Other names of the Arctic Tern are: Sea Swallow, Paradise Tern, Crimson Billed Tern, Short Footed Tern and Pike's Tern
Terns, Jaegers and Gulls are in the Laridae family. Arctic Terns (Sterna paradisaea) are a bold and beautiful birds. This tern has a white body with a black, smooth, rounded black head without a crest and white cheeks. The bird has small red legs and small webbed feet. They possess a slim orange colored bill that turns red during mating season. This tern has a forked tail, a white rump and their grey wings have a dark colored edge. Both male and females are difficult to differentiate as they have similar plumage and coloration. About three years after birth the Arctic Tern acquires full adult plumage. At adulthood the Arctic Tern stands about 15 inches tall and has a wingspan of about 2 1/2 feet and weighs under two pounds. The tern molts on its wintering grounds
An immature Arctic Tern has light red to cinnamon colored legs and a black beak. Its forehead, chest and stomach are whitish in color. The young bird has a dark patch around its eyes. Immature birds show the color on their back as grey with white secondary feathers.
At birth the chicks have velvety feathers and are attractive. In the first three to four weeks of their life and until the young birds learn to fly their parents bring them small fish from the ocean to eat.
They nest on the rocks and often dive bomb the people who are doing research. Researchers learned to wear rain gear and wide brim hats when working with the Arctic Tern. Since they nest on the bare rocks, they must protect the nests and young birds thoughtfully and continually from predators and any people the adult birds think might harm the nest and young.
During breeding season, the Arctic Terns inhabit the polar regions above the 50th parallel in the Arctic Circle. It is not uncommon to observe birds in colonies from fifty to thousands of pairs of birds.
The Arctic Tern breeds from Maine to Alaska in May and June and after mating the female lays one to two small eggs in the rocks lined with nothing more than a few pebble or grass. The eggs are the same color as the rocks and speckled to give them great camouflage. Both the male and female terns sit on the eggs for twenty to twenty- four days until they hatch and in about six weeks they can fly.
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