White-fronted terns usually scoop surface-shoaling fish such as pilchards from the water without alighting. This requires a lot of skill, and parents feed young birds for several months so they have time to perfect the art. Males court females by delivering a fish held crosswise in their bill, as if to show off their prowess.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Department of Conservation
Reference:
10031281
Photograph by Dave Crouchley
This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.
Tāpiritia te tākupu hou