(References updated) |
(Imp size. Picture of non-breeding adult. References updated) |
||
| Line 2: | Line 2: | ||
[[Image:Whiskered_Tern.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by {{user|Dick+Hoogenboom|Dick Hoogenboom}}<br />Photo taken: Lesvos, [[Greece]]]] | [[Image:Whiskered_Tern.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by {{user|Dick+Hoogenboom|Dick Hoogenboom}}<br />Photo taken: Lesvos, [[Greece]]]] | ||
==Identification== | ==Identification== | ||
| − | 24-28 cm<br /> | + | 24-28 cm (9½-11 in)<br /> |
'''Adult Summer''' | '''Adult Summer''' | ||
*Black cap | *Black cap | ||
| Line 29: | Line 29: | ||
==Taxonomy== | ==Taxonomy== | ||
====Subspecies==== | ====Subspecies==== | ||
| + | [[Image:21743888768 202f1dcd20 c.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Non-breeding adult<br />Photo by {{user|SeeToh|SeeToh}}<br />Lorong Halus, [[Singapore]], October 2015]] | ||
There are 7 subspecies named by Clements<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>: | There are 7 subspecies named by Clements<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>: | ||
*''C. h. hybrida'' - South-western [[Europe]] to [[Kazakhstan]]; winters [[Africa]] and south-western [[Asia]] | *''C. h. hybrida'' - South-western [[Europe]] to [[Kazakhstan]]; winters [[Africa]] and south-western [[Asia]] | ||
| Line 46: | Line 47: | ||
The nest is a heap of aquatic vegetation or dry grass, placed either on floating vegetation. They nest in colonies. | The nest is a heap of aquatic vegetation or dry grass, placed either on floating vegetation. They nest in colonies. | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
| − | #{{Ref- | + | #{{Ref-Clements6thAug15}}#BirdLife International |
#Collins Pocket Guide to British Birds 1966 | #Collins Pocket Guide to British Birds 1966 | ||
#Collins Field Guide 5th Edition | #Collins Field Guide 5th Edition | ||
Revision as of 21:23, 4 October 2015
- Chlidonias hybrida
Identification
24-28 cm (9½-11 in)
Adult Summer
- Black cap
- White cheeks and sides of neck
- Dark grey underparts
- Lighter greyish above
- Red bill
Adult Winter
- Black cap shrinks to leave a finely barred rear crown, with solid black patch behind the eye.
- Black bill
Juvenile
- Pale brown scaly upperparts
- Whitish rump
Similar Species
Summer adults resemble Common Terns more than Black Terns due to their black and white heads, but the short, broad wings and tails are typical of 'marsh terns'. and their underparts are so dark that the white cheeks stand out boldly.
Juveniles have a dark mantle reminiscent of the saddle on a White-winged Black Tern; however, it is not so dark in the Whiskered Tern. In addition the rump is not as conspicuously white as on a White-winged Black Tern and the wings of a Whiskered Tern are a more uniform grey.
The bill is heavier than in other 'marsh terns'.
Distribution
Europe and Asia. They migrate to sub-Saharan west Africa in the winter, although a few birds will remain in the Mediterranean. Birds which breed in eastern Europe winter in large numbers in the Nile Delta and eastern and southern Africa.
Accidental vagrant to Cape May, New Jersey (2 records) with one moving south to Delaware.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 7 subspecies named by Clements[1]:
- C. h. hybrida - South-western Europe to Kazakhstan; winters Africa and south-western Asia
- C. h. swinhoei - Transbaikalia to eastern China and Taiwan
- C. h. indicus - Eastern Iran and Pakistan to northern India
- C. h. javanicus - North-eastern India and Sri Lanka; winters Malaysia and Indonesia
- C. h. sclateri - South Africa and Madagascar
- C. h. delalandii - Kenya to Tanzania
- C. h. fluviatilis - Australia; disperses to New Guinea and Moluccas
Habitat
Inland marshes, pools and fishponds.
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes terrestrial and aquatic insects, spiders, frogs, tadpoles, small crabs, shrimps and small fish.
Breeding
The nest is a heap of aquatic vegetation or dry grass, placed either on floating vegetation. They nest in colonies.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- BirdLife International
- Collins Pocket Guide to British Birds 1966
- Collins Field Guide 5th Edition
- Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Whiskered Tern. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 24 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Whiskered_Tern
