Adult bird showing black outer edge of the outermost primary flight feather. This morning was my first visit to this very very old breeding site for these birds and it was a fabulous experience! Got dive-bombed and took several direct hits from biological weapons launched by several birds.
Australia,Bangladesh,Cambodia,China,Comoros,Cook Islands,Guam,Hong Kong,India - Andaman and Nicobar Islands,India - mainland, Indonesia,Iran,Japan,Kiribati,Madagascar,Malaysia,Maldives,Marshall Islands,Micronesia,Mozambique, Myanmar,Nauru,New Caledonia,Palau,Papua New Guinea,Philippines,Samoa,Seychelles,Singapore,Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka,Taiwan,Tanzania,Thailand,Tokelau,Tonga,Tuvalu,Vanuatu,Vietnam,
IOC 13.1 Subspecies
Group
Subspecies
Breeding Range
mathewsi
Aldabra and Cosmoledo (Aldabra group, sw Seychelles), Farquhar and Amirantes groups (coralline c Seychelles; w Indian Ocean); Chagos Arch. and Maldives (nw Indian Ocean)
sumatrana
tropical e Indian and w Pacific Ocean islands: Andaman Is., Thailand, Vietnam, Malay Pen., Ryukyu Is. (=Nansei Shoto, s Japan), islands off e China coast, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesian Arch., New Guinea satellites, n Australia, Melanesia, s Micronesia,
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)