Fairy Tern

The Fairy Tern (now in the genus Sternula) breeds in southern Australia, from Tasmania (nominate subspecies) to the Perth region (subspecies horni), New Caledonia (subspecies exsul) and Northern New Zealand (subspecies davisae). It is very similar to the Little Tern (Sternula albifrons) which also breeds on eastern shores of Australia and with which it occasionally hybridizes. It is distinguished by its uniformly pale gray back, upper and lower wings (darker in the Little Tern where the dark primary remiges contrast with the rest of the wing). The rump is white in both species. The Fairy Tern's beak is completely orange yellow (black tip in the Little Tern) and there is no thin white line above the eye. When perched, the Fairy Tern's wings protrude more clearly beyond the tail. Immatures of both species are very similar, the relative length of the wings and the tail being the best criteria for distinguishing them as well as the color of the beak, that of the Fairy Tern being paler at the base (uniformly black in the Little Tern).