Sterna paradisaea
The record-holder for the longest migration of any animal on Earth.
Size: 33-39 cm | Habitat: Sea, Marsh, Estuary & Shoreline Birds | Season: Summer visitor
Very similar to the common tern but with an all-red bill, shorter legs, and longer tail streamers, the Arctic tern is a fiercely protective coastal breeder best known for its extraordinary annual migration between the Arctic and Antarctic.
All-red bill with no black tip · very long tail streamers · shorter legs than common tern, giving a lower stance · pale, almost translucent-looking wings in flight
Arctic terns nest in colonies on coasts and islands, mainly in Scotland, and defend their nests aggressively, dive-bombing intruders including people who stray too close.
Arctic terns fly from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back every year, a round trip that can exceed 55,000 miles — the longest migration of any animal on the planet.
The Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) is almost identical to the common tern but has an all-red bill, shorter legs, and longer tail streamers, and is famed for the longest migration of any animal on Earth.
Arctic terns breed in colonies on UK and Arctic coasts in summer, then fly all the way to the Antarctic for the winter — a round trip that can exceed 55,000 miles each year. Fiercely protective of their nests, they will dive-bomb intruders, including people, with their sharp bills.
A 2024 update to BoCC5 moved the Arctic tern onto the Red list following severe breeding population and range declines, linked to shortages of the small fish it depends on — a sobering update for a bird that already undertakes one of the most extraordinary journeys in the natural world.
🔴 Conservation status: Red (UK Birds of Conservation Concern 5)
Red-listed under BoCC5 (added in a 2024 update) following severe breeding population declines and a shrinking breeding range, despite completing the longest migration of any animal.