Sooty Tern
A species of Tropical Pelagic Terns Scientific name : Onychoprion fuscatus Genus : Tropical Pelagic Terns
Sooty Tern, A species of Tropical Pelagic Terns
Botanical name: Onychoprion fuscatus
Genus: Tropical Pelagic Terns
Content
Description General Info
Description
This is a large tern, similar in size to the Sandwich tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis) at 33–36 cm (13–14 in) long with an 82–94 cm (32.5–37 in) wingspan. The wings and deeply forked tail are long, and it has dark black upperparts and white underparts. It has black legs and bill. The average life span is 32 years. Juvenile sooty terns are scaly grey above and below. The sooty tern is unlikely to be confused with any tern apart from the similarly dark-backed but smaller bridled tern (O. anaethetus). It is darker-backed than that species, and has a broader white forehead and no pale neck collar. The call is a loud piercing ker-wack-a-wack or kvaark.
Size
36-41 cm (14-16 in)
Life Expectancy
26-36 years
Feeding Habits
Sooty Tern primarily feed on fish and some squid, diving from the air to capture prey near the surface. They exhibit unique aerial foraging techniques, often feeding over open ocean waters.
Habitat
Warm tropical seas
Nest Behavior
Sooty Tern may begin breeding at 6 years, with pre-breeding activities including nocturnal site visits. They display courtship flights and ground displays, and both sexes participate in nest building
Nest Characteristics
Sooty Tern nests are a simple construction, often a shallow scrape in the soil with occasional lining of leaves. Typically found on the ground in open areas or sometimes beneath shrub edges.
Dite type
Piscivorous
General Info
Species Status
Not globally threatened.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Shorebirds Family
Gulls Genus
Tropical Pelagic Terns Species
Sooty Tern