Estorlet

The estorlet ( Sterna hirundo ), or tern or tern pierregarin is a bird of laridé S.

According to the Large terminological dictionary, the “ estorlet ” or the “ tern pierregarin ” winters on banks of and the south Gulf of Mexico of Florida, as far as Central America. At the beginning of each spring, the colonies return to occupy their surfaces of nesting of the Northern hemisphere. In the gulf of the St. Lawrence, the largest concentrations of terns pierregarin are in the archipelago of Mingan, with the islands of the Madeleine and in the zone ranging between the island with the Fog and the Sainte-Marie islands. One also finds some in Gaspésie, of which the colony of Carleton-on-Sea.

Distribution and habitat

Overall, its surface of distribution extends in Europe, Asia and North America, to the Caribbean, but the species is not current - and only locally - that on the littorals. In European continental zone, it niche in colonies only on some natural rivers in France, Italy, Poland and in the ex-USSR. It winters off Africa, as far as Australia and in New Zealand.

The estorlet as well lives the coastal areas as inside the grounds, in the most various habitats. Inside, it is related on the rivers and the lakes. On the littoral, it niche preferably on rock small islands, but also on beaches and at the edge of marsh.

Origin of the name

The term “ estorlet ” and its alternatives “ esterlet ”, “ esterlais ”, “ isterlet ” and “ istorlet ” is of a use much less running and private individual with French of Canada, in particular with acadian French . Name “esterlet” would be an old form resulting from the term “étélet” attested in Normandy in XVIe century. In its edition of 1762, the Dictionary of the French Academy did not refer to the Normans roots and defined the term as follows: “water bird of the Coast of Acadie”. The term is not attested any more in the subsequent editions of the dictionary. Name “ tern pierregarin ” was adopted in 1993 by the International commission of the French names of the birds. However, the terms “ common tern ” and “ tern ” remained usual.

In the literature

This old word of Quebec and the Acadie became a little better known because Marie Laberge used it in its novel entitled “Gabrielle” published in 2000. In this novel, Edward Miller very often calls his Gabrielle wife “the estorlet”.

Gilles Vigneault used the alternative istorlet in the refrain of its song If the boats , published in 1963.

" Deep as with broad of the île
Soft like a wing of istorlet
Far like Angleterre
I you aimerai
I you aimerai"

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