Chlidonias niger
The Black Tern (*Chlidonias niger*) is a small, graceful marsh tern, renowned for its distinctive, buoyant flight and preference for freshwater wetlands. Measuring 23-28 cm (9-11 in) in length with a wingspan of 58-62 cm (23-24.5 in) and weighing 50-70 g (1.8-2.5 oz), it presents a striking appearance. In breeding plumage, adults are predominantly black on the head and body, contrasting sharply with dark gray wings and a clean white undertail, featuring a short, subtly forked tail. Non-breedi...
Found primarily in freshwater wetlands, marshes, bogs, and shallow lakes with abundant emergent vegetation for nesting, typically at low elevations.
Primarily aerial insects such as dragonflies, damselflies, caddisflies, and mosquitoes, caught in mid-air or scooped from the water surface; also consumes small fish, tadpoles, and crustaceans.
Black Terns are highly diurnal, spending much of their day in active flight, often roosting on emergent vegetation or floating debris. Their foraging strategy is characterized by an erratic, graceful flight, where they dip to the water surface or deftly snatch insects from the air. During the bre...
The Black Tern exhibits a widespread breeding range across the temperate Northern Hemisphere. In North America, the subspecies *C. n. surinamensis* breeds from central Alaska and south-central Canada south into the northern United States, including wetlands of the Great Plains, Great Lakes region...
Least Concern
- The Black Tern is one of only a few 'marsh terns' (genus *Chlidonias*), distinguishing it from the more common 'sea terns' (*Sterna* genus) by its preference for freshwater habitats. - Unlike most terns that plunge-dive for fish, Black Terns primarily catch insects in mid-air or scoop them from...