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Story: Gulls, terns and skuas

Caspian tern with egg and new chick

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Caspian tern with egg and new chick

Caspian terns are the largest of the terns and have a distinctive bright-orange bill tipped with black. Their nests are unlined scrapes on sand or shingle. The chick in this egg is pipping – breaking through the shell with its egg tooth, a horny cap on top of its beak that will fall off in a day or two.

Using this item

Department of Conservation

Reference: 10033860

by Rod Morris

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How to cite this page

Gerard Hutching, Gulls, terns and skuas – Caspian and fairy terns, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/6128/caspian-tern-with-egg-and-new-chick (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Gerard Hutching, published 2 March 2009.