Australian Fairy Tern

1. Bright yellow bill with no black tip in breeding plumage

2. White gap between black eye marking and bill

3. Small size and pale, bluish-grey wings with a forked tail

Australian Fairy Terns are colonial nesters, laying one or two speckled eggs in a shallow scrape in the sand, sometimes lined with shells or seaweed. Both parents share incubation and chick-rearing duties. Their breeding season generally runs from September to January, but timing can vary by region. They feed mainly on small fish, which they catch by plunge-diving or dipping in shallow water. Chicks are well camouflaged and remain near the nest for several days after hatching, relying on their pale, buff-white down to blend into the sand`.`

Australian Fairy Terns are found along Australia’s southern and western coastlines, frequenting sandy beaches, sheltered bays, inshore and offshore islands, estuaries, and lagoons. They nest above the high-tide line on bare sand, often on raised ridges or near shell or seagrass heaps. These terns are most often seen during the breeding season (spring and summer) when they form colonies on undisturbed beaches.