Stats

Lifespan

10-25 yrs

Size

Medium

Diet

Carnivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Colony

Biome

Coastal marine

Range

Worldwide

Movement

Flight

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Speed

Status

Common

About

Crested terns are coastal seabirds that nest in large colonies on sandy islands. They plunge headfirst into the ocean at high speeds to snatch small fish from the water.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A clutch of eggs is incubated in the nest, kept warm by a brooding parent until the chicks pip free.
2. 2.
   hatchling

   A naked or downy hatchling is fed in the nest by its parents.
3. 3.
   juvenile

   A feathered juvenile fledges from the nest and learns to fly and forage.
4. 4.
   adult

   Fully grown with adult plumage.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Charadriiformes

Family

Laridae

Genus

Thalasseus