Gulls, Terns

Arctic Tern, Sterna paradisaea

Family Laridae (Gulls, Terns)

Size: 12"

Season: Spring–fall

Habitat: Shorelines, beaches; open ocean in migration

The Arctic tern is well known for its lengthy migration; it travels up to 25,000 miles round trip from its breeding grounds in the Arctic to its winter habitat in the Antarctic seas. It is a small, short-necked, pale tern with very short legs, a long, forked tail, and a small, pointed bill. Its breeding plumage is light gray overall with a white tail, underwing, and face. There is a solid black cap on the head, and the bill and legs are red. The nonbreeding adult has black legs and bill and a white forehead. In flight note the uniformly pale wings with a thin black trailing edge to the primaries, and thin black outer edges to the tail. The breeding adult is illustrated.