TERN - Sooty Tern (Sept 2026 - Lifer Pelagic 604/688)

First spotted by brother XianLim feeding amongst white-winged and whiskered. The Sooty silhouette points to a juvenile/ first winter plummage with dark body and a white vent. This is a vagrant 

The sooty tern (Onychoprion fuscatus) is a tern in the family Laridae. It is a seabird of the tropical oceans and can fly for years at a time, skimming the sea surface for food, and returning to land only to breed, on islands throughout the equatorial zone.

It is a medium-large tern,  in the size of 36–45 cm (14–17.5 in) long with an 82–94 cm (32.5–37 in) wingspan, It is more larger than the bridled by 10cm/4 inches. The wings and tail are long, and it has black to dark blackish-brown upperparts and white underparts, and a white forehead. The tail is moderately wide/deeply forked 

A black tern was also found perch on the cliff of Pulau Perak which was a good record when the boat was circumventing the island. A record shot was taken by the sharp eye of XianLim. Hope to see it when we plan to do our  second  trip again in November 2026 which is peak season for migrants.

Bottom bird .....not sure what tern or jaeger?