THE LITTLE TERN. 715 



STERNA ALBIFRONS* 



442. Sterna albifrons albifrons Pall.— THE LITTLE TERN. 



Sterna albifrons Pallas, in Vroeg's Cat. Verzam. Vogelen, etc., Adum- 



bratiuncula, p. 6 (1764— Holland). 



Sterna minuta Linnaeus, Yarrell, in, p. 558 ; Saunders, p. 651. 



Sterna minuta minuta, Hand-List (1912), p. 195. 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter. — Fore-head and lores 

 white ; crown ash-grey tinged brownish ; nape and extending along 

 lower sides of crown to back of eye brown-black, feathers slightly 

 tipped white ; in front of eye black-grey patch ; rest of upper -parts 

 blue -grey but back of neck whitish and rump and upper tail-coverts 

 slightly paler than mantle and scapulars ; whole under -parts white ; 

 tail-feathers : two central pairs grey as rump, outer pair white, rest 

 with inner webs and bases and edges of outer webs white and rest 



The Little Tern (Sterna a. albifrons). Adult, summer. 



of outer webs grey ; primaries : two and sometimes three outer 

 ones (i.e. 2nd, 3rd, and sometimes 4th) with blackish-grey (becoming 

 almost black when worn) outer webs, tips, and wide line along 

 shafts on inner webs, inner part of inner webs white, shafts dark 

 brown, rest of primaries pale blue-grey, inner webs narrowly edged 

 white, widening at bases, shafts greyish ; secondaries with white 

 inner webs and tips and grey outer webs and narrow portion of inner 

 webs along shafts ; primary-coverts : outer two or three dark grey 

 becoming blackish by wear as outer primaries, rest pale blue -grey ; 

 greater and median coverts pale blue-grey, lesser coverts dark 

 (blackish) grey, edged pale blue-grey. This plumage is acquired by 

 complete moult Aug.-Dec. N.B. — Very few winter examples 

 available for examination. Summer. — Another complete moult 

 takes place Jan-Mar., occasionally not complete April. N.B. — 

 Very few in moult examined. Like winter but fore-head white 

 extending in a point on each side of crown over eye ; wide stripe 

 through lores, over eye and rest of crown to level of lower edge of 

 eye and nape jet-black ; rump and upper tail-coverts usually white 

 but sometimes whitish ash-grey ; tail-feathers usually all white, 

 but sometimes some tinged ash-grey ; lesser coverts blue-grey as 

 rest of coverts ; rest of plumage as winter. 



* Sterna albifrons has two years priority over Sterna minuta of Linnaeus, 

 who was evidently not yet acquainted with the species in 1758. — E.H. j 



