Inca tern

Inca tern
	Inca tern ( Larosterna inca )
Systematics
Class :	Birds (aves)
Order :	Plover-like (Charadriiformes)
Family :	Terns (Sternidae)
Genre :	Larosterna
Type :	Inca tern
Scientific name of the genus
	Larosterna
	Blyth , 1852
Scientific name of the species
	Larosterna inca
	( Lesson & Garnot , 1827)

Profile shot of an adult animal with lighter pen drawing.

The Inca tern ( Larosterna inca ) is a species of bird from the tern family that lives on the South American Pacific coast . It is the only species in the genus Larosterna .

features

The Inca tern can be recognized by its slate-gray plumage, the outwardly curved white 5 cm long tufts of feathers on the base of the beak, the white feather edge on the wings as well as the bright red beak and the bright red feet. It is 39–42 cm long and weighs around 190 g. The reputation is a feline mew .

Occurrence

The Inca tern breeds on the rocky coasts of Peru and northern Chile . It winters in the coastal regions from Ecuador to central Chile.

The IUCN has classified the Inca tern as " near threatened " since 2004 , as the species had apparently suffered a severe population decline. The total population is estimated at around 150,000 animals.

food

The Inca tern hunts in the cold but fish-rich Humboldt Current . She follows fishing boats to get hold of fish scraps. She also accompanies sea lions , whales and cormorants to catch fish they scare off.

Reproduction

Head of an Inca tern

The Inca tern incubates one or two eggs for between 24 and 27 days in a rock cave or in an old breeding cave of other seabirds. The fledglings are fully fledged at around a month old. They reach sexual maturity at the age of three to four years.

literature

W. Grummt , H. Strehlow (Ed.): Zoo animal keeping birds. Verlag Harri Deutsch, Frankfurt am Main 2009, ISBN 978-3-8171-1636-2 .
Peter Harrison, Seabirds - an identification guide , A & C Black, London 1996, ISBN 0-7136-3510-X

Web links

Commons : Inkaseeschwalbe - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Larosterna inca in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2006. Accessed September 20 2016th
Videos, photos and sound recordings about Larosterna inca in the Internet Bird Collection

Single receipts

↑ Larosterna inca in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2006. Accessed September 20 2016th
↑ W. Grummt, H. Strehlow (Ed.): Zoo animal keeping birds . P. 317

[1] Larosterna inca in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2006. Accessed September 20 2016th

[2] W. Grummt, H. Strehlow (Ed.): Zoo animal keeping birds . P. 317