Chinese Crested Tern

The Chinese crested tern (Thalasseus bernsteini) is a tern in the family Laridae. It is the county bird of Lienchiang County, Fuchien. == Taxonomy == It is most closely related to greater crested tern T. bergii, and has hybridised with it. The species was formerly known as Sterna zimmermanni (or Thalasseus zimmermanni), until the rediscovery of the previously lost type specimen of Hermann Schlegel's Sterna bernsteini in 1975 showed that his older name applied to this species, and not to T. bergii as had been thought before. == Description == It is a medium-large tern 38–43 cm long, closely similar in appearance to Sandwich tern T. sandvicensis, Cabot's tern T. acuflavidus, and lesser crested tern T. bengalensis. It is most similar to the former, differing in the bill pattern, which is the reverse of the Sandwich tern's, being yellow with a black tip; the bill is also stouter, like Cabot's. Like these, it has a full black crown in the breeding season, a pale, silvery-grey back and wings, and a white tail. From the lesser crested tern, which it overlaps in wintering distribution, it can be told by the white rump and paler grey mantle, as well as the black…