Chinese Crested Tern

The word tern via an East Anglian dialect, from some Scandinavian (North Germanic) language, related to Danish terne, Norwegian terne, and Swedish tärna, all from Old Norse þerna (“tern; maidservant”), ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *þewernā (“handmaid, young girl”). First attested in the 1670s.

• Singular: tern

• Plural: terns

It is closely related to the Sandwich tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis), and the lesser crested tern (Thalasseus 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.

The Chinese crested tern is a powerful, agile flyer that can cover enormous distances at sea. This tern's wingbeats are swift, gliding, and soaring. The Chinese crested tern is not a very good swimmer, although it can float on the water for a short while and rarely paddles; it prefers to take off fast. The Chinese crested tern feeds by plunging headfirst into the water after briefly hovering.

In Rapunzel's universe, when prey is splashed with the water that Chinese crested terns may spit out, it can quickly render them wet. It is believed that this skill developed because of a need to raise the percentage of prey that can be caught in order to supply enough food for a pack before or after the migration.

The Chinese crested tern is a carnivorous bird that mostly eats small marine fish, such as sardines and anchovies, and occasionally squid. Mid-level predators play a trophic role. This tern serves as an indicator species for the health of maritime ecosystems and aids in the regulation of fish populations.

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.

Reproduction

• Breeding system:

  • Monogamous during breeding season

  • Colonial nester

• Nest:

  • Simple scrape on sandy or rocky islands

  • No added materials

• Eggs:

  • Usually 1 egg per pair

  • Pale with dark speckles (excellent camouflage)

• Parental care:

  • Both parents incubate

  • Both feed the chick

  • Chick is semi-precocial but dependent on parents

• Breeding success is extremely low due to disturbance and predation.

The Chinese crested tern is gregarious inside its colonies but cautious outside, shy, and extremely sensitive to disturbances. Although this tern is not amiable or sociable, it flushes readily when people approach its nesting locations, and human stress frequently results in nest abandonment. The tern's vocalization consisted of piercing, harsh tern sounds that were used to communicate within the colony.

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.

Threats

• Egg collection.

• Human disturbance.

• Coastal development.

• Overfishing (reduces prey availability).

• Climate change and rising sea levels.

• Typhoons destroying nesting sites.

Conservation Status

• IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered (CR)

Conservation Efforts

• Fewer than 100 mature individuals.

• Often only a few dozen breeding birds are observed each year.

• Anti-poaching enforcement.

• Protection of breeding islands.

• Seasonal human exclusion zones.

• Artificial decoy terns to encourage nesting.

• Nest monitoring and predator control.

• International cooperation.

• Awareness campaigns against illegal pet trade.

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.

During The Recollections of Queen Arianna (TROQA) saga in the 2600s and 2700s, the "Sky People," or Terrans from Earth, brought the Chinese crested tern to two exoplanets that resembled Earth: Berbania from Ursa Major and Reinachos from Cygnus. Despite the death of our planet, conservation efforts are helping this species recover from endangerment or near extinction. The crested tern became an invasive species as a result of human interactions for game hunting and rewilding. In two exoplanets that resembled Earth, the Chinese crested tern lived in conditions and climates identical to those of Earth.

• Movement Pattern: Full Migrant

• Individual Type: Solo

• Population Trend: Increasing

• Population: 30-49

• Locomotion: Versatile

• Habitat: Tundra; Taiga; Montane Grasslands and Shrublands; Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Salt Flats; Stone Forest; Tropical Grasslands; Tropical Savannas and Shrublands; Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub; Swamp; Bayous/Billabongs; Riparian; Wetland; Mangrove Forest; Cold Bamboo Forests; Tropical Bamboo Forests; Air-breathing Coral Reefs; Graveyard Vale; Mountain; Sky; Warm River; Cold River; Lukewarm River; Warm Littoral; Cold Littoral; Warm Intertidal; Cold Intertidal; Radiated Citadel; Volcano; Warm Ghost Town; Cold Ghost Town; Ruined Skyscraper.

• Earth: see below

  • Extant (Breeding): People's Republic of China; People's Republic of North Korea

  • Extant (Non-breeding): Indonesia; Malaysia; Philippines; Thailand

  • Extant (Resident): Republic of Taiwan

  • Extant & Vagrant (Non-breeding, TROQA): Ukraine; United Kingdom

Coming soon

Coming soon

• Ah Kum

• Chun Hua

• Hong

• Hua

• Jau-Long

• Li

• Lian

• Mingxia

• Zhang

• Liu

• Chen

• Yang

• Huang

• Zhao

• Bahasa Melayu: Burung Camar Cina Berjambul

• Azərbaycanca: Çin kəkilli susüpürəni

• Greek: Κινεζική λοφιοφόρο στερλίνα (Kinezikí lofiofóro sterlína)

• Romanian: Șternă crestată din China

• French: Sterne huppée de Chine

• Catalan: Xarran crestat de la Xina

• Spanish: Charrán crestado de China

• Portuguese: Andorinha-do-mar da China

• Deutsch: Bernsteinseeschwalbe

• Coming soon

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_crested_tern

• https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22694585/131118818

• https://www.sunstar.com.ph/ampArticle/1504306

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Chinese-Crested-Tern-919480219