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.
Using this item
Department of Conservation
Reference:
10031281
Photograph by Dave Crouchley
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