Creature Feature: Who is the largest tern flying over the San Francisco Bay? And where can you find

A migratory bird to the San Francisco Bay area, the Caspian tern, has a worldwide range and is also the world’s largest tern. It is easily identified by its large coral beak and its size – which is as large as a big gull. This gull-like tern has a white body and a black cap.

Its genus name hudros means "water" in Ancient Greek, and progne means "swallow" in Latin. While its English name refers to the Caspian Sea.

Learn more about the Caspian tern in this week's Creature Feature (below).

The above picture showing Caspain terns is from the Crossley ID Guide Britain and Ireland.

Denise Mohsenin serves as the link between Marine Science Institute and the education community. She enjoys helping schools and teachers bring marine science and environmental literacy to their students. Her current favorite fish for teaching is the starry flounder. Ask her why at denise@sfbaymsi.org.