Lesser Crested Tern
Thalasseus bengalensis· 鸥科(1 photos)
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Locations:
Lesser Crested Tern
37-42 cm; span c. 90 cm. Smaller, paler than Crested, with orange bill. Breeding Plumage: black cap extends nearly to base of bill; white spots on forehead. Non-breeding: bill duller; forehead white, streaked black on crown. Immature: dark shoulder mark, mottled brownish above; outer primaries, outer tail feathers sooty.
like Crested Tern.
- Habitat
- offshore waters; islands, cays, reefs, beaches.
- Breeding
- Oct.-Dec.; April-May, depending on location.
- Eggs
- 1; light stone-coloured, blotched, spotted dark purple, underlying lavender marks; in scrape, in colony, on island.
- Range & Status
- coastal n. Aust.: from Shark Bay (WA) to c. Brisbane (Q); breeds from Bedout and Adele Is. (WA) to Capricorn Group, s. Gt Barrier Reef (Q); casual NSW, sw. WA. Also Solomons-PNG-Indonesia to Red Sea, w. Mediterranean. Sedentary.
- Distribution key to races
- 1. Thalasseus bengalensis torresii
