Arctic Tern vs Northern Gannet
Sterna paradisaea compared with Morus bassanus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Arctic Tern | Northern Gannet |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Sterna paradisaea | Morus bassanus |
| Order | Charadriiformes | Suliformes |
| Family | Laridae | Sulidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | 34.0 cm (13.4 in) | 93.0 cm (36.6 in) |
| Wingspan | 80.0 cm (31.5 in) | 180.0 cm (70.9 in) |
| Weight | 110.0 g (3.88 oz) | 3000.0 g (105.82 oz) |
| Diet | Small fish and crustaceans caught by plunge-diving from the air. Hovers briefly before diving. | Shoaling fish, especially mackerel, herring, and capelin. Plunge-dives from heights of 30 meters at speeds … |
| Clutch Size | 2-3 | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Arctic Tern
Breeds on coastal and tundra habitats. Spends most of its life at sea over the open ocean. Nests in colonies on beaches and rocky shores.
Northern Gannet
Open ocean and coastal waters. Breeds in dense colonies on steep rocky islands and sea stacks.
Song & Call Comparison
Arctic Tern
A sharp, grating 'kree-yah' alarm call. Also gives 'kik-kik-kik' near the nest. Highly aggressive vocally during the Arctic breeding season. Calls are harsh and insistent.
Northern Gannet
Loud, harsh 'urrah-urrah' grunting and croaking at breeding colonies on sea stacks. Also gives a softer 'karrr' in flight. Large colonies are extremely noisy during the breeding season.
Geographic Range & Migration
Arctic Tern
Breeds in the Arctic and sub-Arctic. Migrates to the Antarctic, experiencing two summers per year. Found on every ocean.
Northern Gannet
North Atlantic, breeding from Newfoundland and Gulf of St. Lawrence to Norway, Iceland, and Britain. Winters at sea south to the tropics.
Conservation Status
Arctic Tern
Northern Gannet
How to Tell Them Apart
Arctic Tern
Pale grey upperparts, white underparts with a black cap. Blood-red bill and short red legs. Deeply forked tail streamers. Winter adults lose the full black cap.
Slender, pointed, bright red bill
Northern Gannet
Brilliant white body with black wingtips and a golden-yellow wash on the head and nape. Blue-grey bill with dark lines and pale blue eye-ring.
Long, straight, pointed, pale blue-grey bill with serrated edges
About These Birds
Arctic Tern
The Arctic tern holds the record for the longest known migration of any animal, traveling roughly 70,000 km annually from Arctic to Antarctic and back. Over its 30-year lifespan, it may fly the equivalent of three round trips to the Moon. This remarkable bird experiences more daylight than any other creature on Earth.
Northern Gannet
The northern gannet is a spectacular plunge-diver, folding its two-meter wingspan into an arrow shape to hit the water at up to 100 km/h. Air sacs under the skin and a reinforced skull protect it from the impact. Bass Rock in Scotland hosts over 150,000 gannets, the largest single colony of any seabird in the world.