Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)

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A Field Guide to Eastern Birds. by Roger Tory Peterson.

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Color Photograph: © by and courtesy of John Cassady

Color Photograph: U.S. Forest Service

Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)

Identification: Length from tip of bill to tip of tail 13 to 16 inches.

Adult Summer Plumage: Upper half of head and back of neck black. Lower half of face white. Bill bright red with a black tip. Breast and undersides light gray. Wings gray with the apical third deeply suffused with dark gray. Underside of wing white, with the apical third heavily suffused with black. Tail y-shaped with forks not reaching the apex of the wings. Legs red, normal in length for a tern.

Adult Winter Plumage: Similar to the summer plumage, but crown of head white, not black. A dull black band stretching from the eye to the back of the head.

Immature: Similar to the adult winter plumage.

Similar Species:  The Common Tern is difficult to separate from both the Arctic Tern and Forster's Tern. The Arctic Tern has a dark gray underside. The bill is entirely bright red without a black tip and the legs are shorter. The upper, apical third of the Arctic Tern's wing is not heavily suffused with black. The primary feathers (the large feathers in the apical half of the wing) of Forster's Tern are striped white and dark gray. In contrast the primary feathers of the Common Tern are either gray or dark gray. The tail of the Roseate Tern is longer than that of the Common Tern and the forks narrower and longer.

Breeding Range (see map below): The Common Tern breeds in a wide band across southern Canada and the northern United States from British Columbia in the west to Newfoundland and New England in the east. The species also nests along the Atlantic Coast as far south as the Carolinas. This species also breeds in Europe and Asia.

Overwintering Range:  This species overwinters throughout tropical America as far north as Florida and the Gulf Coast.

Habitat: The Common Tern is found on lakes, ponds, rivers, and coastal beaches.

Food: A variety of small fish, aquatic invertebrates, and terrestrial insects.

Behavior: These terns are sometimes called "Sea Swallows" beacause of their petite build and elegant flying. They capture most of their aquatic prey by diving into the water to grab them. Nesting is severely disrupted when the nesting grounds are disturbed by humans. People should stay away from nesting colonies. Terns will attack intruders. The voice consists of a kip-kip-kip or tee-ar.

Reproduction:  The clutch consists of 2 to 3 brown-spotted olive-tan eggs. The eggs are laid in a cup of dead grass. The nest is typically placed on beaches or on rock, isolated islands. The species nests in colonies.