Common Name:
Arctic Tern
Scientific Name:
Sterna paradisaea
Unique Qualities:
The Arctic tern is well known for its long yearly migration. It travels from its Arctic breeding grounds to its wintering grounds off of Antarctica. It covers up to 40,000 km which is the farthest yearly journey of any bird. Arctic terns do not swim well even though their feet are webbed. They catch fish by swooping down, spearing the fish with their beaks, then flying up to stay out of the water. They rarely land on the ground while migrating, and even eat while flying. When molting their wing feathers during the winter, Arctic terns rarely fly, instead they spend much of their time resting on small blocks of ice at the edge of the sea ice.
Can be Seen:
The Arctic tern can be seen flying in the entire arctic area of the northern hemisphere. During the summer it can be seen across Alaska and northern Canada, southward to northern British Columbia, Hudson Bay, and along the Atlantic Coast as far south as to Massachusetts. It can also be seen in Greenland, Iceland, and northern Eurasia. During the winter it can be seen on sea ice off of Antarctica.
Likes to Hang Out:
The Arctic tern likes to hang out in open tundra, boreal forest, or on rocky islands and beaches. During the winters, it stays on the edge of sea ice, especially during molting where some become almost flightless. It likes to hang out along seacoasts and around interior lakes and marshes.
Likes to Eat:
The Arctic tern likes to eat small fish, shrimp, crustaceans, krill, insects and small invertebrates.
Status:
There is not much information on Arctic tern populations. Hunting for the millinery (hat making) business caused declines of Atlantic populations in the late 19th century. Foxes, raccoons, weasels, rats, gulls, and other seabirds are all predators of terns and their eggs. Massive spraying of marshes with insecticides has killed many terns, and affected their reproduction ability.
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Map credit: The tundra swan habitat map is Copyright Earth Day Canada and uses a map by Planiglobe. The original map is licensed under a Creative Commons Attibution 2.5 license.
