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Black Tern Chlidonias niger [Linnaeus, 1758]
Other Names
Trends & Distribution
Breeding & Survival
Biometrics
Books & Links
Order:
Charadriiformes
Family:
Sternidae
BTO Codes:
BJ , BLATE
EURING No:
6270
Number in Britain:
Unavailable
Conservation Status:
UK:
GREEN
European:
3 Concern, most not in Europe; Depleted
Global:
Least Concern
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IBC
Status in UK:
(A) Former Breeder, Passage Visitor
Subspecies:
niger , surinamensis (V) recorded in Britain (of 2 subsp. in the world)
.
Length:
23 cm
Wingspan:
66 cm
Weight:
M/F: 73 g
Scientific name from:
Gr.: khelidon =swallow + -ios =like
and L.: niger =shining black
World Distribution:
BREEDS: Europe, n&c Asia, North America, WINTERS: tropical Africa, Central & n South Americas
Habitat:
Marshes, wet grassland, in winter seacoast & estuaries
Diet:
Summaer mostly insects, Winter, mostly surface fish, will pursue insects like Swallow
TitBit:
This delicate marsh tern once nested in in Britain large colonies, the sound of which could be deafening, but these disappeared as wetland areas, particularly the East Anglian Fens, were drained
Population and Distribution
Population Trend:
No population trend available
Distribution:
New Atlas )
British Population Size:
Passage:
. individuals
First Record:
1544
First Breeding Record:
Cambridgeshire/Norfolk (after extinct 1884) 1966
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
No habitat data from BBS
European Population Size:
Summer:
33 to 70 thousand pairs
Birds in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of:
WCA(I), WBD(I), Bern(III), Bonn(II*), AEWA
Survey Results:
Breeding and Survival
Egg Size:
35 x 25 mm
Egg Weight:
11.4 g (of which 5 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records:
0
Clutch Size:
3 eggs
Incubation:
21 - 22 days
by the:
Female (occ. Male)
Fledging:
19 - 25 days
as:
Semi-precocial, downy
First Clutches Laid:
Does not breed in Britain, or too few Nest Records
Number of Broods:
1
Number Ringed:
0
Adult Survival:
No data
Juvenile Survival:
No data
Age at First Breeding:
Typical Lifespan:
No data
Maximum Recorded Age:
Too few ringed in Britain, but Denmark : 21yr 0m
Biometrics
Ring Size:
B+
Wing Length
Adult:
Insufficient Data.
Juvenile:
Insufficient Data.
Male:
Insufficient Data
Female:
Insufficient Data
Weight
Adult:
Insufficient Data.
Juvenile:
Insufficient Data.
Male:
Insufficient Data
Female:
Insufficient Data
Other Names
Gaelic:
Steàrnag-dhubh
Welsh:
Corswennol Ddu
Danish:
Sortterne
Dutch:
Zwarte stern
Finnish:
Mustatiira
French:
Guifette noire
German:
Trauerseeschwalbe
Hungarian:
Kormos szerko
Icelandic:
Kolþerna
Irish:
Geabhróg Dhubh
Italian:
Mignattino
Norwegian:
Svartterne
Polish:
Rybitwa czarna
Portuguese:
Gaivina-preta
Spanish:
Fumarel común
Swedish:
Svarttärna
Local Names: Carr Swallow, Blue Darr
For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
No books written recently
See Also:
All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
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