Caspian Tern

Habitat: The Caspian tern requires shallow, clear waters rich in fish, with low, unvegetated islands. These are mainly coastal areas, but also lakes and large rivers.

Appearance: Summer visitor to the Baltic Sea region, migrant along the North Sea coast. In Belgium and the Netherlands, a migrant in very small numbers.

Breeding season: May – June, ground nest, Caspian terns usually breed in small, sometimes large colonies. The nest is lined with a few blades of grass or bones, 2 to 3 eggs.

Characteristics: Length 53 cm, wingspan 130 cm, weight 650 grams, age 12 years.

Food: Fish, crustaceans, sometimes also bird eggs and young and adult birds.