River Tern

Sterna aurantia Gray, JE, 1831

≈42 cmLength67 cmWingspan209 gWeight

In summer it has a yellow bill, red legs and a long, forked tail trailing long, slender tail feathers.

Busiest months: December–February · Most records: India, Pakistan, China

Vulnerable

How to identify

Field marks

Bill thick and bright yellow in summer
Legs bright red
Black crown extends below eye in breeding plumage
Adult upperparts dark gray; underparts white or pale gray

Male, female and young

Sexes similar; juvenile has a brown head, gray upperparts with brown patches and a yellowish bill with a dark tip.

Where and when it's recorded

River Tern has been recorded at 173 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 9 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

To protect this bird from disturbance, we don't list exact sites.

Countries and regions with the most records

India Pakistan China Nepal Bangladesh Cambodia Thailand Myanmar (Burma)

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The river tern or Indian river tern (Sterna aurantia) is a tern in the family Laridae, the largest species currently included in the genus Sterna of typical terns. It is a resident breeder along inland rivers from Pakistan east through the Indian subcontinent, to Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia, where it is uncommon. Unlike most Sterna terns, it is almost exclusively found on freshwater, rarely venturing even to tidal creeks.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the River Tern?

The River Tern is about ≈42 cm long, with a wingspan of 67 cm and weighs around 209 g.

Where does the River Tern live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: rivers of Indus Valley (central Pakistan), sub-Himalayan India, northwestern, central Myanmar, southwestern China, to southeastern Cambodia (formerly southern Vietnam). It is most often recorded in India, Pakistan and China.

When is the best time to see the River Tern?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, February and December (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the River Tern endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the River Tern as Vulnerable.

What does the River Tern eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the River Tern in?

It belongs to the family Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae), order Charadriiformes.

At a glance

Length: ≈42 cm
Wingspan: 67 cm
Weight: 209 g
Habitat: Rivers & streams
Diet: Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle: Feeds in the air
Migration: Partial migrant
Conservation: Vulnerable

More measurements

Wing: 262 mm
Tail: 168 mm
Bill: 44 mm
Tarsus: 20 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Oriental: rivers of Indus Valley (central Pakistan), sub-Himalayan India, northwestern, central Myanmar, southwestern China, to southeastern Cambodia (formerly southern Vietnam)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2