The Arctic tern makes the longest annual migration of any bird, traveling between Arctic breeding grounds and Antarctic waters.
Arctic terns breed across the northern regions of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, including Greenland, Iceland, Scandinavia, Siberia, Alaska, and northern Canada. After breeding, they travel south to the Antarctic region, where they spend the southern summer.
The route is not always a straight line. Many birds follow productive ocean areas and prevailing winds, producing a zigzag journey that can total roughly 40,000 kilometres or more each year. Some tracked individuals have covered substantially greater distances.
This migration gives the species more daylight than any other animal experiences annually. The Arctic tern is sometimes confused with the common tern, but its red bill, deeply forked tail, and polar-to-polar journey distinguish it. It returns north to breed during the Arctic summer, completing one of nature’s most remarkable seasonal cycles.