This graceful tern, with its aerodynamic body and streamlined wings, is infrequently seen from land in Oregon. It is most often encountered at sea as it makes one of the most incredible journeys in the animal kingdom, migrating from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back again each year, a journey of nearly 22,000 miles.

A medium-sized bird with a reddish bill, it has a black cap and nape, and a white throat and cheek shading to a light gray body.

It is a common offshore transient in Oregon waters and an occasional migrant along the coast. The bulk of the population is thought to migrate 10-40 miles from land.

Hear the call of the Arctic tern

Photo by Jan Preston, Flickr