Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
Largest tern in the world; widespread but typically uncommon. Thick, bright-red bill is distinctive; most have small dark marking near the tip. Note solid black cap in summer which turns to black streaks in winter. Juveniles have V-shaped markings on the upperparts. Feeds by cruising over lakes, rivers, estuaries, and reservoirs looking for fish, then plunging to catch them. Smooth wingbeats, more gull-like than choppy flight of small-bodied terns. Very vocal, giving loud raucous screams. Compare especially with Royal Tern, which is slightly smaller and more slender, and has a thinner, more orangey bill.
Identification
It is the world's largest tern with a length of 48–60 cm (19–24 in), a wingspan of 127–145 cm (50–57 in) and a weight of 530–782 g (18.7–27.6 oz). Adult birds have black legs, and a long thick red-orange bill with a small black tip. They have a white head with a black cap and white neck, belly, and tail. The upper wings and back are pale grey; the underwings are pale with dark primary feathers. In-flight, the tail is less forked than other terns, and wingtips are black on the underside. In winter, the black cap is still present (unlike many other terns), but with some white streaking on the forehead. The call is a loud heron-like croak.<p>
Taxonomy
Genus: Hydroprogne; Family: Laridae; Order: Charadriiformes.
- Scientific name
- Hydroprogne caspia
- Authority
- (Pallas, 1770)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Laridae
- Genus
- Hydroprogne
Range and habitat
Their breeding habitat is large lakes and ocean coasts in North America (including the Great Lakes), and locally in Europe (mainly around the Baltic Sea and Black Sea), Asia, Africa, and Australasia (Australia and New Zealand). North American birds migrate to southern coasts, the West Indies and northernmost South America. European and Asian birds spend the non-breeding season in the Old World tropics. African and Australasian birds are resident or disperse over short distances.<p>In 2016, a nest of the Caspian tern was found in the Cape Krusenstern National Monument in northwestern Alaska, 1,000 miles further north than any previous sighting. This development was part of a general trend in Alaska of species moving to the north, a tendency ascribed to global warming.<p>The global population is about 50,000 pairs; numbers in most regions are stable, but the Baltic Sea population (1400–1475 pairs in the early 1990s) is declining and of conservation concern.<p>The Caspian tern is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
- Breeding range
- PAL, OR, AU, NA : patchily coastal Baltic Sea and inland se Europe to w Mongolia and Ussuriland (se Russia) and ne China and s Asian coasts; coastal and inland w and s Africa; Europa (w of s Madagascar, Mozambique Channel), coastal Madagascar and Aldabra group (sw Seychelles); coastal Australia and New Zealand (North, South and Stewart is.) and inland n, e Australia; inland Northwest Territories to c California, Great Lakes and ne Canada
- Non-breeding range
- coastal Africa, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, India, Thailand, Malay Pen. and Vietnam; e Pacific and Caribbean to Panama
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: rising.
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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