Arctic tern vs Common tern
The common tern is heavier: 129.2 g against 110 g for the Arctic tern, about 17% more.
Photo: Jamumiwa · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Alexis Lours · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
What is the difference between a Arctic tern and a common tern?
Each point below is worked out from a pair of recorded values.
- The common tern is heavier: 129.2 g against 110 g for the Arctic tern, about 17% more.
- The Arctic tern is longer-lived: 34 years against 33 years for the common tern, about 3% longer.
- Both belong to the genus Sterna, so they are close relatives.
- Both are listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Side by side
| Arctic tern | Common tern | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Sterna paradisaea | Sterna hirundo |
| Family | Laridae | Laridae |
| Order | Charadriiformes | Charadriiformes |
| Weight | 110 g – 117 g | 124 g – 129.2 g |
| Length | 33 cm – 36 cm | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 34 years | 33 years |
| Main food | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Habitat | coastal | marine |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Countries recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded |
A scale drawing needs a recorded length for both animals; only weights are on record for this pair.
Full record: Arctic ternFull record: Common ternCompare other animals