(genus change) |
(References updated) |
||
| Line 30: | Line 30: | ||
''[[Media:Sterna caspia (song).mp3|Listen in an external program]]'' | ''[[Media:Sterna caspia (song).mp3|Listen in an external program]]'' | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
| − | #{{Ref- | + | #{{Ref-Clements6thAug11}}#Wikipedia |
#Collins Field Guide 5th Edition | #Collins Field Guide 5th Edition | ||
#Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6 | #Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6 | ||
Revision as of 16:59, 6 July 2012
- Hydroprogne caspia
Sterna caspia
Identification
48–56 cm. White head, neck, belly, tail, cap is black in breeding plumage, mottled with white in winter and in juvenile, pale grey back and upper wings, pale, dark tipped underwings, black legs, red-orange bill.
Distribution
North America, West Indies and northern South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
There are records most years for the British Isles.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1], in spite of its cosmopolitan range (some authorities do recognize two subspecies: caspia and imperator).
This species was in the past (and is still by some authorities) included in the genus Sterna.
Habitat
Large lakes and ocean coasts. Breeds on sandy coasts and islands.
Mating Dance
Photo by Robert Davis
Bolivar Flats, May 2008
Click on image to view larger version
Juvenile
Photo by blubird
Las Gallinas, California, July 2008
Click on image to view larger version
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes fish, insects, eggs and young birds.
Breeding
They are ground nesters, colonially and singly; 1-3 pale blue green eggs, heavily spotted brown, are laid in a bare scrape.
Vocalisation
The call is a loud croak.
<flashmp3>Sterna caspia (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
References
- Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
- Wikipedia
- Collins Field Guide 5th Edition
- Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Caspian Tern. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 11 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Caspian_Tern
External Links
