Sorry about the pitiful pun… but some things are just inescapable! Just about every species has some special moves to win over that special someone, and Crested Terns (Sterna bergii) sure do have style! Take a walk at a beach near you in early spring and you might see what I mean.
To attract a mate, a Crested Tern walks toward it, carrying a fish. Nice move if you like that sort of thing! If all goes to plan, the pair will take off into zig-zag flight, one behind the other, to several hundred metres, before gliding back to land. But back at the beach, there may be competition to deal with. Thanks to Andrew McCutcheon for sharing these fantastic pics.
Birdlife ballet -Crested Terns in flight
"YOU LOOKIN' AT ME!!??"
Crested Terns fly over nearshore waters searching for squid and small fish, including sandy sprat, blue sprat, pilchard and southern anchovy, which they dive-bomb to take from just below the surface. They occur right around the Australian coast. As ground-nesting birds that breed in colonies, they choose to nest on coastal islands, perhaps because there are fewer land-based predators. Mud Islands in Port Phillip Bay has historically been a stronghold for the Victorian population.
