Latin name
Sterna hirundo
Family
Terns (Sternidae)
Where to see them
Breeds along coasts with shingle beaches and rocky islands, on rivers with shingle bars, and at inland gravel pits and reservoirs, feeding along rivers and over freshwater. Migrating birds can be seen offshore in autumn.
When to see them
Throughout the summer - they arrive in April and leave in August and September. They are most obvious when feeding young as they will fly some distance for food, returning to the nest site with a fish.
What they eat
Fish
Population
| Europe | UK breeding* | UK wintering* | UK passage* | | - | 11, 838 pairs | - | - |