RSPB
Skip navigation

Birds by name

Little tern

Conservation status: Amber

This delightful chattering seabird is the UK's smallest tern. It is short-tailed and has a fast flight. Its bill is a distinctive yellow with a black tip. It is noisy at its breeding colony where courtship starts with an aerial display involving the male calling and carrying a fish to attract a mate which chases him up high before he descends, gliding with wings in a 'V'. Its vulnerable nesting sites and its decline in Europe make it an Amber List species.

Overview

Latin name

Sterna albifrons

Family

Terns (Sternidae)

Where to see them

A strictly coastal species found around the UK coastline at suitable breeding beaches. Largest colonies found along the east and south coasts of Scotland and England at sites which include: Blakeney Point and Great Yarmouth, Norfolk; Minsmere, Suffolk; and Langstone Harbour, Hampshire.

When to see them

A summer visitor to Europe, arriving in April and May. Return migration starts in August and continues into September.

What they eat

Fish

Population

EuropeUK breeding*UK wintering*UK passage*
-1,947 pairs--

* UK breeding is the number of pairs breeding annually. UK wintering is the number of individuals present from October to March. UK passage is the number of individuals passing through on migration in spring and/or autumn.

Distribution

Key

Please note that the map is only intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.

Illustrations

Audio

David Farrow, Xeno-canto

Characteristics

Little tern (breeding)

Little tern - adult in breeding plumage
  • Size: between robin-blackbird
  • Feather colours: black, white, grey
  • Beak colours: black/dark grey, yellow
  • Beak length: long
  • Beak thickness: long
  • Leg colour: orange, yellow
  • Behaviour: part of flock, on ground, bird walks/runs on the ground, dives underwater

Little tern (juvenile)

Little tern - juvenile
  • Colouring: Juvenile
  • Size: between robin-blackbird
  • Feather colours: brown, black, white, grey
  • Beak colours: black/dark grey, brown/buff, yellow
  • Beak length: long
  • Beak thickness: long
  • Leg colour: orange, yellow
  • Behaviour: part of flock, on ground, bird walks/runs on the ground, dives underwater

Similar birds