Roseate Tern

Roseate Tern, breeding adult; Puerto Rico; June

About the photographs

About the map

Play sound from this species

Roseate Tern, breeding pair; Great Gull I., NY; July

Roseate Tern, juvenile; Great Gull Is., NY; August

Menu

1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A medium-sized tern similar in appearance to several other species, the Roseate Tern is primarily a tropical bird. It breeds across the globe in tropical oceans, and reaches into the temperate zone in the northern Atlantic, where it breeds in scattered localities.

Description

• Medium-sized tern.
• White with black cap.
• Tail long and deeply forked.
• Wings white.
• Bill black.

• Size: 33-41 cm (13-16 in)
• Weight: 90-140 g (3.18-4.94 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike.

Sound

Call a sharp, high-pitched, two-noted "chi,vik" or "ki,rik."

Conservation Status

The Canadian Wildlife Service lists Roseate Tern as Threatened. The U.S. Department of Interior lists the northeastern population as Endangered and the Caribbean population as Threatened, and the global status of the Roseate Tern is considered ?near Threatened.?

Other Names

Sterne de Dougall (French)
Charrán Rosada, Gaviotina, Palometa (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• In Roseate Terns that breed in the Northeast, the bill is black in May, becomes progressively redder from the base toward the tip during June and July, and turns blacker again in August. In Caribbean birds, the bill is one-third to one-half red in May, and becomes mostly red during June and July.
• Once heavily collected for the plume trade, and vulnerable to egg collectors, Roseate Tern numbers increased following the protection of colonies in North America. Breeding colonies in the Caribbean are still vulnerable to eggers, who preferentially seek the eggs of this species because of supposed aphrodisiac properties.

Sources used to construct this page:

Gochfeld, M., J. Burger, and I. C. T. Nisbet. 1998. Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii). In The Birds of North America, No. 370 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.