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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing arctic terns. For more facts on your favorite animals be sure to hit that subscribe button. Arctic terns were a request by Milani Fairley, and we’re happy to talk about these brave little birds.

Arctic terns (Sterna paradisaea) are considered to have the longest migration of all the animals on our planet. In a single year, an arctic tern will travel from their breeding grounds in the arctic which include Northern European and Siberian islands and peninsulas, northern parts of North America, Iceland, and Greenland to their summer vacation spot in the antarctic including the Weddell Sea. Does that mean they give a point to Antarctica? What does that make… like two? We need to cover some more frozen wilderness kinds of animals on this show! Anyway, altogether in a year, an arctic tern may travel a distance of approximately 50,000 miles (80,467km) an amount that over her lifetime of nearly 30 years would equate to roughly three round trips to the moon. Pft! And we thought moon jellyfish were cool because they’ve been to space! A global migration means arctic terns follow summer around the planet, and, thus, they are considered the animals who see the most sunlight. It’s somehow kind of romantic. Speaking of romance, arctic terns, like many bird species, take their courtship seriously. Males will perform what’s called a “fish flight” where there’s a lot of flying around and screaming with a fish in his mouth before some more screaming on the ground with feather displays to a potential mate. He seals the deal by offering his true love the fish, and if that doesn’t literally scream romance, then I’ve probably been watching too many romcoms. Arctic terns will remain with their same mate for at least the remainder of the breeding season, and some sources claim they’ll mate for life.

Either in it for life or just a year long fling, both parents take part in raising the kids of which there may be anywhere from 1 to 3. Arctic tern eggs are light brown or olive green and have dark splotchy speckles. Mom and Pop will take turns incubating the eggs for approximately 22 days, and you better believe they’ll defend their family. Arctic terns are so defensive of their nests that some other bird species will build their nests close to arctic terns just to get some protection. Sounds like a double-edged sword to me, but hey, whatever twitters your tweeter. Just a bit of bird humor. (I’m sorry.) Arctic tern hatchlings will stay in the nest under the protection of their parents for another 20 and some odd days at which point they’ll have learned to fly, or have fledged. They’ll stick around for another month or two, but then they’re on their own. Arctic terns don’t start breeding until they’re about three years old, so they’ll fly solo for a little while before settling down. Well, okay, an arctic tern never technically settles down, I mean that whole longest migration thing and all, but you get what I’m saying.

Arctic terns prefer to stay close to water either on the coast of oceans, near inland lakes, or even ice floes and islands which help to keep them away from potential predators - potential predators being, foxes, minks, rats, and other seabirds like skuas. Arctic terns need to be near water because their main sources of food are fish and crustaceans; they’ll also eat insects if the weather’s right for that kind of delicacy. Yumm! Arctic terns catch fish by hovering over the water and diving in. (splash sound)

Arctic terns are whitish gray in color with blood red beaks and feet and a little black hat of feathers atop their heads. They also have long tail feathers that split apart which has earned them the nickname the swallow of the sea. Arctic terns are often confused with common terns who look really similar, but common terns have longer, more orange colored beaks tipped with black, and they are found in areas much further South than arctic terns, though the two species are seen together. Arctic terns have a 30 inch (76.2cm) wingspan and weigh just over two tenths of a pound (90.7g) on average. That’s close to the weight of a single banana, for reference. I love how light birds are.

For more facts on arctic terns, check out the links in the description. There’s also a link in the description to the sound arctic terns make! Give a thumbs up if you liked this video, and we’ll see you next time on Animal Fact Files!