Birds of Panama

    CHARADRIIFORMES: Laridae (Gulls, Terns, Skimmers)  
Genus: Sterna (2 species, 13 worldwide)


Forster's Tern
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)
Beaumaris Lake, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
  Breeding Forster's Tern resemble breeding Common Terns.
   
Photograph by dfaulder     Copyright and usage info

Forster's Tern
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)
  Non-breeding Forster's Tern's are easy to identify because of the black mask. Photo Credit: Rinus Baak/USFWS.
   
Photograph by U.S. Government employee (see below)     Copyright and usage info


Common Tern
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)
Delta Dunaja, Vadu, Romania  
   
Photograph by Andrej Chudy     Copyright and usage info

Common Tern
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo hirundo)
Jones Beach SP, Nassau County, New York, United States  
   
Photograph by Graham Montgomery   © All Rights Reserved.

In breeding plumage looks like a Forster's Tern, with black cap and orange and black bill. Look for black in the wings on the Common Tern, seen on some tips here. The Common Tern has a black bill in non-breeding plumage, and unlike other terns is often far out at sea, and not on the beach.


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