Editing Lesser crested tern (section)

==Subspecies==
This [[bird]] has three geographical [[subspecies]], differing mainly in size and minor plumage details:<ref name="IOC">{{cite web | title=Noddies, skimmers, gulls, terns, skuas, auks – IOC World Bird List | website=IOC World Bird List – Version 14.2 | date=2024-08-17 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/bow/gulls/ | access-date=2025-01-15}}</ref><ref name="HBW">{{cite book | last=Hoyo | first=Josep del | last2=Elliott | first2=Andrew | last3=Sargatal | first3=Jordi | title=Handbook of the Birds of the World: Hoatzin to auks | publisher=Lynx edicions | publication-place=Barcelona | date=1992 | isbn=84-87334-20-2 | language=de | page=}}</ref>
* ''T. b. emigratus'' <small>([[Oscar Neumann|Neumann]], 1934)</small>: breeding in the [[Mediterranean]] on islands off the coast of [[Libya]], wintering [[West Africa]]. Pale grey above (only marginally darker than [[Sandwich tern]]); slightly larger.
* ''T. b. bengalensis'' <small>([[Rene Primevere Lesson|Lesson]], 1831)</small>: northern [[Indian Ocean]], wintering to [[South Africa]]. Medium-dark grey above; slightly smaller.
* ''T. b. torresii'' <small>([[John Gould|Gould]], 1843)</small>: [[Indonesia]] south to [[Queensland]], [[Australia]], wintering in the same area (birds breeding in the [[Persian Gulf]] are also often given as this race). Dark grey above; slightly larger.
<gallery mode = packed heights = 150px>
Thalasseus bengalensis, Foundiougne, Sénégal 2.jpg|''T. b. emigratus'', Senegal
Lesser Crested Tern at Kutch.jpg|''T. b. bengalensis'', Kutch, India
Lesser crested tern (Thalasseus bengalensis torresii) in flight Michaelmas Cay.jpg|''T. b. torresii'', Michaelmas Cay, Queensland
</gallery>

The Mediterranean subspecies is a rare vagrant to [[Europe]], and has bred in pure or mixed pairs (with [[Sandwich tern]]) in [[Italy]], [[Spain]] and [[England]].

This species breeds in dense colonies on coasts and islands. It nests in a ground scrape and lays one to two (rarely three) eggs. Nesting behaviour is very similar to that of [[Sandwich tern]]s, with predator avoidance by nesting in very dense colonies, and also (in ''T. b. emigratus'' at least) by nesting in the late summer when predatory [[yellow-legged gull]]s have finished breeding and departed from the nesting area.<ref name="BB87">{{cite journal |last1=Meininger |first1=Peter L. |last2=Wolf |first2=Pin A. |last3=Hadoud |first3=Dau A. |last4=Essghaier |first4=Mohamed F. A. |title=Rediscovery of Lesser Crested Terns breeding in Libya |journal=British Birds |date=1994 |volume=87 |issue=4 |pages=160-170}}</ref>
[[File:Thalasseus bengalensis MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.135.18.jpg|thumb| ''Thalasseus bengalensis'' - [[MHNT]]]]