Appearance
This is a small tern, 21–25 cm long with a 41–47 cm wingspan. It is not likely to be confused with other species, apart from fairy tern and Saunders's tern, because of its size and white forehead in breeding plumage. Its thin sharp bill is yellow with a black tip and its legs are also yellow. In winter, the forehead is more extensively white, the bill is black and the legs duller. The call is a loud and distinctive creaking noise.
Naming
It was formerly placed into the genus "Sterna", which now is restricted to the large white terns. The genus name is a diminutive of "Sterna", 'tern'. The specific "albifrons" is from Latin "albus", 'white', and "frons", 'forehead'. The former North American and Red Sea "S. a. saundersi" subspecies are now considered to be separate species, the least tern and Saunders's tern.The little tern was described by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas in 1764 and given the binomial name "Sterna albifrons".
Distribution
At the beginning of the 19th century the little tern was a common bird of European shores, rivers and wetlands, but in the 20th century populations of coastal areas decreased because of habitat loss, pollution and human disturbance.There are three subspecies, the nominate "albifrons" occurring in Europe to North Africa and western Asia; "guineae" of western and central Africa; and "sinensis" of East Asia and the north and east coasts of Australia and New Guinea
Reproduction
The little tern breeds in colonies on gravel or shingle coasts and islands. It lays two to four eggs on the ground. Like all white terns, it is defensive of its nest and young and will attack intruders.
Food
Like most other white terns, the little tern feeds by plunge-diving for fish, usually from saline environments. The offering of fish by the male to the female is part of the courtship display.References:
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