Appearance:

Very small gull with rounded wings and almost tern-like appearance. Underwing black, with broad white trailing edge. Lacks Black-headed Gull's conspicuous white outer primaries. Adult summer plumage with black (not chocolate) hood, that reaches far down on hind-neck. Winter plumage without hood, but with dark cheek-patch and dark cap. Juveniles differs from juvenile Kittiwake in slender body, dark cap, dark patch at trailing base of underwing, faint dark wing-bar and shorter wings. Can, with experience, be identified by fluttering, butterfly-like flight at long distance.

Sound:

Repertoire of short, tern-like, hard calls, uttered individually, or in series. E.g. "kep" or "krrk". Also a diagnostic, gull-like, sharp and bouncing "ka-tee,ka-tee,ka-tee", with second syllable rising in pitch.

Contact call:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

Sounds:Recorded by Patrick Åberg,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license

Appearance:

Breeding adult easily identified by white tail/rump combined with jet black under wing coverts and silvery upper wing. Immature with brownish back contrasting with pale, silvery upper wings and pale rump. Broad white collar, and lacks dark breast patch of immature Black Tern. Adult winter most liable to confusion with other terns, but upperparts much paler than Black Tern. Contrasting dark outer primaries and secondaries to rest of wing. Often retains some black under coverts even in winter which is diagnostic if seen. Slightly more compact than Black Tern and often recalls Little gull in shape. Bill noticeably shorter and thinner than in Whiskered Tern.

Sound:

Mostly silent away from breeding ground. Most diagnostic call a dry, rolling "krrrrrr-ta-ta" where the rolling is followed by one or two accentuated syllables, or just simply "krrrrrr". Used in excitement.

Call:

Distribution:

Xeno-canto: map

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

CC

CC-sound:Marco Dragonetti, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Dick Hoek, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Lars Buckx, Licence,Link.