Roseate Tern
Learn to identify the Roseate Tern by ear. Master the "kree-ah kree-ah" phrase and tell it apart from similar species.
What the Roseate Tern sounds like
Clipped kay-AK and chiv-ik sounds ring out, then the recording tumbles briefly into a rough chatter.
How to tell it apart
Where you'll hear it
North American birds breed from eastern Canada to New York and in the Caribbean, then winter along the northern and eastern coasts of South America.
Nests on sandy or shingle beaches, low offshore islands, shell rakes, and salt-marsh islands, typically where vegetation is sparse. Forages over inshore and offshore waters, tidal rips, and occasionally nearshore lagoons.
Breeding: May–August. Post-breeding dispersal along coasts August–September. Migrates south September–October. Winters November–March in the tropics; returns north April–May.
How to recognize it by sight
The Roseate Tern is a graceful, medium-sized tern distinguished by its slender build, long tail streamers, and a delicate pinkish wash on the underparts during the breeding season. It is among the most elegant of the terns, often flying with buoyant, buoy-flapping wingbeats and agile dives for fish.
Similar species
Common Tern
Stockier build and shorter tail that barely projects beyond wing tips when perched
Arctic Tern
Shorter legs and bill; bill entirely red in adults
Forster’s Tern
Larger head and thicker orange bill with black tip