Forster's tern (Sterna forsteri)

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This species account for the Forster’s tern provides the known information about the bird’s life history, including its distribution, migration, habitat, food habits, sounds, behavior, and breeding. It is the only tern restricted almost entirely to North America throughout the year. Similar in appearance and ecology to several other terns, it is primarily a marsh bird, although it is also found along Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts. Major studies on the Forster’s tern have focused on its breeding ecology in Manitoba; feeding ecology in Minnesota and at San Francisco Bay, CA; and vocalizations and behavior in Washington. Loss of habitat due to degradation, draining, and filling or flooding of wetland habitats suggest that further studies of Forster’s Tern ecology are desirable. Wintering ecology of this species remains virtually unstudied, its movements are not well documented, and little is known about its ecology, behavior, and life history between fledging and first breeding. As a “top of the food chain,” species, Forster’s tern can serve as a biomonitor of potentially harmful synthetic chemicals. Thus, continuing studies that have examined chemical contaminants in this species' eggs and their effects on reproductive success would be useful, especially if extended to broader portions of the range of the species.

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Location: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/595. (See also B01MCN01IDUS; this 2001 printing is on Wildlife Bureau Reference Shelves. From BNA: "The purpose of BNA being online is so that the content can be continually updated; therefore we discourage you from printing static copies, in case the information changes.")

Full Citation: McNicholl, Martin K., Peter E. Lowther, and John A. Hall. 2001. Forster's tern (Sterna forsteri). The Birds of North America Online, A. Poole, editor. No. 595. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved from: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/595.