Arctic Tern
Sterna paradisaea
Conservation Status
Least ConcernAves · Charadriiformes · Laridae
About
The Arctic tern is a tern in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar breeding distribution covering the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. The species is strongly migratory, seeing two summers each year as it migrates along a convoluted route from its northern breeding grounds to the Antarctic coast for the southern summer and back again about six months later. Recent studies have shown average annual round-trip lengths of about 70,900 km (38,300 nmi) for birds nesting in Iceland and Greenland, and about 48,700 km (26,300 nmi) for birds nesting in the Netherlands, while an individual from the Farne Islands in Northumberland with a light level geolocator tag covered a staggering 96,000 km (52,000 nmi) in ten months from the end of one breeding season to the start of the next. These are by far the longest migrations known in the animal kingdom.
Fun Fact
Arctic terns make the longest migration of any animal — flying from Arctic to Antarctic and back each year, a round trip of over 70,000 km — meaning they see more daylight than any other creature on Earth.
Quick Facts
Habitat
Coastal areas and open oceans
Diet
Piscivore
Lifespan
15-30 years
Threats
- Ocean Pollution
- Ocean Acidification