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Elegant Tern

Sterna elegansOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Skuas, Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae)
Codes: Common Name: ELTE Scientific Name: THAELE ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176925

Breeding Location:

Islands, sandy or rocky



Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Colonial



Breeding Population:

Expanding northward, Increasing



Egg Color:

White to pink buff with black or dark brown marks



Number of Eggs:

2



Incubation Days:

20 - 30



Egg Incubator:

Both sexes



Nest Material:

No nest materials.



Migration:

Migratory



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General

Elegant Tern: Medium-sized tern with pale gray upperparts and white underparts that may be tinged pink. Black cap has shaggy crest; orange or red-orange bill is long and slightly decurved. Outermost primaries have faint black smudges. Tail is deeply forked and legs are black. Sexes are similar. Winter adult has receded black cap with white forehead. Juvenile is similar to winter adult but with back faintly spotted brown and yellow bill and legs.

Range and Habitat

Elegant Tern: Breeds only in five breeding colonies: three in southern California, and two in northwestern Mexico. Spends winters along the Pacific coast from central Mexico to Chile. Preferred habitats include shallow estuaries and bays.

Breeding and Nesting

Elegant Tern: Two white to pink buff eggs marked with black or dark brown are laid in a shallow ground scrape near water. Incubation ranges from 20 to 30 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Elegant Tern: Feeds on fish; forages by hovering over shallow water and then plunge diving.

Vocalization

Elegant Tern: Call is a grating "karreck, karreck, karreck."

Similar Species

Elegant Tern: Royal Tern is larger with thicker, shorter, straight bill and shorter crest.

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Family Tern (Laridae)_blue
Species Sterna elegans
Length16 - 17 Inches
Wingspan34 Inches

Elegant Tern

Elegant Tern: Medium tern, pale gray upperparts, white underparts may have pink tint. Black cap has shaggy crest; orange or red-orange bill is long, slightly decurved. Outermost primaries have faint black smudges. Tail deeply forked, legs are black. Hovers above water before diving.

● Song: "karreck, karreck, karreck"

● Foraging & Feeding: Elegant Tern: Feeds on fish; forages by hovering over shallow water and then plunge diving.

● Breeding & nesting: Elegant Tern: Two white to pink buff eggs marked with black or dark brown are laid in a shallow ground scrape near water. Incubation ranges from 20 to 30 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Elegant Tern: Royal Tern is larger with thicker, shorter, straight bill and shorter crest.

Flight Pattern

Light buoyant flight on steady wing beats.
Elegant Tern Breeding Adult Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Elegant Tern: Breeds only in five breeding colonies: three in southern California, and two in northwestern Mexico. Spends winters along the Pacific coast from central Mexico to Chile. Preferred habitats include shallow estuaries and bays.
BreedingMonogamous, Colonial
PopulationExpanding northward, Increasing
MigrationMigratory
Weight9 Ounces
UnderpartsX
Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.
UpperpartsX
Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.
CapX
The area on top of the head of the bird.
PrimariesX
The primaries are the flight feathers specialized for flight. They are attached to the "hand" equivalent part of the wing.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX