River Tern
Sterna aurantia
Common Names:
River tern, the Indian River tern, Common River tern
Taxonomy:
Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Aves
Order : Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Genus : Sterna
Species : S. aurantia Gray, 1831
Conservation Status:
IUCN : Vulnerable
CITES : Not listed
IWPAA : Schedule I
U.S. ESA : Not listed
Distribution:
The River tern has a wide range across southern Asia. In India, it is found throughout the country, inhabiting rivers and freshwater lakes, occasionally occurring on estuaries.
Distribution of River Tern (Source: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22694537/180171504)
Characteristics, Habitat and Behaviour:
The River tern is a slender bird, about the size of a pigeon, with grey upper parts, black cap on the head, yellow beak, long pointed wings, a deeply-forked tail and short, yellow stubby legs. Both the sexes look alike. During the breeding season, February to May, it has a deep glossy black head and nape. The juveniles do not have the black markings but have grey, speckled upper parts. It is a resident breeder in the region, found along most of the inland rivers, and breeds on sandy islands. It spends a great portion of its time fishing. It predominantly feeds on fish, small crustaceans and insects. More likely to be sighted in flight than on the ground, it has a distinctive slightly jerky flight and flies in circling curves when fishing.
Major Threats:
- The nesting areas are vulnerable to flooding and predation.
- Excessive human disturbance on sand-beds has also caused a decline in the population.
- Construction of dams potentially poses threat to the species via changes in the flow regime and flooding of nest-sites.
References :
Gochfeld, M., Burger, J., & de Juana, E. (2015). "Black-bellied Tern (Sterna acuticauda)". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
http://www.naturemagnified.com
http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3259
Last Updated: July 24, 2023