Tern, Bridled

Conservation status:

Rare Migrant Breeder

Description:

Medium-sized slender tern with dark grey-brown upperparts (sometimes appearing blackish), blackish wings and black bill and legs; has narrow white forehead-band extending behind eye as narrow supercilium line, black cap contrasting with pale grey hindneck-collar (often hard to see in flight); long outer feathers of deeply forked tail have white sides. Whitish underparts and underwing-coverts contrast with dark silvery grey central tail-feathers and especially flight-feathers but whitish outer primaries produce pale wedge towards dark wing-tip. Juvenile lacks distinct supercilium, has pale grey-brown back and wing-coverts, edged buffish. Flight swift and graceful . Does not dive but takes food from surface of water.