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tern

tern common name for a sea bird of the Old and New Worlds, smaller than the related gull . Because of their graceful flight and their long pointed wings and forked tails, some terns are called sea swallows. They plunge headlong into the water to catch small fish. The arctic tern migrates from the arctic to the antarctic. American terns include the common, least, Forster's, noddy, sooty, roseate, and royal terns, all of the genus Sterna. Terns are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Charadriiformes, family Laridae.

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tern

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Â© The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

tern sea-bird of the genus Sterna. XVIII. of uncert. orig.

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T. F. HOAD. "tern." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 21 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "tern." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (December 21, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-tern.html

T. F. HOAD. "tern." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved December 21, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-tern.html

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	Roseate Tern Recovery: Progress and Challenges. Magazine article from: Endangered Species Bulletin; 9/1/1998
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