Sterna forsteri
The Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri) is a medium-sized, elegant seabird belonging to the family Laridae, renowned for its buoyant flight and distinctive appearance. Adults typically measure 29-37 cm in length with a wingspan of 64-70 cm and weigh between 130-200 grams. During the breeding season, it sports a striking jet-black cap, pristine white underparts, and pale gray wings, complemented by an orange bill with a black tip and bright orange-red legs. A key identification feature in non-bre...
This adaptable tern primarily inhabits shallow freshwater and brackish marshes, estuaries, and coastal lagoons. It can be found nesting on floating vegetation or small islands in these wetland environments, typically at low elevations.
The diet of the Forster's Tern consists predominantly of small fish, supplemented by aquatic invertebrates, crustaceans, and occasionally insects caught on the wing. It primarily forages by plunge-diving from the air or surface-dipping into shallow water.
Forster's Terns are diurnal, spending their days actively foraging and roosting communally on sandbars, beaches, or elevated platforms at night. Their foraging strategy involves graceful aerial hovering followed by a swift, shallow plunge-dive to catch small fish, or occasionally skimming the wat...
The Forster's Tern has a wide distribution across North and Central America. Its primary breeding range extends from the Canadian Prairies south through the Great Lakes region, the interior western U.S., and along the Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia to North Carolina. Significant breeding populat...
Least Concern
- Named after Johann Reinhold Forster, an 18th-century naturalist who accompanied Captain Cook on his second voyage. - Unlike most North American terns, it shows a strong preference for nesting in freshwater marshes, often building nests on floating vegetation or muskrat lodges. - Its distinctive...