adult summer

adult summer adult winter European distribution adult in flight

Identification

Imagine a tern that's as big as a gull and looks like it has a big carrot in its head where the bill should be. That's a Caspian Tern. The large size and massive red bill are usually enough to allow easy identification, at least in Europe, but another useful feature is the obvious black area on the underside of the primaries giving a rather Gannet-like impression.

Habitat

Breed mostly on offshore islands but feed at brackish lagoons, freshwater lakes and estuaries.

Migration

A long distance migrant with the Baltic and Black Sea populations wintering mainly along the Niger River of west Africa. Birds from the Russian Volga winter in the Persian Gulf along the east and south coasts of that region.

This information is taken from the BirdFile on the appropriate BirdGuides DVD-ROM. As well as video and sounds, our CD- and DVD-ROMs contain additional text on Voice, Sexing, Ageing, Food, Nests and Eggs and more.

For the purposes of our bird news services, Caspian Tern is classed as Rare: species currently considered for acceptance by the British Birds Rarities Committee (or forms of equivalent rarity).

Loch of Strathbeg, Aberdeenshire 21/06/2010	Loch of Strathbeg, Aberdeenshire 21/06/2010	Loch of Strathbeg, Aberdeenshire 21/06/2010	Khijadiya, Gujarat, India 14/02/2010	Sanyang, Western Division, Gambia 11/03/2010
Sanyang, Western Division, Gambia 11/03/2010	El Gouna, Al-Bahr Al-Ahmar (Red Sea), Egypt 14/03/2010	Tanji, Western Division, Gambia 11/03/2010	Hurghada, Egypt 16/02/2010	Kotu Bridge, Gambia 23/03/2009

 View all pictures of Caspian Tern

This species has been reported in the following areas (Bird News Extra subscribers can click a county name for more details):

Caspian Tern breeds in the following countries (Bird News Extra subscribers will see population statistics and information on trends for each country):

Azerbaijan
Estonia
Finland
Germany
Russia
Sweden
Turkey
Ukraine

http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob6060.htm   BTO BirdFacts: Caspian Tern	Edit this link
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