Little Tern
Sternula albifrons
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- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusSternula (Small Terns)
- SpeciesSternula albifrons (Little Tern)
About the Little Tern
The little tern (Sternula albifrons) is a small seabird of the family Laridae. It is widely distributed breeding on the coasts and inland waterways of Europe, Asia, north and west Africa, and eastern Australia. It winters in the subtropical and tropical oceans as far south as South Africa and Australia.
The little tern was formally described in a sales catalogue by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas in 1764 under the binomial name Sterna albifrons. The type locality is Holland in the Netherlands. The species was moved to the genus Sternula when the genus Sterna was restricted to the larger typical terns. The genus name Sternula is a diminutive of Sterna, 'tern', while the specific name albifrons is from Latin albus, 'white', and frons, 'forehead'.
Four subspecies are recognised: S. a. albifrons (Pallas, PS, 1764) – breeds Europe and northern Africa to central Asia; winters to African coast and to western India S. a. guineae (Bannerman, DA, 1931) – breeds coast and Niger River basin, Mauritania to Gabon, and northern Kenya
S. a. placens Gould, J, 1871 – breeds coastal eastern Australia including Tasmania; ranges to Indonesia S. a. sinensis (Gmelin, JF, 1789) – resident... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Little Tern in Satpura National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Satpura National Park
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Sterna aurantia
Indian Skimmer
Rynchops albicollis
Black-bellied Tern
Sterna acuticauda
Whiskered Tern
Chlidonias hybrida
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Brown-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus
Red-wattled Lapwing
Vanellus indicus
River Lapwing
Vanellus duvaucelii
Black-winged Stilt
Himantopus himantopus
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos
Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropus
Great Thick-knee
Esacus recurvirostris
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Little Tern in Satpura National Park?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Little Tern sighting in Satpura National Park, based on 58 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Little Tern in Satpura National Park?
April has the highest sighting rate for Little Tern in Satpura National Park in our monthly data.