Black+tern

//**Chlidonias niger **// //PA: Level - Endangered // //US: Level – Least Concern // Bobby Laughman, Josh Howell
 * Black Tern[[image:MPR_123003_100079_S.jpg width="253" height="202" align="right" caption="Black Tern resting at home"]] **


 * General Description:**
 * They are usually 9 inches in length
 * 35 inch wingspan
 * Males and females look the same
 * Generally small body
 * Short black bill
 * Short dark legs
 * Short notched tail
 * Rounded head
 * They tend to be dark all over except for their first summer where their feathers are gray and turn to black around end summer.
 * Behavior:**
 * They fly slowly, similar to a swallow
 * They swoop down to pick prey off the surface of the water
 * **Niche:** Carnivorous
 * **Diet:** Insects, Fish, Frogs, Tadpoles, Earthworms, Crustaceans
 * Habitat:**
 * Marshes
 * Ponds
 * Lakes
 * Flood[[image:black_tern_3.jpg width="288" height="217" align="left"]]ed fields

   **What is being done?**
 * Reproduction:**
 * They start breeding around 2 years
 * They build their nests in freshwater, marshes and wet meadows
 * The nests are usually located on a mat of floating vegetation.
 * Three dark brown-spotted eggs are laid and sat on by both parents for about 3 weeks
 * The young remain with the parents for another three to four weeks
 * Then they grow feathers appropriate for learning to fly
 * Why is the black tern on the list?**
 *   Populations have declined sharply in the past 40 years, likely due to drainage of wetlands required for nesting. Farm chemical runoff is another possible reason. 
 * The Black Terns are being monitored and when the known number of species is known, their habitat is heavily protected and expanded, this can be done simply by keeping the area free of litter, introducing water to build onto the marshy area as well as keeping sure that none of the species is disturbed in any way. Like all other endangered species, the public is being educated about this bird and the way it lives and hunting is prohibited.

Sources: Tinyurl.com/blacktern1 Tinyurl.com/blacktern2 Tinyurl.com/blacktern3 Tinyurl.com/blacktern4 Tinyurl.com/blacktern5 Alerstam, Thomas. __Bird Migration__. 