Weighing in at around 700g. and with a wingspan of 1.4m. this is biggest member of the tern family. It is mostly coastal and can take fish, like flounder or yellow eyed mullet, up to a length of 25cm.
It is not a common species but it is also not endangered. There are believed to be 50,000 pairs worldwide and 1,000 of these pairs are found in NZ. They are not gregarious, apart from when nesting. This pair were seen on the Tuateawa shore but there is usually at least one pair on Waikawau beach. There is reported to be a breeding colony at Whangapoua.
.JPG)
The tern that we see most often is the White Fronted Tern or Tara. It is much lighter at 160g. and is very gregarious when feeding and breeding. They seem to appear from nowhere when a school of fish is forced to the surface by the larger ones down below. Like all the terns they are very agile fliers and can pick small fish from the surface or just below it. The Taranui is sometimes known as the swallow of the sea because of it's agility but its a name that seems to suit all of the terns.
No comments:
Post a Comment