Arctic tern

or arctic tern

noun

1. a tern, Sterna paradisaea, resembling the common tern, that breeds in Arctic and north temperate regions and winters in Antarctic regions.

arctic tern

noun

1. a black-capped tern, Sterna paradisea, that breeds in the Arctic and then migrates as far south as the Antarctic

Word History and Origins

Origin of Arctic tern¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

The new entries include the Arctic tern, known for its incredible migration, the giant skua, or pirate of the sea, and two types of gull.

From BBC

The polar bears pop up from their winter lairs, the arctic tern soar back from their long journey south and the musk oxen wade north.

From Science Daily

"I walked past one of my Arctic tern nests. The chick was so close to fledging, and it had obviously just died. I was doing my daily check and the adult was kind of just sat there thinking, 'what do I do now?' It was kind of gut wrenching," she said.

From BBC

More Arctic tern pairs moved here this year to nest, compared to last year, but the breeding ground looked empty the last time we were there.

From BBC

Great black-backed gull, Arctic tern, common guillemot and puffin have also tested positive.

From BBC