BirdUp · Species
Sooty Tern
Onychoprion fuscatus(Linnaeus, 1766)
Updated
- Order
- CHARADRIIFORMES
- Family
- Laridae
- Genus
- Onychoprion
At a glance
The Sooty Tern is a medium-sized bird, about 33–36 cm long, listed as Least Concern and native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.
- Size
- 33–36 cm
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
- Origin
- Native
- Best seen
- Year-round
- Commonness
- Very common
01 · Identification
How to tell it apart
What does a Sooty Tern look like?
The Sooty Tern is a medium-sized bird, about 33–36 cm long and weighing 147–240 g.
The sooty tern is a tern in the family Laridae. It is a seabird of the tropical oceans and can fly for years at a time, skimming the sea surface for food, and returning to land only to breed, on islands throughout the equatorial zone.
Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
03 · When
When to look
When can you see a Sooty Tern?
The Sooty 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
05 · Behaviour
Habits and haunts
What does a Sooty Tern eat?
The Sooty Tern feeds on fish/invertebrates, usually foraging in flocks.
06 · Gallery
Plumage up close
2 photos
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