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Animal Themes
Birds
Polar Regions

Arctic Terns

Arctic Terns
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 3 to 6
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   7.18

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    birthplace, flier, hemisphere, hence, marathon, residence, roundtrip, species, tern, underside, equator, grassy, mainly, krill, opposite, petite
     content words:    Since Arctic, Migration Champion, Most Daylight Winner

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Other Languages
     Spanish: Las Golondrinas Marinas del Ártico

Arctic Terns   
1     Don't let the size of an Arctic tern fool you! This petite bird -- measuring 12-15 inches long and weighing 2/3 of a pound -- is the world's most accomplished marathon flier.
 
2     Each year around August or September, Arctic terns depart from their summer residence in the Arctic to avoid the harsh winter climate. They fly southbound, crossing an imaginary line called the equator that separates the northern and southern hemispheres. The weather in the northern hemisphere is the exact opposite from that in the southern hemisphere. Since Arctic terns' final destination is Antarctica, they get to enjoy summer again once they finish this long, tiring journey. As autumn befalls Antarctica around May, Arctic terns pack up and leave again. This time, they head north, back to the Arctic.
 
3     The biannual, roundtrip journey, covering over 22,000 miles, awards Arctic terns two prestigious titles. The first is "The Migration Champion", because they migrate the longest distance of all birds. The second is "The Most Daylight Winner", since they enjoy more summer days than any other bird species.

Paragraphs 4 to 6:
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