All photos copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Common Tern
Latin: Sterna hirundo
Other: Sterne pierregarin (Fr) • Charrán común (Es) • Andorinha-do-mar-comum (Pt) • Sterna comune (It) • Fluss-Seeschwalbe (De) • Visdief (Nl) • Fisktärna (Sv)
Family: Sternidae • Terns
Range: Widespread

The Common Tern is a summer visitor to the Côte d’Azur from April and good numbers can be seen in the Var estuary, where it breeds. Nests are often simple affairs - a couple of branches and a dip in the ground. One parent stays with the eggs or chicks while the other brings back fish. Common Terns seem to like to stand on rocks that just protrude from the flowing river. The dry river bed stones camouflage the birds well.

The Common Tern can be identified, in summer plumage, by its bright red bill with black tip, forked tail and red legs. In the Mediterranean it is unlikely to be confused with another tern as the only others with similar bill colour are the much larger Roseate Tern and the darker smaller Whiskered Tern, both are also less common and behave differently.

In the Northern winter Common Terns migrate south and exchange their distinctive black-tipped red bill and black cap for a black bill and white forehead. They can be distinguished from other similar terns by the dark mark on the fold of wing, very dark red legs, and tail streamers shorter than wing when standing.

Many more Common Tern photos here.









More photos...

Photos copyright: AW/monacoeye • Do not copy • Iceland • May 2010

Bird name: Arctic Tern
Latin: Sterna paradisaea
Other:
Family: Sternidae • Terns
Range: Arctic and sub-Arctic breeding. Migrating to Antarctica.

The Arctic Tern is the only Tern seen in Iceland. These were seen out at sea in May.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Mostardas, Brazil • November 2009

Bird name: Large Billed Tern
Latin: Phaetusa simplex
Other: Trinta-réis-grande (Br)
Family: Sternidae • Terns

The Large-billed Tern can be identified by its large size, large yellow bill and dark primaries. More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Mostardas, Brazil • November 2009

Bird name: Yellow Billed Tern
Latin: Sternula superciliaris
Other: Sterna superciliaris • Trinta-réis-anão (Br)
Family: Sternidae • Terns

The Yellow-billed Tern is a coastal South-American Tern. It has a yellow bill in all seasons. Its first five primary feather (at the end of the wing) are black.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Mostardas, Brazil • November 2009

Bird name: Snowy Crowned Tern
Latin: Sterna trudeaui
Other: Trudeau’s Tern • Trinta-réis-de-coroa-branca (Br)
Family: Sternidae • Terns

The Snowy-crowned Tern is fairly easy to recognise as it’s the only Tern in Brazil with a white head and dark eye-stripe. In the breeding season, its bill base is orange, the middle is black and the tip is yellow, as pictured here. Outside of the breeding season the orange part turns black.

The Snowy-crowned Tern lives in south-eastern South America.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Mostardas, Brazil • November 2009

Bird name: Gull Billed Tern
Latin: Gelochelidon nilotica
Other: Sterna nilotica • Trinta-réis-de-bico-preto (Br) • Sterne hansel (Fr)
Family: Sternidae • Terns

Almost certainly a Gull-billed Tern, flying above the marshes of Lagoa do Peixe in Southern Brazil.More photos...

Photos copyright: monacoeye • Nice • May 2009 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: White Winged Tern
Latin: Chlidonias leucopterus
Other: Guifette leucoptère
Family: Sternidae • Terns

This White Winged Tern behaved very much like the Whiskered Terns, also Marsh Terns, which could be seen last week, swooping down to the surface of the water. It has a very distinctive black head and beak. According to Collins, not very common in Western Europe.More photos...

Bird name: Little Tern
Latin: Sterna albifrons
Other: Sternula albifrons • Sterne naine
Family: Sternidae • Terns

Photos: monacoeye • Hyeres • May 2009

Quite a few Little Terns in Hyeres yesterday. The Little Tern is the smallest of the sea terns. Adults in summer plumage have a black-tipped yellow bill and black cap with white forehead.More photos...

Bird name: South American Tern
Latin: Sterna hirundinacea
Family: Sternidae • Terns

Photos: monacoeye • Brazil • April

A blurry photo of a South American Tern from a few years ago…More photos...

Bird name: Sandwich Tern
Latin: Sterna sandvicensis
Other: Thalasseus sandvicensis • Sterne caugek
Family: Sternidae • Terns

Photos: monacoeye • Hyeres • February 2009

A couple of Sandwich Terns seen on the beach in Hyeres. Summer adults have black bills with yellow tips.More photos...

Bird name: Whiskered Tern
Latin: Chlidonias hybridus
Other: Guifette Moustac (Fr)
Family: Sternidae • Terns

Photos: monacoeye • Nice • April 2009

The Whiskered Tern is the largest of the Marsh Terns (Fr: Guifettes) - seen here recently reappeared by Nice Airport.

Whereas the Common Terns fly high and fast, or in large flocks which fish in the sea off shore, these Whiskered Terns (if that’s indeed what they are) appeared more solitary, seen in ones and twos, and behaved similarly to nearby swallows, swooping around near the mouth of the river, occasionally skimming the water.More photos...