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Fun Facts
Did You Know?
Forster's terns (Sterna forsteri) run about 13 inches long with a wingspan near 31 inches—about the size of a Bonaparte's gull, but built for something entirely different. Where a Bonaparte's gull is stocky and rounded, a Forster's tern is sleek and angular. The wings are long and pointed, the tail is deeply forked (the outer tail feathers extend well beyond the inner ones), and the bill is long, straight, and sharply pointed — built for precision stabbing, not general-purpose scavenging. Everything about the body is optimized for aerial hunting and high-speed diving
If This Animal Could Talk...
"Watch closely, respect my space, and let my habitat explain the rest of the story."
The first time I saw a Forster’s tern, I thought it was a seagull. Then when I saw the forked tail, I thought it must be a swallow. Then, I remembered that Merlin and eBird are a thing. After a little checking and a looooonnnng internal deliberation, I figured out the birds hanging with the gulls at the Poverty Point Reservoir were indeed Forster’s terns.
Forster’s terns are the ones you keep running into across North Louisiana. During the winter, you’ll find them at Poverty Point and even along the rest stops along the Red River. (Y’all, I really wanted to list a third place, to make the list more balanced, but I’ve literally only seen them in the two places: Delhi and Shreveport.)
A Few More Facts
How they hunt and forage: They also employ a technique called contact dipping, where they fly low and fast over the water surface and dip their bill to snatch prey without fully submerging. This method works for insects, small fish near the surface, and other prey items that are accessible without a full dive. Contact dipping is less dramatic than plunge-diving but more energy-efficient, and terns use it frequently when prey is concentrated near the surface.
Live birth or eggs? no
When young are born: Juveniles resemble winter adults but with brownish edging on the wing coverts and a less defined eye patch.
What Is the Forster’s Tern Often Confused With?
The first time I saw a Forster’s tern, I thought it was a seagull. Then when I saw the forked tail, I thought it must be a swallow. Then, I remembered that Merlin and eBird are a thing.
Drag the handle left and right to compare Forster’s Tern side by side with the species it gets mistaken for most.
Open the visual comparison tool
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Accessibility
Accessibility
You can watch them from just about any place people reach the water—boat ramps, fishing piers, bridge crossings, and lakefront parking areas. Their habit of perching on dock pilings and channel markers near shore puts them at easy viewing range from any waterfront surface. Bridge crossings over the Ouachita River give you an elevated vantage over hunting terns without leaving your vehicle.
The Forster's tern soundscape is sharp-edged and urgent. The call — a rasping "kyarr" or "zreep" — slices through ambient lake noise with a quality that's completely different from the rounded calls of gulls. It's metallic, abrupt, like someone tearing a piece of sheet metal. And the plunge-dive has a sound: a quick, percussive splash that's distinct from a fish jumping or a rock being thrown. Sit on a quiet lakeshore pier while terns are hunting and the pattern writes itself — call, hover, splash, call, hover, splash. The rhythm is the hunt.
The smell of the lake in summer — warm water, fish, sun on wet wood — is the backdrop, and the terns are the percussion section.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Forster's Terns live in North Louisiana?
Yes. Forster’s terns are the ones you keep running into across North Louisiana. Forster's terns are the resident tern of North Louisiana — the species most likely to be present during the warmer months when the gulls have headed north to breed. They're the razor to the gull's hammer, and watching them work is one of the quieter pleasures of birding along North Louisiana's waterways
How do you identify Forster's Terns?
The first time I saw a Forster’s tern, I thought it was a seagull. Then when I saw the forked tail, I thought it must be a swallow. Then, I remembered that Merlin and eBird are a thing
What does Forster's Terns eat?
They also employ a technique called contact dipping, where they fly low and fast over the water surface and dip their bill to snatch prey without fully submerging. This method works for insects, small fish near the surface, and other prey items that are accessible without a full dive. Contact dipping is less dramatic than plunge-diving but more energy-efficient, and terns use it frequently when prey is concentrated near the surface.
Is Forster's Terns dangerous to people?
Forster’s terns breed across much of North America, from the northern Great Plains through the Great Lakes and scattered coastal locations. In Louisiana, breeding occurs primarily in the coastal marshes, where Forster's terns nest in colonies on floating vegetation mats, marsh islands, and muskrat houses. They're colonial nesters, often sharing sites with black skimmers, least terns, and other marsh-nesting species
