The sooty tern (Onychoprion fuscatus) is a tern in the family Laridae. It is a seabird of the tropical oceans, and remarkably, has evolved the ability to fly for years at a time, skimming the sea surface for food, and returning to land only to breed, on islands throughout the equatorial zone.

While most terns inhabit marshes and shores, the Sooty Tern has the life of a true seabird. A long-winged flier, it wanders tropical oceans, nesting on remote islands. Many nest in Hawaii, but North...

Most terns inhabit shores and marshes, but the Sooty tern lives as a true seabird. It is a long-winged flier, and wanders tropical oceans, coming to nest on remote islands. Noisy in its nesting colonies during both the day and at night, one name sailors call it is "wide-awake."

This tropical seabird is distinctive among terns with its jet-black back, black cap, and neat white forehead. Immature birds are entirely dark blackish with white spots on wings and a white undertail.

Dec 4, 2020 · Immature Sooty Terns are mostly dark-brown (sooty) with a wide range of variation, as are breeding adult Black and White-winged Terns, which also vary dramatically as they molt into and out of their dark breeding plumages.

Sooty Tern. Early in the afternoon of the 9th of May, 1832, I was standing on the deck of the United States revenue-cutter Marion. The weather was very beautiful, although hot, and a favourable breeze waited us onwards in our course.

Sooty Terns, are seabirds that are known for their dark, sooty-gray plumage. They have a white forehead and a white patch behind the eye. They have a long, forked tail and long, pointed wings.

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Name: Sooty Tern, Wideawake Tern, Ewa Ewa, Common Tern, Kaveka, Egg-bird, Whale Bird (Onychoprion fuscatus) Length: 35 centimetres. Weight: 150 to 240 grams. Location: Tropical oceans worldwide. Conservation status: Least Concern. Diet: Fish, small squid. Appearance: Black back and head, white undersides. Forked tail. Black tail and legs.

The next black and white bird, Sooty Terns, is one of the most widespread tern species. Explore their unique physical attributes, social behavior, and intriguing adaptations, such as unihemispheric sleep that allows them to fly for months.