Common terns nest on Assateague and may be best spotted from spring through fall (most winter from Florida southward).

It's seldom that you can cross the small bridge to Assateague where this photo was taken without spotting several terns eyeing the water from the bridge-side. Terns feed on small fish which they catch with a sudden, arrow-like plunge. Sometimes they will even swim a few feet under water to catch their prey.

The common tern, one of about 50 species of terns worldwide, grows to 16 inches and has a redish-orange bill with a black tip. They breed once a year, nest in colonies, and the female lays about three buff-tinted eggs in her nest set in a depression on the ground near the water. The eggs hatch in about three to four weeks.

Common Tern Call (.wav format)
(Sound source: Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, United States Department of the Interior)