They have a white head with a black cap and white neck, belly and tail. Caspian tern. They are led from the nest a few days after hatching and fledge at about 5 weeks. Published December 7, 2011 | … Lake Ngaroto and Lake Whakamaru on the Waikato River). The breast and face are also white. Their usual hunting method is to fly up to 15 m above the surface of the water, then diving steeply on to prey, often becoming completely submerged in the process. There is a single record of a vagrant bird from the Kermadec Islands, and two from the Chatham Islands. Black Noddy. In New Zealand, Caspian terns frequent sheltered bays and harbours of the main islands, but are also seen regularly at inland lakes and rivers of Canterbury, the central North Island (e.g. Grownup Caspian Tern has black legs and an extended thick red-orange invoice with a small black tip. In flight, the tail is less forked than other terns and wing tips black on the underside. They nest either together in colonies, or singly in mixed colonies of other tern and gull species. CASPIAN TERNS: A RARE TREAT FOR ABACO. (Date: December 29, 2010) Caspian terns feed mostly on small surface-swimming fish such as yellow-eyed mullet, piper, and smelt. They dive towards the water picking off fish just below the surface. caspian-tern. Caspian Terns are the largest terns in the world, with a wingspan of up to nearly five feet. ... in fact, with a body length of two feet and a wingspan that approaches five feet. Average life span of Great Lakes Caspian Terns is estimated to be 12 years. Caspian terns are silver-grey above and white below, with dark wing tips. The call is a loud heron-like croak. Caspian Terns (Hydroprogne caspia) are North America’s largest tern with a wingspan of 50 inches and weighing in at 1.4 pounds.The image above shows an adult going into nonbreeding plumage coming in for a landing at Fort De Soto’s north beach during the month of … ... Wingspan: 49.6-50.4 in (126-128 cm) Species in This Family. As large as a big gull, the Caspian Tern is the largest tern in the world. Fish are caught by plunge-diving and usually swallowed in flight. They may associate with feeding gulls and white-fronted terns, but are usually solitary hunters. At a distance, when they are in flight, they may be mistaken for a ring-billed Gull because of their size. The Caspian Tern is the world's largest tern and can be found in many places around the world. It has a wingspan of 127–140 cm and weighs 574–782g. Image © Les Feasey by Les Feasey. The gull-billed tern is about a third the weight of a Caspian tern, and always has a black bill. This large tern weighs around 1.5 pounds. Oxford University Press, Melbourne. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. Share. Despite its extensive range, it is monotypic of its genus, and has no accepted subspecies. Caspian tern. Its size, stout red bill, and lack of a deeply forked tail distinguishes it from other white terns found in the state. The legs and feet may be dull orange or black. It has white undersides and breast and slate gray upperwings and back. Habitats and factors affecting breeding success at eleven Caspian tern (Sterna caspia) colonies in New Zealand. Fitzgerald, N. 2013. The Caspian tern is the largest species of tern in North America. In winter, the black cap is still present (unl… Latin Name : Sterna caspia Iranian Name : پرستوی دریائی خزر Wingspan: 4.2-4.6 ft (127.0-140.0 cm) Weight: 1.3-1.7 lb (574-782 g) Clutch Size: 2-3: Chicks at birth: Semi-precocial: IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern: Continents: NA, SA, EU, AF, AS, OC: Videos/Pictures (feet) The Caspian Tern is the largest Tern in the world. Caspian terns breed in colonies or as isolated pairs, often in association with other terns or gulls. Viking, Auckland. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspian_Tern, http://www.nzbirds.com/birds/caspiantern.html. ; Robertson H.A. Conservation status: Nationally Vulnerable, Caspian tern. Chicks are fed whole regurgitated fish by both parents. The field guide to the birds of New Zealand. Its stout, bright red bill has a gray tip and a it has a slightly forked tail. Caspian terns are susceptible to nest disturbance by people, their dogs, and off-road vehicles. Challies, C.N. Flight calls from birds near colony (also white-fronted tern), Calls in flight over breeding colony (white-fronted tern in background), Adult and juvenile mobbing recordist near colony, Altercation within a group of adults at colony. It is white with a light gray mantle and white undersides. [3] The genus name is from Ancient Greek hudros, "water", and Latin progne, "swallow". 1996. The Caspian tern is the largest of all species of terns. The Caspian Tern's wingspan of 4.5 feet is almost twice the Common Tern's 2.5 foot wingspan, but the Caspian Tern weighs about 5 times what a Common Tern weighs. [3][6], Breeding is in spring and summer, with one to three pale blue green eggs, with heavy brown spotting, being laid. The Common Tern is the most widespread tern in North America, spending its winters as far south as Argentina and Chile. The largest of the terns, the Caspian Tern is one of the most widespread tern species in the world, occurring on every continent except Antarctica. The nest is a shallow scrape in sand or shingle and may be unlined or incorporate some grass, feathers, sticks or other material. Away from breeding colonies, Caspian terns are usually seen singly (especially when foraging) or in small roosting flocks. Helopus caspius, The Caspian tern (Hydroprogne caspia)[2] is a species of tern, with a subcosmopolitan but scattered distribution. The tail is relatively short and only slightly forked compared to other terns. The tail is slightly notched. Like other shore-nesting birds, chicks and eggs are vulnerable to predation by introduced mammalian predators such as cats, stoats and ferrets. Common Terns gracefully row through the sky showing off their long angular wings, and breeding season gray belly, black cap, and red bill. Orangish red colouring of large dagger-shaped bill makes it appear almost carrot-like. They are our largest Tern. [3], 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015.RLTS.T22694524A84639220.en, "Wild About Terns: Looking After Our Shorebirds", "Terns follow record warm temperatures in 'shock' migration to north of Alaska", Caspian Tern species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Caspian_tern&oldid=970893246, Taxonbars with automatically added original combinations, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 3 August 2020, at 00:47. This development was part of a general trend in Alaska of species moving to the north, a tendency ascribed to global warming. It has white undersides, a white breast, slate gray upperwings, and a gray back. ; Davies, S.J.J.F. Caspian ternThe Caspian tern is the largest species of tern in North America. They continue to be fed by the adults for several more months and may accompany them to wintering sites, where their plaintive begging cries can be heard from hundreds of metres away. Heather, B.D. Fledging occurs after 35–45 days. The Caspian tern (Sterna caspia) is the largest of the terns (length 47-54 cm, wingspan 130-145 cm, weight 680 g) with an almost cosmopolitan distribution, with breeding occurring in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia (Higgins & Davis 1996). Wingspan 50 in.] Profile by Will McDaniel: The Caspian Tern is the world’s largest tern at up to 2 feet in length and topping out at an impressive 5 foot wingspan, slightly larger than … Notornis 42: 138-139. [3][5] Adult birds have black legs, and a long thick red-orange bill with a small black tip. Common terns and Forster's terns belong to the genus Sterna, Caspian terns to the genus Hydroprogne, and black terns to the genus Chlidonias. Caspian terns first breed when 3-4 years old. Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic birds. Caspian terns are silver-grey above and white below, with dark wing tips. The legs and eyes are … [3] In winter, the black cap is still present (unlike many other terns), but with some white streaking on the forehead. Adult birds have black legs, and a long thick red-orange bill with a small black tip. The Caspian tern is the world's largest tern species, about 2 feet in length with a wingspan over 4 feet. The flight of Caspian terns is direct, with purposeful shallow beats. The Caspian Tern is an uncommon migrant in Tennessee, more frequently seen in the fall, and occasionally seen in large flocks of 100 or more individuals. Caspian Tern [Hydroprogne caspia] [Length 21 in. The Caspian tern is a large distinctive gull-like tern of shallow coastal waters and, particularly outside of the breeding season, inland lakes and rivers throughout New Zealand. Overall, the Caspian Tern is about 4X larger than the terns we are accustomed to seeing here in Massachusetts. The Caspian tern is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. Barlow, M. 1995. Adult birds in breeding plumage (summer plumage) have a long red-orange bill with a black tip and black legs. Caspian terns breed mainly on open coastal shellbanks and sandspits, and occasionally on braided river beds and at inland lakes. The Caspian tern is the largest of the terns, with a wingspan averaging 31 inches (79 cm). North American birds migrate to southern coasts, the West Indies and northernmost South America. Caspian terns are silver-grey above and white below, with dark wing tips. Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic birds. The Caspian Tern is a large Tern reaching 21 inches in length and a wingspan of 50 inches. (eds.) The Caspian Tern is the largest tern, measuring 48–56 cm, including its tail. In Robertson, C.J.R. The nest is on the ground among gravel and sand, or sometimes on vegetation; incubation lasts for 26–28 days. Plunge-Diving and usually swallowed in flight, the young and eggs of other tern and gull species 54 long., about 2 feet in length with a black cap on its head and black,. Season adults have a long thick red-orange bill with a wingspan over 4 feet its metre. 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