Youth For Arctic Nature
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Arctic tern
Sterna paradisaea

 Vulnerability: least concern (population decreasing)
Invasive: no
Identification: difficult (in areas with multiple tern species)
Monitoring: medium (in colonies but difficult to count nests or individuals)

What is it?
The Arctic tern is a medium-sized for a tern with lengths between 28cm and 39cm in length for wingspans between 65cm and 75cm. It is white with light grey on the wings, a black cap, and crimson red legs and beak. The wings are narrow and pointed. The tail feathers form an inverted V shape which is usually deployed while landing or diving. When the bird is sitting or flying, it is frequent for only the outermost, longest feathers to be seen.
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Where is it?
In summer, this species is found throughout most of the Arctic and Subarctic. This includes breeding colonies around Iceland, the Faroe Islands, southern and western Greenland, Norway, northern Sweden, northern Finland, and Svalbard. The Arctic tern winters in the southern ocean and has the longest migration of any animal.
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Interesting facts
  • The migration of the Arctic tern is the longest on Earth. Some populations breed in the Siberian Arctic to travel all the way to the southern tip of South America! The longest migration route of this species is 30,000 kilometers.
  • Arctic terns defend their nests extremely aggressively, which has been proven to be effective. It has even been found to be beneficial for other birds nesting in the area.

Pictures

  • "Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea)" by Allan Hopkins is marked with CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
  • "Arctic Tern Diving" by sonstroem is marked with CC BY 2.0.

References

  • Arctic Tern Identification. (2019). All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Arctic_Tern/id
  • BirdLife International (2022) Species factsheet: Sterna Paradisaea. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 22/03/2022.
  • Boag, David; Alexander, Mike (1995). The Puffin. London: Blandford. ISBN 0-7137-2596-6.
  • Evans, M. R. (1970). Oldsquaws Nesting in Association with Arctic Terns at Churchill, Manitoba. The Wilson Bulletin, 82(4), 383–390. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4160009
  • Kyzer, L. (2020). Fewer Puffins Nesting at Two Major Breeding Grounds. Iceland Review. https://www.icelandreview.com/nature-travel/fewer-puffins-nesting-at-two-major-breeding-grounds/
  • Ramroop, T., & West, K. (2011). To the Ends of the Earth. National Geographic Society. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/ends-earth/

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              The Icelandic Climate Fund (2020-2021)

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The Nordic Cooperation (2021-2023)           

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  • Home
  • Goals
  • Local Nature
    • Flora and Funga >
      • Flowering plants >
        • Arctic poppy
        • Cow parsley
        • Mountain avens
        • Nootka lupin
        • Purple saxifrage
      • Non-flowering vascular plants
      • Non-vascular plants
      • Algae
      • Fungi >
        • Reindeer lichen
    • Land mammals >
      • Carnivores >
        • American mink
        • Arctic fox
        • Red fox
      • Herbivores >
        • Reindeer
        • Muskox
      • Insectivores
    • Marine mammals >
      • Seals and Bears >
        • Harbor seal
        • Polar bear
        • Ringed seal
      • Whales and Dolphins >
        • Humpback whale
        • Minke whale
        • Orca
    • Birds >
      • Birds of prey >
        • Gyrfalcon
        • Snowy owl
        • White-tailed eagle
      • Land birds >
        • Rock ptarmigan
        • Rock pigeon
        • Eurasian three-toed woodpecker
      • Passerines >
        • Common raven
        • European starling
        • Snow bunting
      • Sea birds >
        • Atlantic puffin
        • Great cormorant
        • Northern fulmar
      • Seagulls >
        • Black-legged kittiwake
        • Arctic tern
        • Arctic skua
      • Waders >
        • Eurasian oystercatcher
        • Common ringed plover
        • Purple sandpiper
      • Water birds >
        • Red-throated diver
        • Barnacle goose
        • Common eider
  • Activities
    • Beach treasure hunts
    • Ice fishing
    • Seal monitoring
    • Shore ecosystem walk
  • News
  • Contact us