Birds
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo · also called common terns
Hovering above the water before folding its wings into a sharp plunge dive, a common tern seizes a small fish in an instant, a hunting style so agile it has earned the species and its relatives the nickname sea swallows.
Overview
The common tern, Sterna hirundo, is an agile, fish-hunting seabird native to coastal and wetland habitat across a broad breeding range spanning North America, Europe, and Asia. Its distinctive black cap and forked tail, precise hovering plunge-dive hunting technique, and status as one of the most widespread terns in the world make it one of the most familiar and recognisable terns found anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere.
A hunter built for precision
The common tern’s hovering plunge dive is a study in precision, letting the bird pinpoint a small fish near the surface before committing to a sharp, controlled strike that few other seabirds can match for accuracy.
Status
Least Concern, remaining widespread across suitable coastal and wetland habitat throughout the Northern Hemisphere despite local declines in parts of its range.
Common Tern: common questions
How does the common tern catch fish?
This species hunts by hovering above the water before folding its wings and plunging sharply to seize small fish near the surface, a hunting style shared by many other tern species.
Why are terns sometimes called sea swallows?
This species and its close relatives are sometimes nicknamed sea swallows because of their agile, buoyant flight style and deeply forked tail, both features reminiscent of true swallows despite the two groups being unrelated.
How can you identify a common tern?
This species can be identified by its black cap, red-orange bill tipped with black, and deeply forked tail, a combination of features typical of many similar tern species during the breeding season.
How widespread is the common tern?
This species has one of the widest breeding distributions of any tern, found across large parts of North America, Europe, and Asia, making it one of the most familiar terns across the Northern Hemisphere.