Forster’s Tern Sterna forsteri
California, USA
September 2004 and June 2006

Forster’s Terns typically inhabit fresh and saltwater marshes in the summer, hawking low over the water before either skimming the surface or diving for the fish which make up the bulk of its diet. During migration and in winter, they can be found in a wider variety of aquatic habitats, especially around estuaries, inlets, and bays, but rarely out of sight of land.

Forster’s Terns are common in wetlands along the Californian coast - where the photos below were taken - and is so similar to the Common Tern that it was not recognized as a distinct species until 1831. Its preference for marshes enables it to avoid competition with the Common Tern, which favours sandy or pebbly beaches and rocky islands. It’s world range is basically confined to North America - it nests along the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts of the U.S. as well as the prairie and Great Lakes region of the U.S. and Canada and winters from central California and Virginia south to Mexico and Guatemala with small numbers found in the Bahamas and Greater Antilles

The species was named after Johann Reinhold Forster (1729-1798), a German pastor-naturalist who accompanied Captain Cook around the world in 1772.

All photographs copyright Charlie Moores.