Lesser Crested Tern
North of Ellis Beach, October 2021.
Absolutely stunning to watch in flight. They plunge into the water to catch small fish. I tried to get a photo of one diving but they were going a fair bit out from the coast to dive on this day.
North of Ellis Beach, October 2021.
They breed from May to November. This bird is in breeding plumage. When not breeding the frons are white and the crown recedes with white streaks. The bill also becomes dull when not breeding. The upper body is grey all year.
North of Ellis Beach, October 2021.
The underbody and neck are both white.
Left: non breeding Crested Tern - Right: breeding Lesser Crested Tern.
The easiest way to spot the difference between a Crested and Lesser Crested Tern is the colour of the bill. The Lesser Crested has a bright orange bill. You will also notice that the Lesser Crested Tern is slightly smaller than the Crested Tern, hence the name I guess.
Another way up here in the north to tell between the two is that when the Lesser Crested is in breeding plumage the Crested Tern is not. The Crested Tern breeds between March and June up here.
North of Ellis Beach, October 2021.
The wingspan of the Lesser crested is about 900mm. It’s bigger cousin the Crested Tern has a wingspan of 950 to 1000mm.