The whiskered tern is a common bird in the northern regions of India, like Jammu and Kashmir and Assam. It’s also found in Europe, Africa, and Australia. These birds visit India in large numbers during the winter season. This makes them very popular in our country.
In appearance, this bird is lean and is only as large as a pigeon. The wings are so long that when at rest, they extend behind the short, slightly forked tail. They have a red or blackish red bill.
Like a typical tern, these birds are found concentrated in big groups around large rivers, lakes and coastal areas. They build nests on floating plants.
Their webbed feet may give us an impression that they are good swimmers. But these birds prefer to spend most of their time in the air or resting on the shore.
Despite having feet adapted for swimming, they are hardly seen descending into water.