Mating Habits of the Artic Tern

These wily birds live in the Artic, why they would choose the Artic, and how they are able to mate in such conditions defy logic, however, we'd be all the wiser if learned the mating habits of the Artic Tern.

Two Arctic TernsThe Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a circumpolar breeding distribution covering the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America (as far south as Brittany and Massachusetts). The species is strongly migratory, seeing two summers each year as it migrates from its northern breeding grounds along a winding route to the oceans around Antarctica and back, a round trip of about 70,900 km (c. 44,300 miles) each year.^[3] This is by far the longest regular migration by any known animal. The Arctic Tern flies as well as glides through the air, performing almost all of its tasks in the air. It nests once every one to three years (depending on its mating cycle); once it has finished nesting it takes to the sky for another long southern migration.

Breeding begins around the third or fourth year.^[13] Arctic Terns mate for life, and in most cases, return to the same colony each year.^[14] Courtship is elaborate, especially in birds nesting for the first time.^[15] Courtship begins with a so-called "high flight", where a female will chase the male to a high altitude and then slowly descend. This display is followed by "fish flights", where the male will offer fish to the female. Courtship on the ground involves strutting with a raised tail and lowered wings. After this, both birds will usually fly and circle each other.^[15]

Both sexes agree on a site for a nest, and both will defend the site. During this time, the male continues to feed the female. Mating occurs shortly after this.^[15] Breeding takes place in colonies on coasts, islands and occasionally inland on tundra near water. It often forms mixed flocks with the Common Tern. It lays from one to three eggs per clutch, most often two.^[8]

^{As we can see we should all be impressed by the mating habits of the Artic Tern and how they maybe small in number when compared to the entire population of birds are still important to a significant amount of people.}