SANParks.org Forums

Curlie, for cert

Thanks, JvR!

This tern has me stumped I'd first thought it might be a little tern, but the legs are red, not yellow. So might it then perhaps be a roseate tern? Seen at Strandfontein (Cape Town) on 8 December 2012.

Help please............seen on S114 in KNP recently.
Sorry the photo is not very good!!

Crested Val, they look like European (Barn) Swallows to me - congregating before flying back to Europe for the European summer.

Dave

Arks, maybe a juvenile whiskered tern?

I am not great on terns.

I agree with BB about the Whiskered Tern, although non-breeding instead of juvenile according to some of my bird guides. Maybe Johan van Rensburg can help out here too?

I also think they are Barn Swallows Val! JvR, please help!

Definitely Barn Swallows.

The barn swallows are a sure thing. The tern is not so easy, tho'

It is definitely not Roseate, the tail streamers being way too short. I also think it is not a whiskered tern because the top of the tail is too white and forked too deeply. The date is wrong to have adult whiskered terns not showing signs of at least some moulting into breeding colours.

Time (Dec) is wrong for antarctic tern which I initially favoured.

So, let me ponder this one some more...

By process of elimination I rejected all the relevant terns!

So Niall guided me to common tern, one of the birds that I excluded because in non-breeding plumage it is not supposed to have such an extensive white crown. Rightly so Niall reminded me that bill shape and size is the ultimate ID tool when looking at terns especially when the birds are sitting on the ground, the difference in bill shape (sometimes very subtle) is the most obvious and dependable feature. Roberts describes the bill for a non-breeding common tern as black, sometimes with red tinge at base; fairly long with the upper mandible slightly decurved towards the tip.

So what we have here is a common tern in odd moult.

(Thanks Niall!)

Many thanks BB, JvR and Niall I must say that the illustrations for common tern in my Newman's are nothing like this bird (which would be a lifer for me) and I was still puzzled by those red legs. However, I've done a bit of searching and have found a couple of photos here that show similar birds.

That's what so great about this forum! I'd never have figured this one out by myself, but with such expert 'helpers', I'm again learning more! Many, many thanks!

Can you help me in identifying this little chap???

Seen near Berg en Dal in February



Thanks in advance

Blue legs points to Lesser Masked Weaver.

Not a little chap... rather non-breeding female (dark eye and white underparts).

The reference to blue-grey legs is a very good ID feature to underline (or add) in your fieldbook! Thanks for the reminder WTM!