Alternative name: Spectacled Tern
- Onychoprion lunatus
Sterna lunata
Identification
38 cm (15)
- Grey upperparts and upper wings
- White forehead
Distribution
Islands in tropical Pacific Ocean
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Sooty Tern, Bridled Tern, Grey-backed Tern and Aleutian Tern are each others' closest relatives; all four were included in the genus Sterna in the past.
Habitat
They breed on low sea cliffs or sandy beaches.
Behaviour
Diet
Their main diet consists of small fish, including flying fish. They also will take small lizards.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved June 2015)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Grey-backed Tern. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 15 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Grey-backed_Tern
