Onychoprion anaethetus
The Bridled Tern (Onychoprion anaethetus) is a captivating seabird, recognized by its distinctive appearance and pelagic lifestyle. Averaging 30-32 cm (12-13 in) in length with a wingspan of 76-81 cm (30-32 in) and weighing 95-150 g (3.4-5.3 oz), its most prominent field mark is a crisp white supercilium, or 'bridle,' extending from the base of the bill well beyond the eye, contrasting sharply with its black cap. The mantle and upperparts are a dark sooty-gray to blackish-brown, progressively...
This highly pelagic species primarily inhabits tropical and subtropical oceans, breeding on remote, often rocky or vegetated, islands and cays, typically at or near sea level.
Primarily feeds on small fish, squid, and marine invertebrates caught near the ocean's surface, occasionally supplemented by airborne insects.
Bridled Terns are colonial breeders, forming dense aggregations on remote islands. They are predominantly diurnal, spending much of their time aloft over the open ocean or resting on the surface of the water, and roosting on secluded islets, sandbars, or even offshore structures. Their foraging s...
The Bridled Tern boasts a vast, circumglobal distribution, breeding and foraging across tropical and subtropical oceans. Its breeding range spans numerous remote islands and coastlines in the Atlantic (including the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and eastern Atlantic archipelagos), the Indian Ocean (...
Least Concern
- Bridled Terns are among the most pelagic of all terns, spending extended periods far out at sea and rarely coming to land except to breed. - Unlike many terns that perform spectacular plunge-dives, the Bridled Tern typically forages by dipping to snatch prey from the water's surface while in fl...