Order LARIFORMES. 
No. 121. 
STERNA MACRURA. 
Family LARIDJE. 
THE ARCTIC TERN. 
(Plate 87.) 
Sterna macrura Neumann, Isis, 1819, col. 1847, No. XII., for December. Nordstrand Island 
and the West Coast of Schleswig. (In my copy of Isis, 1819, col. 1845, this author’s name 
is spelt with an “ e ” not “ a ”). 
Gray and Mitchell, Gen. Birds, Vol. III., pi. 182, January, 1846, for cut of head, bill, foot 
and tail. Saunders Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., Vol. XXV., p. 62, 1896 (pref. December 16th, 
1895). Pract. Hand. Brit. Birds, Vol. II., pt. n., p. 902, 1924, to replace Sterna paradiscea 
onp. 712. 
Sterna hirundo Dresser, Birds Europe, Vol. VIII., p. 255, pi. 579, parts XI., XXII., August, 1872. 
Not Linne, 1758, p. 137. 
Sterna paradisea Hartert, Die Vog. pala. Fauna, heft. XIII.-XIV., p. 1704, February, 1921, with 
full synonymy. 
Bent, Life Hist. N. Amer. Gulls and Terns, p. 248, 1921. 
Oliver, New Zeal. Birds, p. 243, August, 1930. 
Adult. Male in breeding plumage. Forehead, crown and back of the neck deep black, slightly 
glossed ; the black extends on to the upper lores and over and round the eyes ; a white 
line almost from the nostrils, widening as it extends backwards ; mantle, scapulars and back 
pearly-lavender-grey ; rump and upper tail-coverts white ; tail-feathers white, except 
for the outer web of the outer tail-feather w r hich is dark grey, except at the tip and base ; 
wing-coverts like the back ; outer primary quills black on the outer web, dark-grey on the 
inner web next the shaft and at the tip, remainder of the web white ; remainder of the 
primaries grey on both w r ebs, the w r hite gradually getting less and forming a w^edge towards 
the tip ; all shafts ivory white ; secondaries mostly w r hite, some with grey outer webs, getting 
less grey and more white towards the primaries, some of the shorter of wdiich are edged 
with white on the inner w^ebs towards the tips ; cheeks white, like the under tail-coverts 
and imder wing ; throat white with a faint tinge of grey in some lights ; breast, sides of 
the body, and abdomen pale lavender-grey ; axillaries like the side of the body ; a white 
line running round the bend of the wing ; bill, legs and feet coral red ; eyes black. Total 
length 390 mm. ; culmen 32, wing 270, tail 185, tarsus 16. Figured. Collected in Lapland 
on July 16th, 1899. 
Adult female. Similar, but the tail a trifle shorter. 
Adult in winter. Forehead white, crown of the head mottled with white, under-surface whitish. 
Immature. More resembles the adult in winter plumage. Forehead, lores, chin and entire under¬ 
surface white including the sides of the body, axillaries and under wdng ; crown of the 
head mottled black and white ; nape and the feathers surrounding the eye black ; a line of 
white dividing the black of the head from the back ; mantle, scapulars and back grey edged 
with brown: upper tail-coverts white ; tail-feathers w r ith the outer w ebs darker, getting 
lighter towards the centre ; inner w^ebs whitish ; the under aspect of the tail light grey, where 
it is dark grey above ; primary quills as in the adult ; w r ing-coverts along the top of the 
wing white ; the next series blackish, the middle coverts grey edged with brown ; secondaries 
dark grey, flecked wdth brown, which get whiter towards the primaries. Bill dark horn, 
feet flesh, eyes black. Figured. Collected at Spurn on September 5th, 1884. 
Adults differ from vittata in having the throat whitish, not grey; the remainder of the under¬ 
surface to the vent is much lighter grey. The bill of vittata is heavier and longer. Both 
have a narrow grey line running along the shaft on the inner web of the outer primary, perhaps 
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