Bird Album
Black Tern
Chlidonias niger (Linnaeus, 1758)
25 cmLength54 cmWingspan65 gWeight
It appears slender in flight, often dipping up and down close to the water while foraging.
Busiest months: May · Most records: United States, Canada, Spain
How to identify
Field marks
- Back dark gray
- Legs short and dark
Male, female and young
Juvenile has a single rather broad white collar.
Voice
A sharp, high-pitched “kik”.
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: May · Most records: United States, Canada, Spain
Black Tern has been recorded at 1,636 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 125 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Point Pelee National ParkCanada4,798 records
- Baie-du-FebvreCanada3,780 records
- Rollover PassUnited States3,410 records
More places
- Bolivar Flats Shorebird SanctuaryUnited States3,272 records
- Horicon NWR – Auto Tour and TrailsUnited States3,166 records
- Montezuma NWR – Wildlife DriveUnited States2,269 records
- Sherburne NWR – Wildlife DriveUnited States2,120 records
- Savannah Spoil Site: Area 14AUnited States1,950 records
- Fern Ridge WMA – Royal Ave. areaUnited States1,679 records
- Cheyenne Bottoms WAUnited States1,613 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The black tern (Chlidonias niger) is a small tern generally found in or near inland water that breeds in Europe, Western Asia and North America. In winter the birds migrate to coastal areas of Africa and South America.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Black Tern?
The Black Tern is about 25 cm long, with a wingspan of 54 cm and weighs around 65 g.
Where does the Black Tern live?
Its breeding range: North America, Palearctic: inland temperate Canada, USA and Europe to Central Asia. It is most often recorded in United States, Canada and Spain.
When is the best time to see the Black Tern?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Black Tern endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Black Tern as Least Concern.
What does the Black Tern eat?
Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.
What family is the Black Tern in?
It belongs to the family Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae), order Charadriiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 25 cm
- Wingspan
- 54 cm
- Weight
- 65 g
- Habitat
- Wetland
- Diet
- Fish, shrimp & shellfish
- Lifestyle
- Feeds in the air
- Migration
- Migratory
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 202 mm
- Tail
- 78 mm
- Bill
- 31 mm
- Tarsus
- 16 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
North America, Palearctic: inland temperate Canada, USA and Europe to Central Asia
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Gulls, Terns, Skimmers Laridae
- Genus
- Chlidonias
Other birds in the genus Chlidonias
Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
Black-fronted TernChlidonias albostriatus
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterus
African SkimmerRynchops flavirostris
Indian SkimmerRynchops albicollis
Black SkimmerRynchops niger
Atlantic White TernGygis alba
Little White TernGygis microrhyncha
Brown NoddyAnous stolidus
Lesser NoddyAnous tenuirostris
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by nancylightfoot. ↗
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