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Tern

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For other uses, see Tern (disambiguation).

Terns
Greater Crested Tern
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Order:
Charadriiformes
Suborder:
Lari
Family:
Sternidae

Bonaparte, 1838
Genera

Terns are seabirds in the family Sternidae, previously considered a subfamily of the gull family Laridae. They form a lineage with the gulls and skimmers which in turn is related to skuas and auks. Terns have a worldwide distribution.

Taxonomy

Terns were previously considered a subfamily (Sterninae) of the gull family Laridae, but are now usually treated as a separate family Sternidae.[1] Most terns were formerly treated as belonging to one large genus Sterna, with the other genera being small. In 1959, only the noddies and the Inca Tern were considered as separate genera.[2][3] However analysis of DNA sequences supports the splitting of Sterna into several smaller genera.[4][3]

A study of part of the cyt b gene sequence found a closer relationship between terns and the Thinocori, some species of aberrant waders.[5] These results are in disagreement with other molecular and morphological studies, and are best interpreted to prove an extraordinary amount of molecular convergent evolution between the terns and these waders, or as retention of an ancient genotype.[6]

The common English name for this group and the original genus name, Sterna,[7] appear to be derived from the Old English "stearn"; a similar word was also used by the Frisians for tern.[8] "Stearn" appears in the poem The Seafarer, written around 1000 AD.[8]

Classification

According the mtDNA studies and review by Bridge et al,[4] the genera and species of terns are as follows:

  • Genus Hydroprogne - Caspian Tern
Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica)
  • Genus Larosterna - Inca Tern
Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybridus)
River Tern (Sterna aurantia)

Description

They are, in general, medium to large birds, typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head. They have longish bills and webbed feet. They are lighter bodied and more streamlined than gulls, and look elegant in flight with long tails and long narrow wings.[9] Terns in the genus Sterna have deeply forked tails, those in Chlidonias and Larosterna shallowly forked tails, while the noddies (genera Anous, Procelsterna, Gygis) have unusual 'notched wedge' shaped tails, the longest tail feathers being the middle-outer, not the central nor the outermost. Terns ranges in size from the Least Tern, at 42 g (1.5 oz) and 23 cm (9 inches), to the Caspian Tern, at 630 g (1.4 lbs) and 53 cm (21 inches). They make harsh, single-note calls.

Behaviour

Many terns breeding in temperate zones are long-distance migrants, and the Arctic Tern probably sees more daylight than any other creature, as it migrates from its northern breeding grounds to Antarctic waters.[9] One Arctic Tern, ringed as a chick (not yet able to fly) on the Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast in eastern Great Britain in summer 1982, reached Melbourne, Australia in October 1982, a sea journey of over 22,000 km (14,000 statute miles) in just three months from fledging—an average of over 240 km per day, and one of the longest journeys ever recorded for a bird.

Feeding

Most terns (Sterna and the noddies) hunt fish by diving, often hovering first, but the marsh terns (Chlidonias) pick insects of the surface of fresh water. Terns only glide infrequently; a few species, notably Sooty Tern, will soar high above the sea. Apart from bathing, they only rarely swim, despite having webbed feet.

Breeding

Terns generally nest in large, densely packed colonies (an exception to this is the White Tern). Depending on the species and habitat, the nests may consist of unlined scrapes in the ground, or of flimsy collections of sticks on trees or floating vegetation.[9] Terns are generally long-lived birds, with several species now known to live in excess of 25–30 years.

See also

Seabird breeding behavior

References

  1. ^ van Tuinen, Marcel (2004). "Avian molecular systematics on the rebound: a fresh look at modern shorebird phylogenetic relationships". Journal of Avian Biology. 35 (3): 191–194. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Moynihan, M. (1959). "A revision of the family Laridae". American Museum Novitates. 1928: 1–42. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  3. ^ a b Collinson, M. (2006). "Splitting headaches? Recent taxonomic changes affecting the British and Western Palaearctic lists". British Birds. 99 (6): 306–323. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help) Cite error: The named reference "collinson" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Bridge, E. S. (2005). "A phylogenetic framework for the terns (Sternini) inferred from mtDNA sequences: implications for taxonomy and plumage evolution" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 35: 459–469. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2004.12.010. PMID 15804415. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Thomas, Gavin H. (2004). "Phylogeny of shorebirds, gulls, and alcids (Aves: Charadrii) from the cytochrome-b gene: parsimony, Bayesian inference, minimum evolution, and quartet puzzling". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 30 (3): 521–526. doi:10.1016/S1055-7903(03)00222-7. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |1= and |month= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Paton, Tara A. (2006). "Sequences from 14 mitochondrial genes provide a well-supported phylogeny of the Charadriiform birds congruent with the nuclear RAG-1 tree". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 39 (3): 657–667. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.01.011. PMID 16531074. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |1= and |month= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ Template:La icon Linnaeus, Carolus (1758). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Holmiae. (Laurentii Salvii). p. [1]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  8. ^ a b "Sterna". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.) Library subscription required.
  9. ^ a b c Harrison, Colin J.O. (1991). Forshaw, Joseph (ed.). Encyclopaedia of Animals: Birds. London: Merehurst Press. pp. 110–112. ISBN 1-85391-186-0.
  • del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. (editors) (1996): Handbook of Birds of the World, Volume 3: Hoatzin to Auks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ISBN 84-87334-22-9
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