-billed terns start their migration in
late July. At this time a young bird was recovered in SchleswigHolstein and another in southern France. The migration is
mainly directed SW with recoveries from northern Germany,
the Netherlands, France and the Iberian Peninsula. Most birds
migrate along the coastline. The majority reach France by
September/October and the Iberian Peninsula in September.
Recoveries from central Germany and Italy indicate that some
birds probably migrate in a more southerly direction. Two
Danish gull-billed terns have been recovered on Barbados in
September, probably birds blown away from the normal route
in West Africa. During winter Danish birds have been recovered in Senegal and Mauritania. The recoveries in spring
indicate that more birds migrate via Italy. None of the birds
has been recovered in the breeding colonies during their first
three years of life, but some have been recovered in southern
Europe, indicating that many spend the summer away from
the colonies until maturity.
Read more about the species in the chapter from The Danish Bird Migration Atlashere
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