What is a Arctic tern?

1. What is special about the Arctic tern?
2. What is the difference between an Arctic tern and a common tern?
3. Where do Arctic terns live?
4. Why does the Arctic tern migrate?
5. Why is Arctic tern called the champion of migration?
6. How long does the Arctic tern migration take?
7. What does an Arctic tern look like?
8. What is the wingspan of a common tern?
9. How do you identify roseate tern?
10. How do you identify tern species?
11. What color is an Arctic Tern?
12. Do skuas live in Antarctica?
13. How do terns sleep?
14. What is the fastest bird in the world?

What is special about the Arctic tern?

About the Arctic tern

Arctic terns hold the record for the longest migration of any animal in the world, annually making the journey from the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic Circle. One particularly committed tern made the trip in nearly 60,000 miles, or more than twice the circumference of the planet.

What is the difference between an Arctic tern and a common tern?

At range and in flight, Arctic Terns appear smaller, delicate and compact. They are shorter billed than Common Tern, with a small, rather round-looking head and a somewhat 'neckless' appearance. The wings are narrower and their shape less angular, the rear body shorter and the tail streamers very long.

Where do Arctic terns live?

Habitat. Arctic Terns breed in treeless areas with little to no ground cover, in open boreal forests, and on small islands and barrier beaches along the northern Atlantic Coast. They forage over streams, ponds, lakes, estuaries, and the open ocean.

Why does the Arctic tern migrate?

Terns migrate in search of summer sunlight. Sunlight illuminates the ground and the ocean surface, so the birds can see fish or insects more clearly. Summer weather is also usually calmer at sea, allowing the birds to fly more easily. “It's really difficult to migrate this far, for this long.

Why is Arctic tern called the champion of migration?

The Arctic tern outdoes all other birds when it comes to migration. These seabirds journey from their Arctic nesting grounds to spend the winter around the Antarctic, a journey of some 50,000 miles a year. ... Those that do so successfully will make the journey back to the United States and Canada in the spring.

How long does the Arctic tern migration take?

Arctic terns perform the longest migrations but another bird, the bar-tailed godwit, completes its marathon from the Arctic to New Zealand in eight days straight, without stopping to feed.

What does an Arctic tern look like?

Arctic Terns are slender terns with long, angular wings and pointed wingtips. They have a small round head with a steep forehead and extremely short legs. Breeding adults have a deeply forked tail.

What is the wingspan of a common tern?

The common tern is 12-15 inches in length with a wingspan of 30-31 inches. It has a white breast and undersides and a slate gray back and upperwings. It has a black cap on its head and orange-red legs and feet. It has a pointed, bright orange bill with a black tip and a forked tail.

How do you identify roseate tern?

Adult roseate terns have a very pale grey mantle and white underparts which give it a paler appearance when compared to the greyer common and Arctic terns. N​ote, the subtle rosy hue on it's breast, which is how it received it's namesake. This can be more visible at the start of the breeding season.

How do you identify tern species?

Common Terns are pale gray overall with a black cap. Breeding birds have a fully black cap that extends to the back of the neck and a gray belly. They also have an orange bill tipped in black and orange legs. Nonbreeding birds have a white forehead, a partial black cap, and black legs and bill.

What color is an Arctic Tern?

When arctic terns hatch, they are gray or brown. As adults, their feathers are gray or white during the breeding season. Their beak and legs are red, and a black patch covers their head and forehead. In the non-breeding season, the bird's beak and legs are black, and the black patch of color on its head shrinks.

Do skuas live in Antarctica?

Distribution: Widespread throughout coastal regions in Antarctica, migrates across the equator in the Antarctic winter reaching as far as Alaska and Greenland. Skuas have been seen at the south pole.

How do terns sleep?

Terns. Outside the breeding season sooty terns (Sterna fuscata) are thought to fly non-stop, leading Ashmole [39] to suggest that they sleep in flight. The evidence for continuous flight is based primarily on the fact that sooty terns are rarely observed floating on the water [40].

What is the fastest bird in the world?

A 'stooping' peregrine is undoubtedly the fastest flying bird, reaching speeds of up 200 mph.