Changing fortunes of Little Terns

Record-breaking breeding season for Australia’s newest threatened bird species

Australia’s list of threatened species keeps on growing. In March, the Little Tern was listed as nationally Vulnerable to extinction under Australia’s main environment legislation, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act – the first species of bird to be added this year. The species status had already been recognised as being Critically Endangered in Victoria and Endangered in New South Wales.

In the last 30 years, Australia’s population of Little Terns has declined by around 4% – leaving just 2,700 surviving mature individuals. Alarmingly, experts have predicted that the species’ population may fall further and more steeply, with a decline of up to 10% forecast over the next three generations.

Little Terns nest on the ground and on crowded beaches, where they are easily disturbed by humans. Their near-invisible nests are at risk of being trampled underfoot, crushed by off-leash dogs and off-road vehicles, or washed away by high tides and storm events.

Little Terns are also threatened by native and introduced predators, habitat loss and degradation and the effects of climate change – but their listing means they’ll be better protected under Australia’s main national environment legislation.

Is the tide turning?

Reflecting the national decline of the species, the population of Little Terns breeding in coastal New South Wales has been falling for at least the past 20 years – until now.

Since 2019, they’ve made an impressive comeback: their breeding population has more than doubled across New South Wales, and the most recent breeding season was one of their best in decades.

More than 485 breeding pairs were recorded in New South Wales in the 2025–25 breeding season, which began last November. These pairs occupied 966 nests, which fledged at least 510 young. This year’s tally is the highest fledgling count in the state in the past 24 years.

As an example of this breeding boom, the nesting colony at Karagi Point, on the Central Coast, supported 175 pairs at 251 nests. Of these, at least 228 tern chicks fledged. This is a remarkable figure: it’s about the same as the total number of fledglings produced at this site between 2000 and 2020 (which equates to, on average, fewer than a dozen fledglings per year).

This bumper season is thanks to the dedication of the Central Coast Council and the support of government agencies and the local community in helping safeguard the nest site. Thanks to their targeted conservation efforts – including installing and maintaining fencing and signage to reduce disturbance, site closures, regular nest monitoring, controlling predators and pests, and community engagement and education – the future looks a little brighter for one of their smallest and most vulnerable beach residents.

The efforts of conservationists across the country, and their wins, both big and small, are an important reminder that, when visiting the coast, we all can – and should – be beach custodians, too.