
A small, dark tern. Flight is buoyant with deep slashing wingstrokes. Alternate Adult has blackish body, gray wings reaching well beyond short tail, white vent, short black legs, and sharp, slender bill. Basic Adult is mostly white (may be mistaken for a small gull), retaining gray wings and back, with a black patch from nape to behind eye. Sexes are similar. Juvenile is like Basic Adult with patterned scalloping on wings and back, and orange legs. Wing tips are more rounded, creating a more gull-like shape.
Length: 25 (cm) Wingspan: 61 (cm)
Voice:
Single, scraping krik calls on a variety of pitches.
Habitat:
Marshes, wetlands, ponds. Nest is a platform of reeds near water's edge.
Behavior:
Often perches on ground or fence posts when not flying over marsh. When feeding nestlings, adults often feed quite a distance from the nest and may be observed flying a kilometer or more carrying small fish. Like blackbirds, swarms of adults join forces to mob predators around their breeding colonies.
Feeding:
Swoops down to water's surface to pick off small prey items; also catches insects in the air. Eats fish on wintering grounds.
Field Notes
Expanded Life History
Feed Ecology And Diet | Contribute Content |
Nesting Habits | Contribute Content |
Migration Status | Contribute Content |
Conservation Status | Contribute Content |
Local Sites to Spot | Contribute Content |
Abundance Status | Contribute Content |
Adult Male Description | Contribute Content |
Adult Female Description | Contribute Content |
ITIS Taxonomic Number | Contribute Content |
Sonogram | Contribute Content |
Courtship | Contribute Content |
Reproductive Characteristics | Contribute Content |
Relationship to Humans | Contribute Content |
ID Tips - Size & Shape | Contribute Content |
ID Tips - Color & Pattern | Contribute Content |
ID Tips - Habitat | Contribute Content |
ID Tips - Behavior | Contribute Content |
ID Tips - Wingspan | Contribute Content |
ID Tips - Weight | Contribute Content |
Breeding | Contribute Content |
Cool Facts | Contribute Content |
Local Knowledge | Contribute Content |
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Sightings
Date | Submitted By | Count |
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05/28/13 | dawn villaescusa, OR | # |
05/28/13 | dawn villaescusa, OR | # |
05/26/12 | Dave Irons, OR | 2 |
05/27/12 | Dave Irons, OR | # |
05/12/12 | Doug Niwa, OR | 1 |
12/26/11 | Joe Blowers, OR | # |
08/19/11 | Paul Guris, PA | 1 |
08/28/11 | Mark S. Szantyr, CT | 3 |
07/11/11 | Anne Heyerly, OR | # |
05/26/07 | Adrian Hinkle, OR | # |
02/27/11 | Shawneen Finnegan, OR | # |
Recent Activity
Activity | Date & Time |
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