Australasian Fairy Tern
Sternula nereis
VulnerableAves · Charadriiformes · Laridae
About
The fairy tern is a small tern which is native to the southwestern Pacific. It is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN and the New Zealand subspecies is critically endangered. Fairy terns live in colonies along the coastlines and estuaries of Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia, feeding largely on small, epipelagic schooling fishes, breeding in areas close to their feeding sites. They have a monogamous mating system, forming breeding pairs in which they mate, nest, and care for offspring.
Fun Fact
Similarly, New Zealand fairy terns have a diet made up of common estuarine fish, namely gobies and flounders, responsible for most of their consumed biomass, as well as shrimps, comprising up to 21% of their diet.
Quick Facts
Habitat
Live in colonies along the coastlines and estuaries of Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia, feeding largely on small, epipelagic schooling fishes, breeding in areas close to their feeding sites.
Diet
Eat blue sprat, hardyheads, and garfishes.
Lifespan
To be updated
Threats
- Habitat Degradation
- Overexploitation
- Invasive Species
- Climate Change