28 GULLS AND TERNS 
Subgenus Thalasseus. 
64. Sterna caspia Pall. Caspian Tern. 
Tail not very deeply forked, the outer feathers pointed, but not much 
narrowed ; bill red, feet black. Breeding plumage: crown and back ot 
head .black; mantle light gray; wings darker gray, the outer quills tipped 
Fig. 48. 
with black. Winter plumage: black of head streaked with white. Young: 
crown grayish, mixed with black posteriorly ; back and tail feathers with 
dusky spots. Length: 19.00-22.50, wing 15.00-17.40, bill 2.48-3.10, tail 
5.30-6.75, forked for .75-1.60. 
Distribution. — North America at large, breeding in isolated localities. 
Nest. — In hollow in the sand. Eggs : usually 3. 
But for their long wings, slender forms, and forked tails, the Cas- 
pians, the largest of our terns, could easily be mistaken for gulls. 
Their flight is quicker and stronger, however, and their black crowns 
usually conspicuous. They are eminently social in the breeding 
season, nesting in large colonies, and it is no uncommon sight to see 
several hundred of them lined up on a sandy lake beach, with the 
waves rippling in at their feet. After the breeding season they scat¬ 
ter out and wander widely over the country. Vernon Bailey. 
Subgenus Actochelidon. 
66. Sterna maxima Bodd. Royal Tern. 
Crest of long pointed feathers on back of head; tail long and forked for 
half its length ; inner webs of quills broadly margined with white ; bill 
orange red, feet black. Breeding plumage : upper parts light pearl gray, 
top and back of head, including crest, black ; under parts white. Post¬ 
breeding plumage : forehead and fore part of crown white. Winter plum¬ 
age : white mixed with black on back of head. Young : crown speckled 
with white and dusky, crest only slightly developed; upper parts and 
tail feathers with spots of dusky. Length: 18-21, wing 14-15, bill 2.40- 
2.75, tail 6-8, forked for 3-4. 
Distribution. Coasts and larger lakes of the United States, mainly 
southward. 
