New DiBird mobile app is now available — iOS & Android
Better on the app — your life list in your pocket. Download DiBird free
Common Tern / Sterna hirundo LC
- Synonyms Sea-swallow, Black-billed Common Tern
- Old latin name for bird Sterna fluviatilis
Common Ternbird sounds *
Paused...
* All sounds were found via Xeno-canto.org API
Related species

Forster's Tern

Black-bellied Tern

South American Tern

River Tern

Kerguelen Tern

Arctic Tern

Snowy-crowned Tern

White-cheeked Tern
Where to see Common Tern
- Breeding region Eurasia, North America
- Breeding subregion widespread, subarctic, temperate, and locally tropical Northern Hemisphere
- Non breeding region widespread coasts to s South America, s Africa, w Madagascar, and s Australia
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Angola
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Aruba
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Belize
- Benin
- Bermuda
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Brazil
- British Indian Ocean Territory
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Burundi
- Cabo Verde
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Cayman Islands
- Chile
- China
- Christmas Island
- Cocos (Keeling) Islands
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Congo
- Congo (the Democratic Republic of the)
- Cook Islands
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Curaçao
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Denmark
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Estonia
- Ethiopia
- Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
- Faroe Islands
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- French Guiana
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Gibraltar
- Greece
- Greenland
- Grenada
- Guadeloupe
- Guam
- Guatemala
- Guernsey
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Isle of Man
- Israel
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jersey
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Liberia
- Libya
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macao
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Martinique
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mayotte
- Mexico
- Micronesia (Federated States of)
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Montserrat
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- North Korea
- North Macedonia
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Palestine, State of
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Puerto Rico
- Qatar
- Romania
- Russia
- Réunion
- Saint Barthélemy
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Martin (French part)
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Samoa
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Sint Maarten (Dutch part)
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Svalbard and Jan Mayen
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States Minor Outlying Islands
- United States of America
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Virgin Islands (British)
- Virgin Islands (U.S.)
- Western Sahara
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Åland Islands
Common Tern subspecies (4)
| Subspecies | Breeding subregion | Nonbreeding subregion | Extinct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sterna hirundo hirundo | Azores, Madeira and Canary Is. (Macaronesia, w of nw Africa); Tunisia (n Africa), Mauritania and Senegal (w Africa); inland Europe (except Arctic) to nw Siberia and w China; inland Northwest Territories to Montana, James Bay and se Canada and New England, coastal w North Atlantic to South Carolina; Bahamas (erratic), and islands n of Venezuela | s oceans | No |
| Sterna hirundo longipennis | ne Siberia s to Kamchatka, Sakhalin, Ussuriland and e Mongolia to ne China | se Asia and Philippines to Australia | No |
| Sterna hirundo minussensis | c, s Siberia s to Transbaikalia, s Russian Altai and sc Mongolia | Indian Ocean | No |
| Sterna hirundo tibetana | c Asia to Xinjiang (w China) e to nw Inner Mongolia, s through Tibetan Plateau from e Ladakh to Qinghai | e Indian Ocean | No |
Species Name in Other Languages
| Language | Translation |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | Gewone Seeswael (Gewone Sterretjie), Gewone Sterretjie, Gewone Seeswael |
| Albanian | Dallëndyshe e zakonshme deti |
| Arabic | خطاف البحر, خرشنة شائعة, الخرشنة الشائعة الجنة, الخرشنة الشائعة |
| Armenian | Գետային Ջրածիծառ, [Getayin Jratsitsar ] |
| Azerbaijani | çay su qaranquşu, adi su qaranquşu, Çay sternası, Çay susüpürəni, adi susüpürən |
| Bashkir | ҡарабаш сарлаҡ, ҡарабаш аҡсарлаҡ , йылға аҡсарлағы , йылға сарлағы, керелдәк сарлаҡ |
| Basque | Txenada, Txenada arrunt, Txenada arrunta, Xatrac comú |
| Belarusian | Рачная крычка, Крычка рачная |
| Bengali | পাতি পানচিল, াচত ানচচর |
| Breton | Skravig boutin, Perig, Scravig, Gwennili-mor, Skravig, Ar skravig boutin, Skrav |
| Bulgarian | Речна рибарка |
| Catalan | xatrac comú, Llambritja, Curroc |
| Chinese | 长翅海燕, [chang-chi hai-yan], 普通燕鸥, 燕鷗, 普通燕鷗, [yan-ou], [putong yan-ou] |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 普通燕鷗, 燕鷗, 長翅海燕 |
| Chuvash | юханшыв крачки, ахаль шывчĕкеç, шыв чĕкеçĕ |
| Cornish | Morwennol |
| Cree | taskateneoo kiask |
| Croatian | Crvenokljuna Cigra, crvenokljuna čigra |
| Czech | rybák obecný |
| Danish | Fjordterne |
| Dutch | Visdief, Visdiefje |
| Esperanto | Hirunda ŝterno |
| Estonian | Jogitiir, jõgitiir |
| Faroese | Kriterna |
| Finnish | kalatiira |
| French | Sterne hirondelle, Hirondelle de mer, Sterne commune, Pierre-Garin, Sterne pierregarin |
| Frisian | Wytstirns |
| Galician | Xatrac comú, Carrán común |
| Georgian | მდინარის თევზიყლაპია, ჩვეულებრივი თევზიყლაპია |
| German | Fluss-Seeschwalbe, Flussseeschwalbe, Flußseeschwalbe |
| Greek | Ποταμόγλαρονο, Ποταμογλάρονο, Θαλασσοχελιδόνα, Πoταμoγλάρovo |
| Guarani | Atî |
| Hebrew | שחפית ים |
| Hungarian | küszvágó csér |
| Icelandic | Sílaþerna |
| Indonesian | Dara laut biasa, Dara laut hirunda, Burung Dara Laut Biasa, Daralaut Biasa, Dara-laut biasa, Burung Dara-laut Biasa |
| Irish | Geabhróg |
| Italian | Sterna comune |
| Japanese | アジサシ |
| Kazakh | өзен қарқылдағы, Єзен қарқылдағы, кәдімгі қырқылдақ, өзен қарқылдақ шағаласы, өзен шағаласы |
| Korean | 제비갈매기 |
| Latvian | upes zīriņš |
| Lithuanian | upinė žuvėdra, Kirlė, Upine žuvedra |
| Luxembourgish | Flossséischmuewel |
| Macedonian | речна чигра, Речна рибарка, Обична вртимушка |
| Malay | Burung Camar, Camar Siput, Burung Camar Siput |
| Malayalam | ചോരക്കാലി ആള |
| Maltese | Ċirlewwa tal-Baħar, Cirlewwa tal-Bahar |
| Manx | Spithag, Gibbyn Gant, Sternag chadjin, Gollan marrey, Spyrryd |
| Mongolian | хараацай цахлай, хараацайлаг цахлай, Хараалай, Эгэл хараалай |
| Nepali | वायु ङ्घयालङ्घयाले |
| Northern Sami | Guollečearret, Mákreallacearret |
| Norwegian | makrellterne |
| Norwegian Nynorsk | Makrellterne |
| Persian | پرستو دریایی معمولی, پرستودریایی معمولی |
| Polish | Rybitwa różowa, rybitwa rzeczna, Rybitwa pospolita, Rybitwa rózowa, Rybitwa zwyczajna |
| Portuguese | Andorinha-do-mar-comum, Gaivina, Inha-do-mar-comum, andorinha do mar comum, trinta-réis, Trinta-réis-de-bico-preto, Garajau-comum, Trinta-réis-boreal, Gaivina-comum, andorinha-do-mar-comum, Trinta-réis-boreal / Gaivina |
| Romanian | Chiră de baltă |
| Romansh | Pestgarel da flum |
| Russian | Обыкновенная крачка, Крачка речная, Rechnaya Krachka, Речная крачка |
| Serbian | Обична чигра, Obična čigra, obicna cigra |
| Slovak | rybár riečny, Rybár obyčajný |
| Slovenian | navadna čigra, navadna cigra |
| Spanish | Gaviotín pico grueso, Gaviotín boreal, Charrán piquinegro, Gaviotín, Gaviota Común, Gaviotín Común, Golondrina de Mar, Visdief, Gaviota golondrina común, Charrán pico grueso, Charrán común, Golondrina-marina Común, Gaviotín golondrina |
| Swahili | Shakwe Mbayuwayu |
| Swedish | fisktärna |
| Tamil | Aala, [Kadal kuruvi] |
| Tatar | елга акчарлагы |
| Thai | นกนางนวลแกลบทะเล, นกนางนวลแกลบธรรมดา |
| Turkish | Deniz-kırlangıcı, Өзен қарқылдақ, Sumru |
| Turkmen | derýa çerigi |
| Ukrainian | Річковий крячок, крячок річковий, Крячок річковий |
| Uzbek | сув чигиртчиси, дарѐ чигиртчиси, оддий чигиртчи |
| Vietnamese | Chim Nhàn, Nhàn, Chim Nhàn thường |
| Welsh | Ysgraell, Gwennol-y-môr, Morwennol gyffredin, Môr-wennol gyffredin, Ysgrechen |
| Xhosa | Unothenteza |



















