Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Black Tern (Chlidonias niger)

Abundance: Very Uncommon; at least 48 records in 15 counties, 6 in Kentucky and 9 in Tennessee (Map of UCR Distribution); data from the Regional bird-monitoring efforts are too few to determine a trend in the population migrating through the Region (see also Regional Bird-Monitoring Plan).

Status: Transient during late summer and early fall (48 records); photograph (see link below).

Regional High Count: 50+  (6 September 2008; Barren County, Kentucky; David L. Roemer).

Information on Records: 

28 July 1932 ("a few") Camp Hy-Lake near Quebeck, White County, Tennessee (Henry M. Stevenson; Stevenson 1933).

25 July 1979 (12) the lake at Fall Creek Falls State Resort Park, Van Buren County, Tennessee (Marge Patrick, Oscar Patrick; Bierly 1979d).

29 July 1981 (2) Fishing Creek Recreation Area, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.; Stamm 1981d).

22/27 August 1984 (15/1) Pulaski County Park, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.; Stamm 1985a [first record]; Elmore notes [second record]).

25 August 1985 (1) Pulaski County Park, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.; Stamm 1986a).

27 September 1986 (4) Fishing Creek Recreation Area, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.; Stamm 1987a).

18 August 1991 (several) Granville, Jackson County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman pers. data).

18 August 1991 (several ) Indian Creek, Smith County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman pers. data).

6 September 1992 (1) Cane Creek Park, Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Michael A. Sanders, Ann M. Sanders; Stedman 1993; Stedman 2006–2010).

24 September 1994 (1) Cane Creek Park, Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman et al.; Stedman 2006–2010).

14 August 1998 (1) Cane Creek Park, Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman; Stedman 2006–2010).

26 August 1998 (1) Pulaski County Park, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton).

25 August 1999 (26) Floating Mill Recreation Area, Center Hill Lake, DeKalb County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Carol D. Williams).

28 July 2001 (2) Swafford Pond, Bledsoe County, Tennessee  (Bonnie Johnson Janice Chadwell, Judy Newsome).

4 August 2001 (1) Cumberland River, Granville, Jackson County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman).

4 September 2001 (1) Barren River Reservoir, Barren/Allen counties, Kentucky (David L. Roemer).

8 September 2001 (2) Cumberland River, Granville, Jackson County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Terry M. Campbell, Winston A. Walden).

29 July 2002 (4) Fishing Creek Recreation Area, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton).

14/15 August 2002 (2/5) Mt. Zion, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton; Busroe 2003a).

17 Aug 2002 (2) Fishing Creek, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky  (Roseanna M. Denton).

3 August 2003  (1) Clifty Pond, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton) 

1/17 September 2003 (3/2) Fishing Creek Recreation Area, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky  (Roseanna M. Denton [both records]).

30 July/11/21 August 2004 (14/6/6) Fishing Creek Recreation Area, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton [all records]). 

8 September 2004 (2) Cane Creek Park, Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Janie C. Finch; Stedman 2006–2010), remnants of Hurricane Frances shrouded the Region on this date.

8 September 2004 (2) Macedonia Pond, White County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman), remnants of Hurricane Frances shrouded the Region on this date.

8 September 2004 (1) Waitsboro Recreation Area, Lake Cumberaldn, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton), remnants of Hurricane Frances shrouded the Region on this date.

29/30 August 2005 (14/1) Fishing Creek, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2006a), possibly a result of the passage of remnants of Hurricane Katrina.

30 August 2005 (10)  Celina Wastewater Treatment Plant, Clay County, Tennessee (Terry M. Campbell), possibly a result of the passage of remnants of Hurricane Katrina.

30/31 August/1 September 2005 (1/10/14)  Barren River Reservoir, Barren/Allen counties, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton/David L. Roemer/David L. Roemer), possibly a result of the passage of remnants of Hurricane Katrina.

28 July 2006 (5) Cooley's Pond, Wayne County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton).

18 August 2006 (4/2) Clifty Pond/Fishing Creek Recreation Area, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton).

21 August 2006 (1)  "Dead Cow" Pond, Willie Randolph Rd., White County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman).

27/28/29 August/6/20 September 2006 (1/1/1/1/2) Fishing Creek/Pulaski County Park/Fishing Creek/Fishing Creek/Fishing Creek, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky  (Roseanna M. Denton [all records]).

28 July 2007 (1) Casey Creek, Adair County, Kentucky  (Roseanna M. Denton).

24 August 2007 (18) Barren River Reservoir, Barren/Allen counties, Kentucky (David L. Roemer; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2007a).

6 September 2007 (2) Cooley's Pond, Wayne County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2007a).

20 July 2008 (1) Barren River Reservoir, Barren/Allen counties, Kentucky (David L. Roemer, Joanie Roemer; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2008d).

22/28 August/1/4&6 September 2008 (1/1/2/3) Casey Creek, Adair County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2009a).

26 August 2008 (14) Lake Cumberland, Russell County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2009a).

26 & 28 August 2008 (3) Plum Point, Adair County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton); Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2009a

6 September 2008 (50+) Barren River Reservoir, Barren/Allen counties, Kentucky (David L. Roemer; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2009a).

26 July 2009 (1) the lake at Fall Creek Falls State Resort Park, Van Buren County, Tennessee (David F. Vogt).

19/28 August 2009 (11/2) Fishing Creek, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky  (Roseanna M. Denton).

20 August 2009 (20) Barren River Reservoir, Barren/Allen counties, Kentucky (David L. Roemer).

21 August 2009 (35/2) Lake Cumberland State Resort Park/Wolf Creek Dam, Russell County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton).

21 August 2009 (27) Lake Tansi, Cumberland County, Tennessee (Edmund K. LeGrand photo, DJ Stanley photo).

21/23 August 2009 (32 & 11/3) Casey Creek & Corbin Bend Rd./Casey Creek, Adair County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton).

26 August 2018 (1) Metcalfe County, Kentucky (Rickey Shive photo [eBird # 48105137]).

Regional Extreme Dates:

    Fall: 20 July 2008 (Barren County, Kentucky; David L. Roemer, Joanie Roemer; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2008d)–27 September 1986 (Pulaski County, Kentucky; Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.; Stamm 1987a).

    Note: No spring records. The earliest arriving Black Terns during "fall" are usually found the last week of July; the majority of individuals depart the Region by late August or early September in most years; sometimes "grounded" in small to moderate numbers by passage of hurricane remnants.  Regional dates of earliest reported fall arrival and latest reported fall departure for 2002–2011 follow:

Habitat: Open water of moderate to large size, but sometimes found on small farm ponds.

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: No registrations.

Remarks: One of the most graceful fliers of all the terns, the Black Tern is all too infrequently encountered within the Region. However, the number of records (34) from the 2000s considerably exceeds the number of records (13) from all previous decades combined, so, despite the fact that fewer than 50 records of its occurrence have accumulated, its abundance is probably best viewed as Uncommon rather than Very Uncommon, but only at sites that provide its preferred open water habitat; as soon as a few more records are made, its official abundance within the Region will change to Uncommon.

Check-lists of Birds for the Counties of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of each county of the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed by clicking on the links below. For each county, there are two check-lists: one list that shows the species that have been observed and where possible documented in the county within the larger list for the entire Region; and one list that includes only the species observed in the county with annotations for the date and observers for at least one sighting (the ultimate goal of the latter list will be to include annotations for the very first known Regional observation of each species in that county; this goal is probably one that will take many years to complete, if completion is even a possibility). To see if the species discussed in this species account has been observed in a county, click below or click on the link for the Map of UCR Distribution near the top of the page.

Check-lists of Birds for Some Public Access Birding Sites of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of some public access birding sites within the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed via the links below. To see if the species dealt with in this species account has been observed within any of these sites, click on the appropriate link below. See the pages for each county within the Gazetteer for links to additional smaller public access birding sites with check-lists in progress.

Literature Cited