Bird Sighting

Species photo: MPF, CC BY-SA 4.0

Common Tern

Sterna hirundo · Laridae (Gulls and Terns)

01/05/2023 · Elton Hall Flash, Central area

Date
01/05/2023
Location
Elton Hall Flash
Recording area
Central area
Grid reference
SJ 7246 5957
Observer
admin

Common Tern in our records

Records
6
First recorded
24/04/2021
Last recorded
26/04/2026
Places
Elton Hall Flash

Other recent records

All Common Tern records and map

About the Common Tern

The common tern (Sterna hirundo) is a seabird in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, its four subspecies breeding in temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly migratory, wintering in coastal tropical and subtropical regions. Breeding adults have light grey upperparts, white to very light grey underparts, a black cap, orange-red legs, and a narrow pointed bill. Depending on the subspecies, the bill may be mostly red with a black tip or all black. There are several similar species, including the partly sympatric Arctic tern, which can be separated on plumage details, leg and bill colour, or vocalisations.

Conservation status (IUCN)
Least Concern
Wingspan
88 cm

Text adapted from the Wikipedia article “Common tern” by its contributors (introduction, may be shortened), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, with the photographer and licence under each one.