Black Tern

Humans approaching the nest of a Black Tern may come with a serious headache because these birds have been known to attack humans that come too close. Technically, a "tern" is a seagull, but the Black Tern lives in marshy areas instead of by the ocean; it is a marsh tern.

The Black Tern is a small dark bird. It has short legs and a short bill, which is almost as long as its head. The Black Tern has a dark gray back, with a white forehead. Black head, black neck and belly....it's the only color of this bird, along with a few shades of white and gray. No wonder it's the "Black" Tern!

The Black Tern flies around North America. While flying, it will swoop down when it spies a tasty meal of insects and fish, frogs and tadpoles, earthworms and small crustaceans. It will also catch insects while flying.

Although the Black Tern is not on the world endangered list, it IS on the ENDANGERED SPECIES list of the states of Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, and Maine, United States. From a population of hundreds of thousands in North America, the Black Tern's numbers have decreased significantly in the last 40 years, some say to only a mere third of what it once was. Some reasons for this decrease:

1. Raiding of nests - Tern eggs and chicks are being killed by herons, raccoons and other animals in all stages of the marsh ecosystem.

2. Flooding - Rising water levels carry away Black Tern nests in the marshes.

3. Pesticides - Insects, a main food of the Black Tern, absorb pesticides from the air. When the Black Tern eats the insects and fish from the water, it is putting pesticides in its body as well, which will harm the bird.

Black Tern Fast Facts

Scientific Name: Chlidonias Niger
Type: Bird
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 9 to 10 inches
Weight: 50 to 60 grams
Range: North America
Diet: insects, frogs, fish, tadpoles, earthworms, crustaceans

To make an origami of a flapping bird, click on the image or here.