Migration of terns Sternidae

MRG has always specialised in ringing terns, mostly as chicks in their colonies, with a few cannon-netted or mist-netted on autumn passage. 1,376 Roseate Terns Sterna dougallii and 1,583 Arctic Terns Sterna paradisaea were ringed from 1959 to 1964 on Anglesey, outside the current area of operations of the Group.

Common Terns Sterna hirundo and Little Terns Sterna albifrons are ringed annually as chicks in their breeding colonies at Shotton and Gronant respectively. The MRG ringing totals are now almost 15,000 Common Terns and nearly 1000 Little Terns.

The maps presented here show just the ringing and finding place of those birds reported from overseas, linked by a line. There is no analysis of age of the bird, season or timing of the movement, and no implication that the line is the track that the bird followed.

Common Tern Sterna hirundo

Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii

Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea

Little Tern Sterna albifrons