Damara Tern

Sternula balaenarum Strickland, 1853

Damara Tern, Sternula balaenarum, is a small tern that breeds along the coast of southern Angola, Namibia and South Africa, and spends the non-breeding season as far north as Ghana. It is a member of the Laridae family and was described by Strickland in 1853. Its breeding grounds are on arid shorelines, especially sheltered bays, estuaries, lagoons and reefs, with nesting on gravel plains between dunes and on salt pans. In breeding plumage it shows a black cap and a very pale grey back, and in flight a black triangular wing tip is visible.

Order

Charadriiformes

Family

Laridae — Gulls, Terns, Skimmers

Breeding range

Africa: coastal s Angola, Namibia and South Africa

Nonbreeding range

to Ghana