Terns range in length from about 20 to 55 cm (8 to 22 inches). Compared with gulls, they are more slender, sho.... black white

They range in colour from white to black and white to almost entirely black. The bill of various species may be black, red, or yellow, while the feet are red or black. A distinct type of tern, the Inca tern ( Larosterna inca ), of Peru and northern Chile, bears distinctive white plumes on the side of the head. The most typical terns are the approximately 30 species of the genus Sterna, with forked tail, black cap or crest, and pale body. nigra (sometimes Chlidonias niger ), about 25 cm (10 inches) long, with a black head and underparts (white below in winter) and gray wings and back, breeds in temperate Eurasia and North America and winters in tropical Africa and South America. hirundo ) is about 35 cm (14 inches) long and has a black cap, red legs, and a red bill with a black tip. fuscata ), about 40 cm (16 inches) long, has a white forehead and is otherwise black above and white below. black white