Races:
Sterna hirundo hirundo Linnaeus, 1758
Sterna hirundo minussensis Sushkin, 1925

No Synonyms

Description

Common breeding migrant. Inhabits rivers or lakes with sandy, pebbly or saline soil shores and scanty vegetation, and lakes with reed-beds more rare. Arrives in mid-April – early May in small flocks of 5-8, up to two dozen birds. Breeding in small groups or colonies sometimes up to several thousand pairs, with Little Tern, waders and gulls often, prefers islands near the shore. Nest is built on ground in shallow hole without lining or with several grass stems, but in reed-beds on heaps of old reed stems from dry reed leaves and other plants. Clutches of 2-3, rare 1 or 4-9 eggs (in last case several females lay in one nest) in end May – July. Both parents incubate and care for chicks. Flying juveniles recorded from end June. Repeated nesting after loss of clutches occurs often. Autumn migration is early, may be from end July. Most areas they leave up to end August – mid-September, some birds linger up to first decade of October.

Races

Common Tern( Sterna hirundo hirundo )

Sterna hirundo hirundo Linnaeus, 1758 The most light race, without brownish shade. Top of red bill black. Legs red. Male wing length 247-285 (268), bill length of males 43.0-49.0 (45.3) mm. Breeds practically on all plain Kazakhstan. On seasonal migration occurs everywhere.

Sterna hirundo minussensis Sushkin, 1925 Somewhat darker from above and from below than hirundo. Black colour on bill distributed more widely. Legs colour varies from red up to brownish-red. Male wing length 261-282 (273), bill length of males 40.0-48.0 (43.0) mm. Probably breeds on Altai, in particular on Bukhtarma river and on Markakol’ lake, where before was common on breeding, but since 1966 recorded only in summer and on migration. On migration can be met in eastern and southern areas of Kazakhstan.

References

Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005
Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999.