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Common tern sounds

Sterna hirundo

Listen to 1 recording of the common tern (Sterna hirundo).

Listen to the common tern

Sterna-hirundo-002
1:21

Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.

About the common tern

The common tern is a bird in the family Laridae (order Charadriiformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults have a wingspan of about 88 cm.

What does the common tern sound like?

Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round. Listening for both helps with identification.

From Wikipedia

The common tern (Sterna hirundo) is a seabird in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, its four subspecies breeding in temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly migratory, wintering in coastal tropical and subtropical regions. Breeding adults have light grey upperparts, white to very light grey underparts, a black cap, orange-red legs, and a narrow pointed bill. Depending on the subspecies, the bill may be mostly red with a black tip or all black. There are several similar species, including the partly sympatric Arctic tern, which can be separated on plumage details, leg and bill colour, or vocalisations.

Related birds in the genus Sterna

More from the family Laridae

Frequently asked questions

What does a common tern sound like?

You can hear 1 recording of the common tern on this page. Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round.

Is the common tern endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the common tern as “least concern”.

What family does the common tern belong to?

The common tern (Sterna hirundo) belongs to the family Laridae in the order Charadriiformes.

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