Weekly Bird Identification Quiz
October 5 - October 11, 2009
How to Identify:
It is quickly apparent that this bird is one of the species of terns. The white forehead is only seen on a few species of Terns including Sooty, Bridled, and Least Terns. The dark tips to the primaries and secondaries along with the all black bill eliminate Least Tern very quickly. The Least Tern is also considerably smaller but size is hard to judge in this photo. The thick, long bill and the dark central tail feathers point towards Sooty Tern. In Bridled Tern, the central tail feathers are gray compared to the almost black central tail feathers of the Sooty Tern.
Answer: Sooty Tern
Photo Location: Dry Tortugas, FL
Photo Date: March 2009
Correct Answers:
None
Other Answers:
None