Bridled Tern
Onychoprion anaethetus
Tropical tern with gray back, black cap, and white forehead. Nonbreeding and immatures have a messy dark nape. Most similar to Sooty Tern but paler gray above with more extensive white tail edges, paler undersides of flight feathers, as well as longer and more slender eyebrow. Also compare with the paler Gray-backed Tern. Bridled Tern is found in warm tropical waters worldwide. It breeds on islands, usually concealed by a large rock or bush. Otherwise, usually stays far offshore, often seen perching on floating wood or debris. Rarely seen near land except when blown off course by a hurricane.
Identification
This is a medium-sized tern, at 30–32 cm in length and with a 77–81 cm wingspan similar to the common tern in size, but more heavily built. The wings and deeply forked tail are long, and it has dark grey upperparts and white underparts. The forehead and eyebrows are white, as is a striking collar on the hindneck. It has black legs and bill. Juvenile bridled terns are scaly grey above and pale below.<p>This species is unlikely to be confused with any tern apart from the similarly dark-backed sooty tern and the spectacled tern from the Tropical Pacific. It is paler-backed than that sooty, (but not as pale as the grey-backed) and has a narrower white forehead and a pale neck collar.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Onychoprion anaethetus
- Authority
- (Scopoli, 1786)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Laridae
- Genus
- Onychoprion
Range and habitat
This bird is migratory and dispersive, wintering more widely through the tropical oceans. It has markedly marine habits compared to most terns. The Atlantic subspecies melanopterus breeds in Mexico, the Caribbean and west Africa; other races occur around the Arabian Peninsula and in Southeast Asia and Australasia, but the exact number of valid subspecies is disputed. It is a rare vagrant to western Europe.These are the four subspecies listed by the IOC:
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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This canary is typical in its appearance but unusual in its papyrus-dwelling habits. The male and female are similar but the male is more boldly marked, especially on the face. Found in papyrus swamp and adjacent habitats. Uncommon and inconspicuous. The song is a complex mix of quiet twitters and whistles. Similar to Western Citril, but separated by the lack of a yellow eyebrow. Extremely similar to Southern Citril, and best separated by the more bulging, pinkish bill.
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Chunky, short-legged heron. All white with a black-tipped blue bill and bright red legs in breeding plumage. Dark brown with white wings and belly in non-breeding plumage. Found in a variety of freshwater wetlands, though generally rare. Distinctive in breeding plumage, but easily confused with Squacco Heron in non-breeding plumage, when Malagasy Pond-Heron can be carefully distinguished by the much darker brown color on most of the body, which contrasts sharply with the white belly and wing.
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