Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)

The Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) belongs to the family Sternidae. The body of this bird is pale gray, the beak is red with a black tip, and the legs are orange, while the head has a black cap. It is 34 to 37 [cm] long and has a wingspan of 70 to 80 [cm]. It nests in small hollows on sand or dry ground, where it lays 2 ÷ 4 eggs in the period from May to June. It feeds on fish and aquatic invertebrates.   The Common Tern nests in most of Europe, Asia and North America, except in the northernmost and southernmost parts of the continents. Plants from Europe spend the winter along the coast of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It is found in NP Ezerani from the beginning of April to the end of August, and it regularly nests in NP Ezerani. In 1993, a colony of about 30 nesting pairs was spotted in a fishpond near the village of Asamati. In addition to the Common Tern, in NP Ezerani is registered the Little Tern (Sternula albifrons), which is smaller (body length of 21 ÷ 25 [cm], wingspan of 41 ÷ 47 [cm]), has a white spot on the forehead and yellow beak. There are no data on the presence of nest pairs of Little Tern in NP Ezerani. The Common Tern is listed in Annex I of the Birds Directive and Annex II of the Bern Convention.