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10

Fairy Tern (Sternula nereis) Size: 21-25 cm; wing span ca. 50 cm Weight: 58-81 g (race "nereis")

Australia: Family Group 10 Family Group 10 Table Brown Skua South Polar Skua Arctic Jaeger Pomarine Jaeger Long-tailed Jaeger Pacific Gull Kelp Gull Silver Gull Crested Tern Lesser Crested Tern Caspian Tern Gull-billed Tern White-fronted Tern Black-naped Tern Roseate Tern Common Tern Little Tern Fairy Tern Whiskered Tern White-winged Black Tern Grey Ternlet White Tern Sooty Tern Bridled Tern Aleutian Tern Common Noddy Black Noddy Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Fairy Terns are small terns. While in Australia, they are usually found in their breeding plumage. They have a white front, from frons and lores all the way down to the undertail coverts, a white neck and a grey back (mantle, wings and tail). They have black feathers around the eyes that connect to the black cap. Also the nape of the neck is black. Early in the breeding season, the front of the cap is mottled white and grey, while the rest of the cap remains black. The yellow bill has a black tip early in the season. Later in the breeding season, the entire cap - including the front - is solid black. Late in the season the bill is bright yellow and has no black tip. The eyes have dark irises; the legs and feet are yellow-orange. Juvenile Fairy Terns also have a white front, but their back is mottled white and grey. The flight feathers are grey, with lighter-grey edge lining. The cap is dark-grey, with mottled grey and white at the front. The bill is dark-grey and the legs and feet are dark greyish-yellow.

Taxonomy, classification See Fairy Tern at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Fairy Tern is available HERE . Fairy Terns populate the Southern Ocean around southern Australia, including Tasmania, and New Zealand's North Island. There are also reports of Fairy Terns from the Solomon Islands. Around Australia, Tasmania and other, smaller offshoreislands, nominate race "nereis" is found. They populate the entire coastline from about the NSW/VIC border in the East, around the South coast, to the North-west coast of WA, where their exact distribution is uncertain. Fairy Terns are found above coastal waters, on or near the coastline and some near-coastal lakes. They breed on sandy beaches and land spits.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "nereis" Fairy Terns, race "nereis", including juveniles, were spotted by J. Greaves at Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, in March 2016. More were seen at Alfred Cove, Swan River, Perth, WA, in January 2017 and at Austin Bay, near Mandurah, WA, in March 2017. C. Pears also reports finding Fairy Terns, race "nereis", at Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, in October 2022.

Photos

Race "nereis"

ADULT

Sex unknown

BREEDING

Frontal view of an adult Fairy Tern in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, March 2016]

Lateral portrait of an adult Fairy Tern in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, March 2016]

Lateral view of a Fairy Tern in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, March 2016]

Lateral view of a Fairy Tern in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, March 2016]

Lateral view of two Fairy Terns in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, October 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a Fairy Tern in breeding plumage with its wings spread, giving a view of its upperwing pattern
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Alfred Cove, Swan River, Perth, WA, January 2017]

Dorsal view of a Fairy Tern in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, March 2016]

Direct comparison between Fairy Terns, in the foreground, and Greater Crested Terns, both in breeding plumage
(photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, October 2022]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Lateral view of a (ring-marked) juvenile Fairy Tern (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, March 2016]

Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Fairy Tern (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, March 2016]

Juvenile Fairy Tern flying in to beg for food (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Alfred Cove, Swan River, Perth, WA, January 2017]

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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