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Tern id. (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Ruby
- Start date
mountain man
Guest
I'd say Common Tern.
But what is the Tern on the left hand side in the group piccy? Looks a wee bit Roseate...
But what is the Tern on the left hand side in the group piccy? Looks a wee bit Roseate...
James Lowther
Well-known member
I thought the left hand bird was a roseate (although i've never seen one) but don't really have an idea on the bird in question.
Ruby
Well-known member
tom mckinney said:
Hi Tom,
Yes. That one is one of two Roseate Terns that I was looking at today....
The 'mystery' Tern is one that I was watching on a previous visit as well, when I was intrigued by its predominantly black bill with only red base (which my Collins guide suggests may be right for a Roseate in brreding, Summer condition) and the fact that it was quite solitary on that day.
Today, this bird did seem to be associating more with the Roseates than the Commons - which probably means something!! (I'm guessing that other Terns are probably better at id-ing Terns than I am!!!)
Ruby
Well-known member
the bird said:
The one in the middle is a Common Tern...
May just be a photo effect, but the upperparts of the RH bird look pale in colour and close to the LH (Roseate).... but this may just be that the wind is ruffling the feathers of the middle (Common) and making them look darker...
mountain man
Guest
Hi Ruby, I saw a very dark billed Common Tern at Cemlyn Bay in Anglesey the other day - nothing other than a very dark bill to suggest anything other than Common.
In flight, the wings on your bird look quite broad which would suggest Common, but the angle it's flying at could be misleading. The dark trailing edge to the primaries is also quite broad - again suggesting Common.
I don't think it's a 1st year bird though - they wouldn't show a bill like this and there would be more dark on the wings.
In flight, the wings on your bird look quite broad which would suggest Common, but the angle it's flying at could be misleading. The dark trailing edge to the primaries is also quite broad - again suggesting Common.
I don't think it's a 1st year bird though - they wouldn't show a bill like this and there would be more dark on the wings.
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JANJ
Well-known member
Weak dark lesser covert bar. some blur at side of black head, tatty underparts, with white mixed with grey all makes this bird almost certainly a 2nd summer. Bill looks dark, but not uncommon in 2nd summer, varies. Moult contrast in wing, fresher inner, older outer primaries. Common Tern.
Nice with the Roseate Tern in 2nd pic.
JanJ
Nice with the Roseate Tern in 2nd pic.
JanJ
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Ruby
Well-known member
dan pointon
Can't Stop
tom mckinney said:
I too saw that bird at Cemlyn, took me quite a while to make my mind up it was a common, especially as i was looking for Roseate. When i did finally get on to the Roseate however it was really obvious, so for that reason i agree with everyone else that the bird in the picture is a Common. Also, if you compare it to the Roseate sitting next to it in the group photo, the mantle is quite a lot darker, and the size difference quite clear.
Dan
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Jane Turner
Well-known member
Though I usually advocate using a suite of characteristics to ID birds, the three European mid-sized terns are easily separable on their underwing patterns alone. The attached pic has the Common from above, a Roseate and an Artic. I find terns way easier to ID in flight than on the ground. Hard to describe in here is the differences in flight, but once you learn them they are ever so distinctive. Until you have seen enough to know that, make sure you see the underwing an pay attention to where the light shines through them. Its surprisingly easy.
Attachments
Rick Wright Tucson
Well-known member
tern resources
Does anyone know offhand what the status of the long-promised tern guide started by Claudia Wilds is?
Rick Wright
Tucson.
Does anyone know offhand what the status of the long-promised tern guide started by Claudia Wilds is?
Rick Wright
Tucson.
Ruby
Well-known member
Thanks Jane - that certainly sounds like a fantastic help....
Looking forward to getting out again and putting it into practice.
I spent a couple of hours today looking at 2*Roseate Terns which were quite active, but around and about pretty much the whole time, and I did start to find it quite easy after I'd got my eye in to pick them out from amongst large numbers of Common Terns similarly zooming about.
I think I was more going on general impression, rather than specific fieldmarks though...
Looking forward to finding some Arctic Terns to practice on.... them vs Commons has always been a bit of a problem for me...
All the best.... Ruby
Looking forward to getting out again and putting it into practice.
I spent a couple of hours today looking at 2*Roseate Terns which were quite active, but around and about pretty much the whole time, and I did start to find it quite easy after I'd got my eye in to pick them out from amongst large numbers of Common Terns similarly zooming about.
I think I was more going on general impression, rather than specific fieldmarks though...
Looking forward to finding some Arctic Terns to practice on.... them vs Commons has always been a bit of a problem for me...
All the best.... Ruby
Jane Turner
Well-known member
Ruby said:
On Common terns also show the same contrast between the inner 4 primaries and the rest on the upper wing. You can see that in yuor pic too. Later in the year Roseates develop dark outer wings like Sandwich tern!
For picking out roseates here in the Caribbean, their flight reminds me more of little tern (rapid fluttering of wings) than of common (more purposefull wing movements). Btw, roseate and royal terns are the two species occurring quite commonly 
cheers
Niels
cheers
Niels
JANJ
Well-known member
njlarsen said:For picking out roseates here in the Caribbean, their flight reminds me more of little tern (rapid fluttering of wings) than of common (more purposefull wing movements). Btw, roseate and royal terns are the two species occurring quite commonly
cheers
Niels
Spot on Niels!
JanJ
tom mckinney said:
I was also at cemlyn bay last week and am pretty sure i saw the same bid (obviously scanning the terns for roseate as one had been spotted recently) but again i put this particular bird down to a dark billed/ juvenile common tern, and no roseate was found!
