Arctic Tern Migration Facts

Image Drawn by Amelia Bethke

Mating

• The birds are monogamous (they mate for life ).

• They lay an average of 2 eggs every year.

• Do not become sexually mature until 3-4 years of age.
  
  

Feeding

• They are "surface feeders" which means they catch food from the surface of the water.

• They do this using two techniques: skim feeding and plunge-diving.

• Prey includes various species of small fishes, crustaceans, and insects.

• They do not regurgitate to feed young, but instead they bring individual prey items in their bills to the young.
  
  

Migration Cues

• There is not a lot of species-specific information about arctic terns.

• The length of the day is likely a cue for migration.

• Studies found a pelagic bird (called the Manx shearwater) that is similar to the arctic tern to time migration with fall equinox.
  
  

Navigational Mechanisms

• This information has not been studied very much by scientists.

• There are probably many different mechanisms the birds use.

• They may use the sun and stars as a compass (because they migrate both during day and night).

• They may use the magnetic field (angle of inclination for North-South migration).

• They may use route-based navigation.

• They may use path-integration.