🦉 The common tern (Sterna hirundo)
📚 Sterna stearn, starn (Old English) tern
📚 hirundo (Latin) swallow
These graceful birds are similar to seagulls, but have sharper and longer feathers. they arrive somewhere in mid or early May, depending on the weather, and on whether the snow has melted on the river or not. Unlike seagulls, which can already be seen at the end of April.
These birds feed mainly on fish. In search of prey, they fly over the river at a height of several meters and look out for fish. Seeing food, they hover in the air, fluttering their wings, and then taking aim either grab the fish from the surface of the water, or dive after it until it is completely immersed.