Inca tern

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Inca tern
Larosterna inca (Inca Tern - Inkaseeschwalbe) Weltvogelpark Walsrode 2012-015.jpg
Inca tern at Walsrode Bird Park, Germany, eating a fish
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Genus: Larosterna
Blyth, 1852
Species:
L. inca
Binomial name
Larosterna inca
(Lesson & Garnot, 1827)
Larosterna inca map.svg

The Inca tern (Larosterna inca) is a Near Threatened species of bird in subfamily Sterninae of the family Laridae, the gulls, terns, and skimmers. [2] [1] It is found in Chile, Ecuador, and Peru [3] and has wandered to Central America and Hawaii. [4]

Contents

Taxonomy and systematics

The Inca tern is the only member of genus Larosterna and has no subspecies. [2]

Adults and young in Lima, Peru Larosterna inca -Lima, Peru -family-8.jpg
Adults and young in Lima, Peru

Description

The Inca tern is 39 to 42 cm (15 to 17 in) long and weighs 180 to 210 g (6.3 to 7.4 oz). Its plumage is unique. Adults have a mostly dark slate gray body with a paler throat and underwing coverts. A white stripe extends back from the base of the bill and fans out as long satiny feathers along the side of the neck. The trailing edge of their wing and the edges of the four outer primaries are white. Their tail is black and moderately forked. Their iris is brown, their legs and feet dark red, and their bill dark red with bare yellow skin at its base. Young are at first purplish brown progressing through brownish gray to adult plumage. Their bill and legs are dark horn-colored and gradually attain the red of adults'. [5] [6]

Distribution and habitat

The Inca tern is a bird of the Humboldt Current region. It breeds from Lobos de Tierra in northern Peru south to the Aconcagua River near Valparaíso, Chile. Some disperse north into Ecuador after breeding. [5] [3] It is a casual visitor to Panama and Costa Rica and has been recorded as a vagrant in Guatemala and Hawaii. [4] The last spent March to November wandering among the islands. [4] Undocumented sight records in Colombia lead the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society to treat it as hypothetical in that country. [3]

The Inca tern nests on sea cliffs and guano islands and also artificial structures such as ledges under piers and abandoned barges. It will gather with other sea birds on sandy beaches. [5] [6]

Behavior

Movement

The Inca tern is essentially non-migratory, but some do disperse north after breeding and individuals have wandered great distances. [5]

Feeding

The Inca tern feeds primarily on small fish, such as anchoveta (Engraulis ringens) and also includes planktonic crustaceans and offal in its diet. Large flocks attend fishing boats and also follow feeding cormorants, sea lions, and whales and dolphins. Feeding flocks can number 5000 birds. It catches its prey mainly by plunge-diving but also picks items from the surface while flying or on the water. [5] [6]

Inca terns in captivity

Breeding

The Inca tern's breeding does not appear to be concentrated in any season. Eggs have been found between April and July and between October and December, and other evidence of breeding has been noted in August. It nests in a variety of sites including fissures and caves in rock cliffs, among rocks and boulders on island slopes, in abandoned petrel and penguin burrows, and on and under human structures. The clutch size is usually two eggs though sometimes one. Both sexes incubate the clutch and provision the young. The incubation period is not known; fledging occurs about four weeks after hatch and the young are fully dependent on the adults for at least a month after fledging. [5]

Vocalization

The Inca tern is most vocal at its nesting colonies. Its calls include "raucous cackling notes" and "mewing"; the latter call has been likened to that of a kitten. [5] [6]

Status

The IUCN has assessed the Inca tern as Near Threatened. It has a somewhat restricted range; its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. "Reproductive success is dramatically reduced during El Niño events". Human harvesting of its primary prey is a probable threat as is climate change. [1] One estimate placed its population at about 150,000 in 2011. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tern</span> Family of seabirds

Terns are seabirds in the family Laridae that have a worldwide distribution and are normally found near the sea, rivers, or wetlands. Terns are treated as a subgroup of the family Laridae which includes gulls and skimmers and consists of eleven genera. 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 Inca tern, and some noddies have dark 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common tern</span> Migratory seabird in the family Laridae with circumpolar distribution

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little gull</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gull-billed tern</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black skimmer</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antarctic tern</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stripe-cheeked woodpecker</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bronzy inca</span> Species of hummingbirdbird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous-chested plover</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andean gull</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snowy-crowned tern</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tufted tit-spinetail</span> Species of bird

The tufted tit-spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and possibly Paraguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-lored spinetail</span> Species of bird

The white-lored spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Necklaced spinetail</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-browed woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The yellow-browed woodpecker, also known as the white-browed woodpecker, is a Near Threatened species of bird in the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blood-colored woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The blood-colored woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Guyana and Suriname.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabot's tern</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific tuftedcheek</span> Species of bird

The Pacific tuftedcheek is a passerine bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chiriqui foliage-gleaner</span> Species of bird

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References

  1. 1 2 3 BirdLife International (2018). "Inca Tern Larosterna inca". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T22694834A132576903. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22694834A132576903.en . Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  2. 1 2 Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P., eds. (January 2023). "Noddies, skimmers, gulls, terns, skuas, auks". IOC World Bird List. v 13.1. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. 30 January 2023. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved January 30, 2023
  4. 1 2 3 R. Terry Chesser, Shawn M. Billerman, Kevin J. Burns, Carla Cicero, Jon L. Dunn, Blanca E. Hernández-Baños, Rosa Alicia Jiménez, Andrew W. Kratter, Nicholas A. Mason, Pamela C. Rasmussen, J. V. Remsen, Jr., Douglas F. Stotz, and Kevin Winker. "Sixty-third supplement to the American Ornithological Society’s Check-list of North American Birds". American Ornithology 2022, vol. 139:1-13 retrieved August 9, 2022
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Gochfeld, M. and J. Burger (2020). Inca Tern (Larosterna inca), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.incter1.01 retrieved February 17, 2023
  6. 1 2 3 4 Harrison, Peter (1983). Seabirds: An Identification Guide. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 387. ISBN   0-395-33253-2.