- 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
Chlidonias niger has two subspecies:
- C. n. niger; and
- C. n. surinamensis.
Habitat
Freshwater lakes, gravel pits and reservoirs, marshes, wet grassland, seacoast and estuaries.
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes insects, invertebrates and fish.
Breeding
They usually nest either on floating material in a marsh or on the ground very close to water, laying 2-4 eggs which are incubated for 21-22 days. The young fledge 19-25 days later.
Vocalisation
<flashmp3>Chlidonias niger (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
References
Lepage D. 2008. Avibase. Search for "Black Tern" downloaded 29 April 2008.
External Links
