Black Tern

Chlidonias niger

A very small tern only 25cms long generally found in or near inland water in Europe and North America. As its name suggests, it has predominantly dark plumage. Their breeding habitat is freshwater marshes across most of Canada, the northern United States and much of Europe and western Asia. They usually nest either on floating material in a marsh or on the ground very close to water, laying 2-4 eggs. Unlike the "white" Sterna terns, these birds do not dive for fish, but forage on the wing picking up items at or near the water's surface or catching insects in flight. They mainly eat insects and fish. The North American race, C. n. surinamensis, is distinguishable from the European form in all plumages, and is considered by some to be a separate species. In flight, the build appears slim. The wing-beats are full and dynamic. The bird in the photos below is a juvenile that turned up as a rare migrant at Pennington Flash August 2007