Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Sternidae
Genus: Sterna
Species: hirundo

Description
The Common Tern has a white body with the upper part of the wings and the abdomens being light grey. The bird has a black cap and orange legs and bill; very often there is a black tip to the bill.
Although it inhabits the coast this bird does not use the sea for resting since its plumage is not waterproof. After each dive it returns to land to shake the saltwater off its feathers.

Distribution
This species is broadly distributed around Europe and the world. In Madeira it is a migratory bird that comes to nest in the summer in small numbers throughout all the islands of the archipelago. The Common Tern usually reaches Madeira in March and in mid-September.

Habitat
Although it is not an exclusively coastal species, on Madeira this bird tends to stay far away from human settlements and concentrates on small islands and coastal areas.

Breeding
In the Madeira archipelago, its nests, scrapes on the ground, are built on islands and rocky cliffs. The Common Tern nests between May and June, laying 2 to 4 eggs in each annual clutch. The eggs are incubated mainly by the female and hatch in about 20 days.

Madeiran name: Garajau comum
Madeira Archipelago migrant breeder
Social: Flocks
Length: 31 – 35 cm
Status: Secure