Lesser Crested Tern

1. Bright orange-yellow, slender bill

2. Grey rump and tail (not white like similar terns)

3. Black cap extends to the bill in breeding season

They breed in dense colonies, sometimes numbering tens of thousands. Breeding takes place on offshore islands of WA, NT and QLD, often on sandbanks, and coral cays, primarily in the dry season when food is abundant in March to July, but timing can vary depending on local conditions and food availability. Nests are simple scrapes on sand or coral. Females typically lay one or two eggs per clutch, occasionally three, and both parents share incubation duties. Adults attend the eggs almost continuously, especially in hot environments. Their diet is mainly fish, caught by plunge-diving, and they are known to lose a significant portion of their catch to kleptoparasitic gulls.

Lesser Crested Terns breed and forage along tropical and subtropical coasts, especially northern Australia, favouring low-lying sandy and coral islands, coral flats, and offshore waters. They often join mixed flocks with other terns, particularly around the Great Barrier Reef and offshore islands, and can be seen plunge-diving for fish over reefs and open water`.`