Common Tern

About the Common Tern
Also known as: Sea Swallow
Birdorable Common Tern

The Common Tern breeds in temperate and sub-arctic regions of Europe, Asia and east and central North America. It is strongly migratory, wintering in the subtropical and tropical oceans.

In winter, the forehead and underparts of the Common Tern are white. They breed in colonies on coasts and islands and often inland on suitable freshwater lakes. Like all Sterna terns, the Common Tern feeds by plunge-diving for fish, from either the sea or freshwater lakes and large rivers.

Find cute products & gifts with our Birdorable Common Tern

Details & Statistics

International Names

Related Articles

One Good Tern Deserves Another

If you're a fan of seabirds, then you're in for a treat with the charming array of terns featured in Birdorable's latest collection. Terns are fascinating seabirds known for their graceful flight, slender bodies, and long, forked tails. They are found in a variety of habitats across the...  Read more »

T-Shirt Tuesday: Know Your Terns

This week's highlighted t-shirt is our Know Your Terns! design featuring nine different Birdorable terns: Caspian Tern; Royal Tern; Sandwich Tern; Common Tern; Arctic Tern; Least Tern; Gull-billed Tern; Black Tern; and Sooty Tern Do you know them all? [products]  Read more »

The Adorable Common Tern

Doesn't this Common Tern have the cutest tiny feet? We took this picture at Starrevaart, a bird sanctuary near The Hague in the Netherlands. Every spring during breeding time there was a small island full with these guys right...  Read more »