WhenToBird

Chlidonias niger · Laridae

When Do Black Terns Arrive in Nebraska?

Adult Black Tern
Photo: rober025, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Black Terns arrive in Nebraska in early May, peak in mid May (6.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 1-7early May
Common byMay 1-7early May
PeakMay 15-21mid May
Most gone bySep 8-14the second week of September

Best: mid May. First arrivals early May; most are gone by the second week of September. Peak: on about 6.2% of Nebraska checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 0% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.2% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.5% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.8% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.1% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.0% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.1% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.2% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.5% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.9% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.5% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.4% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.7% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.8% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.5% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.4% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.5% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.5% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.1% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.8% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.5% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.3% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 3746 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Nebraska that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Platte CountyBest mid May · 53 checklists that week, 1,287 in all46%
  2. Butler CountyBest late May · 11 checklists that week, 589 in all36%
  3. Phelps CountyBest the second week of August · 16 checklists that week, 836 in all35%
  4. Grant CountyBest mid July · 10 checklists that week, 388 in all35%
  5. Pierce CountyBest late May · 36 checklists that week, 516 in all33%
  6. Arthur CountyBest late May · 11 checklists that week, 207 in all29%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake NorthPlatte County, best mid May · 27 checklists that week, 597 in all82%
  2. Wagon Train LakeLancaster County, best mid May · 45 checklists that week, 753 in all54%
  3. Conestoga LakeLancaster County, best late May · 37 checklists that week, 1,224 in all46%
  4. North Lake Basin Wildlife Management AreaSeward County, best mid May · 37 checklists that week, 438 in all45%
  5. Straight Water Wildlife Management AreaSeward County, best mid May · 32 checklists that week, 315 in all33%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the Black Tern is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (2.2% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 2.2% of 6945 checklists7 am: 1.5% of 19066 checklists8 am: 1.3% of 24661 checklists9 am: 1.4% of 23438 checklists10 am: 1.3% of 20424 checklists11 am: 1.3% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 1.5% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 1.6% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 1.3% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 1.5% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 1.6% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 1.7% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 2.2% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 2.1% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0%0.1%0.2%
May1.5%4.8%8.1%6.0%
June3.1%2.2%1.5%0.9%
July1.5%1.4%1.7%2.8%
August4.5%5.4%3.5%2.5%
September2.1%0.8%1.5%0.3%
October0.1%0%0%0%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives the second week of July, 9 weeks later than Nebraska
  • South Dakota: arrives early May, in the same week than Nebraska
  • Iowa: arrives early May, in the same week than Nebraska
  • Missouri: arrives the second week of May, 1 week later than Nebraska

Common questions

When do Black Terns arrive in Nebraska?
Black Terns arrive in Nebraska in early May, peak in mid May (6.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.
When do Black Terns leave Nebraska?
Most Black Terns have left Nebraska by the second week of September, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Black Tern in Nebraska?
The Black Tern is reported most often in mid May, on about 6.2% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are Black Terns seen most often?
By county, Platte County, Butler County, and Phelps County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black Tern (counties with at least 200 checklists).