Greater Crested Tern

The greater crested tern is a large tern, 46–49cm long in the nominate subspecies, with a wingspan of 125–130cm and a weight of 325–397g. It has dark grey upperparts, white underparts, black legs, a long greenish-yellow bill and a glossy black crest that is shaggy at the rear. Its darker battleship-grey back, white forehead even in full breeding plumage and yellow rather than orange or black bill separate it from close relatives. In winter the crown turns white. Juveniles are strongly patterned in grey, brown and white (Wikipedia, general species account).

It nests in dense colonies on coasts and islands of the tropical and subtropical Old World, and all populations disperse widely after breeding. It plunge-dives for fish, and males offer fish to females in courtship. It also follows fishing boats for discarded bycatch and uses unusual nest sites such as roofs and artificial islands. Young birds are fed by their parents for months after fledging. In India it is resident with a moderate range; SoIB 2023 has too little data for a long-term trend and rates it a Low conservation priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).