Tern breeding numbers a record
The slim gull-like seabirds, with black skull-caps, arrive here in spring. Their nick-name ‘sea-swallows’ is apt; terns have long tail streamers, short legs and seem more at home in the air than on the ground. Some species travel even greater distances than swallows. For most Irish species, the West African coast is the holiday destination of choice but Arctic terns may go all the way to Antarctica. They see more daylight hours than any other creature.
Five tern species breed in Ireland. You won’t see any of them here during winter, although a misguided sandwich tern occasionally shows up. The name, incidentally, has nothing to do with what the Wall Street Journal termed ‘Britain’s biggest contribution to gastronomy’. Our largest tern is called after the town in Kent where it was first described.
