Elegant Tern (Thalasseus elegans) parent bringing a fish in her beak to her youngster

2 of 2 Elegant Tern (Thalasseus elegans) parent bringing a fish in her beak to her youngster, originally uploaded by mikebaird.

In this photo the anchovy is obviously a little larger than 2 bill length which would make the fish in the 12-14 cm size class. This anchovy also has a deepbody anchovy giss to it, but I am not certain without a better side profile that relates the anal fin and dorsal fin bases to each other (See Miller & Lea Fish Bulletin 157). The photograph was taken in Morro Bay which is in the northern range for the deepbody. Note how this picture shows little or no blood in contrast to the earlier photo. The big eyes, round nose, and small thin lower jaw leave no doubt that this an anchovy. The general flexibility here is also very typical.