Backyard and Beyond

Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.

As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”

Common Tern

“Comintern”? It’s a wonder these things weren’t exterminated during the Cold War. Sterna hirundo. This one was fishing from the pier, leaning over and examining the water for several moments before dropping down to capture a small fry. A couple of days later, I saw another, or perhaps the same bird, perching on the pier, popping down to the water, then returning to the pier and eyeing the water again. A fisher for sure.

Barn swallows are seen all above and sometimes below eye-level in the park. Their binomial name is Hirundo rustica. The tern shares the “hirundo,” which means swallow; in the tern’s case, this refers to its swallow-like forked tail.

mthew

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4 responses to “Common Tern”

  1. Mark Wilkinson

    Terns are such beautiful birds to watch, especially in flight and when diving for food.

    Thanks for the bite sized latin vocab lesson too. I’ll see if I can remember that hirundo means swallow.

    Reply
  2. mthew

    Aren’t they, though? The Least Tern, S. albifrons, another regular in NYC, but not in great numbers, plunges boldly in.

    Reply
  3. ronpswegman

    These urban anglers have re-TERN-ed to the lower Hudson River as well. I follow the birds’ movement during early morning fishing trips of my own. Terns are a great sign of bluefish activity just below the surface. The bluefish chase the bait from below; the terns pick off bait from above.

    Reply
    1. mthew

      It’s a good thing we’re both licensed to pun.

      Reply

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