Wildlifeof Sumatra
Lesser Crested Tern
Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers/Lesser_Crested_Tern_commons.jpg)
Photo: Mike Prince · CC BY 2.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Thalasseus bengalensis
Basic stats
Range
Red Sea across the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific and Australia; southern Mediterranean coast
Size
35–43cm
Wingspan
88–105cm
Weight
185–242g
The lesser crested tern is a medium-large tern, 35 to 43 cm long with a wingspan of 88 to 105 cm, weighing 185 to 242 g. It breeds in subtropical coastal areas from the Red Sea across the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific and Australia, with a significant population on two islands off Libya in the Mediterranean. Australian birds are probably sedentary, while others migrate, wintering south to South Africa (Wikipedia, general species account).
Three subspecies are recognised, differing mainly in size and in how dark grey the upperparts are. It is an occasional vagrant to Europe, where it has bred in pure and mixed pairs with the Sandwich tern (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- Where is the Lesser Crested Tern found?
- Red Sea across the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific and Australia; southern Mediterranean coast
- How big is the Lesser Crested Tern?
- 35–43cm
- What is the wingspan of the Lesser Crested Tern?
- 88–105cm
- How much does the Lesser Crested Tern weigh?
- 185–242g