Stem Connection_Tern Bird

Seasonal Weather Changes

Would you like summer to last all year? If so, you have something in common with a long-distance champion! The Arctic tern is a bird that migrates farther than any other kind of bird. It travels from one end of Earth to the other, and again, every year.

Each April or May, Arctic terns arrive in the Arctic.

It is summer there. The sun shines all day and night. The terns lay their eggs in nests on the ground. Their chicks hatch in about three weeks.

Multiple Choice

What do terns do exceptionally?

• They make the longest migration.

• They eat the most food.

• They can swim in the deepest ocean.

Multiple Choice

When do terns arrive in the Arctic?

• In November or December

• In January or February

• In April or May

Multiple Choice

What is the season when terns arrive in the Arctic?

• winter

• summer

• autumn

Multiple Choice

Where do terns lay eggs?

• in the air

• on the ground

• on a tree

Multiple Choice

About how many weeks before the chicks of terns hatch?

• two weeks

• three weeks

• four weeks

The parents can be seen diving headfirst into frigid waters to catch fish for the young. In just a few weeks as cooler weather is near, the young terns will travel all the way to Antarctica where summer is just beginning. That is a 20,000 kilometer (12,400-mile) trip! When summer at Antartica ends, teh terns fly all the way back for the Artic summer.

Multiple Choice

'frigid waters' mean

• boiling water

• hot water

• very cold water

Multiple Choice

How far will terns travel all the way to Antartica to experience summer?

• about 20,000 kilometers

• about 2,000 kilometers

• about 200 kilometers

Multiple Choice

What do terns do when summer in Antartica ends?

• They fly back to the Arctic.

• They hide in Antartica.

• They hibernate in Antartica.