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Angola,Australia,Bahrain,Cambodia,China,Djibouti,Egypt,Eritrea,Ethiopia,French Polynesia, Guam,India - Andaman and Nicobar Islands,India - mainland,Indonesia,Iran,Iraq,Japan,Kenya,Kiribati,Kuwait, Laos,Madagascar,Malaysia,Maldives,Marshall Islands,Mauritius,Micronesia,Mozambique,Myanmar,Namibia, New Caledonia,Nigeria,Northern Mariana Islands,Oman,Pakistan,Palau,Papua New Guinea,Philippines,Qatar,Reunion, Samoa,Saudi Arabia,Seychelles,Singapore,Solomon Islands,Somalia,South Africa,South Sudan,Sri Lanka,Sudan, Taiwan,Tanzania,Thailand,Tokelau,Tonga,Tuvalu,United Arab Emirates,Vanuatu,Vietnam,Yemen,
IOC 13.1 Subspecies
Group
Subspecies
Breeding Range
bergii
coasts of Namibia to Mozambique
thalassinus
Tanzania, Aldabra group (sw Seychelles), Madagascar and Mascarenes (w tropical Indian Ocean) and Chagos Arch. (wc Indian Ocean)
velox
Red Sea and nw Somalia to Maldives, Sri Lanka and Myanmar
cristatus
coastal e China, Taiwan, Spratly Is. (s China Sea), Senkaku Is. (w of Okinawa), and Nishinoshima (Iwo=Volcano Is., s of Japan), sw Philippines, Con Dao Is. (se of Vietnam), Australia including Torres Strait is. (far ne Australia), New Caledonia, Micronesi
Africa (entire continent rather than south of Sahara)
AN
Antarctica
AO
Atlantic Ocean
AU
Australasia (Wallacea (Indonesian islands east of Wallace's line), New Guinea and its islands, Australia, New Zealand and its subantarctic islands, the Solomons, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu)
PAL
Eurasia (Europe, Asia from the Middle East through central Asia north of the Himalayas, Siberia and northern China to Japan)
IO
Indian Ocean
LA
Latin America (Middle and South America)
MA
Middle America (Mexico through Panama)
NA
North America (includes the Caribbean)
NO
Northern oceans
OR
Oriental Region (South Asia from Pakistan to Taiwan, plus Southeast Asia, the Philippines, and Greater Sundas)
