Common Tern vs Hare's-tail

Sterna hirundo compared with Lagurus ovatus

Key Differences

• Common Tern is Endangered while Hare's-tail is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Tern	Hare's-tail
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Charadriiformes (Charadriiformes)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Laridae	Cricetidae
Genus	Sterna	Lagurus
Species	Sterna hirundo	Lagurus ovatus

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Tern and Hare's-tail share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Common Tern

EN — Endangered

Hare's-tail

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Tern	Hare's-tail
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.

Hare's-tail

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (India, Japan), Europe (13 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Brazil, Chile, Ecuador).

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 7 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States