690 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



CHLIDONIAS LEUCOPAREIUS 



434. Chlidonias leucopareius leucopareius (Temm.) — THE 

 WHISKERED TERN. 



Sterna leucopareia "Natterer" Temminck, Man. d'Orn., 2nd ed., ii, 



p. 746 (1820 — S. Hungary, discovered by Natterer, also Istria, Dalmatia, 



France). 



Hydrochelidon hybrida (Pallas), Yarrell, in, p. 527 ; Saunders, p. 637. 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter. — Fore-head white ; 

 crown streaked black and white, feathers having grey-black central 

 streaks and broad white fringes ; nape black, feathers tipped white ; 

 whole upper-parts including upper tail-coverts ash-grey but back of 

 neck white tinged grey, feathers having short grey tips ; in front of 

 eye small spot black speckled white, otherwise lores, sides of head 

 and neck, and whole under -parts including under wing-coverts and 

 axillaries white ; tail as upper -parts, feathers tipped white and 

 outer pair with the outer webs almost white ; primaries : outer 

 webs and tips pearl -grey (becoming dark brown by wear), inner 

 webs darker but inner edge very narrowly fringed white and basal 

 inner part white extending towards tip in wedge-shape, shafts 

 white ; secondaries pale slate -grey, outer webs narrowly bordered 

 white, inner webs darker with inner and basal part white ; inner- 

 most secondaries and all wing-coverts ash-grey as upper -parts.. 

 This plumage is acquired by complete moult July-Dec. and even 

 Jan. Summer.— Another complete moult (including wings and 

 tail) takes place March and often not complete May. Whole fore- 

 head, crown and nape jet-black ; rest of upper -parts shade darker 

 grey than winter ; from gape and lower part of lores, under eyes,. 

 through ear-coverts to nape a broad white stripe ; chin pale slate- 

 grey, becoming darker on throat and breast and blackish on flanks 

 and belly ; under tail-coverts and under wing-coverts white ; 

 axillaries pale slate-grey ; tail and wing as winter and wing-coverts 

 as upper -parts. 



Nestling. — As in Black Tern but line across fore-head black ;. 

 lores and narrow line round fore -part of eye white ; ground -colour 

 of upper-parts brighter buff than in Black Tern, especially on sides 

 of head, neck and upper-mantle which are orange-buff, black 

 markings much as in Black Tern but more broken up into blotches 

 except for lines on sides of mantle ; chin white ; throat dark brown 

 or blackish to buff -brown ; breast and centre of belly white (much, 

 purer white than in Black Tern) : sides of body and vent brownish 

 to orange -buff. 



Juvenile. — Fore -head and fore -part of crown white, usually at 

 first washed brown-buff ; rest of crown and nape black, feathers 

 edged and tipped greyish-white or bumsh (when worn back of crown 

 nearly uniform black) ; back of neck white, feathers tipped dark 

 slate ; mantle -feathers with black-brown tips narrowly edged buff ; 

 scapulars same with broad yellowish-buff margins (paler and_ 



