238 
CHARADRIIFORMES 
75. Sooty Tern, la sterne euligineuse. Sterna fuscata. L, 16-5. A little larger 
than the Common Tern but with a solid black mantle. 
Distinctions. Solid black mantle and white underparts and forehead. The juvenile 
has a generally dark appearance but is considerably larger than the Black Tern. 
Distribution. Tropical anti sub- tropical seas. The Canadian status rests on a single 
' specimen taken in Nova Scotia. 
F igure 349 
Sooty Tern; scale, §. 
74. Least Tern, la petite stkhne. Sterna antillarum. L, about 9. Like a very 
diminutive Common Tern. 
Distinctions. Evident tern-like form and extremely diminutive size make this species 
unmistakable. 
Distribution. Tropical and southern temperate America. Canadian status based 
on a few old records, for Nova Scotia and southern Ontario, some probably incorrect and 
none beyond dispute. 
67. Sandwich Tern, la stkkne de me it oaugiok. Thalasseus sandtricensis. L, 
about 15 (Forking of tail about 2-25). About same general coloration as the Common and 
Arctic Terns but paler of mantle, larger of body, and with black, yellow-tipped bill. 
Distinctions. A distinctly heavier bird than the Common Tern, but not measuring 
as long by reason of shorter development of tail. The black bill with yellow tip is dis- 
tinctive of most plumages. 
Distribution. Europe and North and South America north to Virginia. In Canada 
there seems to be a fairly well substantiated old record for southern Ontario. 
SUBSPECIES. Represented in America by Cabot’s Tern (la Sterne de Cabot) 
Thalasseus sandtricensis acufldvides. 
64. Caspian Tern, la sterne caspienne. Hydroprogne caspia . L, 21 (Forking 
of tail 1-50). The largest of our Canadian terns. In colour very similar to the Common 
Tern (See page 236 and Plate XXIX A). 
Distinctions. Large size of this tern is characteristic. The Caspian Tern is as large 
as some of the smaller gulls; but its hill, though comparatively heavy for a tern, is too 
graceful and tapering to be gull-like. 
Field Marks. Rather distinctively marked in life. In size, it is more likely to be 
compared with a Ring-billed Gull than a tern, but its big red bill, black cap, slightly 
forked tail, and general tern-like coloration are plain. The slow beat of its long wings is 
different from the more quickly moving small tern and its voice is raucous; a single hoarse 
monosyllable that may be rendered “ Casp ” is characteristic. 
Nesting. On sandy beaches, or rocky or gravelly islands. 
Distribution. A nearly cosmopolitan species. Found in the Old as w r ell as the New 
World. Occurs rather irregularly all over Canada, but its known nesting stations are few 
and scattered over the continent from Great Slave Lake to Labrador. 
SUBSPECIES. The American Caspian Tern (la Sterne caspienne d’Amerique) 
has been lately separated from that of the Old World under the name of Hydroprogne 
caspia imperator. 
We have breeding records for this species on the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 
Lakes Ontario, Huron, Michigan, Winnipeg, and Great Slave Lake, and 
occasional sight records down through the Prairie Provinces and southern 
British Columbia. 
