Bird Guide

Fairy Tern vs Yellow-billed Tern

Fairy Tern (Sternula nereis)

Fairy Tern

Sternula nereis

Medium72 gCoastal

The fairy tern is a small tern with a white body and light bluish-grey wings. A small black patch extends no further than the eye and not as far as the bill. In the breeding plumage both the beak and the legs are yellowish-orange. During the rest of the year the black crown is lost, being mostly replaced by white feathers, and the beak becomes black at the tip and the base. The sexes look alike and the plumage of immature birds is similar to the non-breeding plumage. The total length of the fairy tern is about 25 cm (10 in).

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: patrickkavanagh · CC BY 2.0
Yellow-billed Tern (Sternula superciliaris)

Yellow-billed Tern

Sternula superciliaris

Small46 gRiverine

It measures approximately 23–25 centimeters in body length and weighs 40–57 grams. It has a yellow beak and feet, silvery grey wings and white underbody and forehead. Its crown, nape, and eyeline are black. Juveniles are brown and white without the black cap.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Cláudio D. Timm · CC BY 2.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Fairy Tern and Yellow-billed Tern.