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Antarctic Terns are medium-sized terns. In breeding plumage they have a black cap that reaches down the nape of the neck. With the exception of a narrow stripe under the cap, from the lores backwards, and vent, rump and tail, the rest of the plumage, although it may often look white, is actually light-grey. The underwings are also light-grey, with white primaries that show a smudgy darker-grey trailing edge. In eclipse the front, sides of the neck and forehead turn white. Only the back of the head remains black and the rest of the back remains light-grey. Immature Antarctic Terns resemble non-breeding adults, but with a bill and legs/feet that are dark greyish-pink. Juveniles have a dark-streaked upper half of the head and some rufous hues on the sides of the neck and chest. The back is heavily scalloped rufous and dark-grey. The irises are dark. The bill, legs and feet of adults are red.

Twitcher's tip

While in all other species of terns the bill and legs and feet turn black in eclipse, the Antarctic Tern is the only tern that keeps its bright-red bill and legs and feet during its non-breeding season.

The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org .

The global distribution of the Antarctic Tern is available HERE .

There are in total 6 races of Antarctic Terns. Taken altogether, they are found primarily around southern South America, the Antarctic Peninsula, and islands in the vicinity. Their distribution stretches eastward from there, encompassing island groups southward of South Africa and onwards through the southern Indian Ocean towards New Zealand and surrounding islands.

Around Australia, only Antarctic Terns of race "bethunei" are found on Macquarie Island. Occasionally, as vagrants, they can reach the southern parts of the continent. Sightings have been reported from Kangaroo Island, SA, SW VIC and SE TAS.

When not breeding on offshore islands, Antarctic Terns are found mostly above the open ocean and coastal waters.

Race "georgiae"