- Chlidonias niger
Identification
Breeding (May - ca. July): Black head, breast and belly. Uniform grey back, wings and rump/tail. White undertail. Bill black. Dark legs.
Non-breeding: Underparts white, grey above. Falcon-like black hood. Characteristic black (or dark brown) line above shoulder, extending onto outer edges of breast. Legs orange/red. Bill black. Tail off-white with grey rump and upper tail coverts (white in White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus).
Juvenile: Like non-breeding adult but with distinct buff/lighter edges to back feathers and coverts.
Distribution
The range of the Black Tern is almost worldwide.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
Chlidonias niger has two subspecies[1]:
- C. n. niger (Eurasian):
- Western Palearctic; winters in Africa
- C. n. surinamensis (North American):
- Northern North America; winters Central America and northern South America
Habitat
Freshwater lakes, gravel pits and reservoirs, marshes, wet grassland, seacoast and estuaries.
Male in flight
Photo by Gary Clark
Wainright, Alberta, Canada
Male in flight
Photo by Gary Clark
Wainright, Alberta, Canada
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes insects, invertebrates and fish.
Breeding
The nest is usually floating vegetation in shallow water (possibly on the ground close to water). The clutch consists of 2-4 eggs which are incubated for 21-22 days. The young fledge after 19-25 days.
Vocalisation
<flashmp3>Chlidonias niger (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
References
- Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
- Lepage D. 2008. Avibase. Search for "Black Tern" downloaded 29 April 2008.
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Black Tern. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 23 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black_Tern
External Links
