arctic tern

noun

: a Holarctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) that breeds in arctic regions and migrates to southern Africa and South America

Examples of arctic tern in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Also an Iceland gull at Nauset Beach in Orleans, an arctic tern and two Caspian terns at Chapin Beach in Dennis, and two pomarine jaegers at Nauset Light in Eastham and another one at Race Point in Provincetown. BostonGlobe.com, 17 Sep. 2022 Even the name, TernPaks, is meant to elicit both conversation and excitement for children to travel because the product happens to be named after the arctic tern, the animal with the longest migration pattern on Earth. Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 24 May 2021 Some arctic terns migrate pole to pole for breeding and wintering, the longest yearly migration of any bird. National Geographic, 3 Feb. 2020 In its lifetime, each of these arctic terns covers a distance equivalent to three or four round trips to the moon. Quanta Magazine, 7 May 2018 Today, a mated pair of mergansers share this bay of the fjord with splashing arctic terns, recently arrived from waters off Antarctica. Anchorage Daily News, 8 June 2019 The 564-acre marsh adjacent to Turnagain Arm is a magnet for birders, who may encounter trumpeter swans, tundra swans, red-necked grebes, northern pintails, arctic terns and other species amid the marsh's sedges. Mike Campbell, Alaska Dispatch News, 8 Sep. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'arctic tern.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of arctic tern was in 1824

Dictionary Entries Near arctic tern

Cite this Entry

“Arctic tern.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arctic%20tern. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.

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