About the Little Tern
The little tern is a seabird of the family Laridae. It was first described by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas in 1764 and given the binomial name Sterna albifrons. It was moved to the genus Sternula when the genus Sterna was restricted to the larger typical terns. The genus name Sternula is a diminutive of Sterna, 'tern', while the specific name albifrons is from Latin albus, 'white', and frons, 'forehead'.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
This is a small tern, 21–25 cm long with a 41–47 cm wingspan. It is not likely to be confused with other species, apart from fairy tern and Saunders's tern, because of its size and white forehead in breeding plumage. Its thin sharp bill is yellow with a black tip and its legs are also yellow. In winter, the forehead is more extensively white, the bill is black and the legs duller.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What the Little Tern sounds like
Where the Little Tern lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Palestinian Territories, Kiribati, Benin, United States, Malta.
When to see the Little Tern
Peak activity in May · a variable species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Least TernSternula antillarumThe least tern is a species of tern that breeds in North America and locally in northern South America.
Yellow-billed TernSternula superciliarisIt measures approximately 23–25 centimeters in body length and weighs 40–57 grams.
Fairy TernSternula nereisThe fairy tern is a small tern with a white body and light bluish-grey wings.
Side by side: Little Gull vs Little Tern
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