Bird Sighting

Species photo: MPF, CC BY-SA 4.0

Common Tern

Sterna hirundo · Laridae (Gulls and Terns)

Where Common Tern has been seen

Common Tern in our records

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

Recent records

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.