Little tern
Sternula albifrons
Ben Ackerley · Selwyn District
Key facts in one look
- Size
- 21–25 cm, wingspan 41–47 cm; about 45 g
- Diet
- Small fish, crustaceans, insects
- Status in Georgia
- Migrant, winter visitor
- Recorded regions
- Kvemo Kartli
- Habitat
- Sand and shingle shores, lakes, lagoons
- Family
- Laridae
- Conservation
- Global LC (2018); Georgia LC (2024)
The little tern fishes in water only a few centimetres deep, often right at the tideline or in brackish lagoons. Of all the terns, it keeps closest to the shore. It is 21–25 cm long, with a wingspan of 41–47 cm, and weighs about 45 g. It is pale grey above and white below, with a black cap and a white forehead, a yellow bill with a black tip and yellow legs. It is harmless to people. If you see a small, white-fronted, yellow-billed tern over a lake or the sea shore, it is most likely a little tern. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a migrant and a winter visitor. Records come from May, July and September. Most records come from Kvemo Kartli, at Kumisi Lake and Jandari Lake. Both globally and in Georgia it is rated Least Concern (LC), although its world population is decreasing.
Identification
Little tern: how to identify it
It is a small tern, much smaller than the common tern. In summer its white forehead, black cap and yellow bill with a black tip set it apart. Its legs are yellow too.
In breeding plumage it has a black cap, but the forehead and a stripe above the eyes are white. It is pale grey above and white below. The thin, sharp bill is yellow with a black tip, and the legs are yellow.
It is 21–25 cm long, with a wingspan of 41–47 cm. With its size and white forehead it is hard to confuse with other terns in Georgia.
In winter the white on the forehead spreads, the bill turns black and the legs lose their colour. The call is a loud, distinctive creaking.
Colour
Swatches are illustrative. Do not identify a species by colour alone.
It is a bird of sea coasts and inland waters. It breeds on bare or sparsely vegetated beaches of sand, shingle or shells, on islands and sand spits, and also by rivers, lakes and reservoirs, from sea level up to 2000 m. It prefers islets where small fish are close at hand. Outside the breeding season it is seen in tidal creeks, coastal lagoons and saltpans, sometimes at sea up to 15 km offshore. In Georgia most records come from Kvemo Kartli: from Kumisi Lake, in May and July, and from Jandari Lake in Gardabani Municipality, in May. There are single records from Batumi and the Chorokhi Delta, and from Nadarbazevi Lake.
The little tern map combines public iNaturalist observations. Regions are taken from the records-by-region table, and the status column separates regions with enough records from regions with too few records. Record counts reflect observation effort rather than population density. One region has enough records: Kvemo Kartli.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Region with records
It eats mainly small fish, such as young roach, rudd, carp and perch, as well as crustaceans 3–6 cm long, insects, worms and molluscs. It catches fish by diving into the water from the air, both at sea and in large rivers.
It is a strong migrant. Northern breeders leave their breeding grounds from late July: first they gather at moulting sites, then move south. It is sociable all year. It usually feeds alone or in small groups, but on migration thousands gather at small wetlands where young fish are plentiful. It breeds from May to July, alone or in small groups, usually 1–15 pairs together, rarely more than 40. The nest is a scrape in the sand. The female lays 2–4 eggs. Incubation lasts 21 days. The chicks leave the nest within 24 hours and start to fly at about 3 weeks. It defends its nest and chicks fiercely and attacks intruders. In courtship the male offers the female a fish.
Globally the little tern is rated Least Concern (LC, 2018). A 2015 estimate puts the population at about 190,000–410,000 birds, with 36,000–53,000 pairs in Europe. The world population is decreasing, although some populations have unknown or increasing trends. It is threatened by coastal development and sea-level rise, nest predation by foxes and gulls, disturbance at breeding sites and egg collecting. On Europe's large rivers it has vanished from many places because of dams, river regulation and sand and gravel extraction. The species is covered by the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA). The 2024 Georgian checklist also rates it Least Concern (LC) in Georgia.
Related guides
Continue with related pages
Yes. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a migrant and a winter visitor. Records come from May, July and September.
Most often at Kumisi Lake, in May and July, and at Jandari Lake, in May. There are single records from Batumi, the Chorokhi Delta and Nadarbazevi Lake.
In summer by its white forehead, black cap, yellow bill with a black tip and yellow legs. It is much smaller than the other terns. In winter the bill turns black.
It is 21–25 cm long, with a wingspan of 41–47 cm, and weighs about 45 g.
Mainly small fish and crustaceans 3–6 cm long, as well as insects, worms and molluscs. It fishes in very shallow water, diving in from the air.
On a sand or shingle shore, alone or in small groups, from May to July. The nest is a scrape in the sand. The female lays 2–4 eggs, incubation lasts 21 days, and the chicks start to fly at about 3 weeks.
It is harmless to people. Both globally and in Georgia it is rated Least Concern (LC), although its world population is decreasing. Coastal development, nest predation and disturbance threaten it. If you find an injured bird, call 112 or the environmental protection service.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
