- Sterna acuticauda
Identification
32–35 cm (12½-13¾ in)
Adult
Breeding
- Orange bill,
- Black cap and nape
- Dark grey breast
- Blackish belly and vent
Non-breeding
- Whitish belly, no tail streamers
- Dark tip to bill
Distribution
Asia: found in Pakistan, Nepal and India to south-western China, Myanmar and South East Asia.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Subspecies melanogaster is generally considered to be invalid[2].
Habitat
Near large rivers; breeds on sandspits, islands and marshes, up to 730 m.
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists of small fish and insects. They hawk for insects over both land and water and plunge-dive for fish.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- BirdLife International
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved October 2015)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Black-bellied Tern. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 13 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black-bellied_Tern
External Links
Search the Gallery using the scientific name:
Search the Gallery Using the common name:
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
