Aves | 
Charadriiformes | 
Laridae
			
			
			
				Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range				
				
					Ecology				
				
			
			
				Others; freshwater; brackish.  Tropical; 63°N -   33°S, 125°W -   54°E (Ref. 124582)			
			
			
				
			
			
			
				Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean and the Arctic.
			
			
			
			
			
				Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
			
			
				Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm Max length : 24.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 8812); max. published weight: 65.00 g (Ref. 356)			
			
			
							
				
				
					
						Culmen: 2.74 cm; tarsus: 1.69 cm; wing: 21.35 cm.					
				
				
						
			
			
			
			
				
					Total Length:  22 to 24 cm; Wingspan:  66 cm (Ref. 8812, 84934).  They disperse south to winter at sea on both coasts of South America and West Africa.  Breeding occurs in Canada and North America, and in Europe from southern Scandinavia to Spain, eastwards across Europe and Asia to the Chinese border.  Total population is approximately 500,000 pairs with majority in Russia and possibly 100,000 pairs in North America.  Population decline is due to land reclamation for agriculture (Ref. 84934). Dipping; coastal; <4 km (Ref. 356).  Found on beach, shoreline, nearshore and in islands (Ref. 116102).  Black terns belong to the habitat category of nesting and foraging in inland habitats and come to the coasts during non-breeding season (Ref. 87784).  It hawks for insects over land on mild, still days, but in cooler, windier weather they stay over the sea (Ref. 87787).  Breeds colonially on well-vegetated inland lakes, marshes and peat bogs (Ref. 84934).				
			
			
			
			
			
				Life cycle and mating behavior				
					Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae				
			
			
				
									
			
			
			
			
			
				Stiles, F.G. 1984 Status and conservation of seabirds in Costa Rican waters. In Croxall, J.P., Evans, P.G.H. and Schreiber, R.W. (eds.), Status and Conservation of the World's Seabirds. ICBP Technical Publication 2:223-229. (Ref. 5856)
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
					
						IUCN Red List Status    
						 (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
					
					
					
				
			
			
			
			
				CITES status   (Ref. 108899)
			
			
				
					Not Evaluated				
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
				Threat to humans  
			
			
				
									
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
				Human uses  
			
			
							
			
			
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					More information				
				
					 Population dynamicsGrowthMax. ages / sizesLength-weight rel.Length-length rel.Length-frequenciesMass conversionAbundance   Life cycleReproduction
Maturity
Fecundity
Spawning
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
  PhysiologyOxygen consumption
  Human RelatedStamps, coins, misc.
  
			 
			
			
			
				Internet sources
			
			
			
			
			
				Estimates based on models
			
			
			
							
			
			
			
			
			
						
							
				
					
						Fishing Vulnerability  					
					
					
						Low vulnerability (14 of 100).					
				
						
						
			
									
						Price category  					
					
					Unknown.