Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00775:reg:18:p109
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00775
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 18 (pt 109/152)
Character Range: 340038–343064

and egg predation, and can lead to breeding failure (Department of the Environment 2019). It is possible that, in the future, climate change could have an adverse impact on food sources and breeding habitat.

  Recommended Management Actions
          Quantify the breeding population in Australia

          Regularly monitor breeding populations at index locations

          Determine non-breeding areas and migration routes

          Control, or eradicate invasive species on breeding islands

      Implement best practice quarantine measures at breeding colonies to reduce the risk of any invasive species (re)establishing on islands

146 Wildlife Conservation Plan for Seabirds
Species profiles

 Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)

Life History and Distribution
The Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) is a medium sized, slender tern with a long slender bill, long narrow wings and long deeply forked tail. This species has a circumpolar distribution and can be found breeding in most of Europe, Asia and North America, except the in the extreme north. It winters further south, being found along the coast and inland of South America down to the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), along the coast of Africa (excluding northern Africa), along parts of the Arabian Peninsula, the coast of India and throughout much of south-east Asia and Australasia (del Hoyo et al. 1996). It breeds between April and June in solitary pairs or colonially in groups of up to several thousand pairs (del Hoyo et al. 1996). Palearctic breeders migrate south after breeding between August and October, returning to the breeding grounds in March or April (del Hoyo et al. 1996). The species winters on sheltered coastal waters, estuaries and along large rivers, occupying harbours, jetties, piers, beaches and coastal wetlands including lagoons, rivers, lakes, swamps and saltworks, mangroves and saltmarshes (del Hoyo et al. 1996, Higgins and Davies 1996). During this season, it roosts on unvegetated sandy beaches, shores of estuaries or lagoons, sandbars and rocky shores (Higgins and Davies 1996). The species is opportunistic, its diet consisting predominantly of small fish and occasionally planktonic crustaceans and insects (del Hoyo et al. 1996).

Population Estimates and Trends
The global population is estimated to number 1,600,000-3,600,000 individuals (Delany and Scott 2006). The overall population trend is unclear. Some populations may be stable, while others have unknown trends (Delany and Scott 2006).
The Australian population estimate and trends are unknown.

Conservation Concerns and Actions
During the breeding season, the species is vulnerable to human disturbance at nesting colonies (Buckley and Buckley 1984, Blokpoel and Scharf 1991). The flooding of nest sites as a result of naturally fluctuating water levels can also result in complete breeding failure of the effected colony (Buckley and Buckley 1984, Hyde 1997, del Hoyo et al. 2019). Previously, this species has experienced significant declines due