BirdUp · Species
Little Tern
Sternula albifrons(Pallas, 1764)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
- Commonness
- Very common
- Best seen
- Year-round
01 · Identification
How to tell it apart
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'.
Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
02 · Where
Where to find it
- Breeding range
- AF, PAL, OR, AU : west Europe, south-west Russia, central Asia, Mongolia to south-east Russia, Japan, east China, Taiwan and Vietnam; north and west Africa; Persian Gulf and Iraq to Indus Valley (Pakistan) and Gangetic Plain (north-central India); Sri Lanka; Gulf of Thailand, Malay Pen., Singapore, and islands off Greater Sundas; off New Britain (south-east Bismarck Arch.), Bougainville (north Solomon Is.); coastal north-west, north, east and south-east Australia and Tasmania; and Saipan (south Northern Mariana Is., north-west Micronesia)
- Non-breeding range
- Coastal waters of South East Asia, Australia, and the Indian Ocean
03 · When
When to look
Months this species is recorded across its Australian range.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
05 · Behaviour
Habits and haunts
06 · Gallery
Plumage up close
4 photos
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