Scientific Name: Onychoprion aleuticus
Malay Name: Camar Batu Kelabu
Chinese Name: 白腰燕鸥
Range: Found from Siberia to Alaska, wintering to Southern China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Malay Peninsula, Singapore and Indonesia.
Taxonomy: Monotypic.
Size: 32-34 cm
Identification: A medium-size tern with greyish upperparts, white rump and long deeply, forked tail, discontinuous dark band on under trailing edge and all black pointed bill. When in breeding plumage, white forehead contrasts with black eyestripe, hindcrown and nape. Crown of non-breeding bird mostly white with blackish ear-coverts and nape. Juvenile resembles non-breeding adult but has dark brown subterminal markings on upperparts.
Similar looking species: Common Tern
Habitat: Open seas.
Behaviour/Ecology: Feeds by plunge-diving. Often perches on floating objects and debris.
Local Status: Uncommon migrant
Conservation Status: Vulnerable (BirdLife International 2020)
Location: Singapore Strait
- Pelagic Bird Trip at the Singapore Strait – 20 September 2020 (Trip Reports)
- Pelagic Bird Survey to the Horsburgh Lighthouse – 29 April 2017 (Trip Reports)
- Pelagic Bird Survey at the Singapore Strait – 15 October 2016 (Trip Reports)
Featured reports: May 2022, Sep 2022, Oct 2022, Nov 2022, Sep 2023, Oct 2023, Oct 2024
Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):
Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page
Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link
Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link
eBird Species page: eBird (Aleutian Tern)
References:
BirdLife International. (2020). Onychoprion aleuticus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22694716A178964431.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023
Jeyarajasingam, A., & Pearson, A. (2012). A Field Guide to the Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. Oxford University Press.
Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.
RECOMMENDED CITATION
Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Aleutian Tern. Retrieved on December 6, 2024 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/aleutian-tern.