The Black Tern is part of the tern family
Sturnidae so they are related to other terns like the
Common Tern, Caspian Tern and Forester's Tern. The Black Tern is the only tern in North
America that is mostly black during the breeding season,
making it easy to recognizable. Male and female Black
Terns look alike and during the non-breeding season
these birds have a lighter gray body with black smudges
on the chest and the front of their wings. There is also
a dark cap leading to two lines of black on the side of
the face.
HABITAT/DIET
During the non-breeding season the Black Tern is
found in the coast of Mexico and South where they will eat mostly
small fish that they can find on the surface of the water. When the
Black Tern migrates to the plains of Canada and northern
United States where there are large expanses of wetlands for Black
Terns to nest. Black Terns normally so not nest where there is a lot
of open space especially near other wetlands. During the
breeding season the Black Tern consumes mostly insects including
dragonflies, grasshoppers, beetles, spiders and will occasionally
consume fish if they are in the habitat.
BEHAVIOR
Nests are made as soon as pair formations have formed
and are made of dead vegetation collected directly from the vicinity
of the nest site where it is then gathered in a cup. Usually because
the nest is situated on top of the water the nest is frequently
saturated with water and falls apart easily and so the parents have
to continually reinforce the nest all season. Eggs are laid
synchronously with other Black Tern pairs and 3 eggs are commonly
laid in a clutch. After the eggs are laid both the female and the
male will incubate the eggs until around 21 days when the eggs
hatch. After this the young terns learn over the course of 15
days how to recognize their parent, how to eat and how to move
around. After this learning period the young and parents move to an
open feeding area where the parents will feed their chicks and the
young terns will practice hunting for insects and fish.
WHERE TO FIND THEM
Black Terns are only commonly found in Western New
York during the summer in
Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge at
Cayuga overlook. They are also seen during migratory season near the
Niagara River.