The summer adult has a black cap, black legs and a long sharp orange bill. The upperwings, rump and central tail feathers are grey and the underparts white. The primary flight feathers darken during the summer. In winter, the forehead becomes white. The call is a loud grating noise like Sandwich Tern.The grey rump is a useful flight identification feature distinguishing it from the related species. The Elegant Tern also differs in a slightly longer, slenderer bill, while Chinese Crested Tern differs in a black tip to the bill and Sandwich Tern a black bill with a yellow tip. Juvenile Lesser Crested Terns resemble same-age Sandwich Terns, but with a yellow-orange bill, and paler overall, with only faint dark crescents on the mantle feathers.
Not Threatened.
The summer adult has a black cap, black legs and a long sharp orange bill. The upperwings, rump and central tail feathers are grey and the underparts white. The primary flight feathers darken during the summer. In winter, the forehead becomes white. The call is a loud grating noise like Sandwich Tern.The grey rump is a useful flight identification feature distinguishing it from the related species. The Elegant Tern also differs in a slightly longer, slenderer bill, while Chinese Crested Tern differs in a black tip to the bill and Sandwich Tern a black bill with a yellow tip. Juvenile Lesser Crested Terns resemble same-age Sandwich Terns, but with a yellow-orange bill, and paler overall, with only faint dark crescents on the mantle feathers.
This is a medium-large tern, very similar in size and general appearance to its three very close relatives Sandwich Tern, Elegant Tern and Chinese Crested Tern.
Taxonomy:
- Sterna bengalensis Lesson, 1831, coasts of India. Genus often merged with Sterna. Forms superspecies with T. elegans and T. sandvicensis, and perhaps T. bernsteini, and subspecific status has even been suggested. Often treated as monotypic, but described races based on subtle variation in plumage tone of upperparts and size: much overlap and intergradation, however, as well as intermediate populations, and distributions of races are confused; racial divisions require revision. Mediterranean and Red Sea birds sometimes classified together as race par; emigrata may be synonymous with torresii, a.. View all taxonomy... (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Subspecies and Distribution:
- * emigrata (Neumann, 1934) - Libya; most winter off W African coast. * bengalensis (Lesson, 1831) - Red Sea, and presumed to be this race in Pakistan, Laccadives and Maldives; winters S to S Africa and Sri Lanka. * torresii Gould, 1843 - Persian Gulf, and from Sulawesi to New Guinea and N Australia; in winter extends into N Indian and SW Pacific Oceans.
Tropical and subtropical coasts.
Mainly fish and shrimps. Feeds mainly on herring and prawns.
May-Jun in Persian Gulf, May-Jun in N Australia