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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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VIDEO CLIPS
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Tern
4.940MB MOV View Movie
Tropical Marine Ecology Page (R. Hays Cummins, Miami University)
Listen to the Racket (3 species of terns and brown boobies)
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Tern
8.330MB MOV View Movie
Tropical Marine Ecology Page (R. Hays Cummins, Miami University)
Note the small Sooty Tern chick (Sterna fuscata) under the brush.
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Tern
7.300MB MOV View Movie
Tropical Marine Ecology Page (R. Hays Cummins, Miami University)
Royal Terns (Sterna maxima), Brown-Footed Boobies (Sula leucogaster), Sooty Terns and Brown Noddies
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Tern
2.070MB MOV View Movie
Tropical Marine Ecology Page (R. Hays Cummins, Miami University)
A mother Sooty Tern (Sterna fuscata) protects her chick by sitting on top of it.
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Tern
3.210MB MOV View Movie
Tropical Marine Ecology Page (R. Hays Cummins, Miami University)
Newly hatched Sooty Tern chick fresh out of the egg!
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Tern
5.930MB MOV View Movie
Tropical Marine Ecology Page (R. Hays Cummins, Miami University)
Royal Terns (Sterna maxima)
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Forster's Tern
0.600MB MOV View Movie
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 Video
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Forster's Tern
0.210MB RM View Movie
Mangoverde World Bird Guide
High quality video clip by William Hull. Bird is standing on a beach.
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Forster's Tern
0.440MB RM View Movie
Mangoverde World Bird Guide
High quality video clip by William Hull. Two birds are standing on a beach preening.
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White-winged Black Tern
0.420MB MOV View Movie
Michael Morcombe
White-winged Black Tern clip
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Roseate tern
MOV View Movie
Arkive.org
Nice selection of Roseate tern video clips available in various formats
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Arctic Tern
0.960MB MOV View Movie
Audbon - Project Puffin
A video of an Arctic Tern feeding its chick
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Arctic Tern
0.550MB MPG View Movie
Bird Population in Taivalkoski
Arctic Tern video clip
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Common Tern
0.560MB MPG View Movie
Bird Population in Taivalkoski
Common Tern video clip
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Sandwich Tern
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
A colony. Delta de lŽEbre, Catalonia, Spain (ssp sandvicensis).
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Sandwich Tern
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
A group flying. Delta de lŽEbre, Catalonia, Spain (ssp sandvicensis).
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Great Crested Tern
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An adult walking on the shore. Bird Island, Sheychelles (ssp thalassinus).
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Arctic Tern
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An adult in breeding plumage calling. Varanger Fjord, Norway (Monotypic species).
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Arctic Tern
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An adult in breeding plumage calling and flying away. Varanger Fjord, Norway (Monotypic species).
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Little Tern
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An adult feeding small fish to its chicks in the nest. Delta de lŽEbre, Catalonia, Spain (ssp albifrons).
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Sooty Tern
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
A group flying. Bird Island, Sheychelles (ssp nubilosa).
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Sooty Tern
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
A juvenile flying. Bird Island, Sheychelles (ssp nubilosa).
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Whiskered Tern
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
Adult and chicks on the nest.Aufacada, Delta de lŽEbre, Catalonia, Spain.
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Whiskered Tern
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
The pair feeding the chicks.Aufacada, Delta de lŽEbre, Catalonia, Spain.
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White-winged Tern
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An adult with breeding plumage flying. Hortobagy, Hungary (Monotypic species).
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Black Tern
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An adult in winter plumage on the beach. Bioko (ssp niger).
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Black Tern
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An adult in winter plumage at sea. Bioko (ssp niger).
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Large-billed Tern
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An individual flying. Pantanal de Mato Grosso, Brazil (ssp simplex).
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White Tern
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
A juvenile perching on a sign. Bird Island, Sheychelles (ssp candida).
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White Tern
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
A juvenile perching on a sign. Bird Island, Sheychelles (ssp candida).
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Caspian Tern
MOV View Movie
Pat's Backyard BirdCam
Caspian Tern
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