- Onychoprion aleuticus
Sterna aleutica
Identification
32–34 cm (12-13½ in) A medium-size tern with greyish upperparts, white rump and long deeply, forked tail, discontinuous dark band on under trailing edge and all black pointed bill. When in breeding plumage, white forehead contrasts with black eyestripe, hindcrown and nape. Crown of non-breeding bird mostly white with blackish ear-coverts and nape. Juvenile resembles non-breeding adult but has dark brown subterminal markings on upperparts.
Distribution
Breeds in the north Pacific Ocean on islands off western Alaska and the far east of Siberia; winters south to Singapore and Indonesia.
One record of a vagrant in the north Atlantic, on the Farne Islands, UK, on 28-29 May 1979.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Sooty Tern, Bridled Tern, Grey-backed Tern and Aleutian Tern are each others closest relatives, now placed in the genus Onychoprion. In the past all four were included in the genus Sterna.
Habitat
Breeds on arctic and subarctic coastal plains and islands.
Behaviour
Breeding
They lay 2-3 eggs in a ground scrape. They usually breed in colonies, occasionally alone.
Diet
They plunge-dive for fish. Sticklebacks seem to be the favoured food on Sakhalin.
Vocalisation
The call is whee-hee-hee.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved October 2016)
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Aleutian Tern. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Aleutian_Tern
External Links
Search for scientific name Onychoprion aleuticus
Search for Scientific name Sterna aleutica
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