Story: Gulls, terns and skuas

White tern chick

White tern chick

Instead of building a nest, white terns simply lay their egg on a branch. Once hatched, the chick clings on with long hooked claws. In New Zealand, white terns breed in the Kermadec Islands, and they also breed in the tropics and subtropics of all the world’s oceans.

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Department of Conservation
Reference: 10030637
Photograph by Don Merton

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How to cite this page:

Gerard Hutching, 'Gulls, terns and skuas - Noddies', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/8928/white-tern-chick (accessed 19 April 2024)

Story by Gerard Hutching, published 12 Jun 2006, reviewed & revised 17 Feb 2015