Birds of Colombia

    CHARADRIIFORMES: Laridae (Gulls, Terns, Skimmers)  
Genus: Sterna (2 species, 13 worldwide)


Common Tern
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)
Delta Dunaja, Vadu, Romania  
   
Photograph by Andrej Chudy     Copyright and usage info

Common Tern
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo hirundo)
Jones Beach SP, Nassau County, New York, United States  
   
Photograph by Graham Montgomery   © All Rights Reserved.

In breeding plumage looks like a Forster's Tern, with black cap and orange and black bill. Look for black in the wings on the Common Tern, seen on some tips here. The Common Tern has a black bill in non-breeding plumage, and unlike other terns is often far out at sea, and not on the beach.

Arctic Tern
Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) Rare/Accidental
Farne Island, England  
   
Photograph by Francesco Veronesi     Copyright and usage info

Known for having the one of the longest migrations in the animal kingdom, from the northern arctic to Antarctica.


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