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White-fronted Tern
(Sterna striata)
: "Black-billed Tern", "Southern Tern"
Size: 35-43 cm
Weight: 105-160 g
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Similar species |
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Physical description |
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Click here for a physical description
White-fronted Terns are medium-sized terns.
During the
breeding season they have a black cap that extends well onto
the nape of the neck, white front (throat, neck, chest, belly and
vent) and grey wings. The black eyes are surrounded by the black
cap, while the frons (base of the bill) has a narrow white saddle.
The slender bill is black, the short legs and feet are also black.
In eclipse
the front of the cap becomes white, with a mottled black-and-white
front part of the cap.
Juvenile
birds have a scalloped brownish-grey mantle, mottled
dark-grey wings, and a mottled cap covering most of the head
(except a narrow white saddle at the frons).
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Twitcher's tip |
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Compared to Common
Terns, adult White-fronted Terns have lighter wing tips,
longer wings and a more deeply forked tail. At rest they show
a white line along the upper edge of the folded primary flight
feathers.
Note that second-year White-fronted Terns are very similar to
second-year Common
Terns.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See White-fronted
Tern at Wikipedia .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
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
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The global distribution of the White-fronted Tern is available
HERE
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White-fronted Terns used to be endemic to New Zealand, where
they still are the most common terns, and the Tasman Sea.
Since the 1970ies, White-fronted Terns have started colonizing
Australia, where they are, except for a small breeding colony in the
south-eastern Bass Strait, non-breeding migrants. They reach the
Australian coast in an area from roughly the SA/VIC border to
the NSW North Coast, including the East coast of Tasmania and
the islands in
Bass Strait. Occasionally White-fronted Terns are found farther
West, up to about Eyre Peninsula, SA, and farther North, up to
about Fraser Island, QLD.
White-fronted Terns are found on the open ocean, the Australian
pelagic and
on the coastline on coastal rockfaces,
beaches,
sandspits and bars.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
White-fronted Terns were spotted by T. Morris on two occasions,
at Town Beach, Port Macquarie, NSW, in August 2011 and at Point Plomer,
Limeburners
Creek NP, in October 2012.
A White-fronted Tern was also seen by us on a pelagic to the edge of
the continental shelf, 22 nautical miles (40 km) from Terrigal, NSW,
in July 2013.
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Photos |
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ADULT |
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BREEDING |
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White-fronted Tern in breeding
plumage;
click on photo to see White-fronted Terns, far left and right, on rocks
together with Crested
Terns; the White-fronted Tern on the
left is in breeding
plumage, the one on the right is in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of T. Morris)
[Point Plomer, Limeburners NP, NSW, October 2012]
Dorsal view of a White-fronted Tern in breeding
plumage in flight
[22 NM (40 km) ESE of Terrigal, NSW, July 2013]
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NON-BREEDING |
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Lateral view of a White-fronted Tern in non-breeding
plumage on a
beach
(photo courtesy of T. Morris)
[Port Macquarie, NSW, August 2011]
Lateral view of a White-fronted Tern in non-breeding
plumage
in flight (photo courtesy of T. Morris)
[Port Macquarie, NSW, August 2011]
Three White-fronted Terns in non-breeding plumage in low flight
(photo courtesy of T. Morris)
[Point Plomer, Limeburners NP, NSW, October 2012]
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors.
The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.