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Sterna hirundo

Linnaeus, 1758

Common Tern

G5Secure Found in 11 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo). © Alexis Lours; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.
© Alexis Lours; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo). © Keenan Yakola; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.
© Keenan Yakola; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo). © Doug Hitchcox; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.
© Doug Hitchcox; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo). © Matt Felperin; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.
© Matt Felperin; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo). © Anonymous; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.
© Anonymous; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo). © Michael Stubblefield; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.
© Michael Stubblefield; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo). Photo by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Public Domain (U.S. Government Work), via ECOS.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, https://www.usa.gov/government-works
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101840
Element CodeABNNM08070
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderCharadriiformes
FamilyLaridae
GenusSterna
Other Common Names
Charrán Común, Gaviotín Golondrina (ES) common tern (EN) Sterne pierregarin (FR) Trinta-Réis-Boreal (PT)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Zink et al. (1995) found that populations on Asian and North American sides of Beringia exhibited a level of mtDNA differentiation intermediate between populations and species; however, sample sizes were small and no formal taxonomic change was recommended. Regional breeding populations in western Great Lakes area are not differentiated genetically into subpopulations. Very rarely hybridizes with roseate tern (e.g., see Zingo et al., 1994, Connecticut Warbler 14(2):50-55).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-10
Change Date1996-11-27
Edition Date1996-04-30
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Range Extent Comments
BREEDING: northern Alberta across central Ontario and southern Quebec to southern Labrador, south to eastern Washington, southeastern Alberta, northeastern Montana, North Dakota, northeastern South Dakota, central Minnesota, northeastern Illinois, northwestern Indiana, southern Michigan, northern Ohio, northwestern Pennsylvania, central and northern New York, and northwestern Vermont, locally along coast to North Carolina, and locally on Gulf Coast and Bermuda, Greater Antilles, and Netherlands Antilles (AOU 1983, van Halewyn and Norton 1984). In Old World. Nonbreeders occur in summer at James Bay, throughout Great Lakes region, along Atlantic-Gulf coast, south in Middle America to Costa Rica, and throughout West Indies. NON-BREEDING: Baja California and South Carolina to Peru and northern Argentina (AOU 1983); rare in Hawaii. In Old World.
Threat Impact Comments
Populations initially were decimated by the millinery trade. Major current threats in different areas include nest-site competition from expanding ring-billed gull populations (Great Lakes region); predation by owls, black-crowned night heron, rats, or herring gull; loss of beach habitat; flooding and rising water levels (Great Lakes region); human disturbance; and possibly biocide contamination (Buckley and Buckley 1984).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Seacoasts, estuaries, bays, lakes, rivers, and marshes. Nests on sandy, pebbly, or stony beaches, matted vegetation, marsh islands, and grassy areas; typically on isolated, sparsely vegetated islands in large lakes or along coast, also in rivers. Breeds successfully on human-made islands, including navigational aids or cribs (Karwowski et al. 1995). See Spendelow and Patton (1988) and Ramos and del Nevo (1995) for further details on nesting habitat in different regions.

Ecology

In Massachusetts, loss of eggs and chicks was attributed to nocturnal desertion of nests by adults in response to predation by great horned owl (Nisbet and Welton 1984). Presence of mink can reduce reproductive success (Condor 95:708-711). Nonbreeding: singly or in small loose groups, sometimes in large flocks in migration (Stiles and Skutch 1989).

Reproduction

Eggs are laid mostly May-July. Clutch size is 2-3. Incubation lasts 21-27 days, mainly by female. Both sexes tend young, which may leave nest after 3 days (return for brooding) and first fly at about 4 weeks. May lay 2 clutches/year, but second brood rarely fledges. In New York, breeding season was timed to overlap with seasonal increase in food abundance, but food availability began to decline before period of peak demand for food by chicks (Safina and Burger 1988); in a two-year study, fish abundance affected reproductive performance (Safina et al. 1988).
Terrestrial Habitats
Sand/dune
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5B
ProvinceRankNative
South DakotaS2BYes
DelawareS1B,S2NYes
IndianaSXBYes
ColoradoSNAYes
MaineS4BYes
NevadaSNAYes
New JerseyS3B,S4NYes
IdahoSNAYes
NebraskaSNRNYes
MarylandS1BYes
WashingtonS4NYes
IowaS2B,S3NYes
West VirginiaSNAYes
IllinoisS1Yes
LouisianaS1B,S3NYes
MississippiS1BYes
OregonSNAYes
MichiganS2Yes
VirginiaS2BYes
FloridaS4Yes
New YorkS3BYes
AlaskaS2MYes
North DakotaSUYes
VermontS1BYes
KansasSNAYes
PennsylvaniaS1B,S3MYes
New HampshireS2BYes
KentuckySNAYes
ConnecticutS3BYes
AlabamaS1B,S4NYes
CaliforniaSNAYes
WisconsinS1B,S2NYes
North CarolinaS2BYes
Rhode IslandS3BYes
GeorgiaSNRNYes
UtahSNAYes
ArkansasSNAYes
TexasS1B,S3NYes
MassachusettsS3B,S4NYes
New MexicoS4NYes
MontanaS3BYes
TennesseeS3NYes
Navajo NationS3MYes
South CarolinaS3BYes
OklahomaS1NYes
MinnesotaS2BYes
District of ColumbiaS1NYes
ArizonaS3MYes
WyomingS1Yes
OhioS1Yes
CanadaN5B,NUN
ProvinceRankNative
NunavutSUBYes
New BrunswickS3B,SUMYes
Northwest TerritoriesS4Yes
SaskatchewanS5BYes
OntarioS4BYes
ManitobaS5BYes
British ColumbiaS3MYes
LabradorS4B,SUMYes
Nova ScotiaS3BYes
QuebecS4BYes
AlbertaS4B,S5MYes
Island of NewfoundlandS4B,SUMYes
Prince Edward IslandS1BYes
Roadless Areas (11)
Michigan (2)
AreaForestAcres
Government IslandHiawatha National Forest225
Government IslandHiawatha National Forest225
Minnesota (2)
AreaForestAcres
Wood LakeSuperior National Forest596
Wood LakeSuperior National Forest596
Montana (3)
AreaForestAcres
Anaconda HillHelena National Forest18,546
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - SwanHelena National Forest51,360
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - SwanLolo National Forest118,485
Utah (1)
AreaForestAcres
WellsvilleWasatch-Cache National Forest1,717
Wisconsin (2)
AreaForestAcres
09166 - East TorchChequamegon-Nicolet National Forest4,647
09166 - East TorchChequamegon-Nicolet National Forest4,647
Wyoming (1)
AreaForestAcres
Teton Corridor TrailheadsBridger-Teton National Forest286
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