Species
Arctic Tern
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A small seabird that breeds across the high Arctic and sub-Arctic in the northern summer and then flies to the edge of the Antarctic pack ice for the southern summer, completing the longest annual migration of any known animal, a round trip that satellite tracking has measured at roughly 70,000 to 90,000 kilometers for some individuals that do not fly a direct route. Because it experiences two summers a year, one at each pole, an Arctic tern sees more daylight annually than any other creature on Earth. It nests in loose colonies on open ground, defending its nest aggressively against intruders including much larger animals, and feeds mainly by plunge-diving for small fish near the surface.
Facts
Disputed
Population EstimatePublished global estimates range roughly from one to two million mature individuals; the wide range reflects how difficult it is to census a species that breeds in scattered, often remote colonies across the entire circumpolar Arctic, so the lower, more conservative figure is recorded here rather than a false precise midpoint. Scientific Name Conservation StatusGlobal population is very large and the species is not considered at risk overall, though some regional breeding colonies are declining, which the global assessment folds into a wide confidence range rather than a precise trend. Cross-Tradition Connections
Demonstrates
In Biome
In Ecosystem
Audubon's own text names the Antarctic broadly rather than the Peninsula by name; the Arctic tern's pole-to-pole migration takes it into Antarctic waters including the Peninsula region during the austral summer.
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