A Synopsis of the Birds of North America

by John James Audubon

435. 7. Sterna Trudeaui, Aud. Trudeau's Tern.

Plate CCCCIX. Fig. 2. Adult.

Bill about the length of the head, rather slender; wings a little longer than the tail, which is deeply forked. Bill black, with part of the base of the lower mandible, the edges of both, and their tips to the length of five-twelfths of an inch, yellow; feet orange, claws brown, toward the end yellow; a band of blackish-grey surrounding the eye, and extending toward the nape; fore part of head, cheeks, and upper part of throat, white; the rest of the upper and lower parts light greyish-blue, excepting the axillar feathers, lower wing-coverts, and rump, which are white; tail-coverts and tail greyish-white; primary coverts and quills hoary, but the outer five dusky grey on the inner web, toward the margin, and less so along the shaft, and on the outer web; the shafts of all the quills and tail-feathers white, as are the inner edges of the primaries and tips of the secondaries, the inner excepted. This species has the bill somewhat longer and more slender than that of Havell's Tern, and differently coloured; the tarsus longer, and the lower parts of the body of the same tint as the upper, whereas that species is white beneath.

Adult, 16; wing, 10¹⁰/₁₂.

Great Egg Harbour and Long Island. Rare. Migratory.

Trudeau's Tern, Sterna Trudeaui, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. v. p. 125.

436. 8. Sterna arctica, Temm. Arctic Tern.

Plate CCL. Male.

Bill about the same length as the head, slender, and with the mouth and feet vermilion, tinged with carmine; wings about two inches shorter than the tail, which is very deeply forked; upper part of head and occiput greenish-black; sides of head and chin white; upper parts pale greyish-blue, the rump bluish-white, the tail and its coverts white, excepting the outer webs of the two lateral feathers, which are dusky grey; primaries dusky towards the ends, the two outer with their outer webs blackish, all with the greater part of the inner web white, secondaries tipped with white; neck, breast, and sides, pale greyish-blue, like the upper parts, but lighter; abdomen, lower tail-coverts, and lower surfaces of wings and tail, white.

Male, 15¹/₂, 32.