Above: Black caps, red dagger bills, and short black legs make these Caspian Terns stand out in the crowd at Grand Rapids; photo by Peter Taylor.
How do I recognize it?
Terns are related to gulls, but are more lightly built, with sharp bills, forked tails, and an angular profile. Their short legs and small feet are adequate for standing, but they rarely swim. The Caspian Tern is the world’s largest tern, almost as long as a Herring Gull but much slenderer, with a striking red bill.
Does it migrate?
Most Caspian Tern populations are migratory, including those in North America, which spend the winter from Florida and the Texas coast to Mexico and the western Caribbean. They migrate by day and night, and are often detected by their loud, harsh calls.
Above: Viewed from below along the Waterhen River, this adult Caspian Tern shows its shallow, forked tail and dark wingtips; photo by Peter Taylor.
Where does it live?
The Caspian Tern has a strangely discontinuous breeding range, breeding at scattered locations on every continent except South America and Antarctica. Manitoba breeding locations are on remote reefs and islands in large lakes.
Above: A picture of aerodynamic and hydrodynamic perfection, the Caspian Tern is built for rapid or leisurely flight, motionless hovering, and plunging head-first into water for fish; photo by Peter Taylor.
Where can I see it?
Caspian Terns are most easily seen during migration, especially on the southern parts of Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba, but also at major rivers and wetlands across the south. Look for them loafing with shoreline flocks of gulls or fishing offshore. Passing migrants can turn up anywhere. Peak migration periods are mid-May to early June, and September, but a few non-breeders linger through the summer months.
Above: A hovering Caspian Tern prepares to plunge for a fish; photo by Garry Budyk.
Above: Another one flies off with a prize; photo by Peter Taylor.
Conservation Status:
Overall in North America, populations have increased since the 1970s, but Manitoba numbers appear to be lower now than in the 1990s. Although remote from most people, colonies are vulnerable to disturbance, persecution, and swamping by high water. Ongoing population monitoring is important.
Did you know?
Juvenile Caspian Terns have plaintive, piping calls that contrast with their parents’ grating voices. Family groups stay together during migration.
Above: This juvenile Caspian Tern is distinguished by its lightly mottled back and scapular (shoulder) feathers and the orange tinge to its red bill; photo by Peter Taylor.