From Opus

Photo by richard bledsoe
Near La Jolla, California

Sterna maxima

Thalasseus maximus

[edit] Identification

46-53cm

• Long orange bill (variable between yellowish-orange to reddish-orange)
• Pale grey upperparts
• White underparts
• Black legs
• Noticeable crest
• In winter, the black cap recedes to leave a white forecrown

[edit] Similar Species

Caspian Tern, Lesser Crested Tern, Elegant Tern

Juvenile
Photo by scottishdude
Fort Lotterdale, March 07

[edit] Distribution

North America, Central America, South America, western Europe and Africa.

[edit] Taxonomy

Some authorities place the Royal Tern in the genus Thalasseus.

[edit] Subspecies^[1]

• T. m. albididorsalis:

• Coastal Mauritania to Guinea; winters to Namibia

• T. m. maximus:

• Coastal US to West Indies, Guianas, Brazil; winters to Argentina

Photo by Robert L Jarvis
The Gambia, January 2007

[edit] Habitat

Coasts and islands.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Breeding

It nests in a ground scrape and lays 1-2 eggs.

[edit] Diet

It feeds by plunge-diving for fish.

[edit] Vocalisation

Call: krryuk or kree-it

[edit] Reference

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.
2. Collins Field Guide 5th Edition
3. Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6
4. Wikipedia

• List of references

[edit] External Links