Saw this tern at Broom on Sunday night with Mike Illet. Had very short legs, rosy underparts, largely dark bill but dark edge bordering its underwing. Flight was very buoyant. The bird looked nothing like the nearby Common Terns. Answers on a postcard...
1 comment:
Comments on this bird by tern expert Klaus Malling Olsen.
Dear Mark
Thanks a lot for contacting me about this tern. It is a Common Tern with unusually pale upperwing, probably caused by unusual moult (younger adult). The pattern on the underwing is typical with rather broad, but diffuse trailing edge to the hand -Arctic would have shown much narrower dark trailing edge, and is is the only ofter tern with such a dark underbody: both Roseate and Forster´s are much paler here.
Best wishes
Klaus.
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