Fun Bridled Tern Facts For Kids

Are you a bird lover and looking for an amazing bird, like the least tern and the western bluebird? We have a gift for you. We present the bridled tern (Onychoprion anaethetus).

These are migratory birds that travel to warmer climates during winters along the ocean coast. As these are seabirds, fish is their main source of food.

Apart from fish they also consume other aquatic insects. These birds measure around 11.8-12.6 in (30-32 cm) in length. The main habitat of these birds are islands and the coast of the seas.

South Asia, Africa is the main area where these birds are found and thus they are not endemic. Different calls and vocalizations can be heard from this breed of birds.

These birds have black legs, the bill, but they have white wings and also flaunt a white forehead. The white patch often extends to the eyes. These birds are found in plenty and thus their conservation status is of Least Concern.

Owing to their similar look they are often mistaken as the sooty tern. But you need not worry about the bridled tern vs sooty tern as they are two different breeds of birds. Do not worry about taking out your field guide, as we have curated all the necessary information about this breed of bird.

For more relatable content, check out these swallow facts and royal tern facts for kids.

Bridled Tern Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a bridled tern?

The bridled tern (Onychoprion anaethetus) is a type of seabird that belongs to the family of Laridae.

What class of animal does a bridled tern belong to?

Just like all other birds that are found on the globe, the bridled terns belong to the class of Aves.

How many bridled terns are there in the world?

The bridled tern (Onychoprion anaethetus) is a common bird and thus their numbers are found in plenty.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List states that there are approximately 610,000-1,500,000 individuals that are present in today's world.

Out of the gross total population, a majority of them are mature individuals. The population trend of this species of bird is uncertain in recent years as there has been a steady increase as well decrease in their population.

As their conservation status is listed as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN Red List it can be safe to assume that there is no imminent harm to these terns.

However, it should be noted that human activities like the destruction of habitat, climate change, and others pose a grave threat to this family of birds and thus proper conservation and protective methods should be executed at the earliest.

Where does a bridled tern live?

These terns are found in abundance in the tropical and subtropical areas of the planet. As a result, their distribution range is spread throughout the planet.

These involve continents like Africa, Asia, South America, and Australia. These birds are found in islands of the Philippines, Taiwan, China, Malaysia, Australia, New Guinea, India, Somalia, Tanzania, Mauritius, South Africa, Senegal, and other nearby countries.

What is a bridled tern's habitat?

The bridled tern's range of habitat is pantropical in nature and extends in areas that contain the coasts of tropical and subtropical areas. These bridled terns prefer rocky beaches, sandy slopes to offshore lands.

These birds often rest on trees and on floating objects, particularly at the night. These birds make the home at distances of around 9.3-31 mi (15-50 km) from the land.

Who does bridled tern live with?

The bridled terns are social animals and thus they interact well with the birds of the same species. These birds are known to reside in flocks. During the breeding season, they are known to form pair bonds.

When traveling or migrating these birds can be found in groups of around 2-30 individuals. These birds are often seen mixing with the sooty tern. Though they are similar looking, the sooty tern belongs to a different species and subspecies.

How long does a bridled tern live?

In comparison with other birds, these bridled terns tend to have a long lifespan. This breed of bird tends to have a lifespan of around 12-18 years.

How do they reproduce?

These are monogamous birds and thus they have only one mating partner throughout the breeding season. Some birds are often known to form pair bonds.

Courtship ritual is often observed among these birds. Birds often display aerial flight patterns. The bridled tern flight gliding upwards and downwards as a competition among a couple of birds is observed along with ground courtship ritual, where the bird postures their body in a bent way and tilts forward.

Usually, the breeding season is from April to September while the eggs are laid in early June. A single egg is laid by these terns. Once the egg is laid, an incubation period of 28-30 days takes place.

The hatching starts in early July. Both the parents take care in feeding and protecting the young hatchlings till they become independent in taking care of themselves.

What is their conservation status?

The International Union for Conservation of Nature or the IUCN Red List has placed these terns under the category of Least Concern. The population trend of these species of tropical birds is currently unknown.

There has been a steady increase as well as a decrease in the population of this species, thus the actual trend is uncertain.

Human activities like the destruction of habitat, climate change, and others play a vital role in the depletion of this species. Proper conservation steps should be implemented at the earliest to conserve these birds.

Bridled Tern Fun Facts

What does the bridled tern look like?

These terns are brown-gray in color. Along with a dark black bill, they have a pale white forehead. The dark black cap and white patches extend from the pale white forehead to the eye.

These birds have a deeply forked tail with white plumage in the upperparts. The wings, the bill, legs, wingspan are dark black while the underparts are white. Owing to their look, they are often mistaken with the sooty tern, which is a different species of bird.

How cute are they?

A lot of people around the world are fond of birds and thus these birds are bound to be loved by people. Bird lovers and ornithologists are bound to find these birds to be extremely adorable.

How do they communicate?

These are social birds and thus they communicate well with other birds. Being highly vocal birds they are known to produce a wide range of sounds. Calls like chuckling or that depicting a squeaky toy can be heard. 'Trrrrrrrrrr', 'kek', and 'kuk' are some of the different types of vocalizations that can be heard from the bridled tern.

How big is a bridled tern?

These birds measure 11.8-12.6 in (30-32 cm) in length. In comparison with hyacinth macaw, 39.4 in (100 cm) in length, the latter is almost thrice the size of the former.

How fast can a bridled tern fly?

Owing to very little information, the exact speed at which the bridled tern flies is currently unknown. However, we can make an assumption of their speed by comparing them with the Arctic tern that has a flying speed of around 20-25 mph (32.2-40.2 kph).

Thus we can assume that the flying speed of the bridled tern would be somewhat close to this.

How much does a bridled tern weigh?

These birds weigh around 3.9-6.3 oz (110-180 g). In comparison with the military macaw which is 1.9-2.4 lb (0.8-1.1 kg), we can say that the latter is much heavier.

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no distinct names that have been assigned to the adult males and the adult females of the bridled tern.

What would you call a baby bridled tern?

Baby brindled terns are called chicks.

What do they eat?

These birds are carnivorous animals and thus their diet only consists other of animals. Since these are seabirds, fish constitute a major part of their diet.

Another constituent of the diet of these birds is smaller aquatic animals like insects, crustaceans, and other similar creatures. Similar to other birds, these birds also have the tendency in diving into the sea and catching fish.

Are they dangerous?

These birds are not at all dangerous to humans or the environment.

Would they make a good pet?

It would be unwise to keep these birds as pets. As these are seabirds they prefer the sea habitat which cannot be replicated in your home or backyard.

Did you know...

There are four different subspecies of brindled terns based on the locations in which they live. These are Onychoprion anaethetus melanopterus, Onychoprion anaethetus antarcticus, Onychoprion anaethetus anaethetus, and Onychoprion anaethetus nelsoni.

Does bridled tern migrate?

Yes, these are migratory birds who travel in search of a warmer tropical climate. The migratory routes are mainly across the sea and thus these birds are found to migrate along the coast of the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean.

Does bridled tern have a forked tail?

Yes, the bridled tern (Onychoprion anaethetus) is a medium-sized bird that is known to flaunt a deeply forked tail that has white-colored plumage in the outer edges while its wings are black.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our glossy starling interesting facts and Gloster canary fun facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable lesser crested tern coloring pages.

Second image by Elbert Alias.