Sterninae
Sign in to savethumb|Common tern in flight thumb|Common tern in flight
AI overview
Sterninae is a subfamily of seabirds that includes terns, which are sleek diving birds commonly seen in flight over water. These birds are important members of aquatic ecosystems, where they help control fish populations by hunting small prey from the water's surface.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
16 sectionsContents
- Description
- Voice
- Taxonomy
- Etymology
- Species
- Distribution and habitat
- Behaviour
- Breeding
- Feeding
- Predators and parasites
- Relationships with humans
- Conservation status
- See also
- References
- Cited texts
- External links
thumb|Common tern in flight thumb|Common tern in flight
Terns are seabirds in the subfamily Sterninae of the wider gull and tern family Laridae. They have a worldwide distribution and are normally found near the sea, rivers, or wetlands. Terns are treated in eleven genera in a subgroup of the family Laridae, which also includes several genera of gulls and the skimmers (Rynchops). They are slender, lightly built birds with long, forked tails, narrow wings, long bills, and relatively short legs. Most species are pale grey above and white below with a contrasting black cap to the head, but the marsh terns, the black-bellied tern, the Inca tern, and some noddies have dark body plumage for at least part of the year. The sexes are identical in appearance, but young birds are readily distinguishable from adults. Terns have a non-breeding plumage, which usually involves a white forehead and much-reduced black cap.