Lesser Crested Tern

Thalasseus bengalensis (Lesson, RP, 1831)

Lesser Crested Tern, Thalasseus bengalensis, breeds on coasts and islands across Africa, the Oriental Region and Australasia, with scattered colonies in the southern Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean and nearby seas, including northern Australia. Outside the breeding season it moves through subtropical and tropical Old World waters from north-west Africa to New Guinea. It is a tern in the family Laridae. The bird is known for its orange bill, black cap and black legs in summer, while the forehead turns white in winter. Its grey rump is a useful feature for identifying it in flight.

Order

Charadriiformes

Family

Laridae — Gulls, Terns, Skimmers

Breeding range

Africa, Oriental Region, Australasia: disjunctly, coasts of sc Mediterranean, Indian Ocean and marginal seas, and n Australia

Nonbreeding range

to subtropical and tropical Old World waters from nw Africa to New Guinea