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Forster's Tern

Sterna forsteriOrder: CHARADRIIFORMESFamily: Skuas, Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae)

Breeding Location:

Open landscapes, Marshes, freshwater, Swamps



Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Loose colonies



Breeding Population:

Declining



Egg Color:

Olive or buff with brown or olive marks



Number of Eggs:

1 - 4



Incubation Days:

23 - 25



Egg Incubator:

Both sexes



Nest Material:

Lined with grass and reeds.



Migration:

Migratory



Splitbar

Overview

Forster's Tern: Medium tern, pale gray upperparts, black cap, white underparts. Bill is orange, black tip. Wings are pale gray with paler primaries. Tail is pale gray, deeply forked with dark inner edge, white outer edge. Orange legs, feet. Hovers above water before diving for prey.

Range and Habitat

Forster's Tern: Breeds along the Atlantic coast from Massachusetts to Texas and in interior Alberta and California east to the Great Lakes. Spends winters along the coasts from California and Virginia southward. In the west, prefers freshwater marshes, whereas in the east, prefers salt marshes.

Breeding and Nesting

Forster's Tern: One to four olive or buff eggs with brown or olive marks are laid on a large platform of dead grass, lined with finer grass, and usually built on a mass of dead marsh vegetation. Incubation ranges from 23 to 25 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Forster's Tern: Diet consists mostly of fish, but also eats insects, small crustaceans, mollusks, frogs, and tadpoles. Catches fish at surface or by plunge diving into water from a perch or a hover; catches insects on the wing or on the water surface; reportedly eats dead fish and frogs exposed by receding ice; occasionally eats bird eggs.

Vocalization

Forster's Tern: Call is a harsh, nasal "beep."

Similar Species

Forster's Tern: Common and Arctic terns have dark outer and white inner tail edges.

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Family Tern (Laridae)_blue
Species Sterna forsteri
Length14 - 15 Inches
Wingspan30.5 Inches

Forster's Tern

Forster's Tern: Medium tern, pale gray upperparts, black cap, white underparts. Bill is orange, black tip. Wings are pale gray with paler primaries. Tail is pale gray, deeply forked with dark inner edge, white outer edge. Orange legs, feet. Hovers above water before diving for prey.

● Song: "ki-arr", "za-a-ap", "zrurrr", "beep"

● Foraging & Feeding: Forster's Tern: Diet consists mostly of fish, but also eats insects, small crustaceans, mollusks, frogs, and tadpoles. Catches fish at surface or by plunge diving into water from a perch or a hover; catches insects on the wing or on the water surface; reportedly eats dead fish and frogs exposed by receding ice; occasionally eats bird eggs.

● Breeding & nesting: Forster's Tern: One to four olive or buff eggs with brown or olive marks are laid on a large platform of dead grass, lined with finer grass, and usually built on a mass of dead marsh vegetation. Incubation ranges from 23 to 25 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Forster's Tern: Common and Arctic terns have dark outer and white inner tail edges.

Flight Pattern

Shallow slow graceful flight.
Forster's Tern Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Forster's Tern: Breeds along the Atlantic coast from Massachusetts to Texas and in interior Alberta and California east to the Great Lakes. Spends winters along the coasts from California and Virginia southward. In the west, prefers freshwater marshes, whereas in the east, prefers salt marshes.
BreedingMonogamous, Loose colonies
PopulationDeclining
MigrationMigratory
Weight5.6 Ounces