Tern

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/tern

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Family Sternidae
2. What do terns look like and why are they good at flying?Terns have slender bodies, long pointed wings, and deeply forked tails. These features let them glide smoothly and hover in the air, making their flight very graceful.
3. How do terns catch fish?Terns spot fish from high above, hover over the water, then dive straight down. Their sharp bills grab the slippery fish before they surface.

Sternidae: The scientific family name for terns, a group of seabirds closely related to skimmers and auks.
Piscivore: An organism whose diet consists almost exclusively of fish.
Pole-to-pole Migration: An annual migratory pattern covering vast distances between the Arctic and Antarctic regions, exemplified by the Arctic Tern.
Colonial Nesting: A breeding strategy where individuals of the same species nest in close proximity, forming large colonies for mutual protection.