Mystery tern from Chile (1 Viewer)

[RBI]

I photographed this tern on October 1st at the mouth of a river near Concon, Chile.

Can anyone help with the ID of this bird. Thanx !


More pix taken during this trip here :
http://www.vzwlagare.be/vwgforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3246&whichpage=1

 

[lou salomon]

i don't know so much about south american terns but a quick search made it very likely that this is a common tern (st. hirundo). i don't think it is the discussed possibility of roseate t. - wouldn't the tail projection be obvious in that species (maybe not in moult)?

 

[Edward woodwood]

South American Tern?

Common would be a very good record there

 

[RBI]

Thanks for the comments.

South American Tern can be excluded because this species has a red bill, even in non-breeding plumage. The bird on the picture clearly shows a black bill. So this is most likely a Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) and indeed a good bird for the coast in the Valparaiso area.

 

[Rob Smallwood]

Its funny because I see it as smaller than that - I have no knowledge of Southern ocean terns but had turned (no pun intended) to the smaller Least type terns without any joy.

It just goes to show that size can be deceptive.

 

[Scelorchilus]

Hello folks.

This is a young South American Tern. They usually have red bills, but in their first cycle, the bill is black. Common Tern shows a dark patagial bar by the time they get to Chile, and they have a different pattern of dark on the face (less below the eye, more of a sinuous lower edge, giving a headphone effect). Both South American and Common Terns are regular in the Concon area, in October you rarely see adult South Americans, and the first Commons are arriving in the area.

cheers Alvaro Jaramillo