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Royal Tern
Thalasseus maximus
10.1561, -84.1908
Field Notes
Description:
PAGAZA REAL, antes / before Sterna maxima, ahora / Now Thalasseus maximus. Aquí posa con plumaje de invierno, por el color gris que presenta la región superior de las alas, cresta y nuca negras. Royal Tern. Tárcoles. Costa Rica.
The royal tern (Thalasseus maximus) is a seabird in the tern family Sternidae. This bird has two distinctive subspecies: T. m. maximus which lives on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the North and South America, and the slightly smaller T. m. albididorsalis lives on the coast of West Africa. The royal tern has a red-orange bill and a black cap during the breeding season, but in the winter the cap becomes patchy. The royal tern is found in Europe, Africa, the Americas, and the Caribbean islands. The royal tern lives on the coast and is only found near salt water. They tend to feed near the shore, close to the beach or in backwater bays. The royal tern's conservation status is listed as least concern.
Habitat:
In the Americas, the royal terns on the east coast, during the breeding season (April to July), occur in the US north to Virginia, occasionally drifting north to Maryland. The southern end of their breeding range is Texas. The wintering range for on the east coast is from North Carolina south to Panama and the Guianas, also the Caribbean islands. On the western coast of the Americas, the royal tern spends the breeding season from the US state of California to Mexico, wintering from California south to Peru.
In Africa, the royal tern is found along the west coast in the islands off the coast of Mauritania during the breeding season, but it is believed that there are undiscovered colonies on the west coast near or in Nigeria. The royal tern usually winters from Morocco south to Namibia. The royal tern is not usually found in Europe although it has been seen in Spain and Gibraltar. There have also been unconfirmed sightings farther north in Europe.
American birds migrate south to Peru and Argentina for the winter to escape the cold weather. African breeders move both north and south from the breeding colonies. African birds may reach as far north as Spain. This species has also wandered to Western Europe as a rare vagrant, these terns are probably from the American colonies.
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