Inca Tern: The Bird With A Magnificent Moustache
The Bougainville moustached kingfisher might be the one with word �moustache� in its name but it�s the dark grey plumaged Inca tern of the family Sternidae that sports the most magnificent whiskers.
The Inca tern features a pair of striking Dali-like white handlebar moustache of specialized feathers that grow out from the fleshy yellow gape at the corners of its brilliant red beak. The moustache is not male exclusive, it�s shared by the females as well. Aside from being an unusual ornament and a matter of pride, the length of the bird�s moustache is also a reliable signal of its body condition �the longer the moustache, the healthier the birds. Inca terns with longer moustaches tend to mate together and have more and larger chicks.
Photo credit: one_green_star/Flickr
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