Gallery - Terns

Tern Id Video

BTO ID video on Terns

Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis)

The Sandwich Tern has been classified as a Amber list species-medium conservation concern.

This large,pale Tern nests in noisy colonies on mainly sandy seashores.It plunge-dives to catch surface living fish such as sand-eels.Some birds migrate as far as southern Africa.

Little Tern (Sterna albifrons)

The little Tern has been classified as a Amber list species-medium conservation concern.

The smallest Tern is a summer visitor to shingle or sandy beaches.Frequently hovers before diving to catch fish. Nests in colonies or alone often close to the waters edge.

Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii)

The Roseate Tern is a Red list species-Which means its a high conservation concern.

An incresingly rare breeding species on sand-dunes,sand spits or coastal islands in W Europe and the Azores. It winters along the coast of West Africa. The Roseate Tern catches small fish by plunge diving from the air.

Artic Tern (Sterna Paradisaea)

No bird sees more daylight than the Artic Tern, Many breed in the Artic and winter near Antartica.They nest in colinies on beaches and islands usually close to the sea, sometimes with Common Terns.The Artic Tern catches fish by plunge-diving. The video was taken at Farne Islands showing what happens when you walk through the middle of nesting Terns ;o)

Common and Artic Terns

BTO video about Common and Artic Terns

Common Tern (sterna hirundo)

An elegant summer visitor to beaches,fresh water marshes and flooded sand and gravel quarries. Winters along the African coast. Catches small fish by plunge diving.

Marsh Terns (Chlidonias)

The name marsh tern refers to terns of the genus Chlidonias, which are typically found in freshwater marshes, rather than coastal locations.

Black Tern (Chlidonias niger)

A summer visitor to freshwater marshes, The birds winter mainly in the coastal region of tropical West Africa and visit larger lakes and reservoirs on migration.

White-winged Black Tern (Chlidonias Leucopterus)

A rarer and more easterly relative of Black Tern, breeding in similar habitat.

Other Visiting Terns

Other species of Terns that might pop into the UK

Gull-billed Tern (Sterna nilotica)

A rare visitor to the UK. This is a fairly large and powerful tern, similar in size and general appearance to a Sandwich tern, but the short thick gull-like bill, broad wings, long legs and robust body are distinctive. The summer adult has grey upperparts, white underparts, a black cap, strong black bill and black legs.

In winter, the cap is lost, and there is a dark patch through the eye like a Forster's tern or a Mediterranean gull. Juvenile gull-billed terns have a fainter mask, but otherwise look much like winter adults.

© Simon Thurgood 2025
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