Pl. CXXIII
The Birds · Plate CXXIII
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
Laridae · Taxon 4450
| Length | 31–38 cm |
| Wingspan | 75–80 cm |
| Weight | 93–200 g |
Field marks
- Full black breeding cap surrounding a dark eye
- Slender, straight orange-red bill, usually with a black tip
- Pale gray upperparts and white to very light gray underparts
- Long, narrow, pointed wings with darker outer primaries
- Deeply forked tail with elongated outer feathers
- Short orange-red legs
HabitatBreeds colonially on rocky islands, barrier beaches, saltmarshes, and sparsely vegetated sand, gravel, shell, or cobble near water. Forages over coastal waters, estuaries, inlets, and large inland lakes; chiefly marine outside the breeding season.
BehaviorA strongly migratory, vocal, colonial tern with buoyant rowing flight; forages singly or in flocks by picking prey from the surface or plunge-diving for small fish, and vigorously defends its nesting territory.
Palette
blackpearl graywhitecoral redcharcoal gray