Australian Fairy Tern
Sternula nereis
Very small coastal tern with forked tail. Nests on sandy beaches, where it is sensitive to disturbance. Very similar to Little Tern, which overlaps in range in parts of southern Australia. In breeding plumage, note yellow bill (in southern Australia lacking black tip) and orange-yellow legs. In contrast to Little Tern, Fairy has a gap between the black in front of eyes and the bill (in breeding Little, the black extends to the bill). In nonbreeding plumage, bill much darker. Hunts by flying low over the water and plunging down to snatch prey from the surface. New Zealand subspecies very rare and breeds only at four sites on the east coast of the southern Northland.
识别特征
The fairy tern is a small tern with a white body and light bluish-grey wings. A small black patch extends no further than the eye and not as far as the bill. In the breeding plumage both the beak and the legs are yellowish-orange. During the rest of the year the black crown is lost, being mostly replaced by white feathers, and the beak becomes black at the tip and the base. The sexes look alike and the plumage of immature birds is similar to the non-breeding plumage. The total length of the fairy tern is about 25 cm (10 in).
分类信息
- 学名
- Sternula nereis
- 命名信息
- Gould, 1843
- 目
- Charadriiformes
- 科
- Laridae
- 属
- Sternula
分布与栖息地
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
The fairy tern mainly feeds on fish which it catches by hovering over the sea before plunging beak first into the water to grab its prey. It seldom goes far out to sea but is often to be seen where predatory fish are feeding on shoals of small fish. It also consumes crustaceans, molluscs and some plant material.<p>Breeding takes place in the spring in colonies on sheltered beaches on the mainland or on offshore islands. The nest is just above high-water mark and is a scrape in the sand. One or two eggs are laid and both parents share the incubation and care of the chicks and have occasionally been seen providing post-fledging parental care.
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- declining
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Yellow-green Vireo
Vireo flavoviridis
Fairly large vireo with a big bill and a pale eyebrow. Essentially the southern counterpart of Red-eyed Vireo. Breeds in tropical woodland and forest of Mexico and Central America, migrating south in September to South America (especially the western Amazon basin) and returning north again in March. Told from Red-eyed Vireo by its less contrasting head pattern, yellow sides and flanks, and brighter greenish upperparts. Monotonous song sounds like a House Sparrow that’s taken singing lessons.
Rufous-backed Inca-Finch
Incaspiza personata
Beautiful finch-like bird with a small range in the Andes of northwestern Peru. Adult is gray with a chestnut back and wings and a black face and throat. The legs and bill are yellow; the white outer tail feathers are usually only evident in flight. Similar to Great Inca-Finch, but has a smaller black throat patch, a larger mask, and a brighter, less brownish back. Juvenile is washed out and streaky, showing only a hint of the face and throat markings. Inhabits arid areas with dense scrub, and feeds mainly on the ground.
Cock-tailed Tyrant
Alectrurus tricolor
A remarkable flycatcher; males are black above and white below with a broad tail that has longer central feathers and is usually held perpendicular to the others and spread like a fan. Females are mottled brown above and whitish below without the cocked tail. Occurs in open, humid, and tall grass savanna areas that have been well preserved. Mostly silent.
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