Arctic Tern

Overview

Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) is a species of Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae) in the order Shorebirds, Gulls and Alcids. The champion of migration, breeding in the Arctic and wintering in the Antarctic, seeing more daylight than any animal; a graceful white tern with a red bill; returns to the same colony yearly.

Scientific Classification

Genus: Sterna; binomial: Sterna paradisaea; authority: Pontoppidan, 1763. Typical size: 33-39cm. Average lifespan: 10-25 years.

Distribution

Breeding range: the Palearctic and the Nearctic. Non-breeding range: subantarctic and oceans and Antarctic Ocean to edge of pack-ice.

Conservation Status

This taxon is listed as Extant (living) in the IOC World Bird List.

Remarks

No additional remarks recorded.