Arctic Tern

Sterna Paradisaea

by Anna

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Sternidae
Genus: Sterna
Species: S. paradisaea

Physical Description

The arctic tern is about 28 -39 cm (11-15 in.) It's wingspan is about 65-75 cm (26-30 in.)
It's weight is about 90-120g (3.18-4.24 ounces.) In the springtime, the arctic terns’ beak is blood red. The arctic terns’ legs are so short that they seem like they are crouching when they are actually standing upright. The arctic tern is medium sized, and white with a black head that looks like a cap. It's tail is long and deeply forked. The wings of the arctic tern are white with darkish tips.

Diet and Feeding Habits

The arctic tern eats mostly fish, crustaceans, insects (rarely), and the eggs of other species. Some kinds of fish (out of the many) that they catch are: caplin, sand launae, sand eel, and much more. The arctic terns are foragers. When it catches fish it plunges into the water from flight, but it may hover briefly before plunging.

Reproduction

The Arctic Tern nests in colonies defended by the males in the rocky or sandy beaches of the far north. The nests usually have a hollow in sand , gravel, or moss. Other birds can benefit from nesting in an area defended by arctic terns. In June or July, two to three brown or greenish eggs with brown speckles are incubated for twenty one to twenty two days. The young fly twenty one to twenty eight days after hatching. The chicks are fluffy and cute! Their parents bring them small fish from the ocean. When the young arctic terns fledge, they start out the migration with their parents. After migrating south, most young terns stay in the southern hemisphere off antarctica until they are two years old. They then migrate back to their birthplace without the help of their parents.

Habitat

In Maine, the arctic tern (along with many other terns) live along seacoasts and around interior lakes and marshes. The arctic tern is famous for it's migration. It flies from the Arctic breeding grounds to the Antarctic's and back again each year. The arctic tern sees two summer's per year with it's migration, and it also sees more daylight each year than any other creature on this planet. It covers up to 40,000 km each migration, which is the farthest yearly journey of any bird. The arctic tern rarely lands on the ground while migrating, and even eats while flying.

Role in the Ecosystem

The ecosystem the arctic tern is found in is: the intertidal zone. It is the part of the seashore that is covered with water at high tide, and exposed to the air at low tide. Organisms that live in the intertidale zone must not only be adapted to the dramatic changes in temperature, moisture, and salinity (the amount of salt in the water.) The gravitational pull of the moon and the sun causes the tides to rise and fall twice each day. The height of the tides can vary according to the phases of the moon, the season, and the slope of the shoreline.

Bibliography

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Arctic_Tern_dtl.html#description

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_Tern

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Sterna_paradisaea.html

http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/field_guide/birds/arctic_tern.cfm

http://library.thinkquest.org/3500/arctic_tern.html

http://www.borealforest.org/world/birds/arctic_tern.htm

http://www.maine.gov/ifw/wildlife/etweb/pdfs/arctictern_46_47.pdf