Common tern vs River tern
The river tern is heavier: 209 g against 129.2 g for the common tern, about 62% more.
Photo: Alexis Lours · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
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What is the difference between a common tern and a river tern?
Each point below is worked out from a pair of recorded values.
- The river tern is heavier: 209 g against 129.2 g for the common tern, about 62% more.
- Both belong to the genus Sterna, so they are close relatives.
- The common tern is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List; the river tern is Vulnerable.
Side by side
| Common tern | River tern | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Sterna hirundo | Sterna aurantia |
| Family | Laridae | Laridae |
| Order | Charadriiformes | Charadriiformes |
| Weight | 124 g – 129.2 g | 209 g |
| Length | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 33 years | Not recorded |
| Main food | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Habitat | marine | riverine |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Vulnerable |
| 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: Common ternFull record: River ternCompare other animals