Inca tern
Inca tern | |
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Inca tern at Walsrode Bird Park , Germany, eating a fish
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Charadriiformes |
Family: | Laridae |
Genus: | Larosterna Blyth, 1852 |
Species: | L. inca
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Binomial name | |
Larosterna inca | |
The Inca tern (Larosterna inca) is a
Taxonomy and systematics
The Inca tern is the only member of genus Larosterna and has no subspecies.[2]
Description
The Inca tern is 39 to 42 cm (15 to 17 in) long and weighs 180 to 210 g (6.3 to 7.4 oz). Its plumage is unique. Adults have a mostly dark slate gray body with a paler throat and underwing
Distribution and habitat
The Inca tern is a bird of the Humboldt Current region. It breeds from Lobos de Tierra in northern Peru south to the Aconcagua River near Valparaíso, Chile. Some disperse north into Ecuador after breeding.[5][3] It is a casual visitor to Panama and Costa Rica and has been recorded as a vagrant in Guatemala and Hawaii.[4] The last spent March to November wandering among the islands.[4] Undocumented sight records in Colombia lead the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society to treat it as hypothetical in that country.[3]
The Inca tern nests on sea cliffs and guano islands and also artificial structures such as ledges under piers and abandoned barges. It will gather with other sea birds on sandy beaches.[5][6]
Behavior
Movement
The Inca tern is essentially non-migratory, but some do disperse north after breeding and individuals have wandered great distances.[5]
Feeding
The Inca tern feeds primarily on small fish, such as
Breeding
The Inca tern's breeding does not appear to be concentrated in any season. Eggs have been found between April and July and between October and December, and other evidence of breeding has been noted in August. It nests in a variety of sites including fissures and caves in rock cliffs, among rocks and boulders on island slopes, in abandoned petrel and penguin burrows, and on and under human structures. The clutch size is usually two eggs though sometimes one. Both sexes incubate the clutch and provision the young. The incubation period is not known; fledging occurs about four weeks after hatch and the young are fully dependent on the adults for at least a month after fledging.[5]
Vocalization
The Inca tern is most vocal at its nesting colonies. Its calls include "raucous cackling notes" and "mewing"; the latter call has been likened to that of a kitten.[5][6]
Status
The
References
- ^ . Retrieved 17 February 2023.
- ^ a b Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P., eds. (January 2023). "Noddies, skimmers, gulls, terns, skuas, auks". IOC World Bird List. v 13.1. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
- ^ a b c Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. 30 January 2023. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved January 30, 2023
- ^ a b c R. Terry Chesser, Shawn M. Billerman, Kevin J. Burns, Carla Cicero, Jon L. Dunn, Blanca E. Hernández-Baños, Rosa Alicia Jiménez, Andrew W. Kratter, Nicholas A. Mason, Pamela C. Rasmussen, J. V. Remsen, Jr., Douglas F. Stotz, and Kevin Winker. "Sixty-third supplement to the American Ornithological Society’s Check-list of North American Birds". American Ornithology 2022, vol. 139:1-13 retrieved August 9, 2022
- ^ a b c d e f g h Gochfeld, M. and J. Burger (2020). Inca Tern (Larosterna inca), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.incter1.01 retrieved February 17, 2023
- ^ ISBN 0-395-33253-2.