Sternidae

Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 37. Chapters: Anous, Chlidonias, Gygis, Noddies, Onychoprion, Procelsterna, Sterna, Sternula, Thalasseus, Greater Crested Tern, Arctic Tern, Sooty Tern, Sandwich Tern, Least Tern, Common Tern, Roseate Tern, Black Tern, Lesser Crested Tern, Caspian Tern, Little Tern, White-winged Tern, California Least Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Whiskered Tern, River Tern, Elegant Tern, Bridled Tern, Chinese Crested Tern, Royal Tern, Black-fronted Tern, White Tern, Grey Noddy, Brown Noddy, Forster's Tern, Aleutian Tern, Black Noddy, Grey-backed Tern, Antarctic Tern, Inca Tern, Orange-billed tern, Fairy Tern, New Zealand Fairy Tern, Black-bellied Tern, Kerguelen Tern, Black-naped Tern, White-fronted Tern, Marsh tern, Large-billed Tern, Blue Noddy, South American Tern, Damara Tern, Hybridisation in terns, White-cheeked Tern, Yellow-billed Tern, Snowy-crowned Tern, Peruvian Tern, Lesser Noddy, Saunders's Tern, Little White Tern. Excerpt: The Greater Crested Tern, Crested Tern or Swift Tern, (), is a seabird in the tern family which nests in dense colonies on coastlines and islands in the tropical and subtropical Old World. Its five subspecies breed in the area from South Africa around the Indian Ocean to the central Pacific and Australia, all populations dispersing widely from the breeding range after nesting. This large tern is closely related to the Royal and Lesser Crested Terns, but can be distinguished by its size and bill colour. The Greater Crested Tern has grey upperparts, white underparts, a yellow bill, and a shaggy black crest which recedes in winter. Its young have a distinctive appearance, with strongly patterned grey, brown and white plumage, and rely on their parents for food for several months after they have fledged. Like all members of the genus Thalasseus, the Greater Crested Tern feeds by plunge diving for fish, usually in marine environments; the male offers fish to the female as part of the courtship ritual. This is an adaptable species which has learned to follow fishing boats for jettisoned bycatch, and to utilise unusual nest sites such as the roofs of buildings and artificial islands in salt pans and sewage works. Its eggs and young are taken by gulls and ibises, and human activities such as fishing, shooting and egg harvesting have caused local population declines. There are no global conservation concerns for this bird, which has a stable total population of more than 500,000 individuals. The terns, family Sternidae, are small to medium-sized seabirds closely related to the gulls, skimmers and skuas. They are gull-like in appearance, but typically have a lighter build, long pointed wings (which give them a fast, buoyant flight), a deeply forked tail and long bulgy legs. Most species are grey above and white below, and have a black cap which is reduced or flecked with white in the winter. Relationships in the genus ThalasseusThe Greater Crested Tern was originally describe