Sooty Tern

Onychoprion fuscatus (Linnaeus, 1766)

Sooty Tern, Onychoprion fuscatus, breeds across tropical and subtropical oceans and is a seabird of the family Laridae. It is a highly marine tern that comes ashore only to nest, doing so on islands in equatorial waters. Its breeding sites are on rocky or coral islands, where it lays a single egg in a ground scrape or hole. The bird has long wings and tail, dark upperparts, white underparts and forehead, black legs and bill, and a black tail with white outer edges. It is also known for a loud call.

Order

Charadriiformes

Family

Laridae — Gulls, Terns, Skimmers

Breeding range

Tropical Ocean: widespread in all tropical and subtropical oceans