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Black Tern Chlidonias niger
IUCN Red List history
| Year | Category |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Least Concern |
| 2009 | Least Concern |
| 2008 | Least Concern |
| 2004 | Least Concern |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
Species attributes
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | Does not normally occur in forest |
| Land mass type | Average mass | - |
Distribution
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 1,430,000 | |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) | 1,430,000 | |
| Number of locations | - | |
| Fragmentation | - |
Population & trend
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of mature individuals | poor | Estimated | 2009 | |
| Population trend | Decreasing | - | ||
| Number of subpopulations | - | - | - | |
| Largest subpopulation | - | - | - | |
| Generation length (yrs) | 8.8 | - | - | - |
| Trend justification: This species has undergone a small or statistically insignificant decrease over the last 40 years in North America (data from Breeding Bird Survey and/or Christmas Bird Count: Butcher and Niven 2007). | ||||
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Extinct | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Vagrant | No | |||
| Albania | Native | No | |||
| Algeria | Native | No | |||
| Angola | Native | No | |||
| Anguilla (to UK) | Native | No | |||
| Antigua and Barbuda | Native | No | |||
| Argentina | Native | No | |||
| Armenia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Aruba (to Netherlands) | Native | No | |||
| Australia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Austria | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Azerbaijan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Bahamas | Native | No | |||
| Bahrain | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Barbados | Native | No | |||
| Belarus | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Belgium | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Belize | Native | No | |||
| Benin | Native | No | |||
| Bermuda (to UK) | Native | No | |||
| Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (to Netherlands) | Native | No | |||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Brazil | Native | No | |||
| Bulgaria | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Cameroon | Native | No | |||
| Canada | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Cayman Islands (to UK) | Native | No | |||
| Côte d'Ivoire | Native | No | |||
| Chad | Vagrant | No | |||
| Chile | Native | No | |||
| China (mainland) | Native | No | |||
| Colombia | Native | No | |||
| Congo | Native | No | |||
| Congo, The Democratic Republic of the | Vagrant | No | |||
| Costa Rica | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Croatia | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Cuba | Native | No | |||
| Curaçao (to Netherlands) | Native | No | |||
| Cyprus | Native | No | |||
| Czech Republic | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Denmark | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Djibouti | Native | No | |||
| Dominica | Native | No | |||
| Dominican Republic | Native | No | |||
| Ecuador | Native | No | |||
| Egypt | Native | No | |||
| El Salvador | Native | No | |||
| Equatorial Guinea | Native | No | |||
| Eritrea | Native | No | |||
| Estonia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Ethiopia | Native | No | |||
| Finland | Native | No | Yes | ||
| France | Native | No | Yes | ||
| French Guiana | Native | No | |||
| Gabon | Native | No | |||
| Gambia | Native | No | |||
| Georgia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Germany | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Ghana | Native | No | |||
| Gibraltar (to UK) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Greece | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Grenada | Vagrant | No | |||
| Guadeloupe (to France) | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Guatemala | Native | No | |||
| Guinea | Native | No | |||
| Guinea-Bissau | Native | No | |||
| Guyana | Native | No | |||
| Haiti | Native | No | |||
| Honduras | Native | No | |||
| Hungary | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Iceland | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| India | Native | No | |||
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Iraq | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Ireland | Native | No | |||
| Israel | Native | No | |||
| Italy | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Jamaica | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Japan | Vagrant | No | |||
| Jordan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Kazakhstan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Kenya | Vagrant | No | |||
| Kuwait | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Kyrgyzstan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Latvia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Lebanon | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Liberia | Native | No | |||
| Libya | Native | No | |||
| Liechtenstein | Native | No | |||
| Lithuania | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Luxembourg | Native | No | |||
| Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Madagascar | Vagrant | No | |||
| Mali | Native | No | |||
| Malta | Native | No | |||
| Martinique (to France) | Native | No | |||
| Mauritania | Native | No | |||
| Mexico | Native | No | |||
| Moldova | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Mongolia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Montenegro | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Montserrat (to UK) | Native | No | |||
| Morocco | Native | No | |||
| Namibia | Native | No | |||
| Netherlands | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Nicaragua | Native | No | |||
| Niger | Vagrant | No | |||
| Nigeria | Native | No | |||
| Oman | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Palestinian Authority Territories | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Panama | Native | No | |||
| Peru | Native | No | |||
| Poland | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Portugal | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Puerto Rico (to USA) | Native | No | |||
| Romania | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Russia (Asian) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Russia (Central Asian) | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Russia (European) | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Rwanda | Vagrant | No | |||
| Saudi Arabia | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| São Tomé e Príncipe | Unknown | No | |||
| Senegal | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Serbia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Sierra Leone | Native | No | |||
| Sint Maarten (to Netherlands) | Native | No | |||
| Slovakia | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Slovenia | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Somalia | Vagrant | No | |||
| South Africa | Native | No | |||
| Spain | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Sri Lanka | Native | No | |||
| St Kitts and Nevis | Native | No | |||
| St Lucia | Native | No | |||
| St Pierre and Miquelon (to France) | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| St Vincent and the Grenadines | Native | No | |||
| Sudan | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Suriname | Native | No | |||
| Sweden | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Switzerland | Native | No | |||
| Syria | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Tajikistan | Native | No | |||
| Tanzania | Native | No | |||
| Togo | Native | No | |||
| Trinidad and Tobago | Native | No | |||
| Tunisia | Native | No | |||
| Turkey | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Turkmenistan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) | Native | No | |||
| Ukraine | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| United Arab Emirates | Vagrant | No | Yes | Yes | |
| United Kingdom | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Uruguay | Vagrant | No | |||
| USA | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Uzbekistan | Native | No | |||
| Venezuela | Native | No | |||
| Virgin Islands (to UK) | Vagrant | No | |||
| Virgin Islands (to USA) | Vagrant | No | |||
| Western Sahara | Native | No | |||
| Yemen | Vagrant | No | Yes |
Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria
| Country/Territory | IBA Name | IBA link |
|---|---|---|
| Belarus | Biarezina-Hajna |  |
| Belarus | Biarezinski zapaviednik | |
| Belarus | Dniepr floodplain Lojeŭ-Žary | |
| Belarus | Mid Prypiac' | |
| Belarus | Sož floodplain | |
| Belarus | Sporaŭskaje balota | |
| Belgium | IJzervallei-De Blankaart | |
| Benin | Lake Nokoué | |
| Bulgaria | Hadzi Dimitrovo Fish-ponds | |
| Bulgaria | Kalimok Complex | |
| Bulgaria | Mechka Fish-ponds | |
| Bulgaria | Srebarna | |
| Denmark | Eastern part of Vejlerne | |
| Denmark | Kongens Mose and Draved Skov | |
| Denmark | Tøndermarsken, Magisterkog and Rudbøl Sø | |
| Estonia | Lahepera lake | |
| Estonia | Räpina polder | |
| Estonia | Ropka-Ihaste | |
| Estonia | Väinameri | |
| Estonia | Võrtsjärv | |
| Estonia | Vooremaa | |
| France | Anse de Fouras, baie d'Yves et marais de Rochefort | |
| France | Baie des Veys et Marais du Cotentin | |
| France | Brenne centrale | |
| France | Camargue | |
| France | Estuaire de la Loire | |
| France | Etangs de Sologne: étang de l'Arche | |
| France | Etangs de Sologne: St Viatre, Marcilly-en-Gault et forêt de Bruadan | |
| France | Ile d'Oléron, marais de Brouage-Saint-Agnant | |
| France | Marais de Brière | |
| France | Marais poitevin et baie de l'Aiguillon | |
| France | Petite Camargue fluvio-lacustre | |
| France | Plaine du Forez | |
| Ghana | Densu Delta Ramsar Site | |
| Ghana | Keta Lagoon Ramsar Site | |
| Ghana | Muni-Pomadze Ramsar Site | |
| Ghana | Sakumo Lagoon Ramsar Site | |
| Ghana | Songor Ramsar Site | |
| Greece | Lake Kerkini | |
| Guinea-Bissau | Arquipélago dos Bijagós | |
| Hungary | Bodrogzug–Taktaköz | |
| Hungary | Borsodi-Mezőség | |
| Hungary | Hortobágy and Tisza-to | |
| Hungary | Lake Kis-Balaton | |
| Hungary | Lower Tisza Valley | |
| Liberia | Cape Mount | |
| Lithuania | A part of the Vasaknos fish-farm | |
| Lithuania | Birzulius-Stervas marshes complex | |
| Lithuania | Cedasas Lake | |
| Lithuania | Kazimieravas lake with surrounding wetlands | |
| Lithuania | Lake Druksiai | |
| Lithuania | Lake Kasonys and adjacent wetlands | |
| Lithuania | Metelys, Dusia & Obelija lakes | |
| Lithuania | Plinksiai state Nature Reserve and its environs | |
| Lithuania | Sartai (Sartai Regional park and neighbouring Rokiskis fish-ponds) | |
| Lithuania | Sartai Regional Park and Rokiskis Fishponds | |
| Lithuania | Silale Fishponds | |
| Lithuania | Smalva Hydrographical Reserve | |
| Lithuania | Zaltytis | |
| Mexico | Istmo de Tehuantepec-Mar Muerto | |
| Netherlands | Balgzand | |
| Netherlands | De Deelen | |
| Netherlands | De Wieden | |
| Netherlands | Gelderse Poort | |
| Netherlands | Lake Gooimeer | |
| Netherlands | Lake IJsselmeer | |
| Netherlands | Lake Markermeer | |
| Netherlands | Nieuwkoopse Plassen | |
| Netherlands | Oostelijke Vechtplassen | |
| Netherlands | Oostvaardersplassen | |
| Poland | Augustów forest | |
| Poland | Barycz river valley | |
| Poland | Biebrza river valley | |
| Poland | Druzno lake | |
| Poland | Insko Site | |
| Poland | Kostrzyn River Valley | |
| Poland | Kwiecewo Site | |
| Poland | Liwiec river valley | |
| Poland | Lower Bug river valley | |
| Poland | Lower Narew River Valley | |
| Poland | Lower Notec River Valley | |
| Poland | Lower Odra river valley | |
| Poland | Lower Vistula River Valley | |
| Poland | Lower Wieprz River Valley | |
| Poland | Middle Bug river valley | |
| Poland | Middle Warta River Valley | |
| Poland | Oswin site | |
| Poland | Peatbogs at Wieprz River | |
| Poland | Przysowia and Sludwia River valley | |
| Poland | Siemianowka Reseirvoir | |
| Poland | Sredzka Struga and Maskawa River Valley | |
| Poland | Swidwie Site | |
| Poland | Tysmienica river valley | |
| Poland | Upper Vistula River Valley | |
| Poland | Vistula Lagoon | |
| Poland | Warta River Mouth | |
| Portugal | Albufeira do Caia | |
| Romania | Comana | |
| Romania | Danube Delta | |
| Romania | Dunărea Veche (Braţul Măcin) | |
| Romania | Iezerul Călăraşi | |
| Romania | Ilfov reservoir | |
| Romania | Jijiei şi Miletinului fish-ponds | |
| Romania | Lake Brateş | |
| Romania | Lunca Siretului Inferior | |
| Romania | Satchinez marsh | |
| Romania | Suhaia | |
| Russia (Central Asian) | Chernoye Lake | |
| Russia (Central Asian) | Kurtan Lake | |
| Russia (European) | Delta of the River Don | |
| Russia (European) | Pereluchski Nature Reserve | |
| Russia (European) | Ptich'ya magistral' area | |
| Russia (European) | Ressetinskiye floods | |
| Russia (European) | Savtsinskoye marsh | |
| Russia (European) | Upper Mologa river (Verestovo lake) | |
| Russia (European) | Valley of Zhizdra river | |
| Russia (European) | Zavidovo Nature Reserve, including Lotoshinski, Klinski and Diatlovo fish-ponds | |
| Senegal | Cap Vert | |
| Slovenia | River Drava | |
| Spain | Llobregat delta | |
| Sweden | Lake Hornborgasjön | |
| Sweden | Lake Vendelsjön | |
| Sweden | Western part of lake Mälaren | |
| Turkey | Çavusçu Lake | |
| Turkey | Balıkdamı | |
| Ukraine | Bulakhivs'kyj lyman | |
| Ukraine | Dniprodzerzhyns'ke reservoir | |
| Ukraine | Kryva peninsula | |
| Ukraine | Kyivs'ke reservoir | |
| Ukraine | Mikulinetskie fish-ponds | |
| Ukraine | Mishuryn Rig | |
| Ukraine | Mzha river valley | |
| Ukraine | Orikhivski lake-system | |
| Ukraine | Pryp'yat' river valley | |
| Ukraine | Radomyshl's'ke Game Reserve | |
| Ukraine | Samars'kyj forest | |
| Ukraine | Snyvoda river valley | |
| Ukraine | Sosyns'kyj protected area | |
| Ukraine | Stokhod river valley | |
| Ukraine | Sul's'ka bay | |
| Ukraine | Supij marsh | |
| Ukraine | Syvash Bay | |
| Ukraine | Tsybul'kivs'ki lakes | |
| Ukraine | Udaj river valley | |
| Ukraine | Vovk river valley | |
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Seasonally Flooded Agricultural Land | suitable | breeding |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Wastewater Treatment Areas | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Freshwater Lakes | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Estuaries | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Macroalgal/Kelp | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Pelagic | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Seagrass (Submerged) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy-Mud | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Oceanic | Epipelagic (0-200m) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Saline, Brackish or Alkaline Marshes/Pools | suitable | breeding |
| Altitude | 0 - 0 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
Utilisation
| Purpose | Primary form used | Life stage used | Source | Scale | Level | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Chlidonias niger. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 22/05/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 22/05/2013.
This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums.
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Current IUCN Red List category | Least Concern |
| Family | Laridae (Gulls and terns) |
| Species name author | (Linnaeus, 1758) |
| Population size | mature individuals |
| Population trend | Decreasing |
| Distribution size (breeding/resident) | 1,430,000 km2 |
| Country endemic? | No |
| Links to further information | |
| - Summary information on this species | |
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|