Page 227 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

SKUAS, GULLS,AND TERNS
Order Charadriiformes Family Sternidae Species Chlidonias hybridus
Whiskered Tern large black

cap dark
red
bill
JUVENILE ADULT
(SUMMER) white cheeks
mid-grey and throat
rump and
tail
mid-grey
brownish back
scaly bars
on back
blackish
belly
ADULT
dark red (SUMMER)
black ear legs
coverts
pale grey
streaked back
grey rear crown
rump and nape IMMATURE
(1ST WINTER)
ADULT
(WINTER)
dark
brownish legs ADULT
IN FLIGHT
(WINTER)
FLIGHT: light, easy, slightly less agile than Black pale
Tern, more direct. body

he biggest of the marsh terns, the Whiskered WHITE FACE
TTern is more easily confused with a Common or The white cheeks and throat are an eye-
Arctic Tern in autumn and winter, being particularly catching feature on the summer adult.
pale, but in summer, its plumage is unique. Its thick dark bill
bill and rather broad wings give it a somewhat
heavier, stronger look than the Black Tern. It is a familiar sight over south European
marshes and coastal lagoons. Like the other terns, it winters in Africa. In northwest
Europe, including Great Britain and Ireland, it is by far the rarest of the three
despite breeding relatively close by in France and Spain.
VOICE Dry, rasping cherk.
NESTING Semi-floating pile of vegetation; 3 eggs; 1 brood; May–June.
FEEDING Dips to take fish, insects, and crustaceans from water surface.
SIMILAR SPECIES OCCURRENCE
Scattered breeder and sparse
black face white migrant through S and E Europe
of adult forewings deeper tail
of adult fork in summer, over marshy rivers,
reedy marshlands, and lagoons.
Only very rare migrant away
from breeding range in spring
whiter rump
BLACK TERN WHITE-WINGED and tail and autumn.
adult, juvenile; BLACK TERN
juvenile is darker; adult, juvenile; darker “saddle” COMMON TERN Seen in the UK
see p.224 on juvenile; see p.433 see p.220 JF M A M J JA S ON D
Length 24–28cm (9 3 ⁄4 –11in) Wingspan 57–63cm (22 1 ⁄2 –25in) Weight 70–80g (2 1 ⁄2 –2 7 ⁄8oz)
Social Flocks Lifespan Up to 10 years Status Declining
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