Whiskered tern

The whiskered tern (Chlidonias hybrida) is a tern in the family Laridae. The short, forked-looking tail and dark gray breeding plumage above and below are typical marsh tern characteristics. Other traits include size, black cap, powerful bill (29–34 mm in males, 25–27 mm and stubbier in females, with a noticeable gonys).

Resting but vigilant The Whiskered Tern keeps a careful eye on its environment.

The summer adult’s legs and bill are red, and its cheeks are white. The juvenile’s crown has white flecks, whereas the hindcrown is more consistently blackish, though it also has white flecks in the winter adult.

Focused flight Flying high, the tern scans for prey.

The black of the hindcrown links to the black of the ear-coverts, and the area above speckles with white, forming a C-shaped band.

Sharp eyes Searching for the perfect spot to hunt.

Sometimes the whiteness extends across the nape of the neck. The collar has a softer definition, the rump is a light shade of grey.

Target locked The whiskered tern prepares to dive swiftly.

The juvenile has a multicolored pattern on its mantle. Both the scapular and back feathers are dark brown, with noticeable broad buff edges and frequently subterminal buff bars or centers.

Sky Drifter Soaring high, a feather drifts in air.

Early in the fall, new gray feathers are typically mixed in, particularly on the mantle. In the winter, the body plumage turns a considerably paler grey, and furthermore, the forehead turns white.

Near catch With a splash, the tern misses fish.

Aside from having a ginger scaly back, juvenile whiskered terns, moreover, resemble winter adults in appearance. The first winter plumage, on the other hand, has patchy ginger on the back and is midway between juvenile and adult winter plumage. Additionally, the whiskered tern consumes insects, crustaceans, amphibians, and tiny fish. This species, furthermore, breeds in colonies on inland marshes, sometimes alongside black-headed gulls, which provide some protection.

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