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Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia   [Pallas, 1770]
Other Names Records Books & Links
Order: Charadriiformes Family: Sternidae
BTO Codes: CJ , CASTE EURING No: 6060
Number in Britain: 5 records/year
Conservation Status:
UK: Unlisted
European: 3 Concern, most not in Europe; Rare
Global: Least Concern
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Status in UK: (A)  Scarce Visitor
Subspecies: Monotypic
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Length: 50 cm Wingspan: 138 cm Weight: M: 680 g   F: 570 g    
Scientific name from: Gr.: hudro=water + genus Progne of swallows and after the Caspian Sea
World Distribution: BREEDS: Locally in e Europe, Asia, North America & Australia, WINTERS: south to S Africa, s Asia & Caribbean
Habitat: Sandy seacoasts, in winter marshes, estuaries
Diet: Mainly fish, occasionally invertebrates, by plunge-diving
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Records and Distribution
First Record: Norfolk, 1825
Total Number of Records (1958-2004): 245 Summary of Records by Year
Most Likely to Occur in: May to September
Most Recent County Records:
   Scotland: Argyll (1981), Ayrshire (1990), Clyde (1976), Dumfries & Galloway (1982), Fife (1985), Upper Forth (2002), Highland (1999), Lothian (1981), Northeast (1976), Outer Hebrides (1982), Orkney (1998), Shetland (1987),
   North-east England: Cleveland (2000), Northumberland (1880), East Yorkshire (1998), North Yorkshire (1992), South Yorkshire (1998), West Yorkshire (1989),
   North-west England: Cheshire , Cumbria (1999), Lancashire ,
   English Midlands: Derbyshire , Leicestershire (2000), Northamptonshire (2003), Nottinghamshire (1999), Staffordshire (1999), Warwickshire (1993), West Midlands (1979), Worcestershire (1971),
   Eastern England: Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire , Essex (1981), Hertfordshire (1998), Lincolnshire (2002), Norfolk (2002), Suffolk (2002),
   South-east England: Berkshire (1979), Buckinghamshire (2001), Hampshire (1995), Isle of Wight (1995), Kent (2000), Surrey (1984), East Sussex (1996), West Sussex (2001),
   South-west England: Cornwall (1997), Devon (2004), Dorset (2001), Gloucestershire , Somerset (1995), Wiltshire (1996),
   Wales: Anglesey (1988), Ceredigion (1974), Glamorgan (1997), Gwynedd (1998), Powys (1962),
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Other Names
Previously Sterna caspia
Gaelic: Welsh: Morwennol Fwyaf
Danish: Rovterne Dutch: Reuzenstern
Finnish: Räyska French: Sterne caspienne
German: Raubseeschwalbe Hungarian: Lócsér
Icelandic: Ránþerna Irish: Geabhróg Chaispeach
Italian: Sterna maggiore Norwegian: Rovterne
Polish: Rybitwa wielkodzioba Portuguese: Gaivina-de-bico-vermelho
Spanish: Pagaza piquirroja Swedish: Skräntärna
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For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
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See Also:
All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
Wikipedia entry
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides.com
Find papers on Google Scholar
Find papers on Scirus

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Email: birdfacts@bto.org

These data should be cited as:
Robinson, R.A. (2005) BirdFacts: profiles of birds occurring in Britain & Ireland (v1.22, Oct 2008). BTO Research Report 407, BTO, Thetford (http://www.bto.org/birdfacts)

 

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