# Inca Tern (*Larosterna inca*) The Inca Tern is a unique bird with a striking gray body and a funny mustache! They love to live near the ocean and can often be seen flying over the waves. - **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Coastal areas ![Inca Tern](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Larosterna_inca_-Lima%252C_Peru_-adult-8_%281%29.jpg&width=800) Photo: Cristóbal Alvarado Minic from Cagua, Venezuela, CC BY 2.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Larosterna_inca_-Lima%252C_Peru_-adult-8_%281%29.jpg) ## Appearance The Inca Tern is a distinctive slate-gray seabird with bright red feet and a red beak. Its most unique feature is the curled white 'mustache' plumes that grow from the base of its bill, making it instantly recognizable along the coast. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Aves - **Order:** Charadriiformes - **Family:** Laridae - **Genus:** Larosterna ## Interesting facts - An Inca Tern's squawk sounds like a cat's meow mixed with a seagull's cry! - Inca Tern eggs are often camouflaged to look exactly like the rocky nests they are laid in! - Their bright red feet glow like embers, helping them grip slippery, wave-washed rocks! - These stylish birds often share their noisy nesting cliffs with Humboldt Penguins and other seabirds! ## Special abilities - **Dive Master:** Inca Tern can plunge into water at high speed because of its streamlined body, helping it catch fish. - **Moustache Magic:** Inca Tern has distinctive white facial plumes that help them attract mates with a stylish display. - **Cliff Dweller:** Inca Tern can nest on steep coastal cliffs because of strong claws, protecting eggs from predators. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 39-42 cm - **Wingspan:** 76-80 cm - **Weight:** 0.18-0.24 kg - **Lifespan:** 15-20 years - **Speed:** 70 km/h - **Clutch Size:** 1-2 - **Incubation:** 28-30 days ## Diet & Feeding These birds mostly eat small fish, diving gracefully into the ocean to catch them with ease. - **Primary Foods:** Peruvian Anchovy, South American Pilchard, hake - **Foraging Method:** Pursuit ## Ecological connections - **Eats:** Peruvian Anchovy (*Engraulis ringens*) — primary food source in the Humboldt Current. - **Eats:** South American Pilchard (*Sardinops sagax*) — dives for these small fish in coastal areas. - **Eaten by:** Kelp Gull (*Larus dominicanus*) — preys on eggs and small chicks. ## Traits - [Feathered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/feathered): Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers. - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Aerial](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aerial): Aerial creatures spend a significant portion of their lives airborne, utilizing flight for various activities such as hunting, migration, or nesting. - [Singing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/singing): Singing animals produce complex vocalizations, often for purposes of attracting mates, defending territory, or communicating within their species. - [Piscivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/piscivorous): Piscivorous organisms are animals that primarily subsist on a diet of fish. - [Coastal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/coastal): Coastal habitats are dynamic environments located along the interface between land and sea, influenced by tides, waves, and saltwater. - [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night. - [Marine](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/marine): Marine habitats encompass all saltwater environments of the Earth's oceans, supporting an immense diversity of aquatic life. - [Endangered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/endangered): Endangered status indicates a species is at a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. ## Collections - [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/birds) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always watch birds from a distance and don't try to touch them. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Inca Tern? Compare the silhouette, bill shape, tail length, wing bars and markings around the eyes. The same small brown bird at your feeder can look quite different in breeding plumage, winter plumage or its first year. Bird Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Inca Tern? 39-42 cm ### What is Inca Tern's wingspan? 76-80 cm ### How much does Inca Tern weigh? 0.18-0.24 kg ### How long does Inca Tern live? 15-20 years ### How fast can Inca Tern move? 70 km/h ### What does Inca Tern eat? These birds mostly eat small fish, diving gracefully into the ocean to catch them with ease. ### Where is Inca Tern usually found? Coastal areas ## Where to spot - [NaturZoo Rheine](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/naturzoo-rheine) — Nordrhein-Westfalen, DE · Zoo - [Zoo Leipzig](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/zoo-leipzig) — Sachsen, DE · Zoo - [Amerika-Tierpark Limbach-Oberfrohna](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/amerika-tierpark-limbach-oberfrohna) — Sachsen, DE · Zoo - [Vogelpark Marlow](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/vogelpark-marlow) — Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, DE · Zoo - [Zoo Krefeld](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/zoo-krefeld) — Nordrhein-Westfalen, DE · Zoo - [Weltvogelpark Walsrode](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/weltvogelpark-walsrode) — Niedersachsen, DE · Zoo [View all places to see Inca Tern](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/inca-tern) ## More Birds - [Black-crowned Night Heron](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-crowned-night-heron) (*Nycticorax nycticorax*) - [Anna's Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/annas-hummingbird) (*Calypte anna*) - [Great Egret](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-egret) (*Ardea alba*) - [Blue Jay](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blue-jay) (*Cyanocitta cristata*) --- Source: [Inca Tern: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/inca-tern)