tern
8 Kiribati words
- kiakia
- Sabatier a bird (Black naped Tern).
- Goo & Banner <bird> black naped tern (This small tern is easily distinguished by the black band around the head above the eyes and extending down the nape. Except for the mantle and upper wings, which are a very pale grey, most of the... s white. The primary wing feathers often have dark grey or blackish tips; The bill and feet are black, and the webs also black. The crown is white. Young birds in immature plumage have somewhat darker mottled coloring.) (aa).
- keu
- Sabatier a species of bird (Sooty Tern) which cries keu! keu!.
- Goo & Banner <bird> sooty tern (The sooty tern is a rare bird in the Gilberts and Ellice groups, there being small colonies at Funafuti, Nonouti and Kuria. The adult bird has a broad white band on the forehead extending above the... The crown, nape and upper parts are dull sooty black, white underparts with some greyish feathers under the tail. The bill and feet are black.) (aa).
- matawa
- Sabatier a bird (Gyges alba candeda), love tern, fairy tern, angel tern.
- Goo & Banner <bird> white tern, love tern, fairy tern, angle tern (This beautiful little white tern is fairly common on all islands except Arorae, where surprisingly it is not present at all; Pairs of birds will usually be seen h... near pandanus trees or playing on the branches. They are usually distinguished by their pure white color and arboreal habits. The shafts of the primaries are dusky brown and of the tail feathers, most are black. The prominent eyes... arrow black ring around them.) (aa).
- akiaki
- Goo & Banner black naped tern (aa).
- io
- Sabatier a bird, brown noddy (tern).
- kunei
- Sabatier a young io (tern or swallow).
- tarangongo
- Goo & Banner <bird> grey backed tern (The adult is similar in build to the sooty tern but slightly smaller and the upper parts are soft grey instead of sooty black; The underparts are white and the feet and bill black. The head is... except for a white forehead and a white band extending back above each eye.) (aa).
- karakara
- Goo & Banner <bird> crested tern (The crown and nape are black with elongated feathers from the nape forming a crest from which the bird is named. The upperparts are light and dark greys while the neck and underparts are white. The feet are blackish with dark webs. A conspicuous feature which helps identify this bird is the large yellow bill. It dives for fish from a considerable height, and is often seen hovering over the lagoon shallows uttering the harsh cry from which the Gilbertese name is obtained.) (aa).