Medium. Long forked tail, with streamers extending well beyond wings when at rest. Sexes alike.
Adults: Breeding: Cap, black, separated from bill by a white saddle. White rear collar. Eye, dark brown. Back, most of wings, grey. Outer primaries have dark grey outer web, trailing edge of primaries, grey. Tail, white, deeply forked, the outer tail feathers black. Underparts, underwing, white. Bill, black, slender. Legs, red-brown. Non-breeding: Similar to breeding plumage but forehead and forecrown, white. Primaries greyish, outermost primary has black outer web. Tail, greyish and shorter. Bill, black, slender. Legs, red-brown.
Immatures: Forehead, whitish. Remainder of cap, blackish-brown. Back, wing coverts, strongly barred black. Shoulder bar, broad and black. Primaries, tail, dark grey with black tips. In flight pale grey secondaries form a wedge between black wing tips and black shoulders. Dark back contrast with grey rump.
White-fronted Tern (Sterna striata) [XC152983]
by James Lidster from Foxton Beach, Horowhenua District, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand (call)
White-fronted Tern (Sterna striata) [XC293092]
by nick talbot from South Bay, approx 7 km S, near Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand (call)
Nest
A depression in sand or gravel, usually on a beach above the high water mark. In colonies.
Eggs (Guide)
2, occasionally 3; slightly glossy, stone, blotched and spotted with umber and grey; oval; about 46 x 33 mm. Incubation: about 25 days; by both sexes.
Young
Precocial, semi-nidifugous. Both parents feed and brood young. Fledge in 29 - 35 days.
Subspecies
Sometimes considered monotypic, and validity of subspecies requires study.
The following 3 subspecies are recognised:
incerta Gmelin, 1789 - Flinders I and Cape Barren I, off north-eastern Tasmania.
striata Gmelin, 1789 - North I, South I and Stewart I (New Zealand).
aucklandorna Mathews, 1929 - Chatham Is, Auckland Is, and possibly Snares Is.
Similar Species
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)
Slightly smaller. Non-breeding with non-breeding. Upperparts are greyer. In flight, trailing edges to the primaries are dark. Bill is shorter.
Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea)
Smaller. Non-breeding with non-breeding. Upperparts are greyer. In flight, trailing edges to the primaries are dark. Bill is shorter.
Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii)
Smaller. Non-breeding with non-breeding. Shoulder bar is greyer. Tail streamers do not extend past the wingtips. Wing beats shallower and more fluttering.
Compare Images
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
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BirdLife International Species Factsheet