277:). Otherwise they closely resemble these species in plumage at all times of year. The beak is larger and is red in adults, and they do not have a dark-coloured bar on the carpus of the wing. The black cap extends below the eye, usually separated from it by a white crescent, and the rear edge of the cap is neatly defined. Juveniles have boldly-barred, dusky, upper parts, and retain their barred tertials into their immature plumage, which differentiates them from common and Arctic tern immatures.
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but resembled them in general appearance, though every one was differently marked. It was difficult walking between the nests without crushing eggs, and it was estimated that there might be 135,000 nesting birds, with 67,500 nests containing 112,500 eggs.
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in
Argentina. A very large number of birds were nesting in an area about 130 square metres (150 sq yd). The nests were mere scrapes in the gravel and shingle, each containing one, two or three eggs. These were smaller than the eggs of the
301:
The South
American tern feeds on fish, crustaceans and other small invertebrates. It nests on islands, beaches and cliff tops, and when not breeding may be seen offshore, in estuaries and harbours.
285:
This tern is found around the coasts of the southern half of South
America. Its breeding range extends on the Atlantic coast from east central Brazil southwards through Argentina and the
293:. On the Pacific coast it breeds in southern Peru and Chile. In the winter, birds from the southern end of the range migrate northwards to Ecuador, Uruguay and Southern Brazil.
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With adult South
American terns reaching a length of 40 to 44 centimetres (16 to 17 in), they are larger than either
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Schulenberg, Thomas S.; Stotz, Douglas F.; Lane, Daniel F.; O'Neill, John P.; Parker, Theodore A. III (2010).
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Argentine
Ornithology: A Descriptive Catalogue of the Birds of the Argentine Republic, Volume II
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closely resembles it. The specific epithet refers to the "swallow-like" forked tail feathering.
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An 1877 account described a breeding colony found on a beach in
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361:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22694618A132562410.en
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388:. Princeton University Press. p. 154.
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385:Birds of Peru: Revised and Updated Edition
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873:Southeastern South American coastal fauna
415:. Library of Alexandria. pp. 79–80.
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218:found in coastal regions of southern
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868:Western South American coastal birds
823:IUCN Red List least concern species
347:IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
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863:Birds of the Falkland Islands
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858:Birds of Tierra del Fuego
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70:Scientific classification
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878:Birds described in 1831
409:Hudson, William Henry.
833:Birds of South America
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161:S. hirundinacea
24:South American tern
800:Sterna-hirundinacea
530:Sterna_hirundinacea
516:Sterna hirundinacea
486:Sterna hirundinacea
340:Sterna hirundinacea
226:, ranging north to
211:Sterna hirundinacea
206:South American tern
179:Sterna hirundinacea
40:Conservation status
853:Birds of Patagonia
848:Birds of Argentina
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214:) is a species of
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756:Open Tree of Life
478:Taxon identifiers
422:978-1-4655-4745-3
395:978-1-4008-3449-5
275:Sterna paradisaea
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365:. Retrieved
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281:Distribution
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271:Arctic terns
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263:common terns
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769:SeaLifeBase
717:Neotropical
652:iNaturalist
510:Wikispecies
367:16 November
250:Description
244:common tern
817:Categories
795:Xeno-canto
318:References
297:Behaviour
155:Species:
93:Kingdom:
87:Eukaryota
696:22694618
670:10837610
556:22694618
551:BirdLife
501:Q1260013
495:Wikidata
133:Family:
107:Chordata
103:Phylum:
97:Animalia
83:Domain:
60:IUCN 3.1
722:soater1
644:5229231
618:1049346
605:soater1
579:soater1
538:Avibase
466:Animals
440:Portals
143:Genus:
137:Laridae
123:Order:
113:Class:
58: (
828:Sterna
787:225979
761:738509
748:225979
709:227186
683:176910
626:EURING
419:
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236:Brazil
234:) and
188:, 1831
186:Lesson
148:Sterna
782:WoRMS
774:75109
735:73079
665:IRMNG
631:20350
600:eBird
592:6ZSD6
576:BOW:
569:51415
454:Birds
269:) or
743:OBIS
704:NCBI
691:IUCN
678:ITIS
657:4454
639:GBIF
564:BOLD
417:ISBN
390:ISBN
369:2021
352:2018
228:Peru
216:tern
204:The
117:Aves
613:EoL
587:CoL
525:ADW
356:doi
289:to
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
