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Common Tern

(Sterna hirundo)
Size: 32-37 cm

Sightings

We spotted Common Terns for the first time in Oman in May 2010, in Quriyyat, about 100 km east of Muscat.

Additional information

Previously also seen by us in Australia.

Photos

Common Tern (left), together with several Lesser Crested Terns

Food

Like all terns, Common Terns feed on fish, which they catch with their bills just under the surface of water 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.