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Common Tern

(Sterna hirundo)
Size: 32-37 cm

Habitat
(for details refer to a field guide)

Common Terns migrate to Australia from the north and populate large parts of the Australian seaboard and continental shelf. In addition to the entire north coast, they go as far as about Carnarvon, WA, in the west. Along the east coast they can migrate all the way to the south of the continent, including Bass Strait and the east coast of Tasmania. Along the south coast the limit of their range is in the area of Adelaide, SA. They are not found anywhere inland.

Common Terns can be found along the coastline, above the sea just offshore and on beaches.

Sightings

The combination of dark crown and slender dark bill in the photo shown below suggests that we spotted a Common Tern (possibly a juvenile bird) off Wybung Head at Munmorah State Conservation Area, near Budgewoi, NSW, in June 2009.

Additional information

Also seen and photographed by us in Oman.

Photos

Common(?) Tern in flight

Food

Like all terns, Common Terns feed on fish, which they catch with their bills just under the water surface in a steep high-speed dive from considerable height.

These pages are largely based on our own observations. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.