The river tern or Indian river tern (Sterna aurantia) – in the family Laridae – is a resident breeder along inland rivers from Iran east into the Indian Subcontinent and on to Thailand. Also known as Ganga Cheel, the River Tern lives in freshwater lakes and rivers, and occasionally in estuaries where it feeds on fish, small crustaceans and insects. It breeds on sandy islands from February to May.