Black tern

    Chlidonias niger

Castilian: Fumarel común

Catalan: Fumarell negre

Gallego: Gaivina negra

Euskera: Itsas enara beltza

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Charadriiformes

Family: Sternidae

Migratory status: Summer resident/Passage migrant

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “In Danger of Extinction” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Endangered”.

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THREATS

The location of the nests affected by the water level allows predators access to them; the disappearance of its habitat, misuse of chemical products in agriculture, and human disturbances during breeding season are the primary threats.

Length / size: 23-28 cm / 57-65 cm

Identification: Medium-sized bird whose bill is dark and whose tail is slightly forked. In summer, the adult has uniform dark grey plumage, and its head is black and its legs dark; in winter its underparts, neck and face are white, while the rest of its body is pale grey, with a pointed black hood that extends to the nape and behind the eyes, giving this bird its characteristic pattern.

Song: In flight it makes an abrupt "kshlet" and a strong "kee-kee-kee" when alarmed.

Diet: It feeds on aquatic insects and small invertebrates, in addition to small fish and tadpoles, which it catches on the water surface or directly in the air.

Reproduction: It breeds in colonies. The nest floats but is held in place by the vegetation; it provides good visibility and is located in shallow waters. Both sexes incubate the eggs and care for the chicks. The chicks leave the nest a few days after birth.

HABITAT

It occupies areas with clean water and abundant vegetation. In our latitudes, it is linked to marshes and wet coastal areas. It usually breeds from sea level up to an elevation of 2,000 metres.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: The principal enclave is found in the Guadalquivir marshes, but the species is also distributed throughout the lagoons and dams in the southeast of the peninsula and the Ebro Delta.

In Castile and León: In passage it is present in all the provinces.

Movements and migrations: It is a migratory species. For European and Asian birds, their primary wintering place is the west coast of tropical Africa. In Spain, weather conditions are the main factors in migration, with an autumn passage between late June and October, and another spring passage beginning in March.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of less than 40 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: