Common Tern vs Forster's Tern

Sterna hirundo compared with Sterna forsteri

Key Differences

• Common Tern is Endangered while Forster's Tern is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Tern	Forster's 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 hirundo	Sterna forsteri

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Tern and Forster's Tern share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Sterna.

Conservation Status

Common Tern

EN — Endangered

Forster's Tern

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Tern	Forster's Tern
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic 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.

Forster's Tern

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Colombia, Norway, Sweden, and United States.

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 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇨🇴 Colombia 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States