Photo 5 shows a juvenile bird with barring on the tertials.
| Previous Page | Back to Index | Next Page |
| South American Tern (Sterna hirundinacea) |
||||
|
The South American Tern is distributed on the coasts of South America from Tierra del Fuego north to Peru on the Pacific and to Espírito Santo on the Atlantic. It is rarely found away from the coast where it nests on beaches and cliffs although we saw a few individuals inland on the lakes at Torres del Paine. | |||
|
It is very similar to Common Tern S. hirundo in breeding plumage but is larger and has a longer bill and tail. Photos 1 and 2 show birds in breeding plumage with a completely black cap. Photos 3 and 4 show non-breeding adults with white foreheads. Photo 5 shows a juvenile bird with barring on the tertials. |
|||
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|