Suomi
Svenska
Polski
Čeština
Slovenčina
Norsk
Dansk
Whiskered Tern
Chlidonias hybrida
Identify the Whiskered Tern by sound or photo and log your sightings with Birdpass.
The Whiskered Tern is the largest of the marsh terns. In breeding plumage it has a black cap, dark grey body, white cheeks and dark red bill and legs; in winter it is pale grey with a white forehead. European and Asian populations migrate to winter in Africa and the Indian subcontinent, while tropical forms in Africa and Australia are resident. It has spread northward in Europe in recent decades.
Did you know?
- Its name hybrida comes from Pallas's early idea that it was a hybrid of White-winged and Common Terns.
- It is the largest of the marsh terns.
About the species
Identification
About 26 cm long. In summer plumage it has a black cap, white cheeks and an all-grey body; the tail fork is shallow, and the bill and legs are red. These features separate it from Common and Arctic Terns. In winter plumage it is pale with a streaked hind crown and resembles a White-winged Tern but is larger with a heavier bill.
Family
Sternidae
Size
Medium (thrush)
Colours
grey, white, black, red
About the habitat
Inland wetlands with floating vegetation – marshes, fishponds, shallow lakes and rice fields.
Diet
Small fish, amphibians such as tadpoles and small frogs, insects and crustaceans, picked from the water surface or caught in flight, sometimes with a shallow plunge.
Behaviour
Breeds in colonies on inland marshes, building floating nests on water plants, often among Black-headed Gulls that help deter predators. It has an agile, tern-like flight and a rasping “krek” call. Northern populations migrate after breeding.
Sources
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Whiskered tern (Chlidonias hybrida delalandii).jpg
Text: Wikipedia (English), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskered_tern
.jpg){kind=link}