Whiskered tern

    Chlidonias hybrida

Castilian: Fumarel cariblanco

Catalan: Fumarell carablanc

Gallego: Gaivina de cara branca

Euskera: Itsas enara musuzuria

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Charadriiformes

Family: Sternidae

Migratory status: Summer resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Vulnerable”.

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THREATS

The transformation of wetlands into farm land, the low quality of remaining wetlands, and depredation in breeding areas when the water level drops are the most important threats. It should also be mentioned that this bird fights with the black-headed gull for nesting places.

Length / size: 23-29 cm / 64-70 cm

Identification: Medium-sized bird whose bill and legs are dark red and whose tail is slightly forked. In summer the adult's plumage is ash grey except for its tail coverts and face, which are white; it also has a pointed black hood that extends to its back. In winter the hood has white stripes and a mostly pale grey appearance.

Song: In flight it makes a rough and dry "cherk" sound.

Diet: It feeds on insects and invertebrates that it catches on the water surface once it has located them while still in flight.

Reproduction: It begins in May. The nest is positioned on top of a platform of floating vegetation, and both adults build the nest with plant scraps. They are also responsible for the incubation.

HABITAT

It occupies lakes, marshes and wetlands that have shallow water and enough vegetation to install its nest.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: When breeding, it is distributed principally throughout the Guadalquivir marshes, the lagoons of Cádiz, the wetlands of Alicante, the meadows of Valencia, and the Ebro Delta.

In Castile and León: It routinely breeds in La Nava lake (Palencia) and Villafáfila (Zamora). In passage it can appear rarely throughout all of the provinces.

Movements and migrations: Migratory species with wintering and breeding populations in Spain. Of the western European population, part of them winter in western tropical Africa, and others from eastern Europe migrate to Iran, Pakistan and eastern Africa. In our latitudes, migrations occurs inland, with a greater presence in the central region and in the Mediterranean. The spring passage takes places between March and May, and the autumn one begins in late July.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 5000-8000 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: