
Read the visual description
The image shows two black terns. The larger bird stands on a rock, while the other is flying. The standing bird is positioned near the bottom center of the image on a light brown rock against a serene background of calm blue water and a distant landscape. The sky is light blue with subtle white clouds. The flying bird dives downwards from the upper left towards the bottom right, displaying its pale gray underbelly and black-tipped wings. The colors in the image include shades of black, gray, blue, and brown.
National Gallery of Art · Print
Black Tern
Robert Havell after John James Audubon
- Date
- 1835
- Medium
- hand-colored engraving and aquatint on Whatman wove paper
- Classification
- Accession number
- 1945.8.280
- Credit line
- Gift of Mrs. Walter B. James
- Time span
- 1826 to 1850
- Department
- CG-W
Portfolio and series
- Series
- The Birds of America: Plate CCLXXX
Subjects and terms
- American
- etching
- aquatint
- bird
- animal
- Water
- Rock
- Cloud
NGA object ID 32421. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.