Little Tern

The warm waters of Abu Dhabi island are great for watching various species of terns all year round. Three species breed in summer and then leave the Arabian Gulf for the Indian Ocean but four other species are easier to find in winter. One such species is the hyper-active Little Tern, which is distinctive on account of its small size, fast wingbeats and rapid brief hovers before making a short plunge dive to grab a small fish. Small groups of feeding Little Terns can be quite easily seen in the waters off Abu Dhabi island. Most do not come too close to the shore; the bird photographed was one of two seen feeding in a shallow channel during recent survey work.

The Little Tern is extremely similar to Saunders’s Tern, which is one of the three species of terns that breed around Abu Dhabi island. The two have been long confused and many of their distinctions were worked out very recently, based partly on work undertaken here in the UAE. You can read more about the differences between Little and Saunders’s Terns at this link.