Antarctic Tern

Breeding takes place from mid-November to early December. Chicks hatch from December to February. Skuas and jaegers are the primary predators of this bird's eggs and young.

The Antarctic Tern is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

The Antarctic Tern is a regular winter visitor to South Africa. The first birds arrive about April in the Western Cape and May in the Eastern Cape and numbers build up to a peak in August. Departure takes place mainly in September and October, and is complete by November, with only isolated birds remaining in South Africa for the summer months. It feeds at sea, and is often seen as far as 150 km offshore. More

of Antarctic Terns on King George Island was conducted in December 1990 and January 1991. Two study sites were selected near the Polish station Arctowski (62�09'S, 58�28'W). In The Netherlands, growth and field energetics of Arctic Tern (hereafter identified with suffix NL) and Common Tern chicks were studied at the Wadden Sea island of Griend (53�14'N, 5�15'E) during June and July 1989 and 1990. Nests at all study sites were marked and checked every second or third day from hatching onwards. More

The Antarctic Tern (Sterna vittata) is a typical tern. It ranges throughout the southern oceans. It is very similar in appearance to the closely related Arctic Tern, but is stockier, and the wing tips are grey instead of blackish in flight. It is, of course, in breeding plumage in the southern summer, when Arctic has moulted to its non-breeding plumage (though this is not useful for separating it from another species, the South American Tern). Breeding takes place from mid-November to early December. More

Antarctic terns on a beachAntarctic ternsPhoto: Christopher Clarke Vital Statistics - Scientific name: Sterna vittata Physical description: Antarctic tern adults are approximately 40cm in length and have a wingspan of 80cm. The bill is bright red and the feet and legs, orange/red. The head is black during the summer, but in the winter months it is streaked with white. More

The Antarctic Tern (Sterna vittata) is a typical tern. Distribution / Range It ranges throughout the southern oceans. The total global population of this bird is around 140000 individuals. Antarctic Terns Flying Antarctic TernAppearance Size: The antarctic tern is a pretty small bird at 12-15 inches long. Adults: The bill is usually a darkish color but can sometimes be red.T his bird is white with a black spot on its forehead. More

Antarctic terns nest on the Antarctic peninsula and also particularly on antarctic islands. It lays it's eggs in small quite widely spread out colonies, i.e. low density of birds in the colony. The nests are made on the ground in places that tend to be isolated but quite exposed. The eggs and the chicks are excellently camouflaged and the birds defend them from a distance so as not to draw attention to where the nest is. More

An Antarctic tern was seen on the 29th July, 12:00-12:20 at 44.071613 More

In the summer, the Antarctic Tern has a black cap and long tail streamers, which the Arctic Tern lacks in its winter attire. The Antarctic tern is a year long resident of the Southern regions, although it is circumpolar to Antarctica. These birds are abundant on the peninsula, often seen plunging into the cold waters looking for small fish and krill. More

The Antarctic Tern is a medium-sized tern (length 32-36 cm, wingspan 72-79 cm) with grey body and wings, white rump, a white deeply forked tail, and distinctive black cap that reaches down to the bill. The bill and feet are red, becoming brighter in the breeding season. It is found in the southern oceans and resembles the Arctic Tern from which it may be difficult to separate. More

A very small Antarctic Tern is flying across the iceberg graveyard. Read the whole story of our trip: antarctic.fury.com/ To take full advantage of Flickr, you should use a JavaScript-enabled browser and install the latest version of the Macromedia Flash Player. Would you like to comment? Sign up for a free account, or sign in (if you're already a member). Guest Passes let you share your photos that aren't public. More

The Antarctic Tern (Sterna vittata) is a circumpolar resident of the southern oceans and Antarctic seas. It is similar in appearance to the Arctic Tern (S. paradisaea), which is occasionally seen in the same vicinity (but not in alternate plumage). This pair on the right was feeding a tiny chick (not visible under the sitting bird) at Grytiviken, South Georgia, in January, 1996. The photograph was taken with a Canon T-90 & FD 400mm F4.5 lens mounted on a tripod with Fuji Sensia 100 film. More

Distribution: Antarctic Terns breed at Tristan da Cunha, Gough Island, Iles Kerguelen, St. Paul and Amsterdam Island, South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands, South Orkney Islands, South Shetland Islands, the Antarctic Peninsula, some New Zealand subantarctic islands, Macquarie Island and Heard Island. The birds generally breed among rocks, such as on rocky shores, terminal moraines and cliffs, and sometimes among low-lying vegetation. Abundance: The population on Heard Island is estimated at 200 breeding birds. More

What do I eat? Antarctic terns are gregarious, fishing in flocks of up to several hundred birds just beyond the surf zone. They feed on small fish and various crustacea. Antarctic terns also scavenge in the intertidal zone for stranded littoral organisms and do not feed on land. At Heard Island, Antarctic Terns have been seen foraging in coastal marine lagoons. What eats me? Adult Antarctic terns co-operate to defend their colonies. More

Antarctic Terns that might further assist in fully resolving the identification. Antarctic Tern 5246.jpg Antarctic Tern 5246.jpg Antarctic Tern 5249.jpg Antarctic Tern 5249.jpg Antarctic Tern 5250.jpg Antarctic Tern 5250.jpg Antarctic Tern 5256.jpg Antarctic Tern 5256.jpg Antarctic Tern 5257.jpg Antarctic Tern 5257.jpg Antarctic Tern 5258.jpg Antarctic Tern 5258.jpg Antarctic Tern 5260. More

Where found: The Antarctic tern nests on most sub-Antarctic islands, as well as along the coasts of the Antarctic Peninsula, New Zealand and some areas of South America and South Africa. Wingspan: 74-79 cm Length: 32-40 cm Weight: 114-205 g Mating/Breeding: Antarctic terns nest in colonies in rocky areas near the shore of just inland. Around the Antarctic Peninsula they usually establish their colonies in flat gravel areas away from the beach. More

The Antarctic tern is the southernmost of the New Zealand terns. The subspecies Sterna vittata bethunei breed on islands between Stewart and Macquarie islands. These birds are 36 centimetres long and weigh 140 grams. They have a grey body and wings, a white rump and a white, sharply forked tail. During the breeding season their black cap extends down to the bill, which becomes bright red. They feed close to shore on small fish and crustaceans. More

The Antarctic Tern is a small bird at 31-38 cm (12-15 inches) long. Its bill is usually a dark red or blackish. It is mainly pale grey and white, but has a black cap when breeding. In non-breeding plumage it has a grizzled crown and white forehead. The tips of this tern's wings are greyish black. The plumage of juveniles is white on the belly, foreneck, forehead, and breast. The back is grey and the bill is black. More

Antarctic Tern at Prion Island Antarctic Tern on ice Antarctic terns Antarctic Tern cruising the shoreline Antarctic Tern Locations for recordings with GPS coordinates There is 1 record for sp:15832.00 (foreground species only). page 1 Antarctic Tern calls Sterna vittata (0:04) Frank Lambert XC34712 25 Nov 2000, New Zealand page 1 © 2005-2010 Xeno-canto Foundation. More