A sea bird — slim, black and white, with long narrow pointed wings and a tail that splits into two points, like an open pair of scissors. That forked tail is the thing to look for.

A sea bird一種海鳥——slim, black and white身形細瘦、黑白相間，with long narrow pointed wings有著又長又窄、尖尖的翅膀，and a tail that splits into two points尾巴分岔成兩個尖角，like an open pair of scissors像打開的剪刀一樣。That forked tail那個分岔的尾巴 is the thing to look for就是要辨認的重點。

Terns are lighter and more elegant than gulls, and they fly differently: they hover over the water, then suddenly drop straight down to catch a fish.

Terns terns are lighter and more elegant than gulls比海鷗輕盈、優雅，and而且 they fly differently牠們飛的方式也不一樣：they hover over the water牠們會在水面上方定點盤旋，then然後 suddenly drop straight down突然直直俯衝下去 to catch a fish去抓魚。

Because they look a bit like small graceful gulls, people sometimes call them 'sea swallows' — the forked tail is why.

Because they look a bit like small graceful gulls因為牠們看起來有點像優雅的小海鷗，people sometimes call them 'sea swallows'人們有時候叫牠們'sea swallows'（海燕鷗）——the forked tail is why就是因為那個分岔的尾巴。

Birdwatchers care a lot about telling the different kinds apart: common tern, little tern, Arctic tern. The Arctic tern is the famous one, because it flies from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back every year, the longest migration of any animal on earth.

Birdwatchers賞鳥的人 care a lot about很在意 telling the different kinds apart分辨不同的種類：common tern、little tern、Arctic tern。The Arctic tern Arctic tern（北極燕鷗）is the famous one是最有名的一種，because因為 it flies from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back every year牠每年都從北極飛到南極再飛回來，the longest migration of any animal on earth是地球上所有動物裡遷徙距離最長的。

The word is an ordinary countable noun: a tern, two terns.

The word這個字 is an ordinary countable noun是一個普通的可數名詞：a tern，two terns。

It is not a common word in daily conversation — you meet it in nature writing, on birdwatching trips, and in the news when a breeding site is threatened. Taiwan has terns too; the little tern breeds on some of the coastal sandbars.

It這個字 is not a common word in daily conversation不是日常對話裡常見的字——you meet it你會遇到它 in nature writing, on birdwatching trips,在自然寫作裡、在賞鳥行程裡，and in the news還有在新聞裡 when a breeding site is threatened當某個繁殖地受到威脅的時候。Taiwan has terns too台灣也有燕鷗；the little tern the little tern（小燕鷗）breeds on some of the coastal sandbars會在一些沿海的沙洲上繁殖。