Fairy tern
| Fairy tern | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Laridae |
| Genus: | Sternula |
| Species: | S. nereis |
| Binomial name | |
| Sternula nereis Gould, 1843 | |
| Subspecies | |
|
Sternula nereis davisae | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Sterna nereis | |
The fairy tern (Sternula nereis) is a small tern which is native to the southwestern Pacific. It is listed as "Vulnerable" by the IUCN and the New Zealand subspecies is "Critically Endangered". Fairy terns live in colonies along the coastlines and estuaries of Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia, feeding largely on small, epipelagic schooling fishes, breeding in areas close to their feeding sites. They have a monogamous mating system, forming breeding pairs in which they mate, nest, and care for offspring.
There are three subspecies:
- Australian fairy tern, Sternula nereis nereis (Gould, 1843) – breeds in Australia
- New Caledonian fairy tern, Sternula nereis exsul (Mathews, 1912) – breeds in New Caledonia
- New Zealand fairy tern / Tara iti, Sternula nereis davisae (Mathews & Iredale, 1913) – breeds in northern New Zealand
The three subspecies are distinguished by geographical range, and slight morphological differences. Gene flow between subspecies is little to none.