Little Tern

🔍 Overview

A summer breeder on Sussex’s shingle beaches, the Little Tern is small, agile, and highly vocal.

🪶 Key Identification Features

Size: Very small tern (22–24 cm)
Plumage: Pale grey above, white below
Distinctive Marks: White forehead patch, yellow bill with black tip
Bill: Slender and pointed
Tail: Forked
Flight: Agile, hovers before diving

🗺️ Habitat & Distribution

Seen off Goring Gap, Worthing Beaches, Brighton Marina.

🎶 Voice & Behaviour

Shrill “kik-kik-kik” calls. Feeds by plunge-diving.

🍴 Diet

Small fish and marine invertebrates.

📸 Birding Tip

Look for them hovering and diving along shingle beaches in June–July.