Illustration of tern
: any of various chiefly marine birds (subfamily Sterninae of the family Laridae and especially genus Sterna) that differ from the related gulls in usually smaller size, a more slender build, a sharply pointed bill, narrower wings, and an often forked tail
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Wild birds like ducks, geese, swans, storks, plovers, sandpipers, gulls and terns are all susceptible to bird flu.
—
Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 24 Jan. 2025
The tiny island is home to brown and white pelicans, roseate spoonbills, owls, ospreys, terns, herons, egrets, and other shore birds.
—Kara Franker, Southern Living, 4 Jan. 2025
The Whiskered tern suffered a hard, head-first crash landing on this rock.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
In all, birders on the October tour spotted (or overheard) 78 different bird species: Royal terns, buffleheads, trumpeter swans, American-Golden plovers.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 3 Nov. 2024
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Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 24 Jan. 2025
The tiny island is home to brown and white pelicans, roseate spoonbills, owls, ospreys, terns, herons, egrets, and other shore birds.
—Kara Franker, Southern Living, 4 Jan. 2025
The Whiskered tern suffered a hard, head-first crash landing on this rock.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
In all, birders on the October tour spotted (or overheard) 78 different bird species: Royal terns, buffleheads, trumpeter swans, American-Golden plovers.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 3 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tern
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“Tern.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tern. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
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tern
noun
: any of numerous sea birds that often have a forked tail, black cap, and white or gray body and that in comparison to the related gulls have a smaller and slenderer body and bill and narrower wings
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