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.
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Song & Call Comparison
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Song & Call Comparison
Arctic Tern
さえずり
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.
Sooty Tern
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Geographic Range & Migration
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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.
Sooty Tern
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Conservation Status Comparison
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保全状況
Least Concern
Arctic Tern
Least Concern
Sooty Tern
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Identification Tips — How to Tell Them Apart
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How to Tell Them Apart
Arctic Tern
羽毛
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.
くちばし
Slender, pointed, bright red bill
Sooty Tern
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About Each Bird (Descriptions)
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Sooty Tern is a highly pelagic tern, 33–36 cm, wingspan 82–94 cm, breeding pantropically on oceanic islands. Jet-black above, white below, with a white forehead patch. Among the most aerial of birds; rarely lands on water. Piscivore; snaps fish and squid at the surface during mass prey events.
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Related Comparisons
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More Birds in Family
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