Birds › Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
Forster's Tern
Sterna forsteri
28 photos
Study shows up to four per card, from different observers, so you learn the species rather than one picture. Heart the good ones and swap any you do not like.
Photos you add are credited to you, and you keep the copyright.
Easily confused with
Common TernSterna hirundo
Least TernSternula antillarum
Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
Royal TernThalasseus maximus
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
Elegant TernThalasseus elegans
Roseate TernSterna dougallii
Study checks a spoken answer against these, and tells you which one you named.
Where it is recorded
| Canada | 143,873 |
|---|---|
| Ontario | 98,683 |
| Michigan | 68,450 |
| Georgia | 55,121 |
| North Carolina | 54,779 |
| United States | 30,862 |
| Ohio | 29,770 |
| Wisconsin | 27,185 |
| Massachusetts | 20,062 |
| Oregon | 17,444 |
Counts show where people looked, not only where it lives.
Traits
Group and habits
- Scrape nestingListed by a harvested source as nesting in scrapes.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Water nestingListed by a harvested source as nesting on water.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Fish eaterListed by a harvested source as primarily eating fish.BIRDBASE avian traits database
Classification
| Kingdom | Animals · Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordates · Chordata |
| Class | Birds · Aves |
| Order | Shorebirds and Allies · Charadriiformes |
| Family | Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers · Laridae |
| Genus | Typical Terns · Sterna |
Study it in a deck
- Birds of British Columbia, Canada
- Birds of Gallatin County, Montana, United States
- Birds of Ontario
- Birds of Pennsylvania (Alkas)
- Birds of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Birds of United States
- Birds of Utah
Or build your own from the species near you.
Sources
- Names, taxonomy and observation counts: www.inaturalist.org
- Photos and recordings: the creator and source are on each one.
- Traits: BIRDBASE avian traits database (CC BY 4.0)
- How much to rely on each source
Remember the name next time.
Practise Forster's Tern with real photos from different observers. Say the name out loud, and it comes back just before you would forget it.