Scientific name:
Sterna paradisaea

Natural spread:
Noramerika, Asia, Noreuropa, Greenland

as single type of the terns breeds the 35-38 cm long coast-tern also in arctic coast-areas of Eurasia, Greenland and North America. In addition, its brood-area stretches to the Alëuten as far as to British Columbia, Massachusetts, to the British islands and the continental east and North Sea*-coast as well as as far as to the Brittany southwards. With exception of the Siberian tundras, where it also ventures further into the inland, the coast-tern nests only in Meeresnähe.

Hikes From all birds at all, coast-terns undertake the widest hikes. While still beyond the 82 the most northern hatcheries. Lies degree of latitude, these terns move as far as into antarctic winter-quarters over the entire earth.

Especially in large numbers, they spend the winter at the border of the antarctic pack-ice. The populations of the North American East coast hike over the North-Atlantic to Europe's coasts where they meet the North European brood-birds and move along the coasts of Southern Europe, Africa and South America in the southern polar-sea together. At the cape of the good hope, many animals turn eastward.

In East-Siberia and Alaska of brooding coast-terns against it hikes lengthwise the West coasts of the American doubles-continent as far as to the southern pack-ice-region, spends the winter also already at the coasts of Chile and Argentina, however. Extensive Beringungen of many terns were necessary until one recognized this Zugstrecken.

Coast-terns let themselves distinguish only heavily from this close to relatives river-terns in the field; also, both types agree largely in its brood-biology.

Endangering The coast-tern is on the red list of the endangered types with us.