Roseate Tern
Roseate Tern is Britain's rarest breeding seabird with most of the population concentrated at a single site; Coquet Island in Northumberland. Forty years ago there were just a handful of pairs nesting on Coquet Island but the population has increased steadily and this year (2021) the population reached 150 breeding pairs. Just five years ago (2016) the population had only just topped 100 pairs. Roseate Terns are not good at competing with other nesting terns, especially Arctic and Common Terns. Roseate Terns arrive back in Britain much later than other tern species and by then most of the prime nesting sites are occupied. But Arctic Terns do not like to nest in enclosed spaces so the provision of nest boxes with roofs are used readily by Roseates but shunned by the other terns. There are terraces of these nestboxes on Coquet occupied by Roseate Terns.
Roseate Terns are very similar to both Arctic and Common Terns but they have longer tail streamers and legs. At the start of the breeding season they have a variable pinkish flush to the underparts and an all-black bill, which becomes red from the base as the season progresses. This photograph was taken on Coquet Island.
Roseate Tern
Roseate Tern is Britain's rarest breeding seabird with most of the population concentrated at a single site; Coquet Island in Northumberland. Forty years ago there were just a handful of pairs nesting on Coquet Island but the population has increased steadily and this year (2021) the population reached 150 breeding pairs. Just five years ago (2016) the population had only just topped 100 pairs. Roseate Terns are not good at competing with other nesting terns, especially Arctic and Common Terns. Roseate Terns arrive back in Britain much later than other tern species and by then most of the prime nesting sites are occupied. But Arctic Terns do not like to nest in enclosed spaces so the provision of nest boxes with roofs are used readily by Roseates but shunned by the other terns. There are terraces of these nestboxes on Coquet occupied by Roseate Terns.
Roseate Terns are very similar to both Arctic and Common Terns but they have longer tail streamers and legs. At the start of the breeding season they have a variable pinkish flush to the underparts and an all-black bill, which becomes red from the base as the season progresses. This photograph was taken on Coquet Island.