Artic Terns mate for life and have quite an ellaborate courting ritual. Both parents choose a suitable nest site and rear the chicks accordingly with a fish food diet. The male tending to return to the nest with more food than the female, though he also feeds the female whilst she lays on the eggs. The chicks tend to start exploring between one to three days after hatching. Parental care continues for around a month after birth. Once fledged the young birds soon learn to fend for themselves. They will accompany their parents on the journey south to winter in the Antartic. The Artic Terns have a life expectancy of around twenty years.