Inca Tern

scientific name

Larosterna inca

size/weight/height

height: 16"
weight: 190 -230 grams

adaptations/coloration

Color: all gray until ~1 yr. old • then bill & feet orange & face stripe white ("mustache")
Feeding. surface feeders • swoop down to snatch tiny fish from top few inches water (rarely deeper)
Vocalization: high-pitched "laughing" or "cackling" often in conjunction with bowing or other displays

reproduction/life span

Breeding. in caves in guano or under boulders

diet

Wild. anchovies
Zoo. tiny smelt or cut-up smelt & vitamins

habitat/range

coastal islands • Chile & Peru

status

not listed

other

penguins can feed at much greater depths than terns • 2 species can co-exist with little competition

oregon zoo exhibit

Penguinarium