Black Tern

Name: Black Tern

Scientific name: Chlidonias niger

Category: Birds

Nature Stars: 70

What are nature stars?

About: A small tern, about 25cm long. In the spring, adults are silvery-grey above and sooty black below with a black head and neck. The undersides of the wings are white. In the autumn, they are white below, with a small black cap and a black spot in front of t

How to identify: In the spring, Black Terns are unmistakeable: the only other possibility would be if the underside of the wings were black and the upperside very pale grey, in which case you have seen the very rare White-winged Black Tern.

Where: A scarce visitor during spring and autumn migration, when it can turn up on lakes and reservoirs anywhere around the country.

Natural Superpowers

• Predator: 70
• Agility: 70
• Rarity: 90
• Cute factor: 50
• Traveller: 80

Fantastic fact: Black Terns sometimes nest on floating lilypads!

Photograph credit: Rudo Jurecêk