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Articles from Britannica encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- tern - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
The slim, graceful birds known as terns can fly great distances. The Arctic tern makes a longer annual migration than any other bird-a round trip of about 20,000 miles (32,000 kilometers) between the Arctic and Antarctica. Enjoying the long summer days in both regions, this tern sees more daylight than any other creature on Earth.
- tern - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
Among the most common slender, graceful water birds of ocean and coastal zones distributed worldwide are terns. The largest number of species is found in the Pacific Ocean. Many terns travel long distances, the most notable being the Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea). The Arctic tern breeds in the southerly reaches of the Arctic and winters in Antarctic regions, thus making the longest annual migration of any bird. About 40 species of terns constitute the subfamily Sterninae, of the family Laridae, which also includes the gulls.