Chinese Crested Tern

Thalasseus bernsteini

Chinese Crested Tern

“ I arrived at around 3 p.m. and positioned myself within sight of the I love Panabo sign. I often do that, checking the waders on the fishponds to keep an eye on numbers and search for rarities. ”

– Peter Simpson

Scientific Taxonomy & Character Information

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Reptilia

Order: Charadriiformes

Family: Laridae

Genus: Thalasseus

Species: Thalasseus bernsteini

Descendant: Sterna

Named by: Erik Ludvigsen Pontoppidan

Year Published: 1763

Size: 33–36 cm (13–14 in) long in length; 76–85 cm (30–33 in) wingspan in length; 33 cm tall in height; 86–127 g (3.0–4.5 oz) in weight

Type: 

Title: n/a

Pantheon: Terran/Gaian

Time Period: Holocene

Alignment: Shy

Threat Level: ★

Diet: Carnivorous

Elements: Water, air

Inflicts: n/a

Weaknesses: Electric, nature, ice, sound, earth, stunned

Casualties: n/a

Based On: itself

Conservation Status: Critically Endangered (CR) – IUCN Red List

Chinese Crested Tern (Thalasseus bernsteini; Mandarin: 中国凤头燕鸥 "Zhōngguó fèng tóu yàn ōu"; 台灣鳳頭燕鷗 "Táiwān fèng tóu yàn ōu") is a tern in the family Laridae. It is the county bird of Lienchiang County, Taiwan.

Physical Appearance

It is closely related to the Sandwich tern, T. sandvicensis, and the lesser crested tern, T. bengalensis. It is most similar to the former, differing only in the bill pattern, which is the reverse of the Sandwich tern's, being yellow with a black tip.


From the lesser crested tern, which it overlaps in wintering distribution, it can be told by the white rump and paler grey mantle, as well as the black tip to the bill, which seen from up close also has a white point. The larger greater crested tern is also similar, differing in its stouter, all-yellow bill and darker grey mantle and rump, as well as in size.

Abilities

Coming soon.

Ecology

It is currently threatened by illegal egg collection, typhoons, and disturbance of nesting colonies by fishermen. There is also a threat of hybridization with the greater crested tern. In 2016, for the first time, Chinese crested terns were found breeding in South Korea. Setting up a new colony in such a faraway area would prove a boon for the species.

Behavior

One of the most combative terns, it is ferociously protective of its nest & young. It will strike the top as well as the side of the head once assaulting people and dangerous animals. Although it is too small to seriously harm an animal the length of a human, it can still draw blood and deter many raptorial birds, polar bears, and other smaller mammalian predators like foxes and cats.

Distribution and Habitat

It is a critically endangered species, and previously thought extinct. Only four pairs were rediscovered in 2000 nesting in a greater crested tern colony on an islet in the Matsu Islands (a territory governed by Taiwan), just off the coast of Fujian Province, China, and wintering south to the Philippines.


The Chinese east coast's distribution used to extend further north to Shandong. The decline is believed to be a result of earlier hunting and egg gathering for food. Due to the islands' debatable status (managed by Taiwan's government but alleged by mainland China) and the military acuity of the region, which has limited access, this colony may have been protected. The islet is now a protected area for wildlife.


Tamed

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Lore

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Known Individuals

Gallery

Foreign Languages

Trivia