BirdUp · Species
Common Tern
Sterna hirundoLinnaeus, 1758
Updated
At a glance
The Common Tern is a medium-sized bird, about 32–37 cm long, native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.
- Size
- 32–37 cm
- Origin
- Native
- Best seen
- Year-round
- Commonness
- Very common
01 · Identification
How to tell it apart
What does a Common Tern look like?
The Common Tern is a medium-sized bird, about 32–37 cm long and weighing 80–150 g.
The common tern 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.
Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
03 · When
When to look
When can you see a Common Tern?
The Common Tern is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
05 · Behaviour
Habits and haunts
What does a Common Tern eat?
The Common Tern feeds on terrestrial invertebrates and fish/invertebrates, usually foraging in flocks or alone.
06 · Gallery
Plumage up close
2 photos
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