Black Tern

Chlidonias niger (Linnaeus, 1758)

Black Tern, Chlidonias niger, breeds across inland temperate Canada, the USA, Europe and central Asia, and also occurs in the Palearctic. Outside the breeding season it moves to coasts and offshore waters, with birds reaching west Africa, the Pacific, Caribbean coastal Mexico and northern South America. It is a small tern associated with inland water, and its breeding plumage is mainly dark. The North American race differs from the European form in all plumages, and some authorities treat it as a separate species.

Order

Charadriiformes

Family

Laridae — Gulls, Terns, Skimmers

Breeding range

North America, Palearctic: inland temperate Canada, USA and Europe to c Asia

Nonbreeding range

coasts and offshore waters, w Africa and Pacific and Caribbean coastal Mexico to n South America