Species

Forster's tern

Sterna forsteri

A pale tern with a black eye patch in winter, the tern most often seen around Georgia's marshes and docks.

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

At a glance

Size: About 33 to 36 cm long
Weight: About 130 to 190 g
Habitat: Salt marshes, estuaries, coastal waters and reservoirs
Diet: Small fish
In Georgia: A common winter visitor on the coast; also on reservoirs
Voice: A harsh "kyarr"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Pale grey; in winter a black mask through the eye; long forked tail; orange bill with a dark tip in summer
Told apart from: Common tern, which has darker wingtips and a black cap extending to the nape in winter
Where to look: Tidal creeks, docks and inlets in winter

Behaviour

Forster's terns hover and dive for fish in creeks and marshes, often perching on posts and docks between dives.

Why they matter

Forster's terns are a North American species, breeding in inland and coastal marshes. They are the tern most likely to be seen in Georgia in winter, and they depend on healthy coastal fish populations.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A mat of plants on marsh wrack, in colonies
Eggs — Usually three
Incubation — About 23 to 25 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about four to five weeks
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Terns perched on docks are resting between dives and need no help.
Fishing line and hooks are hazards around docks.

Misconceptions

Terns only live at the beach. Forster's terns also winter on large inland reservoirs.

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	Wintering	Migrating north	Nesting in marshes farther north	Nesting	Chicks	Migrants arriving	Migrants	Wintering birds settle	Wintering	Wintering

Where it lives

Recorded in 69 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

Answer a few questions and you will get a specific answer for what you are looking at.

I found an animal