Arctic tern life habits

In Antarctica, the most impressive animal is naturally the penguin. In the Arctic, it is not the polar bears that are awe-inspiring, but the Arctic terns. Although penguins are friendly and naive, they look a little silly; while arctic terns, although small and exquisite, are strong and powerful and can often give people passion.

arctic tern

common seagull

Arctic terns can be said to be the king of birds. They breed in the Arctic, but they go to the Antarctic to overwinter. They travel back and forth between the two poles once a year, covering a distance of tens of thousands of kilometers. Although human beings are the masters of all things and have built very modern aircraft, it is not easy to travel back and forth between the two poles. Therefore, the spirit and courage of terns in pursuit of light without fear of hardships are particularly worth learning from humans. Because they always spend their days in the summer at the poles, and the sun never sets in the summer at the poles, they are the only creatures on the earth that always live in the light. Not only that, they also have very tenacious vitality. In 1970, someone caught a tern with a band on its leg. It turned out that the band had been put on in 1936. In other words, this Arctic tern has lived for at least 34 years. From this calculation, it will fly at least more than 1.5 million kilometers in its lifetime.

Sebeni's gull, which overwinters in Africa and South America and breeds in Alaska

Arctic terns not only have extraordinary flying abilities, but they are also aggressive and brave. Although they often quarrel and fight among their internal neighbors, once they encounter an invasion from a foreign enemy, they immediately put aside their past grievances and act unanimously against the outside world. In fact, they often gather in large groups of thousands for collective defense. Minks and foxes like to steal the eggs and young of Arctic terns, but in the face of such a powerful camp, they often shrink back, stay away, and think twice before they act. Not only these small animals, even the most powerful polar bear in the Arctic is afraid of them. Someone once saw such a thrilling scene: On a small island, a hungry polar bear was trying to quietly approach a colony of Arctic terns. However, its tall body revealed itself prematurely. At this time, the quarreling terns suddenly quieted down, then flew high and attacked in turn, frequently diving towards the polar bear and pecking at the bear's head with their hard beaks like raindrops. Although the polar bear is ferocious, it has no ability to fight back. It can only parry, but has no power to fight back. It can only shake its head, stand on tiptoe, and scurry away.

To prevent sneak attacks from foxes, arctic kittiwakes build their nests on cliffs

ivory tern

The tern is also a beautiful bird. Its long beak and feet are bright red, as if they were carved from ruby. The top of the head is black, like wearing a woolen hat. The feathers on the body are gray-white, and if viewed from above, they blend in with the color of the sea. The feathers under the body are all black. If the fish in the sea look up from below, it is difficult to find their traces. Coupled with the pointed wings and long tail, it embodies the ingenious carving and perfect conception of nature. It can be said that the Arctic tern is a mythical creature of the Arctic!

animal tags： seagull tern