roseate tern
noun
: a medium-sized tern (Sterna dougallii) that is widespread at sea and in coastal areas of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans and that has a faint roseate tinge to the breast in the breeding season
Examples of roseate tern in a Sentence
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In recent years, the refuge has provided important resting, feeding, and nesting habitat for many species of wading birds, shorebirds, songbirds and terns, including the endangered roseate tern.
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Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 31 July 2025
Several species, including black skimmers, least terns, roseate terns and American oystercatchers, have taken to nesting on the plentiful gravel rooftops of buildings near the waterfront.
—Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2024
One endangered species being monitored is the roseate tern on Buzzards Bay off the coast of Massachusetts.
—New York Times, 17 June 2022
Sightings at Race Point in Provincetown included a royal tern, 5 parasitic jaegers, 1,100 laughing gulls, 2 least terns, 175 roseate terns, 2,800 common terns, 4 species of shearwater, and 2 common ravens.
—BostonGlobe.com, 24 Sep. 2019
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Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 31 July 2025
Several species, including black skimmers, least terns, roseate terns and American oystercatchers, have taken to nesting on the plentiful gravel rooftops of buildings near the waterfront.
—Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2024
One endangered species being monitored is the roseate tern on Buzzards Bay off the coast of Massachusetts.
—New York Times, 17 June 2022
Sightings at Race Point in Provincetown included a royal tern, 5 parasitic jaegers, 1,100 laughing gulls, 2 least terns, 175 roseate terns, 2,800 common terns, 4 species of shearwater, and 2 common ravens.
—BostonGlobe.com, 24 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Roseate tern.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roseate%20tern. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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