Sterna hirundo
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Mass
~130 g
Habitat
Marine
Diet
Fish and aquatic animals
How to recognize it
The Common Tern looks light and agile, with a deeply forked tail and a neat, pointed bill. In breeding plumage, the dark cap and bright legs make it feel especially crisp and alert.
It is a noisy, colony-nesting species that spends a lot of time over water. It hunts by diving straight down for prey, and courtship includes aerial displays, with the male offering fish to the female.
It favors open shores, islands, sand or shingle, and other flat places near water, and it can also use rafts or even rooftops. It mainly eats small fish, but also takes molluscs, crustaceans, and insects; most populations move south for winter.
Quick Facts
Listen to the call
The Common Tern looks light and agile, with a deeply forked tail and a neat, pointed bill. In breeding plumage, the dark cap and bright legs make it feel especially crisp and alert.
It is a noisy, colony-nesting species that spends a lot of time over water. It hunts by diving straight down for prey, and courtship includes aerial displays, with the male offering fish to the female.
It favors open shores, islands, sand or shingle, and other flat places near water, and it can also use rafts or even rooftops. It mainly eats small fish, but also takes molluscs, crustaceans, and insects; most populations move south for winter.
