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Best looked for in coastlines, harbours, offshore waters, estuaries, headlands, beaches, and large inland water when conditions suit, where Whiskered Tern is most likely to show well.
Not listed
Indigenous: Budhagalagala
At a glance
FamilyGulls, Terns, and Skimmers
SizeMedium
RarityCommon
HabitatCoastlines, harbours, offshore waters, estuaries, headlands, beaches, and large inland water when conditions suit.
Best timeMost reliable in Victoria from October to January.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Pere Josa
Range map
Range map
3071visible hotspots
97049visible records
5states
SparseModerateDense hotspot
Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.
Species notes
Overview
The genus name is from Ancient Greek khelidonios , "swallow-like", from khelidon , " swallow ". The specific hybridus is Latin for hybrid ; Peter Simon Pallas thought it might be a hybrid of white-winged black tern and common tern , writing " Sterna fissipes et Hirundine natam ".
Behavior
The whiskered tern eats small fish, amphibians, insects and crustaceans.
Gallery