The Arctic Tern

by Robert Smith

Sterna Paradisaea better known as the Arctic Tern is famous for its long yearly migration from the Arctic to Antarctica. They are found intertidal areas around the coast, where the water covers land during high tide and washes out during low tide and also around marshes and lake areas or other rocky areas. Arctic terns nest on the ground in small shallow gravel, moss or sand laying only 2 to 3 eggs. Arctic Terns can be 11 to 15 inches long with a 25 to 29 inch wingspan and only weigh 3 to 4 ounces. They are foragers either eating fish insect or crustaceans. They hover over the water and then dive into the water snatching whatever they dive for, and on occasion they are able to catch flying insects.

References

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/bigyear/field-notes/AKtravellog

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Arctic_Tern/id

http://king.portlandschools.org/files/houses/y2/animalmaineia/files/species/aternac/animalinitials.html