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WHISKERED TERN FACTS |
Description
The Whiskered Tern is a fairly small tern often seen on inland wetlands. The non breeding adult has pale grey back and wings, white underside, mottled black cap on head, pink legs and dark bill. In the breeding season the cap is black, bill is red and chest darker grey. Young birds are have streaked brown on back and wings and duller legs.
Size
25 cm
Habitat
freshwater wetlands, swamps, lakes, floodwaters, large dams, wet grassland, farmland
Food
fish, frogs, crustaceans, insects. They feed on land and in the water.
Breeding
Whiskered Terns breed in colonies in inland swamps and marshes. The nest is a raft of plant matter attached to the shore or afloat.
Range
found in most of the mainland except arid interior - Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Northern Territory.
Credits:
Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Classification
| Class: | Aves | | Order: | Charadriiformes | | Family: | Laridae | | Genus: | Chlidonias | | Species: | hybridus | | Common Name: | Whiskered Tern |
Relatives in same Genus
White-winged Black Tern (C. leucopterus)
Black Tern (C. niger)
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