June 2022 - 28
Despite silver-gray wings, black terns are mostly black in color and grow to between 9 and 14 inches long. (Photo by Francis Bergquist)
As the name suggests,
black terns have
traded the usual white
and gray plumage for
primarily black.
Despite its name, the common tern is
uncommon in Wyoming. This is a migratory
species in the state throughout the spring and
fall. The best time to see them in Wyoming
is in the fall. These terns are usually a little
smaller than the Forster's tern, but they can
grow to between 12 and 15 inches in length.
In North America the common tern usually
nests farther north into Canada where they
gather and nest in large colonies. Common
terns were hard hit by the feather trade and
were almost wiped from the East Coast, but
they have recovered and are considered the
most numerous tern in North America. The
common tern has been used as the symbol for
the conservation movement in North America
for many years.
Black terns
Another uncommon species in Wyoming,
although black terns have been observed
throughout the state. As the name suggests,
this species has traded the usual white and
gray plumage for primarily black. Their head,
breast, belly, bill, feet and back are black. Their
28 | June 2022
wings are silvery gray. Some white under the
tail completes the look of this unique tern.
This is a small tern, usually about 9 to 14
inches long.
Black terns nest and forage in freshwater
bulrush and cattail marshes and sloughs
throughout most of the northern states and
Canada. These birds usually eat small fish but
eat more insects during the nesting season.
They rely on insects more than any other
tern species, gleaning insects from marsh
vegetation, aquatic insects from the surface
of the water and flying insects on the wing.
Their flight resembles that of a swallow, which
gives them the nickname of swallow tern.
Black tern nests, which are built out of
dead vegetation as a floating mat on the water,
are usually a flimsy affair and can be easily
destroyed by storms and fluctuating water
levels. They usually lay about three eggs in a
clutch, and the chicks are fed completely on
insects. While once abundant, their numbers
are declining in North America due to habitat
loss by the destruction of wetlands and the
loss of insect prey by agricultural spraying.
June 2022
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2022
June 2022 - 1
June 2022 - 2
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2024
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/wyoming-wildlife-may-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2024-e-edition
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2023
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2023
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-iak-special-issue
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/dec-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2021
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/January2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/December2020
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