BirdUp · Species
Greater Crested Tern
Thalasseus bergii(Lichtenstein, MHC, 1823)
Updated
- Order
- CHARADRIIFORMES
- Family
- Laridae
- Genus
- Thalasseus
At a glance
The Greater Crested Tern is a large bird, about 40–50 cm long, native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.
- Size
- 40–50 cm
- Origin
- Native
- Best seen
- Year-round
- Commonness
- Very common
01 · Identification
How to tell it apart
What does a Greater Crested Tern look like?
The Greater Crested Tern is a large bird, about 40–50 cm long and weighing 190–430 g.
The greater crested tern, also called crested tern, swift tern, or great crested tern, is a tern in the family Laridae that nests in dense colonies on coastlines and islands in the tropical and subtropical Old World. Its four or five subspecies breed in the area from South Africa around the Indian Ocean to the central Pacific and Australia, all populations dispersing widely from the breeding range after nesting. This large tern is closely related to other species in its genus, but can be distinguished by its darker, battleship-grey upperparts, white forehead even in full breeding plumage, and greenish-tinged yellow bill colour.
Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
03 · When
When to look
When can you see a Greater Crested Tern?
The Greater Crested Tern is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
04 · Voice
What it sounds like
Call
Sam Hambly · Western Australia, AU
05 · Behaviour
Habits and haunts
What does a Greater Crested Tern eat?
The Greater Crested Tern feeds on fish/invertebrates, usually foraging in flocks or alone.
06 · Gallery
Plumage up close
4 photos
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