Common Tern vs Four-toed Hedgehog

Sterna hirundo compared with Atelerix albiventris

Key Differences

• Common Tern is Endangered while Four-toed Hedgehog is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Tern	Four-toed Hedgehog
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Charadriiformes (Charadriiformes)	Erinaceomorpha (Erinaceomorpha)
Family	Laridae	Erinaceidae
Genus	Sterna	Atelerix
Species	Sterna hirundo	Atelerix albiventris

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Tern and Four-toed Hedgehog share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Common Tern

EN — Endangered

Four-toed Hedgehog

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Tern	Four-toed Hedgehog
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.

Four-toed Hedgehog

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Ecuador and Spain.

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:

🇪🇨 Ecuador