terns Definition

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

a Holarctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) that breeds in arctic regions and migrates to southern Africa and South America

a very small black-capped tern (Sterna antillarum) with a white body and forehead that is found chiefly in coastal areas of eastern North America and California

a medium-sized tern (Sterna dougallii) that is widespread at sea and in coastal areas of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans and that has a faint roseate tinge to the breast in the breeding season

a widely distributed tern (Sterna fuscata) of tropical oceans that is blackish above and white below —called also wideawake