The Little Tern Explained

The little tern (Sternula albifrons) is the smallest tern found in India, a slender, fast-flying white and pale-grey seabird with a yellow black-tipped bill and a white forehead patch that hovers over water and plunge-dives for small fish. It lives along coasts, estuaries, large rivers and reservoirs, and it breeds in loose colonies on bare river sandbars and beaches in the dry season. Its small size, quick wingbeats and sharp calls make it one of the most lively birds of Indian waterways.

This explainer describes how to recognise the little tern, where it lives in India, how it fishes, how it nests on sandbars, how it differs from related terns and what threatens it. The information reflects well-established findings and is not tied to any particular year.

Key Takeaways

• The little tern (Sternula albifrons) is the smallest tern in India, at about 22 to 24 cm long.
• The little tern in breeding plumage has a black cap, a white forehead patch, a yellow bill with a black tip and orange-yellow legs.
• The little tern hunts by hovering above shallow water and then plunge-diving to catch small fish and crustaceans.
• The little tern nests in a bare scrape on river sandbars and beaches, laying two or three camouflaged eggs in the dry season.
• The little tern is found on Indian coasts, estuaries, big rivers and reservoirs, and is one of the most visible terns on the Ganga, the Chambal and the Brahmaputra.
• The little tern is listed as Least Concern globally, but flooding, sand mining and disturbance of sandbars threaten its colonies in India.

What is the little tern?

The little tern is a small seabird in the gull and tern family, Laridae, placed in the genus Sternula, which contains the smallest terns in the world. It was long classified in the genus Sterna with the larger terns, but modern studies placed the smaller species in their own genus.

The little tern has a worldwide range across parts of Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia, and several populations have been given different names. The form found along the coasts of the Indian subcontinent has been separated by some authorities as a different species, Saunders’s little tern (Sternula saundersi), because of differences in plumage and voice. Many Indian field guides discuss the two together, and the two look similar in the field.

Terns are often called sea swallows because of their long, pointed wings and forked tails. The little tern fits the image well, flying with quick, shallow wingbeats that seem more like a swift than a gull. Although the word “sea” appears in the nickname, the little tern is just as at home on an inland river as on the coast.

How do you identify a little tern?

A little tern is identified by its very small size, white underparts, pale grey upperparts, black cap with a white forehead and a yellow bill tipped in black. The legs are orange-yellow, the wings are narrow and pointed, and the tail is short and only shallowly forked.

Breeding plumage

In breeding plumage the crown and nape are black, broken by a clear white triangle on the forehead that extends above the eye. A black line runs from the bill through the eye. The bill is bright yellow with a small dark tip, and the legs turn orange. The outer wing feathers are darker than the rest of the upper wing, forming a dark leading edge.

Non-breeding plumage

In winter, the black cap shrinks to a dark patch behind the eye, the forehead becomes wholly white, and the bill turns dark, often with a yellowish base. Young birds have a scaly, buff-and-brown pattern on the back and a dark bill. The overall look remains pale, with a dark bar on the leading edge of the wing.

Voice

The call is a sharp, high-pitched, repeated “kit-kit” or “kyik”, often delivered rapidly when the birds are in flight or when an intruder approaches the colony. A chorus from a sandbar colony is among the typical sounds of Indian rivers in summer.

Where does the little tern live in India?

The little tern lives in India along sea coasts, estuaries, lagoons, backwaters, large rivers, lakes and reservoirs, and it is found across most of the country except the driest deserts and high mountains. It favours open water with sandy or shingle shores nearby, where it can both fish and nest.

Inland, the species is closely associated with big rivers that have broad sandbars. Stretches of the Ganga, the Yamuna, the Chambal, the Brahmaputra, the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna, the Narmada and the Cauvery all support little terns. On the coast, birds fish in estuaries, creeks and the surf zone, and nest on beaches and spits.

The species is partly resident and partly migratory. Some birds remain near their breeding sites throughout the year, while others disperse widely after breeding, moving to the coast or to larger water bodies. In winter, birds from northern regions may join the resident population, so numbers on Indian coasts often increase after the monsoon.

• Rivers: sandbars, shingle islands and slow channels.
• Coasts: estuaries, backwaters, lagoons, beaches and salt pans.
• Inland waters: reservoirs, large lakes and irrigation tanks.

How does the little tern catch fish?

The little tern catches fish by flying low over the water, hovering briefly with rapid wingbeats while it watches the surface, and then plunging headfirst to seize its prey with its bill. The dive is quick and shallow, and the bird usually emerges within a second with a small fish held crosswise.

A typical hunting flight begins with a search pattern, in which the tern flies back and forth about 5 to 10 metres above the water with its bill pointed down. When it spots a fish, it stops, hovers, and then dives. Because the tern’s prey is small, it often swallows the fish in flight or returns to the sandbar to feed it to a mate or a chick.

The diet includes small fish such as fry of carp, silversides and gobies, as well as shrimps, crustaceans and aquatic insects. During courtship, the male brings fish to the female as a gift, a ritual known as courtship feeding, which signals that he can provide for the future chicks.

• Search: low, buoyant flight along the water with the bill pointed downward.
• Hover: rapid wingbeats while fixing on a target.
• Plunge: a headfirst dive, usually into shallow water.
• Carry: the fish is held crosswise in the bill.

How does the little tern breed?

The little tern breeds in colonies on bare sand or shingle, laying two or three pale, speckled eggs in a shallow scrape, mostly during the dry months from about March to June in India. The colony may include a handful to a few dozen pairs, and it is often located on a river sandbar or a coastal spit.

The nest is little more than a depression in the sand, sometimes lined with a few pebbles or shell pieces. The eggs are buff or stone-coloured with dark blotches, which blend perfectly with sand and pebbles. Both parents incubate for around three weeks. The chicks hatch covered in sandy down and can walk soon afterwards, but they depend on their parents for fish for several weeks.

Colonial nesting offers safety in numbers. When a crow, dog or other intruder approaches the colony, the adults rise together, scream and dive at the intruder, which often drives it away. This communal defence works well against small predators but cannot protect against rising water or human disturbance.

How is the little tern different from other Indian terns?

The little tern differs from other Indian terns chiefly in its much smaller size, its white forehead patch and its yellow, black-tipped bill. Larger terns such as the river tern, the Caspian tern and the gull-billed tern are easy to separate once the little tern’s size is noticed.

The river tern (Sterna aurantia) is bigger, with a plain black cap and an orange-yellow bill without a black tip, and it often shares the same rivers. The whiskered tern, a marsh tern, has a darker body in breeding plumage and prefers freshwater marshes. The black-bellied tern is larger and has a black belly stripe in breeding plumage. The common tern and the roseate tern have thinner, more sharply forked tails and red or reddish bills.

A good beginner’s tip is to watch the wingbeat: the little tern beats its wings much faster than larger terns and hovers more often. The sharp “kit-kit” call is also very different from the harsher calls of larger species.

Why does the little tern matter?

The little tern matters because it is an indicator of healthy river sandbars and undisturbed coastal beaches, which are fragile habitats that support many other species. Where little terns nest, the sand is still open, the water is still clean enough to hold small fish, and the area is still relatively free from heavy human use.

The bird also forms part of the food chain linking small fish and larger predators. Its eggs and chicks are eaten by crows, jackals and dogs, and its presence adds to the biodiversity of wetlands. Birdwatchers and river conservationists use colonies of terns and skimmers as a convenient way to measure the effects of river regulation, since these birds respond quickly to changes in flow, sand availability and disturbance.

Is the little tern threatened?

The little tern is not globally threatened and is classed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List because it has a very large range and a large population. Even so, many local colonies in India and elsewhere have declined as nesting sites have been lost.

The main threats are flooding of nests by sudden releases from dams or unseasonal rains, sand mining on riverbeds, building along beaches, recreation on coastal sands, grazing animals, and egg collection. Free-ranging dogs and vehicles on beaches also destroy nests, which are almost impossible to see. Because the colonies are often small and move from year to year, they are hard to protect through fixed boundaries.

• Avoid walking across sandbars or beaches where terns are seen mobbing and calling.
• Keep dogs and vehicles off nesting beaches in the dry season.
• Support protection of undisturbed river stretches and riverine sanctuaries.
• Record sightings with place and date so that colonies can be monitored.

In India, some protected river stretches, such as the National Chambal Sanctuary, provide safe sandbar habitat for terns and skimmers. Community monitoring can add much to this effort, since local people often know where colonies appear each year.

Bottom Line

The little tern is a tiny, restless fisher that brightens Indian rivers and coasts with its fast flight and sharp calls. Its entire breeding cycle depends on clean, bare sandbars, so protecting free-flowing rivers and undisturbed beaches is the surest way to protect the species.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a little tern?

A little tern is the smallest Indian tern, Sternula albifrons, a slender white and pale-grey seabird about 22 to 24 cm long. It has a yellow black-tipped bill and, in breeding plumage, a black cap with a white forehead patch. It lives on coasts, estuaries, rivers and reservoirs.

Where does the little tern nest in India?

The little tern nests on bare sand or shingle, most often on river sandbars and coastal beaches. It makes a shallow scrape and lays two or three camouflaged eggs, usually from about March to June. The birds nest in colonies and defend them by mobbing intruders.

How does the little tern catch fish?

The little tern catches fish by hovering over shallow water and then plunge-diving to seize prey in its bill. It flies low with its bill pointed down while searching, then stops and dives when it spots a small fish. The catch is carried crosswise and often given to a mate or chick.

How can you tell a little tern from a river tern?

A little tern is much smaller than a river tern and has a white forehead patch and a yellow bill with a black tip. The river tern is larger, with a plain black cap and an orange-yellow bill that lacks a dark tip. The little tern also beats its wings faster and hovers more often.

Is the little tern a resident or a migrant in India?

The little tern is partly resident and partly migratory in India. Some birds stay near their breeding rivers and coasts all year, while others disperse widely after breeding, and northern birds may join them in winter. Numbers along coasts often rise after the monsoon.

Is the little tern endangered?

No, the little tern is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List because of its large range and population. However, local colonies in India suffer from nest flooding, sand mining and disturbance of sandbars and beaches. Protecting undisturbed river and coastal nesting sites helps the species.

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