Protecting the Little Tern: A Nationally Threatened Species

At 1770 LARC! Tours, we’re always focused on the beauty of our local wildlife and the importance of conservation. Recently, the Little Tern (Sternula albifrons), a small seabird that nests along our coastal regions, has been officially listed as a nationally threatened species by the Federal Government. This decision highlights the growing concerns about the survival of the Little Tern, which is facing numerous threats from habitat loss, human disturbance, and climate change.

Little Tern, Big Impact:

The Little Tern is a delicate yet resilient bird, known for its striking white plumage and slender build. It plays a crucial role in the ecosystem, helping to maintain the health of our beaches and shorelines. The Little Tern, forages along coastal habitats which indirectly contributes to ecosystem structure by creating feeding sites that help aerate and mix sediment. These processes can influence the growth of marsh grasses, mudflat communities, or other shoreline vegetation, which supports an array of other species, both plant and animal. However, with the pressures of urban development and increased human disturbance from beachgoers, the Little Terns nesting areas have become increasingly vulnerable.

What does this mean for the Little Tern?

Studies have reported how human disturbance can affect the distribution of coastal breeding birds by limiting their ability to select the best breeding sites (Medeiros et al, 2007). The disturbance of Little Tern colonies may also affect the condition of the birds, since under disturbance they need to spend more time and energy defending their clutches (Medeiros et al, 2007). Therefore, if the quality of the sandy beaches as a breeding habitat for the Little Terns is not maintained through conservation measures, the conditions required for the birds to breed in this habitat are likely to be progressively lost (Erwin, 2003).

Let’s Tern it around!

This new threatened species designation serves as a reminder that we all have a role in protecting our natural world. As responsible travellers and nature enthusiasts, it’s important to be mindful of the impact we have on local wildlife. At 1770 LARC! Tours, we are committed to supporting conservation efforts in a wide variety of ways. A key action to help seabirds, that has now been undertaken by our owner and operator Neil Mergard for several subsequent years, is to install signage during the breeding season to help deter beachgoers and their pets from disturbing important nesting areas (see image below). Additionally, educating our guests about the delicate balance of coastal ecosystems, and ensuring that our tours leave a positive impact on the environment are year round efforts by all of our team.

As we move forward, we encourage everyone to respect wildlife habitats, keep a safe distance from nesting areas, and support local conservation initiatives. Together, we can help ensure a future for the Little Tern (Sternula albifrons) and the many other shorebird species that call our beautiful coastlines home.

Let’s make a difference for the Little Tern – and for generations to come!

Written by Madeline Anderson

References:

Michael Erwin, R. (1980). Breeding habitat use by colonially nesting waterbirds in two mid-atlantic US regions under different regimes of human disturbance. Biological Conservation, 18(1), pp.39–51.

Medeiros, R., Ramos, J.A., Paiva, V.H., Almeida, A., Pedro, P. and Antunes, S. (2007). Signage reduces the impact of human disturbance on little tern nesting success in Portugal. Biological Conservation, 135(1), pp.99–106.