A slim, elegant river bird with a very dramatic outfit. In breeding season, adults have a pale grey back, white throat and chest, and a belly that turns a deep, velvety black—like they’re wearing a grey jacket over a black shirt. Their wings are long and pointed, and their tail is sharply forked, giving them a very sleek, swallow-like look in the air. The bill and legs glow yellow to orange, and the head is capped with black, making the white cheeks stand out. Outside the breeding season, they swap this sharp look for a much plainer one: the belly becomes whitish again, the tail looks shorter, and the colours are softer, helping them blend in as they travel along big rivers.
This tern is a true river specialist of South Asia. Instead of living along the sea, it sticks to large, slow-moving rivers, lakes, and wetlands across parts of Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar. It spends much of its time flying low over the water, beating its wings steadily rather than gliding for long periods like some seabirds. When feeding, it skims along picking insects from just above the surface or makes quick, slanting dives to snatch small fish, tadpoles, and crustaceans.
These birds lay their eggs on flat sandy islands, sandbars, or open shores in the middle of wide rivers. The nest is usually just a shallow scrape in the sand, sometimes with a few small stones or bits of shell. The eggs are speckled and match the sand very well, so they’re hard to spot unless you almost step on them. Pairs may nest near one another and alongside other river birds, forming loose, mixed colonies.
Distribution
Bangladesh
Cambodia
China
India
Laos
Myanmar
Nepal
Pakistan
Thailand
VietnamAnything we've missed?
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Terrestrial / Aquatic
Altricial / Precocial
Polygamous / Monogamous
Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic
Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal
Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Flock
Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore
Migratory: Yes / No
Domesticated: Yes / No
Dangerous: Yes / No
