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A photo of a Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)
Forster's Tern

Forster's Tern

Sterna forsteri

Forster's tern (Sterna forsteri) is a tern in the family Laridae. The genus name Sterna is derived from Old English "stearn", "tern", and forsteri commemorates the naturalist Johann Reinhold Forster. It breeds inland in North America and winters south to the Caribbean and northern Central America. This species is rare but annual in western Europe, and has wintered in Ireland and Great Britain on a number of occasions. No European tern winters so far north. This species breeds in colonies in marshes. It nests in a ground scrape and lays two or more eggs. Like all white terns, it is fiercely defensive of its nest and young. The Forster's tern feeds by plunge-diving for fish, but will also hawk for insects in its breeding marshes. It usually feeds from saline environments in winter, like most Sterna terns. It usually dives directly, and not from the "stepped-hover" favoured by the Arctic tern. The offering of fish by the male to the female is part of the courtship display. It is most similar to the common tern. It has pale grey upperparts and white underparts. Its legs are red and its bill is red, tipped with black. In winter, the forehead becomes white and a characteristic black eye mask remains. Juvenile Forster's terns are similar to the winter adult. The call is a harsh noise like a black-headed gull. This species is unlikely to be confused with the common tern in winter because of the black eye mask, but is much more similar in breeding plumage. Forster's has a grey centre to its white tail, and the upperwings are pure white, without the darker primary wedge of the common tern.
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Forster's Terns on Birda

Photos

Sightings

A photo of a Forster's Tern photographed in Kings Beach SP United States
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Luc Webb
Saturday 27 May 2023 - 11:55pm
United States
A photo of a Forster's Tern photographed in Edwin B. Forsythe NWR--Northwest Pool United States
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Daniel Sloan
Saturday 27 May 2023 - 11:42am
United States
A map showing the sighting location
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Michael Orgill
Tuesday 23 May 2023 - 4:14pm
United States
A map showing the sighting location
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Noah Tapper
Monday 22 May 2023 - 11:12pm
United States
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