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Caspian Tern - Hydroprogne caspia

Large bird and elegant flyer. Rare visitor around Montreal which can be easily mistaken for a Common Tern if someone is not familiar with the size difference of these two species.

Common Names

• Caspian Tern (en)
• Pagaza piquirroja (es)
• Sterne caspienne (fr)
• Raubseeschwalbe (de)

How to Identify

Different to the Common Tern, the beak of the Caspian Tern hasn't a black tip and is uniformly colored red. This bird is larger in size and flight is less erratic and slower while sailing over the water searching for prey.

Where & When to Spot

I was able to spot this species only once in Rapids Park Lachine.