THE BIRDS OF SINGAPORE ISLAND 
Terns aIw£Lys seem to be full of the joy of living, dashing: 
here and there with sharp cries and they are always very 
graceful in all their movements. Occasionally they may be 
seen sitting^ on the stakes of the fishing traps near the shore 
off the eastern side of the island or perhaps a small flock, 
chantafing- its feeding: gfround, will pass along- rather closer 
inshore than usual but these events are not normal. Terns 
however can often be seen hy passengers on picnic-launches 
g-oing to the islands near Singapore and indeed by anyone who 
gets a little distance from the land. E\ en between Changi and 
Puiau Tekong they are often seen. 
Six species have been recorded from Singapore but some 
of these are not likely to be met with except very rarely. The 
species most likely to be seen is a large bird, easily mistaken 
for a gyll by the l>eginner. it may conveniently be known as 
the large crested tern (Sierna bcrgii). At a short distance 
adult birds appear to be quite white but in the hand it will be 
seen that the back and wings are pale grey and the top of the 
head is black. 
Our plate represents one of the smaller terns {Sterna 
afbifrotis sinctrsh) which breeds along the course of certain 
rivers on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula. It will serve 
well to represent the terns in general but although it has 
been recorded from Singapore it is not one of the species most 
likely to be seen here. Althoug^h scarcely common birds in 
Singapore terns are very abundant a short distance from the 
island. In the winter the gulbbilled tern {Gelochcltdon 
nilotica) and another species which may be the common 
European tern or more likely its eastern representative (S tenia 
htigijyennis) are common. 
The roseate-tern (Sterfia doitgalHjt the black-naped tern 
(Sterna sitmatrana} and the Panayan tern (Sterna an(ethet<i) 
are also abundant in Malayan waters and there are breeding 
colonies of terns on several islands within a comparative short 
distance of Singapore. 
A small and almost entirely sooty-black bird with longish 
legs, a forked tail and webbed-feet sometimes Hies on board 
boats coming to or going from Sing^apore. This is Swinboe's 
etrel (Oceanodroma luomniifs) and althouf^h it has not yet 
een recorded from the island of Singapore one or two ha%e 
[76] 
