Black tern Chlidonias niger

Features

The black tern gets its name from its characteristic black feathers.

Species	Bird
Living space	Swamp
Size	25 cm
Weight	60 g

Description

In summer, the black tern is almost completely black, except for its dark-grey wings. In winter, both adult birds and chicks are grey above and white below and have a black hat, white forehead and black stains on the sides of their chest. The black tern catches food (insects, small fish, amphibians, snails, crayfish) during flight by quickly diving under the water surface or descending low above the ground and flying off with the caught prey. The black tern migrates through Slovenia in spring on the return to its nesting grounds, and in autumn, when it migrates back to its wintering grounds.