What age would this tern be!

[flossiepip]

Captured this tern in a brief sunny spell. What age and stage would it be?

[Davidthomas]

That looks like a non-breeding adult Common Tern to me.

[Clinton9]

This 1st spring White-fronted tern is less than 11 month old, yet to start its wing moult. White-fronted terns take 6 months to renew all of their flight feathers.

[Ian Southey]

No doubt about it Clinton knows his moults.

The key thing worth noting on any first year tern is the dark tertials but you can also see the worn juvenile patterning on the wing coverts too. When the wing moults next these features will be gone.

Being northern hemisphere born Common Terns with these markings will be fresh juveniles now or moulting into 2nd winter which will look like adult non-breeding so not really candidates for an ID.

Ian

[Clinton9]

Ian,
If this were a Common tern, it would had fresh juvenile wings with beautifully C pattened on wing coverts, and scarpulars & mantles would be a mixture of still fresh juvenile and fresh grey first winter feathers.

[flossiepip]

Not sure why we are talking about Common tern, my mistake here in posting a short question and not saying White fronted tern. I apologise for that. I've been lucky to see Common tern a number of times and you immediately know that you are looking at a special bird, not so with this one! So sorry for the confusion, just not good at aging birds.

[Ian Southey]

Sorry, it just came up in discussion so I mentioned it. Here's a few other notes that may help.

The other thing terns in general have in their first year is a carpal bar - the broad dark stripe running back from the bend. Some species (including Common Terns!) also have a less conspicuous version of this this in non-breeding plumage too so not universally useful.

For temperate southern hemisphere terns only the first year birds are easily distinguished at this time of year, the second years should more or less look like breeding adults but may differ in wing moult and other minor details and the third year and older birds should be in fine breeding plumage unless there is something wrong with them.

Ian

[Davidthomas]

It was my fault for suggesting it was a common tern. Thanks all for the clarification.