Roseate Tern - Status

 Sterna dougallii

Scarce passage migrant; former breeder.

The Roseate Tern breeds in colonies dotted along the shores of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, stretching from Europe in the north to Australia in the south. The European population migrates to winter off the coast of West Africa.

E. Lort-Phillips visited Grassholm in 1883 to inspect the nesting place of a small colony of Roseate Terns which then frequented the island. Lockley et al (1949) referred to recorded breeding at Grassholm in c.1885. Mathew (1894) stated that the Roseate Tern formerly nested on Skokholm stack. No other breeding records have been traced.

There were three further recorded occurrences in the 19th century, one at Caldey in April 1875, one obtained at Pembroke in May 1887 and housed in the collection of a Dr Mills and one picked up dead near Pembroke in 1885. First recorded in the 20th century on the 10th September 1958 when three were seen off St Ann’s Head. Thereafter an average of four birds per annum were recorded in 32 years between 1963 and 2008, with nine in 2004, 11 in 1989 and 17 in 1990.These were presumed to be mostly coming or going to Ireland where the bulk of the European population nests.

Graham Rees

(Covers records up to and including 2008).