Antarctic Tern
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| iAntarctic Tern | ||||||||||||||
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| Sterna vittata Gmelin, 1789 |
The Antarctic Tern (Sterna vittata) is a typical tern. It ranges throughout the southern oceans. It is very similar in appearance to the closely related Arctic Tern. The main difference is the fact that it is in breeding plumage in the southern summer, and that the wingtips are grey instead of blackish in flight.
Breeding takes place from mid-November to early December. Chicks hatch from December to February. Skuas and Jaegers are the primary predators of this bird.
The total global population of this bird is around 140000 individuals.
[edit] Appearance
The antarctic tern is a pretty small bird at 12-15 inches long.It's bill is usually a darkish color but can sometimes be red.T his bird is white with a black spot on its forehead.The tips of this terns wings are also a greyish black.
The plumage of juveniles is white on the belly, foreneck, forehead, and breast.The back is gray and the bill is black.Immature birds have feathers simillar to adult terns.
[edit] References
- The Antarctic Tern at Birdlife International accessed August 25, 2006
- A Page about the Antarctic Tern accessed August 25, 2006
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