Aleutian Tern

Sterna aleuticaOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Skuas, Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae)

Codes: Common Name: ALTE Scientific Name: ONYALE ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176893

Aleutian Tern: The male Aleutian Tern has a white forehead, and black cap, bill, and legs. Its underparts and upperparts are medium gray which contrast with a pure white rump and tail.

Aleutian Tern Variations

Juvenile
Aleutian Tern

Breeding Adult
Aleutian Tern

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

Aleutian Tern: A medium tern, with white forehead, black cap, bill, and legs, gray under and upperparts, white rump and tail. Undertail coverts, cheeks, and area below cap are white. Wing projects beyond tip of tail at rest. Strong direct flight with deep wing beats, often high above water.

Range and Habitat

Aleutian Tern: This bird breeds in coastal areas of southern and western Alaska. Breeding colonies located along coast of Chukchi Sea, on Seward Peninsula, along Alaska Peninsula, in widely scattered locations in Aleutian Islands, in Kodiak Archipelago, on Kenai Peninsula and Copper River delta, and along Gulf of Alaska. Breeding colonies are located on flat vegetated islands, dwarf-shrub tundra, grass and sedge meadows, sandy spits and islands, and freshwater marshes. Aleutian Tern is not known to winter in North America.

Topo Map: Gull-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"twee-ee-ee, chif-chu-ak", "chip"

Interesting Facts

The Aleutian tern was first discovered on Kodiak Island and was named with the expectation that it would be found breeding in the Aleutians. It wasn't until years later that this theory was proven correct.

They were once thought to be rare, but studies have documented more birds in recent years. Latest population estimates put their numbers at about 10,000.

They usually nests among Arctic Terns, who are known to be defensive of their nests. The Aleutians are able to take advantage of this behavior, and make no attempt to defend their own nests.

A group of terns are collectively known as a "ternery" or a "U" of terns.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

Related Birds

Arctic Tern
Common Tern
Least Tern
White-winged Tern

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Aleutian Tern

● Song: "twee-ee-ee, chif-chu-ak", "chip"

● Foraging & Feeding: Aleutian Tern: Usually forages in shallow water, including tidal rips, along rivers, and over inshore marine waters. Occasionally adults and fledglings catch insects by hawking over freshwater ponds and marshes. Searches for food from moderate heights, by swooping down to pick prey items from the surface; by hovering and diving to shallow depths; and by sitting on the surface and dipping. Eats primarily fish and zooplankton.

● Breeding & nesting: Aleutian Tern: One to three olive to buff eggs with dark brown markings are laid in a depression on the ground, near water. Nest is lined with plant matter, including moss and matted grasses. Incubation ranges from 22 to 23 days and is carried out by both sexes. Both parents feed the young.

● Similar species: Aleutian Tern: In Alaska, it might be confused with similarly-sized Arctic and Common Terns. The Aleutian Tern has a distinctive white forehead and a dark bar on the secondaries while Arctic Tern Breeding Adult has a black forehead and crown which extend onto nape.

Flight Pattern

Strong direct flight with graceful deep wing beats often high above water., Often hovers before dipping into water for food.

● Range & Habitat: Aleutian Tern: This bird breeds in coastal areas of southern and western Alaska. Breeding colonies located along coast of Chukchi Sea, on Seward Peninsula, along Alaska Peninsula, in widely scattered locations in Aleutian Islands, in Kodiak Archipelago, on Kenai Peninsula and Copper River delta, and along Gulf of Alaska. Breeding colonies are located on flat vegetated islands, dwarf-shrub tundra, grass and sedge meadows, sandy spits and islands, and freshwater marshes. Aleutian Tern is not known to winter in North America.

^BreedingMonogamous

^PopulationUncommon to locally common

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight4.2 Ounces

Gull-like Body

Undertail coverts

Small feathers that cover the areas where the retrices (tail feathers) attach to the rump.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Cap

The area on top of the head of the bird.

Rump

The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

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.

Field Guide to Birds of North America

Aleutian Tern

Aleutian Tern Variations

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

Range and Habitat

Topo Map: Gull-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

Interesting Facts

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Related Birds

Aleutian Tern

Flight Pattern