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  Profile

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  In flight

Seabirds

Black Tern

Chlidonias niger

• common
• 56 km/h
• Starter
• Least Concern

Doesn't dive. Skims insects from marshes in buoyant, dancing flight. Your message floats more than flies.

Population

800,000-1,750,000 individuals globally (decreasing trend)

Habitat

Freshwater marshes, wetlands, and inland waterways during breeding; coastal and marine waters during winter/migration

Fun fact

Unlike the plunge-diving "white" Sterna terns, the Black Tern feeds by hawking insects in flight or dipping to the water's surface, rarely diving underwater.

Range

Breeds across Europe, western Asia, and North America; winters along coastal Africa and the Pacific/Atlantic coasts of Central and South America

Diet

Insects (caught on the wing or picked from water surface), small fish, tadpoles, frogs, spiders, and crustaceans on breeding grounds; mostly small fish and crustaceans at sea during migration/winter

Size

0.25 m

Wingspan

0.59 m

Lifespan

11 years