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Caspian Tern Sterna caspica Charadriiformes; Laridae Click on images for full screen Elegants and Royals can be difficult to distinguish. Elegants have a slightly longer and thinner bill, are generally more gracile in body shape, and have a slightly longer crest. Both are easy to distinguish from the Caspian tern, which has a heavy ruby-red (rather than orange) bill and a somewhat less deeply forked tail. Web design by Peter J. Bryant |
Alternate plumage, San Joaquin Marsh, Orange Co., 3-07. © John C. Avise. |
Juvenile, Upper Newport Bay, Orange Co., 8-07. © John C. Avise. |
Alternate plumage, San Joaquin Marsh, 3-07. © John C. Avise. |
Flock, with other larids, Upper Newport Bay, Orange Co., 7-06. © John C. Avise. |