The RSPB: Common tern

Common tern

Listen

1 video

Sound clips and movies require Adobe Flash player.

Latin name

Sterna hirundo

Family

Terns (Sternidae)

Overview

These delightful silvery-grey and white birds have long tails which have earned them the nickname 'sea-swallow'. They have a buoyant, graceful flight and frequently hover over water before plunging down for a fish. They are often noisy in company and breed in colonies.

Where to see them

Breeds along coasts with shingle beaches and rocky islands, on rivers with shingle bars, and at inland gravel pits and reservoirs, feeding along rivers and over freshwater. Migrating birds can be seen offshore in autumn.

When to see them

Throughout the summer - they arrive in April and leave in August and September. They are most obvious when feeding young as they will fly some distance for food, returning to the nest site with a fish.

What they eat

Fish

Estimated numbers

Europe	UK breeding*	UK wintering*	UK passage*
-	11, 838 pairs	-	-

* UK breeding is the number of pairs breeding annually. UK wintering is the number of individuals present from October to March. UK passage is the number of individuals passing through on migration in spring and/or autumn.

Distribution

Key

In the UK: Most of the UK, but scarce in south-west.

Please note that the map is only intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.

Find out more

Videos

Audio is from commercial recordings Bird Songs and Calls of Britain and Europe on 4 CDs or Bird Sounds of Europe & North-west Africa, copyright WildSounds & CEBA (www.wildsounds.com, (UK) +44 (0) 1263 741100)