Fun Antarctic Tern Facts For Kids

The Antarctic tern is a bird that is found in the southern oceans of the world and the adjacent habitats. It is a sea bird that is endemic to the many islands in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica.

This bird also exists on the edges of the Antarctica mainland. It is a white-colored and medium-sized tern, with black and bright red features.

There are about six subspecies that are separated based on the native habitat range and variations in plumage intensity. This tern is found in places like South Georgia, Gough Islands, Tritan da Cunha Islands, and the South Shetland Islands. The Antarctic tern can be territorial but is also found in colonies and forms mostly monogamous bonds.

According to different reports, there are an estimated 50,000-140,000 adult birds of this species in the world. The Antarctic tern species is regarded as a Least Concern species by the IUCN.

For more relatable content, check out these western meadowlark interesting facts and belted kingfisher surprising facts.

Antarctic Tern Interesting Facts

What type of animal is an Antarctic tern?

The Antarctic tern (Sterna vittata) is a bird.

What class of animal does an Antarctic tern belong to?

The Antarctic tern (Sterna vittata) belongs to the Aves class of animals.

How many Antarctic terns are there in the world?

According to different population reports, there are an estimated 50,000-140,000 Antarctic tern adults currently alive in the world.

Where does an Antarctic tern live?

There are six different subspecies of the Antarctic tern (Sterna vittata) that are endemic to their particular range. The S. v. tristanensis is seen on Gough Island &andTristan da Cunha.

The S. v. georgiae is seen in South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands, South Orkney Islands, and Bouvet Island. The S. v. vittata is seen on the Marion and Prince Edward Island, as well as Crozet, Heard, and the Kerguelen Islands in the southern Indian Ocean.

The S. v. gaini is seen in the Antarctic Peninsula, south to Marguerite Bay, and the South Shetland Islands.

The S. v. santipaulli is endemic to the southern Indian Ocean islands of St. Paul and Amsterdam. The S. v. vethunei subspecies is native to the Stewart Island, as well as Auckland, Macquarie, Snares, Bounty, and Antipodes Islands.

What is an Antarctic tern's habitat?

For breeding purposes, the Antarctic tern prefers the rocky islands of cliffs, headlands, offshore stacks, ridges, the ground amongst scattered scrubs, and gravel, rocky, or sandy beaches. This bird builds its nest in a space on the ground that is not reachable by introduced predators like rats and cats.

The nests can be found on offshore stacks and ledges of cliffs. Outside of the breeding season, the Antarctic ice edges, rocky headlands, and beaches of South Africa are home to the Antarctic tern.

Who do Antarctic terns live with?

The Antarctic tern may be seen nesting alone, in pairs, or in colonies that have five to 40 pairs in their nests or even more.

This bird forages for food by itself or in flocks. Some terns are known for defending their feeding area, chasing away terns who may intrude. Antarctic tern adults are definitely territorial and defensive about their nests.

How long does an Antarctic tern live?

An Antarctic tern can live for 17 years.

How do they reproduce?

Antarctic terns reproduce by mating and laying eggs. Male terns are known to become territorial and defend their nest-sites with dive-bombing displays and striking intruders with their bills.

Breeding ground colonies of five to 40 or more adult pairs or terns are seen in their nests, along with solitary nesters. The pairs that breed are mostly monogamous and courtship feeding and aerial displays are performed by the male prior to pairing up.

November to December is the breeding season with some variations seen depending on climate, range, and food abundance. The nest is built in shallow depressions on cliff ledges, rocks, grass, and soil and may contain flattened vegetation, pebbles, or shells.

After they breed, one to two eggs are laid by adult female terns. The nest eggs are incubated by both parents for a length of 23-25 days.

The eggs hatch after that and the hatched chicks are buff-colored and they have grayish-white spots on the lower half and black spots on the upper half of their bodies. The throats of young chicks tend to be darker.

Both parents feed the chicks who fledge 27-32 days after hatching. The young chicks are given food for a few more weeks after this too.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of the Antarctic tern species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature is Least Concern.

Antarctic Tern Fun Facts

What do Antarctic terns look like?

The Antarctic tern is considered to be medium-sized tern. The adult Antarctic tern's upperparts and upper wings are gray. The outer primary feathers show some black to gray outer webs. The tail is deeply forked and white.

The rump is also white. The underparts tend to be grayish-white and the undertail coverts are white. The cheeks are white and the forehead, crown, nape, and head are all black.

They collectively look like a black cap. The malar and chin areas are grayish-white. The legs, feet, and bill are all bright red whereas the eyes are a dark brown color. There is little sexual dimorphism with both sexes being similar.

A non-mating adult has a white-streaked crown and a white forehead. It has white underparts and the feet, legs, and bill and a dark to dull red color.

A juvenile Antarctic tern is marked buff in the beginning and has white and gray upperparts along with visible buff flanks. The bill tends to be blackish and the legs & feet a dull red.

The first-year Antarctic tern has a white forehead and underparts that are even whiter. The V. s. gaini subspecies is the biggest, the V. s. tristanensis is the second biggest, and V. s. georgiae of South Georgia is the smallest but has bigger longer wings.

How cute are they?

Antarctic terns are cute and incredibly gorgeous. These sea birds are a pure white color with shades of black on their heads that look like cool black cap-masks. The red legs and bills look like ornamentations worn for our viewing pleasure. These birds are especially beautiful in flight.

How do they communicate?

Antarctic terns communicate via calls and songs. While defending their feeding area, Antarctic terns will chase away other terns with a loud 'chrrrrr'. A high pitch and shrill 'trr-trr-kriah' is uttered while fishing and in flight.

During communal roosts, Antarctic terns give out continuous chattering. When alarmed, these birds scream and squawk. During the various displays, Antarctic terns give out a loud 'chit... chit... chit... chirr, chirr, chirr...'.

How big is an Antarctic tern?

Antarctic terns are 13.8-15.8 in (35-40 cm) long and have wingspans of 29.5 in (75 cm), which makes them two to three times smaller than golden eagles.

How fast can an Antarctic tern fly?

Antarctic terns fly at speeds of 22-25 mph (35-40 kph).

How much does an Antarctic tern weigh?

The Antarctic tern eats a carnivorous diet and weighs 5.3-6.3 oz (150-180 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

Males and females of the Antarctic tern species are not commonly referred to by any specific names, but since they are birds, they can be called cocks and hens respectively.

What would you call a baby Antarctic tern?

A baby Antarctic tern is called a chick.

What do they eat?

The Antarctic tern diet consists of prey like small fish, limpets, crustaceans, euphausiids, insects, offal, Antarctic krill, polychaetes, and shellfish.

Adult Antarctic terns, their chicks, and eggs are preyed upon by skuas, kelp gulls, cats, mice, pigs, and rats.

Are they dangerous?

No, Antarctic terns are not dangerous.

Would they make a good pet?

Antarctic terns are wild birds that are spread over a wide habitat range. These birds would not make good pets and their habitats should be preserved.

Did you know...

The most interesting fact about Arctic terns is that they perform the longest migration known of any animal. These birds move from the north Arctic habitats to the geographically opposite coasts of Antarctica, covering estimated distances of 44,100-56,000 mi (70,973-90,124 km).

They cover such a great length of distance to get away from the Arctic winter climate and to experience two summer seasons. Arctic and Antarctic tern flocks may cross paths in the Antarctic summer.

The Arctic tern wingspan is 26-30 in (66–76.2 cm).

Antarctic terns fly downwards and dive-bomb intruders near their nests.

Why do Arctic terns migrate to Antarctica?

The Arctic tern migration is one of the longest migrations known of birds or animals. These birds breed in the north Arctic grounds and migrate in the winter to the coasts of Antarctica to experience the summer climate there.

These Arctic birds go back to their Arctic habitats six months later. This way, Arctic terns experience the two summer seasons of the world.

Is the Arctic tern endangered?

No, the Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) species is not endangered. This Arctic bird is a species of Least Concern as found by the IUCN, but its population is declining.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our horned lark interesting facts and American pipit surprising facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable antarctic tern coloring pages.