# Sooty Tern (*onychoprion fuscatus*)

The Sooty Tern (Onychoprion fuscatus) is an extraordinary pelagic seabird celebrated for its incredible lifestyle of near-continuous flight. Spending up to ten years at sea without ever touching land or swimming on the ocean surface, this highly aerial bird is a true master of the skies. It only returns to dry land to breed, forming gargantuan colonies on isolated tropical islands that are filled with deafening, constant chatter. Because their feathers lack the waterproof oils found in other seabirds, Sooty Terns must live a life aloft, sleeping on the wing and catching food mid-air. They play an important role in oceanic ecosystems, acting as indicator species for the health of pelagic fish populations.

- **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Snaps:** 1
- **Habitat:** Typically found over warm, pelagic waters of tropical and subtropical oceans, nesting exclusively on remote sandy beaches, coral cays, and oceanic islands.

![Sooty Tern](https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/380373/medium.JPG)

Photo: Kyle Van Houtan, CC BY 4.0 · [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/380373)

## Appearance

This medium-sized, elegant seabird is easily recognized by its striking contrast of jet-black upperparts and pure white underparts. It features a distinctive deeply forked tail, long narrow wings, and a prominent white patch on its forehead that contrasts sharply with its black cap and bill. Its legs and webbed feet are also entirely black. In flight, the Sooty Tern exhibits a graceful, buoyant motion, making its crisp black-and-white patterns highly visible against the blue ocean backdrop.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Aves
- **Order:** Charadriiformes
- **Family:** Laridae
- **Genus:** Onychoprion

## Interesting facts

- Because their feathers are not waterproof, Sooty Terns will waterlog and drown if they rest on the sea for too long.
- Juvenile Sooty Terns leave their breeding islands and spend up to five continuous years wandering the open ocean before returning to land.
- Sailors historically nicknamed them 'Wideawake Terns' due to the relentless, 24-hour screeching of their nesting colonies.

## Special abilities

- **Continuous Flight:** Capable of remaining airborne for several years at a time, landing only when it is time to breed.
- **Sleep on the Wing:** Utilizes unihemispheric sleep to rest one half of its brain at a time while maintaining flight.
- **Surface Plucking:** Adept at catching small fish and squid directly from the ocean surface without submerging its non-waterproof feathers.

## Measurements & details

- **Length:** 36+ cm
- **Wingspan:** 82+ cm
- **Weight:** 0.15+ kg
- **Lifespan:** 15+ years
- **Speed:** 55 km/h
- **Clutch Size:** 1+
- **Incubation:** 28+ days
- **Migration Distance:** 40000 km

## Diet & Feeding

Feeds primarily on small schooling fish and squid that are forced to the ocean surface by large predatory marine life.

- **Age differences:** Chicks are fed regurgitated, partially digested fish and squid brought back by parents.
- **Primary Foods:** Flying fish, Squid, Goatfish, Lanternfish
- **Foraging Method:** Pursuit

## Ecological connections

- **Mutualism:** Yellowfin Tuna (*Thunnus albacares*) — Yellowfin Tuna drive baitfish to the surface, creating an easy feeding opportunity for the terns.
- **Hunts:** Tropical Flyingfish (*Exocoetus volitans*) — Preys on juvenile flying fish leaping from the water surface.
- **Eaten by:** Great Frigatebird (*Fregata minor*) — Steals freshly caught fish from adult terns and preys on vulnerable chicks in the breeding colonies.

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

No special safety notes yet.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Sooty 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 Sooty Tern?

36+ cm

### What is Sooty Tern's wingspan?

82+ cm

### How much does Sooty Tern weigh?

0.15+ kg

### How long does Sooty Tern live?

15+ years

### How fast can Sooty Tern move?

55 km/h

### What does Sooty Tern eat?

Feeds primarily on small schooling fish and squid that are forced to the ocean surface by large predatory marine life.

### Where is Sooty Tern usually found?

Typically found over warm, pelagic waters of tropical and subtropical oceans, nesting exclusively on remote sandy beaches, coral cays, and oceanic islands.

## Where to spot

- [Zoo de la Palmyre](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/zoo-de-la-palmyre) — Nouvelle-Aquitaine, FR · Zoo

## 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*)

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Source: [Sooty Tern: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/sooty-tern)