From Opus

Photo by kuwaity
Kubbar island, Kuwait, May, 2004

Onychoprion anaethetus

Sterna anaethetus

[edit] Identification

30-32cm

• Brownish-grey upperparts
• Narrow white forehead patch, extending behind eye
• Black loral stripe
• May show pale collar
• White underparts
• Black legs and bill
• Deeply forked tail
  

Photo by AJDH
Jarim Islands, Arabian Gulf, June 2009

Juvenile:

• Scaly grey upperparts
• Pale underparts

[edit] Distribution

Mexico, the Caribbean and west Africa; other races occur around Arabia and in Southeast Asia and Australasia.

Scarce vagrant to British Isles, usually during the summer.

[edit] Taxonomy

Sooty Tern, Bridled Tern, Gray-backed Tern and Aleutian Tern are each others closest relatives and all four are sometimes included in the genus Sterna. ^[1].

[edit] Subspecies

There are 4 subspecies:

• O. a. melanopterus:

• Coastal western Africa

• O. a. fuligulus:

• Red Sea and East Africa to India

• O. a. antarcticus:

• Madagascar, Aldabra, Seychelles, Mascarene and Andaman islands

• O. a. anaethetus:

• Ryukyu Island, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia and Australia

• O. a. nelsoni:

• West coast of Mexico and Central America

• O. a. recognitus:

• West Indies, Belize and islands off Venezuela

[edit] Habitat

Oceans; breeds on rocky islands.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Breeding

The single egg is laid in a ground scrape or hole.

[edit] Diet

The diet includes fish which is obtained by plunge-diving.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728
3. Wikipedia

• List of references

[edit] External Links