Damara tern facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Damara tern
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Charadriiformes
Family:	Laridae
Genus:	Sternula
Species:	S. balaenarum
Binomial name
Sternula balaenarum Strickland, 1853
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Synonyms
Sterna balaenarum

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The Damara tern (Sternula balaenarum) is a small, special bird that lives near the coast. It's a type of tern, which is a seabird known for catching fish. These birds spend their summers breeding in southern Africa. When winter comes, they fly north to warmer tropical coasts in Africa.

What Does the Damara Tern Look Like?

The Damara tern is a small bird, about 23 centimetres or 9.1 inches long. It has a rather pale grey color.

Appearance Changes with Seasons

When it's breeding season, the adult bird has a black cap. This black cap covers its forehead and goes all the way to the back of its neck. Its back is a very light grey. When the bird flies, you can see a black triangle shape on its wing tip. This black area goes from the middle of the wing to the very end.

When it's not breeding season, the adult Damara tern looks a bit different. Its forehead and the top of its head are white. It has a black mask around its eyes that also reaches the back of its neck. Young birds have light brown stripes across their backs.

What Sounds Do They Make?

The Damara tern makes high-pitched, sharp calls. These calls sound like "tsit tsit". They also make quick, harsh sounds like "kid-ick".

Where Do Damara Terns Live?

Damara terns breed along the western coast of Southern Africa. This area includes places like the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, and Northern Cape in South Africa. They also breed in Namibia and Angola. Most of these birds, about 98% of them, build their nests in Namibia. There are about 14,000 Damara terns in total.

When it's not breeding season, these birds fly north. They travel to countries like Benin, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, and Democratic Republic of the Congo. They also go to Ivory Coast, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Togo.

What Kind of Places Do They Like?

Damara terns usually prefer shorelines in dry, desert areas. They especially like places with calm bays, river mouths (estuaries), lagoons, and rocky reefs. For nesting, they use flat, gravelly areas between sand dunes or on salt flats.

How Do Damara Terns Live?

Damara terns mainly eat small fish. Sometimes, they also eat squid. They catch their food by diving headfirst into the water. They usually dive from a height of about 3 to 8 meters (10 to 26 feet).

Their Journey and Food

Their migration north is timed perfectly. It happens when many small fish are laying their eggs in the shallow coastal waters of the Gulf of Guinea. This is because strong ocean currents bring up lots of food near the coast of Ghana. When they are in their wintering areas, these birds gather together to rest. However, they prefer to feed alone, keeping about 10 to 50 meters away from other terns.

Nesting and Raising Chicks

Damara terns lay their eggs in a simple hollow in the ground. Sometimes, they line this hollow with small shell pieces or tiny stones. They usually lay one egg, but sometimes they lay two. The eggs hatch after about 18 to 22 days.

For the first few days, the female bird sits on the chicks to keep them warm. The male bird brings food for the family. After a few days, the chicks leave the nest hollow. They move closer to the shore. They are ready to fly after about 20 days. Once they can fly, young Damara terns form groups together. They depend on their parents for food for about two and a half months after they learn to fly.

About Their Scientific Name

The Damara tern was once grouped with other terns in the genus called Sterna. However, scientists later decided to move it to a different genus. Now, it is grouped with other small terns, like the little tern, in the genus Sternula.