Historical bird plates

Audubon, The Birds of America · Plate 273

Royal Tern

Printed “Cayenne Tern”

Plate 273 of Audubon's The Birds of America: Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus)
Full resolutionCourtesy of the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove, Montgomery County Audubon Collection, and Zebra Publishing.

Printed on the plate

“Cayenne Tern”

Male Adult. Spring plumage.

Modern identification

Royal Tern

Thalasseus maximus

  • Certain
  • Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers · Laridae

Why

Audubon's “Cayenne Tern” is today's Royal Tern

Sources

Featherframe havell.yaml; plate title from audubon.org

Who made the plate

Drawn from Nature. by J. J. Audubon. F. R. S. F. L. S.Engraved, Printed, & Coloured, by R. Havell, London. 1835.

As the credit line gives it. More on who made these plates.