Tern Species (1 Viewer)

[DEREK CHARLES]

This tern was at Belfast today.Anyone any ideas on species and age?
Thanks
Derek

 

[Jacana]

adult roseate tern going by the beak colour...

 

[Dave Hall]

Hi Derek looks to me that its a Arctic Tern short legs mantle looks to dark for Roseate the bill does look very dark I have seen Arctic with bills like this

 

[StuartReeves]

It's too dark for a Roseate. I think on bill shape, leg length and the shape of the black cap that it's an Arctic. From what I remember, it's not safe to age them on plumage characteristics.

 

[DEREK CHARLES]

Thanks guys, what i suspected. Bill looked spot on for Roseate but nothing else really fitted.
Derek

 

[redeyedvideo]

My first impression was Artic Tern, legs are too red for Forster's.


Dave J

 

[lostinjapan]

Legs are too short for Common, Forsters or Roseate...so I 'd go for Arctic on that alone.

Sean

 

[SteveClifton]

My first impression of the bird's structure was Roseate. Also, the primary pattern looks good too for Roseate, with obviously darker outer 2-3 primaries which contrast with the inner ones, though there clearly isn't enough contrast for a 'normal' Roseate, which should look conspicuously pale above and below compared to 'commic terns'. I would also be surprised if an Arctic could have a wing tip pattern like this bird is showing, though Common tern could.

Personally those legs look too long for Arctic, which are often so short as to appear almost leg-less (but too dark for Roseate which usually has conspicuously bright, light-red legs),and the bill is perhaps a little on the long side for Arctic (good shape for Common though). Head profile doesn't look 'neat' and rounded enough for Arctic either.

All things considered, a bit of a mixed bag really. I wonder how frequently hybrids occur between Roseate and Arctic/Common? Probably very scarce given the relative rarity of Roseate tern.

 

[MSA]

I'd say it was Common Tern, as bill looks too long for Arctic and head shape not rounded enough - the bird is pointed away from the camera, which will tend to foreshorten the appearance of the bill.

 

[DEREK CHARLES]

Another pic, slightly more side on this time.
Derek

 

[SteveClifton]

I'd say it was Common Tern, as bill looks too long for Arctic and head shape not rounded enough - the bird is pointed away from the camera, which will tend to foreshorten the appearance of the bill.

Mark, I think this is what I was also trying to say, in a rather long-winded way.
Cheers, Steve.

 

[MSA]

Mark, I think this is what I was also trying to say, in a rather long-winded way.
Cheers, Steve.

Just read your post; so you were! Much more eloquently put.

 

[JANJ]

Hi Derek & all.

In all ages - Roseate has broad (broader than on Common and Arctic) white edges on the inner web of the primaries
visible as a white line on the folded wing:

http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=63894

http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/SHBO/RoseateTern.html

http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?id=showpicture&picture_id=573

Roseate also has a longer slimmer bill than seen on Dereks bird. However what´s more interesting is the contrast between inner and outer primaries - which is a Common Tern feature since an adult Arctic Tern would have all primaries of the same generation. A second summer Arctic (with short tail) could arrive here in spring with arrested primary moult - with only some inner renewed primaries.
It doesn´t seem that short-legged - could fit Common -which also the pale wide area between cap and bill base.

JanJ

 

[John Cantelo]

About to make a comment, but I see Janj's beaten me to it having made more or less exactly the points I was going to make - for me it's a Common Tern, certainly not a Roseate or Arctic,

John

 

[birderbf]

About to make a comment, but I see Janj's beaten me to it having made more or less exactly the points I was going to make - for me it's a Common Tern, certainly not a Roseate or Arctic,

John

I wouldn't even do a double-take if I saw this bird. As usual, everyone's made their points already, but for me this seems very good for Common, except the legs seems to short (see this photo). But i still say Common.

 

[marklhawkes]

Agree with Janj and John. Common Tern with dark bill (which they can often have). Legs too long for Arctic, and tail too short. Bill not right for Roseate, and overall the bird is too dark above.

 

[mb1848]

This bird sort of looks like tern seen in New Jersey July 14, 2003 identified as an Eastern Common Tern, S. h. longipennis. But this bird with the red bill base and brown red legs may be a tibetana eastern Common Tern?? A 2004 Dutch Birding article said: "The possible occurrence of such dark eastern birds in western Europe should not be excluded but may be hard to prove."

 

[lostinjapan]

It is definitely not a 'longipennis ' Common Tern. The bill would be wholly black, and so would the legs and it would most likely to be confused with a spring-plumage Roseate Tern in Western Europe.

Common Terns with red bills do occur in the east, they are of the race 'minuessensis' but they are certainly infrequent here and have longer legs and seem darker overall than the bird in the pic. Not really sure what 'tibetana' Common Tern would look like.

I didn't take a good look at the bird. The legs definitely seemed short and dark red to me, hence I didn't bother to scrutinize it and thought it was an Arctic. Looking at the bill again, I realize that seems unlikely, given that it shoud be coral red if it is an Arctic. Moreover, as Mark pointed out the tail streamers are too short.

However, the head pattern just doesn't look right for Common, though of course that could be explained by moult, as could the mostly dark bill.

Guess it is not dark enough underneath for White-cheeked, and the tail streamers are not long enough, though the bill and legs fit.

Interestingly, Roseate Terns here have all orange-red bills in summer with the black tip, but out of the breeding season they are not black, but all red-orange. They are also seem much longer-billed and longer legged, asnd indeed larger overall than their counterparts in Europe.

So must be a common.

Sean

 

[Frenchy]

Both Arctic and Common Terns can show all dark bills here in Britain. We have a blackish billed Common breeding at Freiston for its second year, and very dark-billed Arctics can be relatively frequent. Agree with Common for this bird for all the reasons mentioned.

 

[Th_SQ]

This tern was at Belfast today.Anyone any ideas on species and age?
Thanks
Derek

This tern seems to be much debated (I don't have time to decipher the 10+ posts) but I wonder why it's not a (rather standard to my eyes) Common Tern (structure, colors, ...)