Groote Eylandt - Roseate Tern breeding site
The whole of Groote Eylandt and its surrounding waters lie within the Anindilyakwa Indigenous Protected Area.
An unnamed islet off the north-eastern coast has been classified by BirdLife International as an important bird area because of its global importance as a Roseate Tern breeding site
What is a Roseate Tern?
This is a small-medium tern, 33–36 cm long with a 67–76 cm wingspan, which can be confused with the common tern, Arctic tern, and the larger, but similarly plumaged, Sandwich tern.
Roseate tern's thin sharp bill is black, with a red base which develops through the breeding season, and is more extensive in the tropical and southern hemisphere races. It is shorter-winged and has faster wing beats than common or Arctic tern.
The upper wings are pale grey and its under parts white, and this tern looks very pale in flight, like a small Sandwich tern, although the outermost primary flight feathers darken during the summer.
The adults have very long, flexible tail streamers and orange-red legs. In summer, the underparts of adults take on the pinkish tinge which gives this bird its name.
Groote Eylandt Accommodation at Dugong Beach Resort
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