Sooty Tern (Sterna fuscata)

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A Field Guide to Eastern Birds. by Roger Tory Peterson.

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Sooty Tern (Sterna fuscata)

Identification: Length from tip of bill to tip of tail 16 inches.

Adult: Head white with a black crown and a black line running from the back of the crown to the base of the bill. Bill dull black. Back and wings black. Basal-forward edge of wing white. Underside of wing white with the trailing edge dull black. Tail forked, black, with the outer edges white.

Immature: Bird entirely dark brown (including head) with vague streaks of white dots on the back and basal half of the wing. Tail all brown.

Similar Species:  The Sooty Tern most resembles the Bridled Tern. However the the back and wings of the Bridled Tern are gray-brown, not black. The immature of the Bridled Tern has a white, not dark brown head.

Breeding Range (see map below): The Sooty Tern breeds in the tropical oceans of the world. This species nests in the Dry Tortugas off the southern coast of Florida.

Overwintering Range:  This species is oceanic and winters on the open tropical oceans of the world.

Habitat: The Sooty Tern is a pelagic bird spending almost all of its life flying over the open ocean. It breeds on oceanic and coastal islands in tropical regions.

Food: Small fish and marine invertebrates.

Behavior: The Sooty Tern is a great migrant traveling over the open tropical oceans of the world. The bird scoops its prey from water without diving and is rarely seen sitting on the surface of the water.

Reproduction:  The clutch consists of a single rust-spotted white egg. The egg is laid in a depression in the sand. The species usually nests in large colonies.