Common Tern
(Sterna hirundo)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Biology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
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| IUCN Red List | LC - Least Concern |
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| NatureServe | N5B - Secure Breeding S2B - Imperriled Breeding |
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| Minnesota | Threatened Species in Greatest Conservation Need |
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Description |
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The bill is red with a black tip. The legs are red. The underparts are grayish. The tail is white with gray outer edges. |
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Size |
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13″ to 16″in length 30″ wingspan |
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Voice |
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Similar Species |
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Caspian Tern (Sterna caspia) is a much larger bird. The bill is reddish-orange. Forster’s Tern (Sterna forsteri) bill and legs are orange. The underparts are white. The tail is gray with white outer edges. The call is lower pitched and shorter in duration. |
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Habitat |
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Breeding: natural or human made islands in large lakes, breakwaters, open beach edges Migration: large lakes |
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Biology |
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Migration |
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Mid-April to early June and early August to early October |
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Nesting |
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Food |
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Small fish and aquatic invertebrates |
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Distribution |
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Occurrence |
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Uncommon migrant, common breeder in the Duluth harbor and a few large lakes |
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Maps |
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The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union All Seasons Species Occurrence Map |
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Taxonomy |
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| Class | Aves (birds) | ||
Order |
Charadriiformes (shorebirds and allies) | ||
Family |
Laridae (gulls, terns, and skimmers) | ||
Subfamily |
Sterninae (terns and noddies) | ||
Genus |
Sterna (typical terns) | ||
Subordinate Taxa |
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Common Tern (Sterna hirundo hirundo) Common Tern (Sterna hirundo minussensis) Common Tern (Sterna hirundo tibetana) Eastern Common Tern (Sterna hirundo longipennis) |
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Visitor Photos |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Slideshows |
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| Common Tern Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren |
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| Common Tern JMC Nature Photos |
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Visitor Videos |
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Avi Birds |
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| Common Tern [Sterna Hirundo] May 13, 2021 |
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About
In this video, we learn about the common tern. |
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Other Videos |
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| Taking a look at terns 1: Common vs Arctic Tern BTOvideo |
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About
Uploaded on Jun 27, 2011 In this, the fifth in our series of identification videos, we look at how to tell Common and Arctic Tern apart. We look at the ID features on perched birds and how to separate them in flight. |
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| Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) Huddsbirder Huddersfield |
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About
Uploaded on Jul 18, 2008 Common Tern at Thorne Moors |
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| Part 1: Conservation of Vermont's Common Terns Seanbeckettvt |
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About
Uploaded on Apr 8, 2009 Conservation of VT's Common Terns, Part 1 Created for academic purposes as part of the Vermont Institute of Natural Science Environmental Science Research Fellowship, 2008. The first segment of this film outlines Audubon Vermont's Common Tern Recovery Project, highlighting different conservation techniques used to increase Lake Champlain's population of this state-endangered seabird. The second part of this film discusses nocturnal surveillance footage captured in the 2008 breeding season, including a predation event in which a Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)consumes 5 young tern chicks. NOTE: Due to size limitations, this film's segment breaks do not align with the YouTube files. Link to part 2: |
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| Common Terns - Sterna hirundo Ron Jackson |
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About
Published on Jul 1, 2012 Seaforth Local Nature Reserve, Liverpool, June 30th. 2012. |
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| FISKTÄRNA Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) Klipp - 284 AROSFILM |
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About
Uploaded on Mar 14, 2011 Fisktärna. Ängsö Västerås i Västmanland Maj 2007, Common Tern in Sweden, AROS FILM Fotograf: Gunnar Fernqvist. |
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Visitor Sightings |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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