The Arctic tern is a small bird.
It flies a very long way each year. It travels from the north to the south. This helps the bird see two summers. It eats small fish for food. Can you imagine flying that far?
The Arctic tern is a medium bird.
It has a red beak and red feet. Its feathers are grey and white.
This bird flies a very long way. It flies from the north to the south. This helps it see two summers each year.
It follows the wind on its long trip. This makes the flight easier. It can live for many years. Some live for 31 years!
It eats small fish and tiny sea life.
Parents bring big fish to their young.
These birds are very brave. They will protect their nests from others. It is amazing how far they fly!
The Arctic tern is a medium-sized bird.
It has a red beak and red feet. Its feathers are grey and white. This bird is famous for its long trips. It flies from the Arctic to the Antarctic. This trip is the longest migration in the animal kingdom. The birds fly a winding path to use the wind. This helps them fly easier. By moving this way, they see two summers each year. They see more daylight than any other creature.
One bird traveled 90,000 kilometers in ten months. This is a very big distance. These birds live a long time. Many live for 15 to 30 years. One bird lived for 31 years. They eat small fish and tiny sea life. They also eat crabs and krill. Arctic terns are very brave. They will attack foxes or cats to protect their nests. They are very good at guarding their young.
The Arctic tern is a medium-sized bird with a truly amazing life.
These birds belong to the family Laridae. They breed in the Arctic and sub-Arctic areas of Europe, Asia, and North America. This includes places like Brittany and Massachusetts. Most people know them for their incredible travels. They see two summers every single year. This happens because they fly between the north and south poles. Because of this, they see more daylight than any other creature on Earth.
Their way of traveling is a very long journey. They fly from northern breeding grounds to the Antarctic coast. Then, they fly back about six months later. They do not fly in a straight line. Instead, they follow a convoluted, or winding, route. This helps them take advantage of the prevailing winds. This makes their long flight much easier.
Scientists use tracking devices to study these paths. They found that these birds travel much further than we once thought. Some birds nesting in Iceland and Greenland fly about 70,000 to 90,000 kilometers a year.
Researchers have found many records of these long trips. In 1982, a chick from the Farne Islands reached Australia in just three months. Another chick from Labrador, Canada, was found in South Africa four months later. A special bird named 'G82' set a huge record. This bird traveled 90,000 kilometers in only ten months. It flew across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. It even reached the South Pacific before returning home.
These studies show that the Arctic tern is a champion traveler.
Arctic terns have very specific looks and habits. They weigh about 100 grams and have a wingspan of about 1 meter. During the breeding season, they have grey and white feathers. Their beaks and feet are a bright blood red. They also have a black crown on their heads. In the winter, their beaks and legs turn black.
These birds are very long-lived. Many live between 15 and 30 years. One bird lived to be 31 years old. They eat small fish, crabs, and krill.
These birds are also very brave parents. They mate for life and return to the same colony every year. They build nests in simple holes in the ground. If a predator like a fox or a cat comes near, they will attack. They are very aggressive and will strike at the head of a threat.
This helps them protect their eggs and chicks. There are about two million Arctic terns in the world. Even though they are brave, they must stay careful of many predators.
The Arctic tern (*Sterna paradisaea*) is a medium-sized seabird within the family Laridae. These birds are famous for performing the longest migrations known in the animal kingdom. By traveling between the Arctic and the Antarctic, they experience two summers every year. This unique lifestyle allows them to see more daylight than any other creature on Earth.
The mechanism of their migration is a complex, winding journey. Rather than flying in a straight line, Arctic terns follow a convoluted route. They do this to take advantage of prevailing winds. This strategy makes their massive travels more efficient. Recent studies show that previous estimates of their travel distance were too low. Scientists now know these birds take meandering courses instead of direct paths.
Arctic terns have specific physical traits that aid their lifestyle. They weigh approximately 100 grams and have a wingspan of about 1 meter. Their length ranges from 30 to 40 centimeters. During the breeding season, they have grey and white plumage. They also possess a blood-red beak and red webbed feet. A black crown and nape decorate their heads. In the winter, their bills and legs turn black.
Research has revealed staggering distances covered by individual birds. For example, a bird from the Farne Islands named 'G82' traveled 90,000 kilometers in just ten months. This journey included crossing the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. It even reached the South Pacific near the Ross and Amundsen Seas. Other birds nesting in Iceland or Greenland cover 70,000 to 90,000 kilometers annually. Over a 30-year lifetime, a tern may travel the equivalent of three round trips to the Moon.
The life cycle of the Arctic tern involves intense parental care. They are K-selected species, meaning they live long lives and raise few young. They mate for life and often return to the same colony each year. Courtship includes "high flights" and "fish flights" where males offer food to females. They nest in simple ground depressions. Both parents share the duty of incubating the eggs. The chicks are precocial, meaning they can move within days of hatching.
Arctic terns are highly aggressive defenders of their nests. They will attack humans and large predators like foxes or cats. They often strike at the top or back of a predator's head. This behavior protects their one to three eggs per clutch. Their diet consists mainly of small fish like herring, cod, and capelin. They also eat marine invertebrates such as krill, crabs, and amphipods. Sometimes they even engage in kleptoparasitism, which is stealing food from other birds.
There are approximately two million Arctic terns in the world. Most of this population lives in Europe. While the species is currently evaluated as a "least concern" by the IUCN, numbers have faced challenges. In the late nineteenth century, hunting for the millinery trade reduced populations in New England. Exploitation also continues in western Greenland. Understanding their migration helps scientists protect these vital migratory waterbirds.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (1)
More to explore
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.