Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
Aves › Charadriiformes › Laridae › Sterna
Conservation status: least_concern
The Common Tern is a slender, graceful seabird with pale gray and white plumage, a distinctive black cap on its head, and a bright orange-red bill and legs that make it easy to spot. It's known for its incredible hunting technique of diving headfirst into water to catch small fish, and you'll often hear its loud, harsh calls before you see it.
How To Identify
These medium-sized, graceful seabirds are characterized by a pale gray back and wings contrasted with bright white undersides. Males often display distinct darker markings or caps on their heads, while they possess long, forked tails ideal for agile flight.
Habitat
The Common Tern lives on gravel banks, lakes, and coasts.
Behaviour
The Common Tern hovers and then plunge-dives for small fish.
Native Range
The common tern is native to circumpolar regions, breeding in temperate and subarctic areas of Europe, Asia, and North America.
Did You Know?
Migrates from Germany to Antarctica and back — a round trip of up to 70,000 km a year.
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