Greater Crested Tern
Thalasseus bergii
The Greater Crested Tern (Thalasseus bergii) is a common skimmers, noddies, terns, and gull found in 66 countries, weighing about 328 g. 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.
About the Greater Crested Tern
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 four or 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 other species in its genus, but can be distinguished by its darker, battleship-grey upperparts, white forehead even in full breeding plumage, and greenish-tinged yellow bill colour.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The greater crested tern is a large tern with a long (5.4–6.5 cm or 2.1–2.6 in) yellow bill, black legs, and a glossy black crest that is noticeably shaggy at its rear. The breeding adult of the nominate subspecies T. b. bergii is 46–49 cm (18–19.5 in) long, with a 125–130 cm (49–51 in) wing-span; weight 325–397 grams (11.5–14.0 oz). The forehead and the underparts are white, the back and inner wings are dusky-grey. In winter, the upperparts plumage wears to a paler grey, and the crown of the head becomes white, merging at the rear into a peppered black crest and mask.
What the Greater Crested Tern sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in United States, Northern Mariana Islands, Pitcairn Islands.
When to see it
The Greater Crested Tern can be seen all year round, with peak activity in January. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Greater Crested Tern?
- The greater crested tern is a large tern with a long (5.4–6.5 cm or 2.1–2.6 in) yellow bill, black legs, and a glossy black crest that is noticeably shaggy at its rear. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Greater Crested Tern?
- The Greater Crested Tern is a large sized bird weighing about 328 g.
- Where can you see a Greater Crested Tern?
- The Greater Crested Tern occurs in 66 countries, including Australia, South Africa, Taiwan, India and Indonesia.
- What does a Greater Crested Tern sound like?
- You can listen to a field recording of the Greater Crested Tern on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Greater Crested Tern?
- The Greater Crested Tern is most easily confused with the Elegant Tern, the Lesser Crested Tern and the West African Crested Tern.
- Is the Greater Crested Tern endangered?
- The Greater Crested Tern is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Greater Crested Tern for real
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