The whiskered tern

A whiskered tern was recently spotted at Yichang Jinhu Wetland Park. It is a small, light-colored tern that inhabits inland lakes, reservoirs, estuaries, coasts and swamps, living mostly in small flocks. These terns feed mainly on small fish, shrimp, aquatic insects, and sometimes aquatic plants. They plunge into or skim over the water in their search for food. The whiskered tern breeds in many places, from North Africa to southern Europe, Central Asia, southwestern Siberia, and eastwards all the way to the Russian Far East. They spend the winter months in southern Africa, Indochina, Indonesia and Australia.