Photo: Original: hungryholobiont at inaturalist; this edit: MPF / CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Saunders’s Tern
Sternula saundersi
Saunders's Tern (Sternula saundersi) — Shorebirds, Gulls & Auks of Africa.
Found across 6 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Saunders’s Tern (Sternula saundersi) is a member of the Laridae family found in Africa and Europe & Northern Asia. Adults weigh 42.5 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Charadriiformes
- Family Laridae Gulls, Terns, Skimmers
- Genus Sternula
- Species saundersi
Where it lives
Islands of Red Sea and Persian Gulf, off Somalia and Socotra, patchily to coast of Pakistan, northwestern India, and Adam'southern Bridge is. (between India and Sri Lanka)
Quick facts
- Weight
- 42.5 g
- Diet
- Aquatic hunters
- Family
- Laridae
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Habitat
- Wetland, lake & coast
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Endangered
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Saunders’s Tern hunts aquatic prey such as fish and aquatic invertebrates.
Behaviour
A bird of coastal habitats, it is highly aerial, spending much of its time on the wing.
Migration
The Saunders’s Tern is partially migratory: some populations move with the seasons while others stay resident year-round.
The Saunders’s Tern (Sternula saundersi) is a member of the Laridae family, within the order Charadriiformes. It is found across Africa and Europe & Northern Asia. Its distribution covers AF, PAL islands of Red Sea and Persian Gulf, off Somalia and Socotra, patchily to coast of Pakistan, nw India, and Adam's Bridge is. (between India and Sri Lanka).
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 42.5 g, with a wing length of about 16.8 cm and a tail of around 6.8 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 258,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Saunders’s Tern?
The Saunders’s Tern is a small bird that weighs around 42.5 g.
Where does the Saunders’s Tern live?
The Saunders’s Tern is found across Africa and Europe & Northern Asia with a range covering AF, PAL islands of Red Sea and Persian Gulf, off Somalia and Socotra, patchily to coast of Pakistan, nw India, and Adam's Bridge is. (between India and Sri Lanka), where it is associated with wetlands, lakes and other open water.
What family does the Saunders’s Tern belong to?
The Saunders’s Tern (Sternula saundersi) belongs to the Laridae family, in the order Charadriiformes.
What does the Saunders’s Tern eat?
The Saunders’s Tern hunts aquatic prey such as fish and aquatic invertebrates.
Does the Saunders’s Tern migrate?
The Saunders’s Tern is partially migratory: some populations move with the seasons while others stay resident year-round.
Is the Saunders’s Tern endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Saunders’s Tern make?
1 real field recording of the Saunders’s Tern — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Saunders’s Tern's range?
The Saunders’s Tern has a mapped global range of about 258,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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