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To the Beauty of Birds

The Crested Tern, Greater Crested Tern, Swift Tern Thalasseus bergii, nests in dense colonies on coastlines and islands in the tropical and subtropical Old World. Its five subspecies breed in the area from South Africa, the Indian Ocean to the central Pacific and Australia. The disperse widely from the breeding range after nesting. This large tern is closely related to the Royal and Lesser Crested Terns, but can be distinguished by its size and bill color.
The Greater Crested Tern has grey upperparts, white under parts, a yellow bill, and a shaggy black crest which recedes in winter. Like all members of the genus Thalasseus, they feed by plunge diving for fish. The male offers fish to the female as part of the courtship ritual.

Crested Tern