Tern ID Please. (1 Viewer)

C

CyberDoc

Vagrant Birder

• Apr 17, 2005

• #1

Is this a Whiskered Tern?

http://www.kashmirnetwork.com/birds/unknown/tern.jpg

Area possibilities:
Gull-billed Tern
* River Tern
* Common Tern
* Arctic Tern
* Little Tern
* Whiskered Tern
* White-winged Tern

It was photographed today in Kashmir.
Confirmation / Alternate ID Please. Thanks.

 

Lucky Birder

Notts Birder

• Apr 17, 2005

• #2

It doesn't look like a Wiskered tern, but that's as far as I would go not being up on the Eastern Palearctic.

 

Dimitris

Birdwatcher in Oz

• Apr 17, 2005

• #3

We can rula out Little,Common,Gull-billed and Artic. (I'm not familliar with River but I suppose it's a Sterna tern so it can be ruled out as well). It looks like a marsh Tern.
The only Marh Tern that I know that has a white face is the Whiskered Tern.However this bird looks very dark and has a black bill (legs are red and that's ok for Whiskered).I'm guessing a young adult Whiskered Tern (just a though since it has a dark bill),the dark colour may be a light affect. Are the Whiskered Terns darker and have a black bill in your part of the world?

Dimitris

 

S

Sumit

Well-known member

• Apr 17, 2005

• #4

Hi,
Looks like a Whiskered coming into breeding plumage and still having the dark legs and beak from its non-breeding plumage.
Cheers!
sumit

 

E

Edward woodwood

Member

• Apr 17, 2005

• #5

yeah
Whiskered

 

Lucky Birder

Notts Birder

• Apr 17, 2005

• #6

I relooked at the photo. What I thought was white on the breast was of course white on the forewing.

 

C

CyberDoc

Vagrant Birder

• Apr 17, 2005

• #7

Whiskered Tern.

Thanks Sumit, and everyone else too.

 

Tim42

Birder4life

• Apr 18, 2005

• #8

Looks to me like a Roseate Tern, the Whiskered Tern's bill is too thick.

 

StuartReeves

Local rarity

• Apr 18, 2005

• #9

Whiskered.

Stuart

 

Joern Lehmhus

Well-known member

• Apr 18, 2005

• #10

That´s a Whiskered tern- a shorttailed greyish tern with white cheeks and a black cap, so as said by others already there is no alternative.

 

tamandua

Well-known member

• Apr 18, 2005

• #11

Whiskered tern. I am quite certain.