Species

Caspian tern

Hydroprogne caspia

The world's largest tern, with a thick, blood-red bill and a harsh, heron-like call.

Photo Unknown photographer (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC0 1.0 (opens in a new tab)

Parenting

At a glance

Size: About 47 to 54 cm long; wingspan about 1.3 to 1.4 m
Weight: About 530 to 780 g
Habitat: Coasts, large lakes and reservoirs
Diet: Fish
In Georgia: A fairly common migrant and winter visitor on the coast; also on large reservoirs
Voice: A loud, harsh "kraa-ak"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Large; thick, deep red bill with a dark tip; black cap; dark undersides to the wingtips
Told apart from: Royal tern, which has a slimmer orange bill and a shaggy crest
Where to look: Sandbars and large reservoirs

Behaviour

Caspian terns fly over water with bill pointed down, then plunge-dive for fish. Young birds stay with their parents for many months, following them and begging for food.

Why they matter

The Caspian tern is the largest tern in the world and is found on every continent except Antarctica. Its long period of parental care, sometimes lasting into the next breeding season, is unusual among seabirds.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A scrape on sand or gravel in colonies
Eggs — Usually two or three
Incubation — About 25 to 28 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about five to six weeks
Family — Young fed by parents for months after flying
Lifespan — Wild birds over twenty-five years are recorded

Living around people

Terns caught on fishing lures need a rehabilitator.

Misconceptions

A young tern begging from an adult is a chick that cannot feed itself. Caspian tern young are fed by their parents for months as they learn to fish.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Wintering	Wintering	Migrants passing	Migrants passing	Nesting farther north	Nesting	Chicks	Migrants arriving	Migrants	Wintering birds settle	Wintering	Wintering

Where it lives

Recorded in 81 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

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