Caspian tern vs Common tern
The caspian tern is heavier: 655 g against 129.2 g for the common tern, about 5.1 times the weight.
Photo: Mdf · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Alexis Lours · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
What is the difference between a caspian tern and a common tern?
Each point below is worked out from a pair of recorded values.
- The caspian tern is heavier: 655 g against 129.2 g for the common tern, about 5.1 times the weight.
- The common tern is longer-lived: 33 years against 29.8 years for the caspian tern, about 11% longer.
- They share the family Laridae but sit in different genera: Caspian tern in Hydroprogne, Common tern in Sterna.
- Both are listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Side by side
| Caspian tern | Common tern | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Hydroprogne caspia | Sterna hirundo |
| Family | Laridae | Laridae |
| Order | Charadriiformes | Charadriiformes |
| Weight | 588 g – 694 g | 124 g – 129.2 g |
| Length | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 29.8 years | 33 years |
| Main food | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Habitat | wetland | marine |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Countries recorded | 1 | Not recorded |
A scale drawing needs a recorded length for both animals; only weights are on record for this pair.
Full record: Caspian ternFull record: Common ternCompare other animals