No excess baggage allowed
Arctic Terns have short legs. Comically short legs. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
They need as little excess baggage as possible for their epic migration. They complete the longest annual migration of any living animal, flying tens of thousands of miles a year from pole to pole. The survival rate of those birds with slightly longer legs was clearly not as high, due to either cold or weight.
They’re fine-tuned survivalists.
More Arctic Terns
Arctic Tern feeding A memory of last summer with the Arctic Terns of Westray. There were so few chicks in this colony that… read more
An Arctic Tern colony There's an Arctic Tern colony on Westray which is next to a road with a couple of parking spaces. It's… read more
An Arctic Tern with a Lumpfish Lumpfish grow to be large fish, sometimes washed up on the beaches of Westray. To see them as tiny fish,… read more
Fish on parade The Arctic Terns which breed on Westray come back with a constant procession of fish and then parade them up… read more
Time, slowed Arctic Terns live their lives in a rush. They've got to get their family ready for a journey from pole… read more
First flight I watched an Arctic Tern colony struggle to raise chicks over the last summer. There was plenty of food, although… read more
Fish from a stranger What happens when your colony collapses, your numbers are too low and you can't protect your chicks from predators? What… read more
Feeding time One of the most interesting aspects of bird behaviour is watching parents feeding their young. In this case, I can't… read more