Common Tern

The Common Tern is a slender, long-winged tern with pale grey upperparts, whitish underparts, a black cap and a deeply forked tail. Breeding adults have orange-red legs and usually a red bill tipped black, although bill colour varies among subspecies. When perched, the tail does not project beyond the folded wingtips, unlike the longer-tailed Arctic and Roseate terns. Non-breeding adults develop a white forehead and darker bill, while juveniles show a brown crown, ginger-scaled upperparts and a dark carpal bar. (Wikipedia, Common Tern account)

Common Terns breed beside fresh or salt water on beaches, islands and other flat, sparsely vegetated ground, and will also use artificial rafts. The shallow scrape may be bare or lined with nearby debris. Both parents incubate up to three camouflaged eggs for roughly 21–22 days; chicks usually fledge after another 22–28 days. Adults feed mainly by plunge-diving for fish, although crustaceans, molluscs and other invertebrates can be important. Strong migration links northern breeding areas with tropical and subtropical coasts in winter. (Wikipedia, Common Tern account)