White-fronted Tern
Taraseeschwalbe (Sterna striata )
The Taraseeschwalbe (Sterna striata ) is a type of the tern family. They occur exclusively in the southern hemisphere and is very similar to the sandwich tern of the northern hemisphere.
Appearance
The Taraseeschwalbe reaches a height 35-43 inches. The wing length is 26 to 28.8 inches and the wingspan 79 to 82 centimeters. It weighs 103-160 grams. Females tend to be slightly smaller and lighter than the males.
The Taraseeschwalbe affects overall very bright, the body plumage is white and pale gray. The tail is deeply forked. The legs are relatively short. The wings are long and narrow in relation to body size. Adult Taraseeschwalben have a dark upper head in breeding plumage. This dark coloration extends far into the back of the neck from. On the forehead a narrow white stripe separates the beak of the dark head cap, and the cheeks are whitish. The outer primaries are noticeably darker than the rest of the swing. The body bottom is completely white with a slight pink tinge. In Plain dress, the white forehead is slightly extended, the extended tail feathers are absent in non-breeding adult Taraseeschwalben.
Distribution and population
The Taraseeschwalbe breeds in Tasmania, the islands of the Furneaux Group, the New Zealand North Island, New Zealand's South Island and Stewart Island, the Chatham Islands, and Auckland Islands. She considers herself usually on rocky coasts.
Way of life
The Taraseeschwalbe eats fish and to a lesser extent, prawns, which she finds in the surf zone. She appears occasionally in their search for food even from a height of seven to ten meters into the sea.
Taraseeschwalben are colony breeders. The colonies usually comprise one hundred to five hundred breeding pairs. The nest is a gescharrte in the sand tray, which is sometimes lined with grass. The nest consists of one to two eggs. The hatched chicks are brooded for a period of four to six days. The chicks occasionally form groups of children until they fledge at the age from 29 to 35 days. However, they are dependent on the supply by their parents birds for a period of three to six months.
Inside systematics
In the literature up to three subspecies for Taraseeschwalbe be distinguished occasionally. However, it is occasionally questioned the validity of this division and the Taraseeschwalbe treated as a monotypic species. As subspecies are:
- See S. incerta, which breeds on islands north-east of Tasmania
- See S. striata, the nominate form which occurs on New Zealand
- P s aucklandorna that breeds on the Chatham Islands, and Auckland Islands