Details
Sterna paradisaea
The Arctic tern is a small tern that breeds in the far north and migrates to southern oceans. A light body and long wings support movements on a global scale.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It breeds on Arctic tundra, sandbars, and coastal wetlands, then uses Atlantic, Southern Ocean, and Antarctic waters outside the breeding season. Open water and safe nest sites are essential.
Length is 28-39 cm and weight 86-127 g. It has a white body, grey wings, black cap, red bill and legs, and a deeply forked tail.
Diurnal and colonial, it defends breeding sites fiercely. Adults dive at intruders while giving sharp alarm calls.
A carnivore, it eats small fish, crustaceans, and other surface animals. It hovers over water and drops quickly to seize prey.
Colonies nest in shallow scrapes on the ground. Both adults incubate and feed chicks, which remain on the ground near the nest area.
It is listed as Least Concern. It is famous for long-distance migration, but exact distances vary by bird and year, so no single figure is used here.
