© Pete Saloutos/Panoramic Images (Maine Title Image Large)
Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea)
© Linda Welch/USFWS Arctic Tern Image
The arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) is the champion "globe trotter," annually migrating over 15-20,000 miles round-trip from its nesting areas in North America to wintering areas in the Antarctic. The arctic tern is a graceful, medium-sized seabird (length 15 inches, wingspan 31 inches) with long, pointed wings and a long, forked tail. In the breeding season it has a light gray body and belly and a white rump and tail. Its black cap and nape are separated from its gray throat by a white facial stripe. The arctic tern is distinguished from other tern species by its deep red beak. Common terns have red beaks tipped in black, and roseate terns generally have all-black or salmon-colored beaks.