Common Terns are Amber-listed in the UK. Nesting out in the open leaves their eggs and chicks exposed to threats like predation and human disturbance.
Pebbly coastal beaches, along with gravel pits, inland lakes and reservoirs, and even cities. Look for the noisy groups gathering on our coasts or inland.
In September, head to the coast and you might run into a noisy crowd of Common Terns gathering before one of the longest journeys of any UK bird. Some will travel all the way to the southern tip of Africa, following fish down the Benguela Current and rubbing shoulders with albatrosses along the way.
Brilliant birds, month by month: what to see and where to go.
