Forster's Tern

Aquatic Bird House- Forster's Tern. April 26, 2014.

How to recognize this species from Common Tern? I always have problem try to figure it out. They looks very similar.

Semioptera said:

How to recognize this species from Common Tern? I always have problem try to figure it out. They looks very similar.

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See, I've always had this problem as well but TeaLovingDave, who always IDs them for me, insists that they're easy to tell apart

I'll link him to your question.

~Thylo

Thanks Thylo

Turns out this photo was taken only two days before this individual died. Also turns out this was the zoo's last Forster's, though they still have a CommonXForster's left.

~Thylo

EDIT: The photo was uploaded about two days before he died, not taken as it turns out.

~Thylo

@ThylacineAlive

Only took you until now, and Semioptera has been gone for years but for the record - Forster's has a longer and more gracile beak and a more pronounced black tip to said beak. In Common the tip is just a hint or sometimes entirely absent.

@TeaLovingDave yeah but I still figured it'd be good to document on the photo

I had no reason to assume Bronx's were anything other than Forster's because all the animals I photographed in 2013 and 2014 happened to be the Forster's and the zoo removed the signage for Common but kept the signage for Forster's for some reason.

~Thylo