Wildlifeof Thailand
River Tern
Laridae
Photo: Kousik Nandy · CC BY-SA 3.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Sterna aurantia
Basic stats
Diet
Fish, crustaceans and aquatic insects
Habitat
Rivers, lakes and reservoirs
Range
South and mainland Southeast Asia
The river tern is a medium-sized grey-and-white tern with a black cap, deeply forked tail and yellow-orange bill. It lives mainly on inland rivers, lakes and reservoirs in South and mainland Southeast Asia. Birds patrol low over water and plunge for fish, crustaceans and aquatic insects, nesting colonially on bare sandbanks and islands exposed during low water (Wikipedia, general species account). It is Nationally Critically Endangered (Thailand Red Data 2025).
Quick answers
- What does the River Tern eat?
- Fish, crustaceans and aquatic insects
- What habitat does the River Tern live in?
- Rivers, lakes and reservoirs
- Where is the River Tern found?
- South and mainland Southeast Asia