Chinese Crested Tern

Thalasseus bernsteini (Schlegel, 1863)

Chinese Crested Tern, Thalasseus bernsteini, breeds on islands off Zhejiang and Fujian on the east coast of China and appears outside the breeding season in the Philippines, Borneo, Halmahera and Seram. It is a tern in the gull family. The bird is most readily recognised by its bill pattern, with a yellow bill ending in black, and by the black crown it shows in the breeding season. It also has a pale grey back and wings, a white tail and a white rump. It is a critically endangered species and was once thought to be extinct.

Order

Charadriiformes

Family

Laridae — Gulls, Terns, Skimmers

Breeding range

Palearctic: islands off Zhejiang and Fujian (e China coast)

Nonbreeding range

Philippines, Borneo, Halmahera (n Moluccas) and Seram (ec Moluccas; few records anywhere)