Scientific name: Sterna vittata
The Antarctic tern is a small bird at 31–38 cm (12-15 inches) long. Its bill is usually a dark red or blackish. It is mainly pale grey and white, but has a black cap when breeding. In non-breeding plumage it has a grizzled crown and white forehead. The tips of this tern's wings are greyish black.
Here it is locally fairly common along the coast of the Western Cape, while more scarce in the Eastern Cape, spending most of its time at sea before returning to rocky offshore islands to roost.
Mainly eats shoaling fish, such as Anchovies (Engraulis encrasicolus), as well as krill (Euphausia), doing most of its foraging by grabbing prey from the water surface or plunge-diving into calm water.
