sooty tern

E63336

The sooty tern is a widespread tropical seabird known for its long-distance oceanic flights, dense breeding colonies on remote islands, and distinctive black-and-white plumage.

Aliases (1)

Statements (50)
Predicate Object
instanceOf bird species
seabird
tern
billColor black
binomialName Onychoprion fuscatus
breedingBehavior colonial nester
forms dense breeding colonies
breedingHabitat coral islands
remote oceanic islands
sandy islands
class Aves
clutchSize one egg
commonName sooty tern
wideawake tern
describedBy Linnaeus
describedInYear 1766
diet small fish
squid
distribution tropical Atlantic Ocean
tropical Indian Ocean
tropical Pacific Ocean
family Laridae
flightCapability long-distance oceanic flights
foragingStrategy plunge diving
surface feeding
genus Onychoprion
habitat offshore marine waters
tropical oceans
headMarkings black cap
white forehead
IUCNStatus Least Concern
kingdom Animalia
legColor black
migrationBehavior highly pelagic outside breeding season
nestType ground scrape
notableColony Ascension Island
Dry Tortugas
Seychelles
order Charadriiformes
parentTaxon Laridae
Onychoprion
phylum Chordata
plumageColor black upperparts
white underparts
plumagePattern black-and-white
reproduction both parents incubate egg
scientificName Onychoprion fuscatus
socialBehavior gregarious
taxonRank species
vocalization loud harsh calls

Referenced by (3)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Bush Key
breedingSiteFor
sooty tern ("wideawake tern")
commonName
Desecheo Island
supportsPopulationOf

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