The common tern is a medium-sized tern and the one you are most likely to see inland, as well as at the coast. Common terns breed on shingle beaches, rocky islands and inland on the gravelly shores of lakes and rivers. They are noisy in their colonies and, like most terns, will attack intruders threatening their nests. They hover over the water before plunge-diving to catch their fish prey.
How to identify
Common terns and Arctic terns can be very difficult to tell apart. The common tern is whiter below, has shorter tail streamers, and has a longer bill, which is orangey-red with a black tip. It is silvery-grey above, with a black cap and short, red legs.
Did you know?
The common tern's long tail 'streamers' (feathers extending past the main tail) have earned it the nickname 'sea-swallow'.
