---
title: "Black-fronted Tern"
description: "Chlidonias albostriatus — Birds. The black-fronted tern (Chlidonias albostriatus), sea martin, ploughboy, or tarapiroe (Māori), is a medium-small tern endemic to New Zealand."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/black-fronted-tern
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Black-fronted Tern

> Chlidonias albostriatus — Birds. The black-fronted tern (Chlidonias albostriatus), sea martin, ploughboy, or tarapiroe (Māori), is a medium-small tern endemic to New Zealand.

- Scientific name: *Chlidonias albostriatus*
- Category: `birds` (Birds)
- Habitats: `freshwater` (Lakes & rivers), `sea` (Sea & coast)
- iNaturalist observations: 1295
- Wikidata: [Q998588](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q998588)
- iNaturalist taxon: [144538](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/144538)

## Names

- en: Black-fronted Tern
- de: Graubauchseeschwalbe
- es: Charrán Fumarel
- fr: Guifette des galets
- nl: Nieuw-Zeelandse stern
- pt: Trinta-réis-de-fronte-preta
- pl: Rybitwa czarnoczelna

## Countries with the most observations

NZ (1186)

## Summary

The black-fronted tern (Chlidonias albostriatus), sea martin, ploughboy, or tarapiroe (Māori), is a medium-small tern endemic to New Zealand. Black-fronted terns can be found in coastal habitats from the southern tip of the North Island to the eastern South Island as well as Stewart Island. Their breeding range is restricted to the South Island, where they will form breeding colonies on braided river islands.
The species is globally and nationally endangered, due to its small and declining national population. Black-fronted terns are vulnerable to a range of threats, including predation by introduced mammals, habitat…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-fronted_tern

## Photo

![Black-fronted Tern](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/black-fronted-tern/medium.jpg)

Photo: Carey_Knox_Southern_Scales · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/100296115

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/black-fronted-tern?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).