Читать книгу A Manual of Philippine Birds - Richard C. McGregor - Страница 192

 Sterna melanauchen Temminck, Pl. Col. (1827), pl. 427; Saunders, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 25, 126; Sharpe, Hand-List (1899), 1, 137; Oates, Cat. Birds’ Eggs (1901), 1, 195; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 21.

Palawan (Platen); Cresta de Gallo (McGregor). Tenasserim, Malay Peninsula, Nicobars, Andamans, northern Mascarene Islands, Pacific Islands, Liu Kiu Islands, northern Australia.

“Adult in breeding plumage.—Forehead and crown pure white; in front of the eye a black triangular patch, the apex of which does not reach base of bill; behind the eye on each side and inclosing the nape a band of black, broad and prolonged in the center; neck white; mantle and rump delicate pearl-gray; shafts of all primaries white; outer primary with the outer web blackish, and the streak next shaft on inner web pale gray; the succeeding primaries palest gray next the shafts on the outer and the inner webs, the inner margins of all being pure white; tail long and forked, the middle tail-feathers pale pearl-gray, the rest white; under parts glossy white, with a beautiful roseate tint. Bill black; tarsi and toes dark brown to black. Length, 343; culmen, 41; wing, 216; tail, 152; depth of fork, 76; tarsus, 18; foot with middle toe, 23. The male appears to have somewhat longer streamers than the female; otherwise the sexes are alike externally.

“Adult in winter plumage.—Differs only in having less black in front of the eye and on the nape.

“Immature.—Similar to the above, but there is a brownish tinge to the black on the nape; wing-coverts ash-gray; a dark line along the carpal joint; webs of the four outer primaries on both sides of the white shafts dark ash-gray (outermost black), outer webs of the tail-streamers also ash-colored.

“Young.—Forehead and crown buffish white, with black streaks which become confluent on nape; feathers of mantle and tail gray, barred with ash-brown and tipped with buff; primaries with a good deal of gray, which throws into strong relief their broad, white, inner margins. Bill ocher-yellow, horn-colored near the tip; toes yellowish brown.

“Nestling.—Above pale buff, spotted and streaked with black and umber-brown; beneath dull drab.” (Saunders.)