About the Common Tern
The common tern is a seabird in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, its four subspecies breeding in temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly migratory, wintering in coastal tropical and subtropical regions. Breeding adults have light grey upperparts, white to very light grey underparts, a black cap, orange-red legs, and a narrow pointed bill. Depending on the subspecies, the bill may be mostly red with a black tip or all black. There are several similar species, including the partly sympatric Arctic tern, which can be separated on plumage details, leg and bill colour, or vocalisations.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The nominate subspecies of the common tern is 31–35 cm (12–14 in) long, including a 6–9 cm (2.4–3.5 in) fork in the tail, with a 77–98 cm (30–39 in) wingspan. It weighs 110–141 g (3.9–5.0 oz). Breeding adults have pale grey upperparts, very pale grey underparts, a black cap, orange-red legs, and a narrow pointed bill that can be mostly red with a black tip, or all black, depending on the subspecies. The common tern's upper wings are pale grey, but as the summer wears on, the dark feather shafts of the outer flight feathers become exposed, and a grey wedge appears on the wings. Voice: Common terns have a wide repertoire of calls, which have a lower pitch than the equivalent calls of Arctic terns. The most distinctive sound is the alarm KEE-yah, stressed on the first syllable, in contrast to the second-syllable stress of the Arctic tern.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What the Common Tern sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Iceland, Eritrea, Ethiopia, São Tomé & Príncipe, Sudan, St. Barthélemy, North Korea, Comoros, Mayotte, Gibraltar.
When to see it
Peak activity in May · a summer visitor species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Forster's TernSterna forsteriForster's tern is a medium-sized tern with a slender body, deeply forked long tail and relatively long legs.
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaThe Arctic tern is a tern in the family Laridae.
River TernSterna aurantiaIt is a medium-large tern, 38–46 cm long with an 80–85 cm wingspan, distinctly larger than any other species in Sterna and more comparable in size to a Sandwich tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis) or a lesser crested tern (T. bengalensis).
Side by side: Caspian Tern vs Common Tern · Common Tern vs Forster's Tern · Common Tern vs River Tern
Learn the Common Tern for real
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