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 (동물)	Animalia (동물)
Phylum same	Chordata (척삭동물)	Chordata (척삭동물)
Class same	Aves (새)	Aves (새)
Order same	Charadriiformes (도요목)	Charadriiformes (도요목)
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

제비갈매기(Sterna hirundo)는 IUCN 적색목록에서 위기(EN)로 분류된다. 야생에서 멸종 위험이 높으며 상당한 개체수 감소와 생존을 위협하는 요인들이 지속되고 있다.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

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