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More About Terns and Ternlets ...
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Terns are seabirds in the family Sternidae, previously considered a subfamily Sterninae of the gull family Laridae. They are less closely related to the waders, auks and skimmers. They have a worldwide distribution.
Most terns belong to the large genus Sterna, with the other genera being small, though some authorities split the genus Sterna into several smaller genera (see list, below).
Many terns breeding in temperate zones are long-distance migrants, and the Arctic Tern probably sees more daylight than any other creature, since it migrates from its northern breeding grounds to Antarctic waters. One Arctic Tern, ringed as a chick (not yet able to fly) on the Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast in eastern Britain in summer 1982, reached Melbourne, Australia in October 1982, a sea journey of over 22,000 km (14,000 miles) in just three months from fledging - an average of over 240 km per day, and one of the longest journeys ever recorded for a bird.
They are in general medium to large birds, typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head. They have longish bills and webbed feet. They are lighter bodied and more streamlined than gulls, and look elegant in flight with long tails and long narrow wings. Terns in the genus Sterna have deeply forked tails, those in Chlidonias and Larosterna shallowly forked tails, while the noddies (genera Anous, Procelsterna, Gygis) have unusual 'notched wedge' shaped tails, the longest tail feathers being the middle-outer, not the central nor the outermost
Most terns (Sterna and the noddies) hunt fish by diving, often hovering first, but the marsh terns (Chlidonias) pick insects of the surface of fresh water. Terns only glide infrequently; a few species, notably Sooty Tern, will soar high above the sea. Apart from bathing, they only rarely swim, despite having webbed feet.
Terns are generally long-lived birds, with several species now known to live in excess of 25-30 years.
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Source: Wikipedia Read more about Terns and Ternlets
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INFO LINKS
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Black Tern
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Caspian Tern
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Common Tern
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Elegant Tern
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Forster's Tern
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Gull-billed Tern
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Least Tern
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Roseate Tern
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Royal Tern
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Sandwich Tern
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Arctic Tern
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
USGS data sheet on Arctic Tern, including photographs, maps, taxonomy, identification tips, and life history information. Read More
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Bridled Tern
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
USGS data sheet on Bridled Tern, including photographs, maps, taxonomy, identification tips, and life history information. Read More
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Common Tern
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
USGS data sheet on Common Tern, including photographs, maps, taxonomy, identification tips, and life history information. Read More
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White-winged Tern
Kenya Birds
Brief information and image Read More
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Common Tern
The Longpoint schoolhouse
Brief Information and images Read More
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Whiskered Tern
Oiseaux.net (French)
Categorized information on Whiskered Tern including habitat, feeding habits, migration information, etc. Read More
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Black Tern
Oiseaux.net (French)
Categorized information on Black Tern including habitat, feeding habits, migration information, etc. Read More
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Little Tern
Oiseaux.net (French)
Categorized information on Little Tern including habitat, feeding habits, migration information, etc. Read More
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Common Tern
Oiseaux.net (French)
Categorized information on Common Tern including habitat, feeding habits, migration information, etc. Read More
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White-winged Tern
Oiseaux.net (French)
Categorized information on White-winged Tern including habitat, feeding habits, migration information, etc. Read More
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Arctic Tern
Oiseaux.net (French)
Categorized information on Arctic Tern including habitat, feeding habits, migration information, etc. Read More
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Caspian Tern
Oiseaux.net (French)
Categorized information on Caspian Tern including habitat, feeding habits, migration information, etc. Read More
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Sandwich Tern
Oiseaux.net (French)
Categorized information on Sandwich Tern including habitat, feeding habits, migration information, etc. Read More
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Gull-billed Tern
Oiseaux.net (French)
Categorized information on Gull-billed Tern including habitat, feeding habits, migration information, etc. Read More
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Roseate Tern
Canadian Wildlife Service
Categorized and detailed information on habitat, diet, range, etc. Read More
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Fairy Tern
Perth Zoo
Narrative on Fairy Tern Read More
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Large-Billed Tern
Birds in Suriname
Brief description, pictures, and distribution map for Surinam Read More
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Common Tern
Birds in Suriname
Brief description, pictures, and distribution map for Surinam Read More
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Gull-Billed Tern
Birds in Suriname
Brief description, pictures, and distribution map for Surinam Read More
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Lommon Tern
web.edunet4u.net/~nature/ (Korean)
Brief description and picture Read More
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Little Tern
web.edunet4u.net/~nature/ (Korean)
Brief description and picture Read More
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White-Winged Black Tern
web.edunet4u.net/~nature/ (Korean)
Brief description and picture Read More
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Crested Tern
Australian Museum Online
Description of Crested Tern, with nice pictures and references Read More
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White-winged Black Tern
Michael Morcombe
Information and picture gallery Read More
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Black Tern
Calgary's Weaselhead Society
About Black Tern Read More
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Caspian Tern
Calgary's Weaselhead Society
About Caspian Tern Read More
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