Description:

Typical small tern, with white forehead, black cap and lores, bright yellow bill with small dark tip. Adult breeding has white forehead and black lores, black-tipped yellow bill, orange legs and feet, and black outer primaries. Adult non-breeding and immature have blackish bill, black mask and nape band, dark lesser-covert bar, and dark legs.

Distribution:

Rare passage migrant through Gilgit-Baltistan, mainly in the central and western parts. Usually make short stops around lakes, marshes, streams and rivers with nearby vegetation and grasslands. During passage from lowlands up to 3000m high.

Behavior:

Forages by quartering back and forth over water; specializes in prolonged hovering and plunge-diving into shallow water, often at edge of advancing tide. Groups of birds may dive synchronously. Takes insects from vegetation and water surface by aerial-dipping. Diet mainly small fish and crustaceans, also insects, annelids and molluscs.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Little Tern in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of Little Tern

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.