The Royal Tern is a large, handsome tern of coastal areas with an orange-red bill and a shaggy black crest that recedes to show a white forehead outside of breeding season. It nests in enormous, dense colonies and is notably gregarious, often roosting in tight flocks on beaches and sandbars. Parents identify their chicks among thousands of others primarily by voice.
Habitat
Coastal beaches, inlets, and bays
Diet
Fish and squid caught by plunge-diving
How common
Common
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