| Chinese crested tern | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A Chinese crested tern among greater crested terns | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Laridae |
| Genus: | Thalasseus |
| Species: | T. bernsteini |
| Binomial name | |
| Thalasseus bernsteini (Schlegel, 1863) | |
| Synonyms | |
Sterna bernsteini Contents | |
The Chinese crested tern (Thalasseus bernsteini) is a tern in the family Laridae. It is the county bird of Lienchiang County, Fuchien.
It is a medium-large tern 38–43 cm long, closely related to Sandwich tern T. sandvicensis, Cabot's tern T. acuflavidus, and lesser crested tern T. bengalensis. It is most similar to the former, differing in the bill pattern, which is the reverse of the Sandwich tern's, being yellow with a black tip; the bill is also stouter, like Cabot's. From the lesser crested tern, which it overlaps in wintering distribution, it can be told by the white rump and paler grey mantle, as well as the black tip to the stouter bill, which seen from up close also has a white point. The larger greater crested tern is also similar, differing in its all-yellow bill and darker grey mantle and rump, as well as its larger size. [2] [3] [4]
It is a critically endangered species, and previously thought extinct. Four pairs were rediscovered in 2000 nesting in a greater crested tern colony on an islet in the Matsu Islands (a territory governed by Taiwan), just off the coast of Fujian Province, China, and wintering south to the Philippines. In the past, it had a wider distribution of the Chinese east coast north to Shandong Province. The decline is thought to be due to past hunting and egg collection for food. This colony may have been protected due to the islands' disputed status (administered by the Taiwanese government but claimed by mainland China), and the military sensitivity of the area, which has restricted access. The islet has now been declared a wildlife sanctuary. It is possible that other small colonies may yet be found off the Chinese and Taiwanese coasts; migrant birds have been seen near the mouth of the Pachang River in southern Taiwan. The total population is speculated to be less than 50 birds.
In 2007, it was estimated that the Chinese crested tern would be extinct in five years if authorities would not protect it. BirdLife International stated that a survey of Chinese experts found that the number of crested terns fell to 50 birds, half the population of 2004. A Chinese survey team led by Chen Shuihua stated that the bird was "on the verge of extinction". [5] [6]
It is currently threatened by illegal egg collection, typhoons, and disturbance of nesting colonies by fishermen. There is also a threat of hybridization with the greater crested tern. [7]
In 2016, for the first time, Chinese crested terns were found breeding in South Korea. Setting up a new colony in such a faraway area would prove a boon for the species. [8]
The first recorded sighting in the Philippines was in 1886 and then in 1905 in Manila Bay and in 1937. The next records were in March 2018, and along the coastal wetlands of Panabo, Davao del Norte, in November 2019. One was found along the shores of Lingayen Gulf in August 2021. [9] [10]
Three birds were seen at the mouth of the Davao River in 2022 during the Annual Asian Waterfowl Census for migratory birds. [11]
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (Philippines) said at least 3 birds were seen in Panabo City and Carmen, Davao del Norte and in Bucana, Talomo District, Davao City with other migratory birds in January 2023. [12] One was at Bulacan in December 2023 along the sandbar that straddles the boundary between Santa Cruz, Paombong, and Pamarawan Island in Malolos northwest of New Manila International Airport. [13]
Terns are seabirds in the family Laridae, subfamily Sterninae, that have a worldwide distribution and are normally found near the sea, rivers, or wetlands. Terns are treated in eleven genera in a subgroup of the family Laridae, which also includes several genera of gulls and the skimmers (Rynchops). They are slender, lightly built birds with long, forked tails, narrow wings, long bills, and relatively short legs. Most species are pale grey above and white below with a contrasting black cap to the head, but the marsh terns, the black-bellied tern, the Inca tern, and some noddies have dark body plumage for at least part of the year. The sexes are identical in appearance, but young birds are readily distinguishable from adults. Terns have a non-breeding plumage, which usually involves a white forehead and much-reduced black cap.
The Sandwich tern is a tern in the family Laridae. It is very closely related to the lesser crested tern, Chinese crested tern, Cabot's tern, and elegant tern and has been known to interbreed with both elegant and lesser crested. It breeds in the Palearctic from Europe to the Caspian Sea and winters in South Africa, India, and Sri Lanka.
The roseate tern is a species of tern in the family Laridae. The genus name Sterna is derived from Old English "stearn", "tern", and the specific dougallii refers to Scottish physician and collector Dr Peter McDougall (1777–1814). "Roseate" refers to the bird's pink breast in breeding plumage.
The lesser crested tern is a tern in the family Laridae.
The royal tern is a tern in the family Laridae. The species is endemic to the Americas, though vagrants have been identified in Europe.
The elegant tern is a tern in the family Laridae. It breeds on the Pacific coasts of the southern United States and Mexico and winters south to Peru, Ecuador and Chile.
The greater crested tern, also called crested tern, swift tern, or great crested tern, is a tern in the family Laridae that nests in dense colonies on coastlines and islands in the tropical and subtropical Old World. Its five subspecies breed in the area from South Africa around the Indian Ocean to the central Pacific and Australia, all populations dispersing widely from the breeding range after nesting. This large tern is closely related to the royal and lesser crested terns, but can be distinguished by its size and bill colour.
Orange-billed tern is a name applied to a group of three large terns in the genus Thalasseus with orange bills, which are quite similar in appearance and often considered difficult to identify, namely:
The Kerguelen tern is a tern of the southern hemisphere.
Thalasseus, the crested terns, is a genus of eight species of medium-large to large terns in the family Laridae.
A bird colony is a large congregation of individuals of one or more species of bird that nest or roost in proximity at a particular location. Many kinds of birds are known to congregate in groups of varying size; a congregation of nesting birds is called a breeding colony. Colonial nesting birds include seabirds such as auks and albatrosses; wetland species such as herons; and a few passerines such as weaverbirds, certain blackbirds, and some swallows. A group of birds congregating for rest is called a communal roost. Evidence of colonial nesting has been found in non-neornithine birds (Enantiornithes), in sediments from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of Romania.
Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge contains more than 50 offshore islands and four coastal parcels, totaling more than 8,100 acres. The complex spans more than 250 miles (400 km) of Maine coastline and includes five national wildlife refuges—Petit Manan, Cross Island, Franklin Island, Seal Island, and Pond Island. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the refuge complex as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Haul Round Island is a 6 ha (15-acre) island in the Arafura Sea, lying close to the north central coast of Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia. It consists mainly of sand with a few rocks and nearby patches of mangroves. It is close to the town of Maningrida. It has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it has one of the largest seabird colonies in the Northern Territory.
Higginson Island is a small island in the Arafura Sea lying off the north-eastern coast of Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is one of the East Bremer Islets, lying to the north and east of the much larger Bremer Island.
The Low Rocks and Sterna Island Important Bird Area comprises two islets lying about 14 km apart and with a collective area of 14 ha, in the Montesquieu group of islands, in the mouth of Admiralty Gulf in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
The Sandy Island and Low Rock Important Bird Area comprises two small islands with a collective area of 9 ha lying at the western end of the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory of Australia. They lie south-west of Groote Eylandt off the coast of Arnhem Land, with the nearest settlement there the Numbulwar community. They are important as breeding sites for terns.
Seagull Island is a 58 ha linear sand island, about 2.5 km long, lying 4 km off Cape Van Diemen on the north-west coast of Melville Island, in the Tiwi Island group, in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is an important breeding site for seabirds.
Cabot's tern is a species of bird in subfamily Sterninae of the family Laridae, the gulls, terns, and skimmers. It is found in the eastern U.S. and Middle America, the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago, and in every mainland South American country except Bolivia and Paraguay.
The Christie Islet Migratory Bird Sanctuary is a small migratory bird sanctuary on the south coast of British Columbia. It was established in 1962 by Environment and Climate Change Canada. Located in Howe Sound just south of Anvil Island, it is a small rocky island where seabirds nest, and Harbour seals roam the surrounding waters. To protect the birds' nesting habitat, public access to the islet is not allowed, however is it possible to observe birds by boat.
