BirdUp · Species
Fairy Tern
Sternula nereisGould, 1843
Updated
Also known asDjit-jeet
At a glance
The Fairy Tern is a medium-sized bird, about 22–27 cm long, listed as Vulnerable and native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.
- Size
- 22–27 cm
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable
- Origin
- Native
- Best seen
- Year-round
- Commonness
- Rare
01 · Identification
How to tell it apart
What does a Fairy Tern look like?
The Fairy Tern is a medium-sized bird, about 22–27 cm long and weighing 57–81 g.
The fairy tern is a small tern which is native to the southwestern Pacific. It is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN and the New Zealand subspecies is critically endangered. Fairy terns live in colonies along the coastlines and estuaries of Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia, feeding largely on small, epipelagic schooling fishes, breeding in areas close to their feeding sites. They have a monogamous mating system, forming breeding pairs in which they mate, nest, and care for offspring.
Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
03 · When
When to look
When can you see a Fairy Tern?
The Fairy Tern is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
05 · Behaviour
Habits and haunts
What does a Fairy Tern eat?
The Fairy Tern feeds on fish/invertebrates, usually foraging in flocks.
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