Breeding adult © Neoh Hor Kee eBird S35633209 Macaulay Library ML 53146761
Breeding adult © Steven McBride
Immature © Polly Kalamassery
Juvenile © William Hull
Immature © Neoh Hor Kee
+ 7
Nonbreeding adult © Anonymous
Nonbreeding adult © Anonymous
Breeding adult © Henrik Thorlund
Immature © Praveen es
Breeding adult and juvenile © Corey Callaghan
(with Common Tern) © Sandip Das

Little Tern Sternula albifrons

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Identification

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Tiny, delicate-looking tern. Mainly coastal, but also occurs inland locally. Breeding plumage has black cap with white forehead chevron, black-tipped yellow bill. Readily identified by tiny size, though wintering adults can be confusingly similar in patterning to Common Tern; look out for black stripes extending from the shoulder to the wingtip. Breeds colonially on sandy and stony substrates, at times with other terns, from beaches to riverbanks and lakeshores. Often overlooked unless noisy and mobbing you at a colony. Flies with hurried deep wingbeats; splash dives in water to catch small fish.

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