Chinese Crested Tern

The Chinese Crested Tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae, closely related to Sandwich Tern T. sandvicensis and Lesser Crested Tern T. 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 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 the stouter, all-yellow bill and darker grey mantle and rump, as well as in size.

The Chinese Crested Tern is classified as Critically Endangered (CR), facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

slightly longer, slenderer bill, while Chinese Crested Tern differs in a black tip to the bill and Sandwich Tern a black bill with a yellow tip. Juvenile Lesser Crested Terns resemble same-age Sandwich Terns, but with a yellow-orange bill, and paler overall, with only faint dark crescents on the mantle feathers. There are two other orange-billed terns within the range of this species, Royal Tern and Greater Crested Tern. More

The Chinese Crested Tern has always been rare and little known; further confusion was caused by it being independently described and named twice, first as Sterna bernsteni by Schlegel in 1863, and then S. zimmermanni by Reichenow in 1903. Chinese Crested Tern Photo by Chang Show-Hwa Reproduced with permission of the Wild Bird Federation Taiwan http://bird.org. More

A study of Chinese Crested Tern highlights that the global population has fallen to less than fifty individuals, half what they were just three years ago. The study believes that the main cause of this decline is an unregulated expansion in trade for seabird eggs, a local delicacy that has risen in demand alongside a thriving tourist economy. Without urgent action conservationists have given the bird less than five years before disappearing completely from its two remaining breeding areas. More

Six pairs of Chinese crested terns have been spotted rearing chicks on a tiny islet. They were seen by a tourist who sent photographs to the Wild Bird Federation Taiwan, part of the global Birdlife International group. Experts have confirmed the find and are now keeping the exact location of the islet secret to prevent the birds being disturbed or their eggs stolen. It is known that fishermen looking for birds' eggs already visit the islet. More

Chinese crested tern on rock calling© Martin Hale Chinese crested tern in flight© Chang Shou-Hua Chinese crested tern in flight© Chang Shou-Hua Chinese crested tern in flight© Martin Hale Chinese crested tern in flight© Martin Hale Chinese crested tern in flight© Martin Hale Chinese crested tern in flight over water© Martin Hale Chinese crested tern flying low over water© Martin Hale Chinese crested tern More

Chinese crested tern in flight Chinese crested tern in flightPrint factsheet Facts - Also known as: Chinese-crested tern, Matsu tern Synonyms: Thalasseus bernesteini Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Aves Order Charadriiformes Family Laridae More

The Chinese Crested Tern is most similar to the Sandwich Tern, differing only in the bill pattern, which is the reverse of the Sandwich Tern's, being yellow with a black tip. From 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. More

Chinese Crested Tern (Sterna bernsteini), “disappeared” for 20 years, and was thought perhaps extinct. This photograph of a Chinese Crested Tern (right; black-tipped yellow-orange bill) with Caspian Terns (Sterna caspia), was taken by Ong Long-shin, on April 17, 1998, at the mouth of the Pachang Hsi (Pachang River), Chiayi County, Taiwan. More

Chen Shuihua Chinese Crested Tern faces greater threat of extinction than China's iconic Giant Panda Zoom In “Alarm-call” for China’s rarest bird = 21-09-2007 A study of Chinese Crested Tern highlights that the global population has fallen to less than fifty individuals, half what they were just three years ago. More

the sky, had killed 21 Chinese crested terns at their breeding colony on an island off the Shandong coast, near where the sailing Olympics were held this year. The specimens were stuffed into a museum drawer in Beijing. The Chinese crested tern was not seen again and was presumed extinct. Until 2000, that is. More

The Chinese crested tern has a yellow beak with a black tip and-unlike the grayish-black plumage of the Greater crested tern-a lighter, dusty gray body color. When perched, their primary feathers are almost as long as their tails. Chinese crested terns have a large, white stripe on their foreheads close to their crown, as well as some small black coloration on the sides of their head. More

The Chinese Crested Tern is a critically endangered species. It was first described in 1863 and since its discovery only five group of birds have been recorded. The two most recent records concerned ten in Thailand in July 1980 and three in northern China in September 1991. Several authors consider this bird may already be extinct (1,2). More

The Chinese Crested Tern Thalasseus bernsteini is one of the world’s rarest birds with the entire population reported to be fewer than 50 birds. Little is known about this species and only a few sightings have been reported (Dickinson and Eck 1984, del Hoya et al. 1996, Liang et al. 2000, Candido 2006). For most of the 20th century, it was thought extinct – confirmed sightings in the wild ceased in 1937. More

Click here to read about the re-discovery of Chinese Crested Tern in 2000 Introduction Following my unsuccessful 2001 trip to the Matsu Islands in search of Chinese Crested Tern, I was keen to give it another try especially as they had been seen in the two following years. I had no information on whether the terns were there this year but decided it was worth a try - nothing ventured, nothing gained. Chris as usual was keen to join. More

the Chinese Crested Tern Sterna bernsteini, has been rediscovered breeding on a small Taiwanese islet. Liang Chieh-teh observed at least four pairs and four chicks on the Matsu islands, just 10 km offshore from Fukien province, China. Liang was filming terns and other birds for a Council of Agriculture of Taiwan project being carried out through the Wild Bird Federation Taiwan (WBFT, BirdLife in Taiwan). More

and 2006 not a single Chinese crested tern was to be seen. In 2007 Mr Chen found four breeding pairs among a 1,000-strong colony of greater crested terns. Then one summer night a fisherman came out and took away 1,000 of the colony’s eggs, including all from the Chinese crested terns. The haul would have earned him 35,000 yuan ($5,000) from coastal restaurants where seabirds’ eggs have become a delicacy—a good night’s work for someone who could not make that much in a year of fishing. More

Chinese Crested Tern has a population of less than 50 birds - Courtesy of Birdlife January 2010. With an estimated population of not more than 50 birds, the Critically Endangered Chinese Crested Tern is China's most threatened bird and much rarer than the Giant Panda. The greatest threat to the tern's survival is egg collection by fishermen for food, which continues even though the breeding sites are within protected areas. More

the Chinese Crested Tern, due to be held from July 18-20 on the Matsu Archipelago in the Taiwan Strait. History The Matsu Archipelago is one of the archipelagos that have featured very prominently in the political standoff between the Peoples Republic of China and the Republic of China. When Chiang Kai Shek's nationalist forces retreated from the mainland in 1949 they held onto a number of islands just off the coast of China's Fujian Province. More