Coastal Carolina

Rynchops niger HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 17 inches * Sexes similar * Skims surface of water with bill searching for prey * Large bill with orange base and black tip; lower mandible longer than upper * Short white tail with black center * Very dark upperparts * White forehead and underparts * Dark upperwing with white trailing edge * Pale underwings * Red legs * Duller above in winter * Immatures are mottled above Similar species: None

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HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 17 inches * Sexes similar * Skims surface of water with bill searching for prey * Large bill with orange base and black tip; lower mandible longer than upper * Short white tail with black center * Very dark upperparts * White forehead and underparts * Dark upperwing with white trailing edge * Pale underwings * Red legs * Duller above in winter * Immatures are mottled above Similar species: None

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HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 17 inches * Sexes similar * Skims surface of water with bill searching for prey * Large bill with orange base and black tip; lower mandible longer than upper * Short white tail with black center * Very dark upperparts * White forehead and underparts * Dark upperwing with white trailing edge * Pale underwings * Red legs * Duller above in winter * Immatures are mottled above Similar species: None

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HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 17 inches * Sexes similar * Skims surface of water with bill searching for prey * Large bill with orange base and black tip; lower mandible longer than upper * Short white tail with black center * Very dark upperparts * White forehead and underparts * Dark upperwing with white trailing edge * Pale underwings * Red legs * Duller above in winter * Immatures are mottled above Similar species: None

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HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 17 inches * Sexes similar * Skims surface of water with bill searching for prey * Large bill with orange base and black tip; lower mandible longer than upper * Short white tail with black center * Very dark upperparts * White forehead and underparts * Dark upperwing with white trailing edge * Pale underwings * Red legs * Duller above in winter * Immatures are mottled above Similar species: None

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Chlidonias niger HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 9 inches Wingspan: 35 inches * Sexes similar * Slow swallow-like flight * Swoops down and picks prey off surface off water * Small tern with relatively short, black bill * Very short, dark legs * Short, notched tail * Smoothly rounded head without crest Adult alternate: * Dark legs * Black head, neck, breast, and belly * White undertail coverts * Dark gray back; and upperwings with no apparent contrast * Gray rump and tail * Pale underwing coverts Adult basic: * White face, foreneck, breast, and belly * Irregular black cap connected to dark ear spot * Entirely gray back and upperwing (paler than in alternate plumage) * Dark gray shoulder bar Juvenile: * White face, foreneck, breast, and belly * Irregular black cap connected to dark ear spot * Brownish back and upperwing * Dark gray shoulder bar First winter/first summer: * Like adult basic but often with blackish mottling in first summer Similar species: Small tern, significantly larger than Least but smaller than Common. Swallow-like flight and feeding habits distinctive. Easily separable from all other regular species by black breast and belly and dark gray upperwings in alternate plumage. More similar in basic and immature plumages but size, irregular dark cap, short bill, and evenly gray upperwing distinctive. The White-winged Tern, accidental in United States, is similar but has whitish upperwings, white rump and tail and black axillaries in alternate plumage. In basic and immature plumages it is very difficult to separate but has black ear spot more separated from crown, whiter rump and tail, shorter bill and lacks shoulder bar.

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Larus philadelphia HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 11 inches Wingspan: 32 inches * Small, tern-like gull * Short, thin, black bill * Adult plumage reached in second year Adult alternate: * Black head * Very narrow white crescents above and below eye * White neck, breast, belly, and tail * Pale gray back and upperwings * Pale scapular crescent and tertial crescent * White wedge on outer primaries * Black tips to primaries creates black trailing edge to primaries and black wingtips at rest * Pale underwing and underside of primaries Adult basic: * Like adult alternate except lacks black hood and instead has black spot on ear coverts Juvenile/First year: * Juvenile strongly washed with brown which fades rapidly with wear * Head and body like adult basic * White tail with black terminal band * Pale gray upperwing marked by dark carpal bar, dark trailing edge and slight white wedge in outer primaries Similar species: Adult Little Gulls have no black on the uppersurface of the wings and have wholly dark underwings. First-year Little Gulls are easily distinguished by the pale trailing edge to the wing, but also have wider, bolder carpal bars. Black-headed Gulls are superficially similar but have pale bills in all plumages and dark undersufaces to the primaries. Laughing and Franklin's Gulls both have much darker gray backs, never show similar wing patterns and have much thicker, more robust bills

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HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 20 inches Wingspan: 53 inches * Sexes similar * Dives into water for prey * Large, barrel-chested tern with long, thick, reddish bill * Short, notched tail * Hints of a crest at the rear of the head * Pale underwings with dark patch in primaries Adult alternate: * Deep red bill, often with indistinct black ring at tip * Black legs * Black cap with very slight crested appearance * White face, neck, breast, and belly * Pale gray back and upperwings * Pale underwings with dusky gray on outer 5-6 primaries * White tail * Takes three years to reach full adult plumage Adult basic: * Similar to adult alternate, but has a black cap streaked with white and darker, more worn, primaries Juvenile: * Pale legs * Deep orange bill * Brownish cap streaked with white * Upperwing coverts and scapulars marked by crisp, black scalloping * White face, neck, breast, and belly * Pale upperwing has darker outer primaries and secondaries * Grayish tail Immature: * First-year birds are like basic-plumaged adults but have darker uppersurfaces to the outer primaries, dark secondaries, a grayish tail, and a pale forehead * Second-year birds are almost identical to alternate-plumaged adults, but have often white spots in the cap, darker outer primaries and some gray in the tail Similar species: When trying to identify terns, it is safest to use a combination of field marks instead of relying on a single field mark. The Royal and Elegant terns are the only other large, orange-billed terns and are quite similar. Elegant Terns are very small compared to Caspians, are very slim-winged, have slimmer orange bills, have much more forked tails and less black on the undersurface of the primaries. The Caspian can be separated from the Royal by its thicker, reddish bill, dark wedge on the outer portion of the underwing, more shallowly-forked tail, broader wings and its tendency to have an almost complete cap in basic and immature plumages. The smaller Sterna terns have slimmer, black or black-tipped bills, slimmer bodies and wings and a much more deeply-forked tail.

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Sterna caspia HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 20 inches Wingspan: 53 inches * Sexes similar * Dives into water for prey * Large, barrel-chested tern with long, thick, reddish bill * Short, notched tail * Hints of a crest at the rear of the head * Pale underwings with dark patch in primaries Adult alternate: * Deep red bill, often with indistinct black ring at tip * Black legs * Black cap with very slight crested appearance * White face, neck, breast, and belly * Pale gray back and upperwings * Pale underwings with dusky gray on outer 5-6 primaries * White tail * Takes three years to reach full adult plumage Adult basic: * Similar to adult alternate, but has a black cap streaked with white and darker, more worn, primaries Juvenile: * Pale legs * Deep orange bill * Brownish cap streaked with white * Upperwing coverts and scapulars marked by crisp, black scalloping * White face, neck, breast, and belly * Pale upperwing has darker outer primaries and secondaries * Grayish tail Immature: * First-year birds are like basic-plumaged adults but have darker uppersurfaces to the outer primaries, dark secondaries, a grayish tail, and a pale forehead * Second-year birds are almost identical to alternate-plumaged adults, but have often white spots in the cap, darker outer primaries and some gray in the tail Similar species: When trying to identify terns, it is safest to use a combination of field marks instead of relying on a single field mark. The Royal and Elegant terns are the only other large, orange-billed terns and are quite similar. Elegant Terns are very small compared to Caspians, are very slim-winged, have slimmer orange bills, have much more forked tails and less black on the undersurface of the primaries. The Caspian can be separated from the Royal by its thicker, reddish bill, dark wedge on the outer portion of the underwing, more shallowly-forked tail, broader wings and its tendency to have an almost complete cap in basic and immature plumages. The smaller Sterna terns have slimmer, black or black-tipped bills, slimmer bodies and wings and a much more deeply-forked tail.

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