Arctic Tern
Sterna paradisaea
Morphology 4
Arctic terns are 14-17''(36-43 cm) long with a wingspread of 29-33''(74-84 cm). They are white with black caps and gray mantles, and a deeply-forked tail. In spring and summer, the entire bill is blood-red. Their legs are so short that the birds appear to be crouched when standing.
Habitat 5
In Britain, this species breeds around the coast in open sand or shingle habitats or in moorland and coastal heathland. As they are vulnerable to predation, they often breed on offshore islands areas where there are no mammal predators such as rats and mink. In winter this species stays out at sea, resting on floating objects and ice.
Description 6
The Arctic tern is a long-distance migrant, making a staggering annual round-trip from its Arctic or northern temperate breeding range to the Antarctic where it spends winter. This is probably the longest migration undertaken by any bird and means that the Arctic tern sees more sunlight each year than any other animal, as they experience a 'second summer' by travelling south in winter. They are very similar in appearance to the common tern (Sterna hirundo), so much so that birdwatchers call unidentified terns 'commic terns', an amalgamation of the two common names. Arctic terns are slightly smaller than common terns, and have a shorter bill and longer tail. The rump is white, the underparts are darker and the wing lacks the dark wedge on the outer edge, which is a key identifying feature of common terns. During summer, the bill becomes bright red and lacks the black tip seen in common terns. Long tail streamers also develop in summer. A 'kee-arr' alarm call and a piping 'pi-pi-pi-pi-pi' call are produced.
Lifespan, longevity, and ageing 7
Maximum longevity: 34 years (wild) Observations: As with other terns, these animals are long-lived. No senescence has been demonstrated in the Artic tern (Roger Gosden 1996). A 34-year-old individual was released and appeared in excellent health (John Terres 1980).
Sources and Credits
- (c) Blake Matheson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/34328261@N02/3218359613
- (c) Ekaterina Chernetsova (Papchinskaya), some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/katechka/14395155193/
- (c) Ekaterina Chernetsova (Papchinskaya), some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/katechka/14188415610/
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31424448
- (c) Wildscreen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/6684373
- (c) Wildscreen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/6684371
- (c) Joao Pedro de Magalhaes, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/6705146
More Info
Range Map
iNaturalist.ca Map
| Animal | Bird |
|---|---|
| Bird | Terns (Sternidae) |
| Color | black, grey, red, white |
