The Common Tern 
hundred feet. But loafing is really Forsters’ forte. They will stand 
around by the hour on fence-posts, in amiable listlessness, or they will 
foregather with their fellows in measureless content upon some low-lying 
mud-reef. Really, now, it rests the mind merely to recall these lazy 
Lazzaroni. 
No. 287 
Common Tern 
A. O. U. No. 70. Sterna hirundo Linnaeus. 
Synonyms.— Wilson’s Tern. Sea Swallow. 
Description. —Adult in summer: Top of head and nape uniform deep black; 
back and wings pearl-gray; wing-quills dusky, more or less overlaid with silver, except 
on outer web of outer primary; the inner half of inner webs sharply white, but not 
reaching tip; rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail (basally and centrally) white; tail 
deeply forked, the outer pair of feathers elongated and narrowly tapering, but not, 
or barely, reaching the tips of closed wings; their outer webs abruptly grayish dusky, 
contrasting with white of inner webs; the succeeding pair also similarly marked; under¬ 
parts white, strongly tinged, except on throat, crissum, and wing-linings, with pale 
pearl-gray or lavender-gray. Bill vermilion-red, blackening on tip; feet orange- 
vermilion. Adult in winter: Similar, but black cap imperfect, invaded by white on 
forehead and decreasingly on crown; underparts paler, or pure white. Bill and feet 
not so bright. Young (in August): Forehead and lores ashy gray; region about 
eyes, hind-crown, and nape leaden black; back, scapulars, and wings pearl-gray, each 
feather tipped with brownish buff and mingled subterminally with brownish dusky, 
forming a strong bar; upper tail-coverts and tail lighter pearl-gray, the central feathers 
of the latter tipped with buffy; the anterior lesser wing-coverts bluish dusky, with 
narrow ashy edgings; edge of wing and quills plumbeous-gray; underparts white. 
Length 330.2-406.4 (13.00-16.00); wing 273 (10.75); tail 127-152.4 (5.00-6.00); bill 
35.7 (1.41), depth at angle 6.7 (.26); tarsus 20.3 (.80). 
Recognition Marks. —Little Hawk or Crow size; black cap; pearl-gray mantle; 
deeply forked tail; extensive white, or pale grayish plumage; graceful flight. Known 
from the preceding species by outer pair of tail-feathers dark on the outer instead of the 
inner web; underparts not pure white in breeding season. Bill tipped with black as 
distinguished from next species. 
Nesting. —Not known to breed in California. Nests: In colonies, on beach 
shingle, or in grass of low islands, lined or not, with bits of bark, grass, etc. Eggs: 
2 or 3, rarely 4; very variable in ground-color—olive-buff, greenish or pinkish olive-buff 
to dark olive-buff, sharply spotted or small-blotched with black or brownish black 
with self-tones of bister and much undershell marking of violet-gray or pale violet-gray. 
Av. of 30 sets from Cobb’s Island in the M. C. O. coll.: 41.9 x 30.8 (1.65 x 1.21); index 
73. Season: June; one brood. 
General Range. —Nearly cosmopolitan, but breeding only in temperate portions 
of Northern Llemisphere. In America breeds from Great Slave Lake, central Keewatin, 
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