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Caspian Tern Sterna caspia Charrßn Caspio,
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Juvenile -
Photo: G. Beaton
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Caspian Tern Sterna caspia Charrßn Caspio,
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Juvenile -
Photo: G. Beaton
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A large tern with a thick, red bill: a darker shade of red than in the more common Royal Tern. In non-breeding plumage it has a black line through the eye and black flecks on the top of the head. Its deep, grinding call helps distinguish it from the Royal Tern. Length: 48-56 cm.; weight: 574-782 g. Audio (M. Oberle). Unlike many other migrant species, the adult Caspian Terns will fly south with their young, and the young accompany one or both of their parents for up to 9 months after fledging. Rare in marine waters in Puerto Rico (e.g., San Juan Harbor, 21-26 Jan. 1969; Constitution Bridge, 1 Jan.-11 Mar. 1971; Vieques, 12 Feb. 1986; 13 November 2001 at the Arecibo harbor breakwater).
TAXONOMY: CHARADRIIFORMES; LARIDAE; Sterninae |
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Adult, nonbreeding plumage, A±asco River mouth, 29
October 2002
- Photo: A. Lewis |
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Adult, nonbreeding plumage, A±asco River mouth, 29
October 2002
- Photo: A. Lewis |
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Adult, nonbreeding plumage (left), A±asco River mouth,
29 October 2002
- Photo: A. Lewis |
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Adult, breeding plumage - Photo:
M. Donahue
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Juvenile - Photo: M. Donahue
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References Bent, A.C. 1921. Life histories of North American gulls and terns. Smithsonian Instit. U.S. National Museum Bull. 113. (Reprinted by Dover Press, 1963). Cuthbert, F.J. and L.R. Wires. 1999. Caspian Tern (Sterna caspia) No. 403 in The birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott, and J. Sargatal, eds. 1996. Handbook of Birds of the World, Vol. 3. Hoatzin to Auks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Ehrlich, P.R., D.S. Dobkin, and D. Wheye. 1988. The birderÆs handbook: a field guide to the natural history of North American birds. Simon and Schuster/ Fireside, NY.
Harrison, P. 1983. Seabirds: an identification guide. Houghton Mifflin, Boston. Harrison, P. 1987. A field guide to seabirds of the world. Stephen Greene Press, Lexington, MA. Norton, R. L. 1986. The winter season---West Indies region. Am Birds 40:338-340. Raffaele, H. A. 1981. New records of bird species for Puerto Rico and one for the West Indies. Am Birds 35:142-143. Raffaele, H.A. 1989. A guide to the birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Princeton. Raffaele, H.A. 1989. Una guía a las aves de Puerto Rico y las Islas Vírgenes. Publishing Resources, Inc., Santurce, PR. Raffaele, H.A., J.W. Wiley, O.H. Garrido, A.R. Keith, and J.I. Raffaele. 1998. Guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton. Next related species in taxonomic order Previous related species in taxonomic order |