Species BirdsArctic Tern

Arctic Tern

Sterna paradisaea

UncommonBird
Illustration of Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea)

The Arctic Tern makes the longest migration of any animal on Earth — a round trip of over 44,000 miles between the Arctic and Antarctic each year. Over its approximately 30-year lifespan, an individual may travel the equivalent of three round trips to the Moon. It aggressively dive-bombs intruders near its nesting colony, drawing blood with its sharp bill.

Habitat
Arctic coasts and tundra in summer; Antarctic seas in winter
Diet
Small fish and marine invertebrates
How common
Uncommon

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