Birds · Charadriiformes · Laridae

Little Tern

Sternula albifrons

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The little tern is the smallest tern in Europe, with a white forehead, a black mask and a yellow bill with a black tip. It breeds in colonies on sand and shingle beaches, saltpans and river banks, laying its eggs in a simple scrape. That habitat coincides with the busiest beaches, which makes it very vulnerable to disturbance in summer. In Spain it breeds in the Ebro Delta, the southern saltpans and along the Mediterranean coast.

Weight

45 g – 65 g

Size

21 cm – 25 cm

Lifespan

21 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

OceanFreshwaterCarnivore Diurnal Colonial Bird Ocean Freshwater

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Fun facts

It fishes by plunging from very little height after hovering for a moment over the water, a flight of very rapid wingbeats that sets it apart from any other European tern.
Its colonies settle on the very beaches where bathers gather in summer: fencing off breeding areas along the Spanish coast has been decisive in keeping the species from disappearing from whole stretches of shoreline.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Sand and shingle beaches, saltpans, deltas and river banks of Europe, Asia and Africa
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: 21 days
Litter / clutch size: 2

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/