White-fronted Tern (Sterna striata)
About the White-fronted Tern
The white-fronted tern (Sterna striata), also known as tara, sea swallow, black-billed tern, kahawai bird, southern tern, or swallow tail, was first described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1789. A medium-sized tern with an all-white body including underwing and forked tail, with pale grey hues on the mantle and upper side of the wing. In breeding adults a striking black cap covers the head from forehead to nape, leaving a small white strip above the black bill.
No audio on this page yet
We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 17 recordings for this species: 11 CC BY-NC-SA · 6 CC BY-NC-ND. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
As soon as someone uploads a freely licensed recording, we mirror it and the player appears here.
Listed as recorded in New Zealand in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Related species you can hear
- Arctic TernSterna paradisaearecording
- Common TernSterna hirundorecording
- Forster's TernSterna forsterirecording
- Roseate TernSterna dougalliirecording
This species has no recording here yet — these relatives do, so you can hear what the family sounds like.