Are terns native to NZ?
The New Zealand fairy tern or tara-iti (Sternula nereis davisae) is a subspecies of the fairy tern endemic to New Zealand. It is New Zealand’s rarest native breeding bird, with about 40 individuals left in the wild. It nests at four coastal locations between Whangarei and Auckland in the North Island.
Do NZ terns migrate?
White-fronted terns and gannets are among the seabird species that breed in New Zealand and then migrate. It is mostly juveniles that leave, crossing the Tasman Sea to feed along the Australian coastline.
How do you identify a tern bird?
Common Terns are pale gray overall with a black cap. Breeding birds have a fully black cap that extends to the back of the neck and a gray belly. They also have an orange bill tipped in black and orange legs. Nonbreeding birds have a white forehead, a partial black cap, and black legs and bill.
Why are black fronted terns endangered?
Black-fronted terns breed in a dynamic habitat, and as a result they are threatened by a wide range of factors. These include habitat loss due to hydroelectricity development, weed encroachment of braided river breeding habitat, and recreational use of rivers.
Are skuas related to seagulls?
Skuas are related to gulls, waders, auks, and skimmers. In the three smaller species, all nesting exclusively in the Holarctic, breeding adults have the two central tail feathers obviously elongated, and at least some adults have white on the underparts and pale yellow on the neck.
Where do NZ fairy terns live?
Northland Peninsula
New Zealand fairy terns are now confined to the lower half of the Northland Peninsula. Breeding is limited to four regular sites: Waipu, Mangawhai, Pakiri and the South Kaipara Head. Fairytern construct their nests on exposed, low-lying areas of shell-covered sand.
Where do NZ birds migrate to?
Migrating from New Zealand Some albatrosses travel to the seas around South America, and others go towards Australia. The long-tailed cuckoo and the shining cuckoo fly to the tropical Pacific.
Do terns migrate?
Migration. Long-distant migrant. North American birds spend the winter in South America or along the Pacific Coast of Central America. One-year-old birds often stay on the wintering grounds and do not migrate to the breeding grounds until they are 2 years old.
What kind of bird are terns?
tern, any of about 40 species of slender, graceful water birds that constitute the subfamily Sterninae, of the family Laridae, which also includes the gulls. Terns inhabit seacoasts and inland waters and are nearly worldwide in distribution. The largest number of species is found in the Pacific Ocean.
What does terns look like?
A tern is like a small gull, only much more elegant and streamlined. A common tern in breeding plumage has a grey back and wings, white chest, a black cap on the head and a red/orange bill. The black tip on the tern’s bill distinguishes it from the similar-looking Arctic tern.
What do black-fronted terns eat?
Like all of New Zealand’s terns, both sexes incubate the eggs. The young fledge at 30 days. Known as ploughboys or the ploughman’s friend, black-fronted terns feed on grubs and worms from freshly dug earth. Along rivers and streams they eat mayflies, stoneflies, skinks and small fish.