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Key information
This delightful chattering seabird is the UK's smallest tern. It is short-tailed and has a fast flight. Its bill is a distinctive yellow with a black tip. It is noisy at its breeding colony where courtship starts with an aerial display involving the male calling and carrying a fish to attract a mate, which chases him up high before he descends, gliding with wings in a 'V'.
Its vulnerable nesting sites and its decline in Europe make it an Amber List species. It is also listed as a Schedule 1 species in The Wildlife and Countryside Act.
What they eat:
Fish.
Measurements:
- Length:
- 22-24cm
- Wingspan:
- 48-55cm
- Weight:
- 49-63g
Population:
- UK breeding:
- 1,900 pairs
Identifying features:
This bird species has different identifying features depending on sex/age/season.
Little tern (summer plumage)
Little tern (juvenile)
