About the River Tern
The river tern or Indian river tern is a tern in the family Laridae, the largest species currently included in the genus Sterna of typical terns. It is a resident breeder along inland rivers from Pakistan east through the Indian subcontinent, to Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia, where it is uncommon. Unlike most Sterna terns, it is almost exclusively found on freshwater, rarely venturing even to tidal creeks.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
It is a medium-large tern, 38–46 cm long with an 80–85 cm wingspan, distinctly larger than any other species in Sterna and more comparable in size to a Sandwich tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis) or a lesser crested tern (T. bengalensis). It has dark grey upperparts, white or very pale grey underparts, a forked tail with long flexible streamers, and long pointed wings with pale grey primaries. The bill is stout for a tern, bright yellow in summer and duller yellow with a dusky tip in winter, and the legs bright red.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Iran.
When to see it
Peak activity in January · a winter visitor species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiThis is a small-medium tern, 33–36 cm (13–14 in) long with a 67–76 cm (26–30 in) wingspan, which can be confused with the common tern, Arctic tern, and the larger, but similarly plumaged, Sandwich tern.
White-fronted TernSterna striataThe white-fronted tern is an average-sized tern; its dimensions are 35–43 cm (14–17 in) in length, with a wingspan between 79 and 82 cm (31 and 32 in); the male weighs on average 130 g (4.6 oz).
South American TernSterna hirundinaceaWith adult South American terns reaching a length of 40 to 44 centimetres (16 to 17 in), they are larger than either common terns (Sterna hirundo) or Arctic terns (Sterna paradisaea).
Side by side: Common Tern vs River Tern · Forster's Tern vs River Tern · River Tern vs Sabine's Gull
Learn the River Tern for real
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