Royal Tern
Royal Terns
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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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AUDIO CLIPS
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Caspian Tern
0.247MB WAV Hear Sound
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
Caspian Tern Song
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Common Tern
0.342MB WAV Hear Sound
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
Common Tern Song
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Forster's Tern
0.335MB WAV Hear Sound
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
Forster's Tern Song
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Least Tern
0.108MB WAV Hear Sound
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
Least Tern Song
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Common Tern
0.096MB WAV Hear Sound
The Longpoint schoolhouse
Common Tern Call
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Black-napped Tern
0.102MB WAV Hear Sound
Hong Kong Birdwatching society
Black-napped Tern
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Black-napped Tern
0.124MB WAV Hear Sound
Hong Kong Birdwatching society
Black-napped Tern
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Common Tern
0.017MB AU Hear Sound
Tony Phillips: Songs and calls of some New York State birds
``A vibrant, purring tearrr''
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Common Tern
0.013MB AU Hear Sound
Tony Phillips: Songs and calls of some New York State birds
Tearrr
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Common Tern
0.098MB AU Hear Sound
Tony Phillips: Songs and calls of some New York State birds
Courting vocalizations.
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Common Tern
0.064MB AU Hear Sound
Tony Phillips: Songs and calls of some New York State birds
Courting vocalizations.
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Common Tern
0.100MB AU Hear Sound
Tony Phillips: Songs and calls of some New York State birds
Courting vocalizations.
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Little Tern
0.027MB AU Hear Sound
Tony Phillips: Songs and calls of some New York State birds
Courting vocalizations.
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Little Tern
0.034MB AU Hear Sound
Tony Phillips: Songs and calls of some New York State birds
Courting vocalizations.
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Little Tern
0.037MB AU Hear Sound
Tony Phillips: Songs and calls of some New York State birds
Courting vocalizations.
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Little Tern
0.033MB AU Hear Sound
Tony Phillips: Songs and calls of some New York State birds
Courting vocalizations.
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Little Tern
0.058MB AU Hear Sound
Tony Phillips: Songs and calls of some New York State birds
Courting vocalizations.
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Bridled Tern
Streaming RAM Hear Sound
ABC Archives and Library Services
Bridled Tern
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Caspian Tern
Streaming RAM Hear Sound
ABC Archives and Library Services
Caspian Tern
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Crested Tern
Streaming RAM Hear Sound
ABC Archives and Library Services
Crested Tern
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Fairy Tern
Streaming RAM Hear Sound
ABC Archives and Library Services
Fairy Tern
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Sooty Tern
Streaming RAM Hear Sound
ABC Archives and Library Services
Sooty Tern
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Forster's Tern
0.054MB WAV Hear Sound
Naturesongs.com
Forster's Tern call
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Whiskered Tern
0.015MB MP3 Hear Sound
Oiseaux.net
Whiskered Tern sound
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Black Tern
0.016MB MP3 Hear Sound
Oiseaux.net
Black Tern sound
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Little Tern
0.008MB MP3 Hear Sound
Oiseaux.net
Little Tern sound
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Common Tern
0.015MB MP3 Hear Sound
Oiseaux.net
Common Tern sound
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White-winged Tern
0.015MB MP3 Hear Sound
Oiseaux.net
White-winged Tern sound
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Arctic Tern
0.020MB MP3 Hear Sound
Oiseaux.net
Arctic Tern sound
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Caspian Tern
0.008MB MP3 Hear Sound
Oiseaux.net
Caspian Tern sound
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Sandwich Tern
0.008MB MP3 Hear Sound
Oiseaux.net
Sandwich Tern sound
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Gull-billed Tern
0.008MB MP3 Hear Sound
Oiseaux.net
Gull-billed Tern sound
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River Tern
0.011MB MP3 Hear Sound
IndiaBirds.com
River Tern
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Black Tern
0.174MB WAV Hear Sound
Avisoft
Black Tern
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Common Tern
0.292MB WAV Hear Sound
Avisoft
Common Tern
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Arctic Tern
0.077MB WAV Hear Sound
Audbon - Project Puffin
Arctic Tern Call
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