Fairy Tern

Sternula nereis Gould, 1843

Fairy Tern, Sternula nereis, is a tern of Australasia, breeding in western to south-eastern Australia, northern North Island in New Zealand, and New Caledonia. It was described by Gould in 1843 and belongs to the family Laridae. The species is split into three subspecies, with the Australian form in Australia, the New Caledonian form in New Caledonia, and the New Zealand form in northern New Zealand. The subspecies are separated mainly by where they occur, with only slight differences in appearance, and there is very little exchange between them.

Order

Charadriiformes

Family

Laridae — Gulls, Terns, Skimmers

Breeding range

Australasia: w to se Australia, n North I. (New Zealand) and New Caledonia