Sterna anaethetus (Bridled tern) 

Brilsterretjie [Afrikaans]; Brilstern [Dutch]; Sterne bridée [French]; Zügelseeschwalbe [German]; Gaivina-de-dorso-castanho [Portuguese]

Life > Eukaryotes > Opisthokonta > Metazoa (animals) > Bilateria > Deuterostomia > Chordata > Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates)  > Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates) > Teleostomi (teleost fish) > Osteichthyes (bony fish) > Class: Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish) > Stegocephalia (terrestrial vertebrates) > Tetrapoda (four-legged vertebrates) > Reptiliomorpha > Amniota > Reptilia (reptiles) > Romeriida > Diapsida > Archosauromorpha > Archosauria > Dinosauria (dinosaurs) > Saurischia > Theropoda (bipedal predatory dinosaurs) > Coelurosauria > Maniraptora > Aves (birds) > Order: Charadriiformes > Family: Laridae > Genus: Sterna

Bridled tern, Hong Kong, China. [photo KK Hui ©]

Distribution and habitat

Breeds on tropical oceanic islands, including Madagascar and New Guinea. It is a rare vagrant to southern Africa, with most records in the period from October-March along the coast of Mozambique and South Africa. It generally spends most of its time out to sea in the non-breeding season, so all seven southern African records are of birds in mixed-species roosts.

References

• Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ and Ryan PG 2005. Roberts - Birds of southern Africa, VIIth ed. The Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.