Until recent years, a few small Forster’s Tern nesting colonies were found in northern Iowa but recently those have largely disappeared. It is still fairly common during migration, but probably only a few pairs still nest on some of Iowa’s wetlands. It is unclear why this change has occurred but presumably habitat loss or alteration is involved. Like several other terns, Forster’s Terns are largely white or gray colored with a dark black cap on their head. A key field characteristic is that the outer parts of their flight feathers are distinctly white and in flight these contrast sharply with the gray color on the rest of the wing. It is listed as a species of special concern in Iowa.
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indicates a designated IBA.