The Little Tern (Sterna albifrons) is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. The North American race, S. a. antillarum, is sometimes considered a separate species, Least Tern, Sterna antillarum.
This bird breeds on the coasts of temperate and tropical Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly migratory, wintering in the subtropical and tropical oceans as far south as Peru and Brazil (Least Tern), South Africa and Australia.
This species breeds in colonies on gravel or shingle coasts and islands. It lays two to four eggs on the ground. Like all white terns, it is defensive of its nest and young and will attack intruders.
Like all Sterna terns, Little Tern feeds by plunge-diving for fish, usually from saline environments. The offering of fish by the male to the female is part of the courtship display.
This is a small tern, not likely to be confused with other species because of its size and white forehead in breeding plumage. Its thin sharp bill is yellow with a black tip and its legs are also yellow. In winter, the forehead is more extensively white, the bill is black and the legs duller. The call is a loud and distinctive creaking noise.
At least 7,000 species and subspecies of indigenous US flora have been categorized.
The eastern forests contain a mixture of softwoods and hardwoods that includes pine, oak, maple, spruce, beech, birch, hemlock, walnut, gum, and hickory.
Loons, wild ducks, and wild geese are found in lake country; terns, gulls, sandpipers, herons, and other seabirds live along the coasts.
The smallest is the leasttern, which is 20 cm (8 in) long and has a wingspan of 51 cm (20 in).
The arctic tern is classified as Sterna paradisaea, the Caspian tern as Sterna caspia, the leasttern as Sterna antillarum, and Forster's tern as Sterna forsteri.
The white, or fairy, tern is classified as Cygis alba, the common tern as Sterna hirundo, the roseate tern as Sterna dougallii, and the sooty tern as Sterna fuscata.
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