These delightful silvery-grey and white birds have long tails which have earned them the nickname 'sea-swallow'. They have a buoyant, graceful flight and frequently hover over water before plunging down for a fish. They are often noisy in company and breed in colonies.
Key ID Features
Very similar to Arctic Tern but less elegant without long outer tail streamers which tends to make the wings look more centrally located.
Sharing red legs and a red bill with the Arctic Tern but usually has a black bill tip which helps with identification.
Summer adults are mostly pale grey with a black nape and cap falling below the eye.
In flight thick dark edges are visible on under wings.
Overview
Scientific name: Sterna hirundo
Family: Terns (Sternidae)
Where to see them:
Breeds along coasts with shingle beaches and rocky islands, on rivers with shingle bars, and at inland gravel pits and reservoirs, feeding along rivers and over freshwater. Migrating birds can be seen offshore in autumn.
Seen in UK:
Throughout the summer - they arrive in April and leave in August and September. They are most obvious when feeding young as they will fly some distance for food, returning to the nest site with a fish.
What they eat
Fish.
Text (c) RSPB, used with permission
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Location: Northumberland
Photographer: Tim Tapley
