Caspian Tern

The Caspian tern is the largest tern in the world, 48–60cm long with a wingspan of 127–145cm and a weight of 530–782g. Adults have black legs and a long, thick red-orange bill with a small black tip, a black cap, a white neck, belly and tail and pale grey upperparts. In flight the tail is less forked than in other terns and the wing-tips are black below. Unlike many terns it keeps its black cap in winter, streaked white on the forehead. Its call is a loud, heron-like croak (Wikipedia, general species account).

It breeds on large lakes and sea coasts in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australasia; European and Asian birds spend the non-breeding season in the Old World tropics. It feeds mainly on fish, hovering high over the water and then plunging, and occasionally takes large insects, the eggs and young of other birds, and rodents. It has no subspecies (Wikipedia, general species account).