Common Tern Bird – Aerialists – 5/21/2015

The Common Tern was photographed at North Beach Park in Racine, Wisconsin.

Select this link to see photos or a slideshow of the Common Tern

The Common Tern is a small black-capped white gull-liked bird with a gray mantel, red-orange bill (bill with black tip) and legs, and with five outer dark wedge primaries. It has a range of the Northern Hemisphere, and is the most widespread of the terns. It has a habitat of lakes, ocean, bays, and beaches. It has a diet of mostly small fish, and forages mostly by flying over water, hovering, and plunging to catch prey below the water.

 

Caspian Tern Bird – Aerialists – 7/31/2012 to 5/21/2015

The Caspian Tern was photographed at Grant Park Beach in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Select this link to see photos or a slideshow of the Caspian Tern

The Caspian Tern is whitish-gray with a black cap and a large reddish bill with a touch of black tip, black legs, and blacker under the primaries. It is one of the larger terns as compared with the Common Tern. Size is compared to a Herring Gull. They have a range around the world, and breed and winter around the coastlines, and inland along lakes, rivers, and marshes. They have a habitat of large lakes, coastal waters, beaches, and bays. They feed on small fish, marine life, and large insects. It rarely swims and plunges from high to catch fish under the water surface. They usually nest in large densely packed colonies, but are not sociable. They are highly vocal.