Species Action Plan

The roseate tern has a highly fragmented breeding range in the north-east Atlantic. Its European stronghold is the Azores (Portugal) which supports 1170 pairs, representing around 60% of the north-east Atlantic population. Elsewhere the species breeds only very locally in Britain, Ireland and France. In 1996 there were 677 pairs at the two sites in the Republic of Ireland (including 557 at Rockabill, the main colony in the British Isles since 1986), around 100 pairs in Brittany, France and 64 pairs at five main sites in the UK. It is therefore one of the UK`s rarest breeding seabirds. Although the UK population has declined greatly (from 1000 pairs in 1969 to 210 pairs in 1989), many of the birds have moved to the growing colony at Rockabill. Productivity at this colony is good and has been a major factor in the recent increase in the north-west European population as a whole. The key wintering area for birds breeding in the UK is west Africa, particularly Ghana.

The roseate tern is specially protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and Schedule 1 of Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985, and is listed on Annex I of the EC Birds Directive and Appendix II of the Bern Convention.

Most, if not all, of the decrease in UK breeding numbers is due to a change in distribution, since the colony at Rockabill, in the Irish Republic, has shown a corresponding increase in numbers. The reasons for this re-distribution are not well known. The overall trend for the species in north-west Europe is upward.

Outside the breeding season, the trapping of terns for sport or food in west Africa has been suggested as a major cause of mortality. Also, long-term changes in sea-surface temperature may be partly responsible for the consistent and continued decline of fish stocks, eg Sardinella, in coastal west Africa and the Gulf of Guinea. As the winter progresses, Sardinella become less available to terns in this region and the whereabouts of roseate terns and the composition of their diet in the December to May period remain unknown.

Some competition may occur between early nesting roseate and late nesting common terns, at sites with few crevices or long vegetation. At some sites, there is a possibility of competition between terns and gulls for nesting areas.

Predation, particularly by foxes and rats, may restrict nesting to offshore islands. Even on remote sites, predation by the larger species of gulls may threaten breeding attempts.

Flooding of nesting areas has been a problem at some sites.

The most important roseate tern colonies in the UK are now within nature reserves and a number have been designated as SPAs.

Management for the benefit of roseate terns has been implemented at all regularly-used sites and destruction of gull eggs has taken place at several roseate tern islands.

A colour-ringing scheme is established throughout Britain and Ireland, and a roseate tern coordinator has recently begun work in the Republic of Ireland.

RSPB and BirdLife International have funded an education programme by the Government of Ghana to try to reduce the incidence of winter trapping there.

Peter Newbery, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Tel:01767 680551

The following LBAPs are working on Sterna dougallii:

Originally published in: UK Biodiversity Group Tranche 2 Action Plans - Volume I: Vertebrates and vascular plants (June 1998, Tranche 2, Vol I, p105)

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