Birds
File:Onychoprion fuscatus, Dry Tortugas, Florida 02.jpg

Sooty Tern

Sooty Tern

100
2 months ago
Not yet spotted on Fladder
Spotted
The Sooty Tern is a large, dark-backed tropical tern with a striking white forehead patch and long, pointed wings. Like its close relatives, it is a highly pelagic species of the open ocean.
Where to spot
Found across tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide, including the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. They breed in massive colonies on remote islands.
How to spot
Look for its distinct sooty-brown upperparts that sharply contrast with its white underparts and a prominent white forehead. In colonies, listen for their characteristic 'wide-awake' call, which gives them their other common name.
When to spot
Most easily observed during their breeding season, which varies by region but typically spans from spring to autumn, when they form immense colonies on islands. Otherwise, they are almost exclusively found offshore.
bonte stern in vlucht boven water
File:Onychoprion fuscatus, Dry Tortugas, Florida 02.jpg
File:Onychoprion fuscatus, Dry Tortugas, Florida 04.jpg
File:Onychoprion fuscatus Ascension Island 7.jpg
File:Sooty tern (Onychoprion fuscatus serrata) in flight Michaelmas Cay.jpg
File:Sooty tern (Onychoprion fuscatus serrata) in flight Michaelmas Cay 2.jpg
File:Sooty tern (Onychoprion fuscatus serrata) in flight Michaelmas Cay 3.jpg
bonte stern in vlucht boven water
Credits: By patrickkavanagh - Sooty Tern (Onychoprion fuscatus), CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74708784
File:Onychoprion fuscatus, Dry Tortugas, Florida 02.jpg
Credits: Wikimedia Commons
File:Onychoprion fuscatus, Dry Tortugas, Florida 04.jpg
Credits: Wikimedia Commons
File:Onychoprion fuscatus Ascension Island 7.jpg
Credits: Wikimedia Commons
File:Sooty tern (Onychoprion fuscatus serrata) in flight Michaelmas Cay.jpg
Credits: Wikimedia Commons
File:Sooty tern (Onychoprion fuscatus serrata) in flight Michaelmas Cay 2.jpg
Credits: Wikimedia Commons
File:Sooty tern (Onychoprion fuscatus serrata) in flight Michaelmas Cay 3.jpg
Credits: Wikimedia Commons
Sooty Terns are legendary for their endurance; they can remain at sea for several years without touching land, even sleeping while flying by resting one half of their brain at a time.
Loading...

Spotted

Recently spotted
58 (Seen in the last 3 months)
Last spotted
2 months ago

Monthly observations

No observations
Loading...
Nothing spotted yet

Also interesting

File:Large-billed Tern (Phaetusa simplex), Pantanal, Brazil.jpg
100

Large-billed Tern

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
Sterna sandvicensis, Sandwich Tern
45

Sandwich Tern

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
File:Larus livens, Pichilinque, Baja California Sur 1.jpg
100

Yellow-footed Gull

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
File:Adult Larus glaucoides, Swallow Pond 1.jpg
75

Iceland Gull

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
File:Anous minutus.JPG
100

Black Noddy

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
File:Sternula superciliaris.jpg
100

Yellow-billed Tern

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
File:2022-04-16 Thalasseus elegans, Upper Newport Bay, California 1.jpg
95

Elegant Tern

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
File:Black skimmer (Rynchops niger).jpg
100

Black Skimmer

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
File:Adult Ivory Gull (Pagophila eburnea).jpg
95

Ivory Gull

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
File:Dolphin Gull (Leucophaeus scoresbii) (15771796238).jpg
100

Dolphin Gull

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers