OTHER NAMES: Sea Swallow
Latin Etymology: Sterna (Old English word for Black Tern) hirundo ("swallow")
Adult Common Tern (subspecies S. h. hirundo) at London Wetland Centre, London - June 2018
Featured Subspecies: Sterna hirundo hirundo
Weight: 110-141g / Length: 12-14cm / Wingspan: 77-98cm
UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern
By far the easiest Tern species to see, if not actually the most numerous - common terns breed at many locations inland, particularly at nature reserves where islands have been made specifically for them to nest. They can also often be seen over more or less any decent sized body of water with some luck. Visually very similar to the Arctic Tern, there are subtle differences, but you can almost guarantee that a tern of this sort seen inland is a common tern.
Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Sternidae (Terns)
Genus: Sterna
Subspecies: S. h. hirundo, S. h. minussensis, S. h. tibetana, S. h. longipennis
- Sighting Locations -
UNITED KINGDOM - Locally fairly common Summer migrant breeding species (12000 pairs)
- Seen at various sites including Farne Islands, Rutland Water, Trevose Head, Rainham Marshes and Pitsford Reservoir
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