Black-bellied Tern vs Common Tern

Sterna acuticauda compared with Sterna hirundo

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-bellied Tern	Common Tern
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order same	Charadriiformes (Charadriiformes)	Charadriiformes (Charadriiformes)
Family same	Laridae	Laridae
Genus same	Sterna	Sterna
Species	Sterna acuticauda	Sterna hirundo

Evolutionary Relationship

Black-bellied Tern and Common Tern share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Sterna.

Conservation Status

Black-bellied Tern

EN — Endangered

Common Tern

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-bellied Tern	Common Tern
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-bellied Tern

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Found in Norway. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Tern

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, flooded grasslands and savannas, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 9 distinct biome types spanning the Neotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (7 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Black-bellied Tern

The Black-bellied Tern (Sterna acuticauda) is a species in the genus Sterna. It is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Common Tern

Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List. At high risk of extinction in the wild, with significant population decline and ongoing threats to survival.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway