Birds · Charadriiformes · Laridae

Black Tern

Chlidonias niger

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The black tern is a small tern of freshwater wetlands, almost entirely black and slate grey while breeding, which tells it apart from any other European tern. It breeds in colonies on floating nests built among aquatic vegetation and takes insects by skimming the surface of the water. In Spain it breeds sparsely and locally in a few wetlands, and its European population has been falling for decades because of the draining of marshes.

Weight

50 g – 75 g

Size

22 cm – 26 cm

Lifespan

17 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

FreshwaterInsectivore Diurnal Colonial Bird Freshwater

13countries 16parks19same family

Fun facts

GeneralIt breeds on floating nests anchored to water plants.
It is the only European tern that is almost black in breeding plumage, a striking contrast with its white and grey relatives.
It does not plunge-dive like the sea terns: it works the surface of the water in light flight, picking insects off it, a feeding style closer to that of a swallow.
Its floating nest rises and falls with the water level, but sudden floods and the artificial fluctuations of reservoirs cause whole colonies to be lost.