Caspian Tern Patch

#41 Caspian Tern

The Caspian is the world’s largest tern. Though named for the Caspian Sea, where early ornithologists first observed it, this fish-hunter with a massive red bill ranges across five continents. In North America, Caspians largely nest on inland lakes and rivers; the world’s largest known colony, with more than 6,000 breeding pairs each year, occupies a small, artificial island in the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington.