Antarctic Tern vs Common Tern

Sterna vittata compared with Sterna hirundo

Key Differences

• Antarctic Tern is Least Concern while Common Tern is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Antarctic Tern	Common Tern
Kingdom same	Animalia (động vật)	Animalia (động vật)
Phylum same	Chordata (động vật có dây sống)	Chordata (động vật có dây sống)
Class same	Aves (chim)	Aves (chim)
Order same	Charadriiformes (Bộ Choi choi)	Charadriiformes (Bộ Choi choi)
Family same	Laridae	Laridae
Genus same	Sterna	Sterna
Species	Sterna vittata	Sterna hirundo

Evolutionary Relationship

Antarctic Tern and Common Tern share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Sterna.

Conservation Status

Antarctic Tern

LC — Least Concern

Common Tern

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Antarctic Tern	Common Tern
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Antarctic Tern

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Norway.

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.

Antarctic Tern

The Antarctic Tern (Sterna vittata) is a species in the genus Sterna. It is currently classified as Least Concern 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