The Arctic tern is a small seabird with an extraordinary lifestyle, breeding in the Arctic summer and spending the northern winter in Antarctic waters.
Interesting facts
- Arctic terns see more daylight than any other animal, experiencing two summers a year.
- Over a lifetime a tern may fly a distance equivalent to going to the Moon and back several times.
- They fiercely dive-bomb people and predators near their nests.
- Their bills and legs turn blood-red in the breeding season.
- They hover before plunging into the water for fish.
- Tracking with tiny geolocators revealed their true journeys.
Behaviour
Terns breed in colonies and aggressively defend nests. On migration they follow wind patterns, zigzagging across oceans rather than flying straight.
Breeding and young
Pairs lay one to three eggs in a simple scrape on the ground; both parents incubate and feed the chicks.
Threats and conservation
Declining prey fish, predators at colonies, disturbance and climate change.
Where to see it
- Farne Islands, UK
- Iceland
- Svalbard, Norway
- Churchill, Canada (summer)
Status source: IUCN Red List. Profile last reviewed September 2026.
Where to see the arctic tern
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