Spectacled tern Spectacled tern The spectacled tern ("Onychoprion lunatus"), also known as the grey-backed tern, is a seabird in the family Laridae. A close relative of the bridled and sooty terns (with which it is sometimes confused), the spectacled tern is less common than the other members of its genus and it has been studied less. The three species, along with the Aleutian tern were recently split into a new genus "Onychoprion" from "Sterna" (Bridge "et al.", 2005). They resemble the sooty tern but with a grey back instead of a black one. Their breast and underparts are white, and they have
Whiskered tern Whiskered tern The whiskered tern ("Chlidonias hybrida") is a tern in the family Laridae. The genus name is from Ancient Greek "khelidonios", "swallow-like", from "khelidon", "swallow". The specific "hybridus" is Latin for "hybrid"; Pallas thought it might be a hybrid of white-winged black tern and common tern, writing ""Sterna fissipes ["Chlidonias leucopterus"] et Hirundine ["Sterna hirundo"] natam"”. This bird has a number of geographical races, differing mainly in size and minor plumage details. "C. h. hybrida" breeds in warmer parts of Europe and Asia. The smaller-billed and darker "C. h. delalandii" is found in east and south Africa, and the