Black Terns (Chlidonias niger surinamensis) breed locally in freshwater wetlands across the northern United States and central Canada, often building their nests over shallow water on a floating substrate of matted marsh vegetation. Here, we report the first nesting record of this species on a coastal barrier island. The nest, which consisted of two eggs laid in a slight scrape of sand, was located on 6 July 2004 in a large breeding colony of Common Terns (Sterna hirundo) on Kelly's Island at Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick, Canada. The observation also represents the current northeastern breeding limit for this species in North America. Both eggs hatched, but neither chick survived beyond 4 days.
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1 March 2006
First Report of Black Terns Breeding on a Coastal Barrier Island
Shawn R. Craik,
Rodger D. Titman,
Amélie Rousseau,
Michael J. Richardson
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The Wilson Journal of Ornithology
Vol. 118 • No. 1
March 2006
Vol. 118 • No. 1
March 2006