Future looking rosy for roseate terns with record breeding year - RSPB
- Roseate terns have broken breeding records for the sixth year in a row at their only UK breeding colony, RSPB’s Coquet Island in Northumberland.
- Roseate terns are the UK’s rarest nesting seabird and were almost driven to extinction back in the 19th century.
- Coquet Island also saw a record year for common terns and kittiwakes.
The UK's rarest nesting seabird, the roseate tern, has broken breeding records for the sixth year in a row on the RSPB’s Coquet Island in Northumberland. Coquet Island is home to the only breeding colony of roseate terns in the UK, and thanks to dedicated conservation their numbers have climbed from 104 breeding pairs in 2016 to 150 pairs in 2021
Roseate terns almost went extinct back in the 19th century because of the demand for their feathers in women’s hats. These striking black-capped white birds grow a flush of rosy-coloured feathers on their breast during the breeding season, which the male shows off by flying above the female with a fish in his beak. In 1989 there were only 467 breeding pairs across the whole of the UK and Ireland, but dedicated conservation efforts have boosted Ireland’s population to 1,989 breeding pairs, with all of the UK’s 150 breeding pairs living on Coquet Island.
This year was also a record for breeding pairs of common terns and kittiwakes on Coquet Island, the latter of which are on the red list of conservation concern. This year Stephen Lunn, long-time volunteer and award-winning blacksmith, created bespoke ‘kittiwake hammocks’ to act as extra nesting spaces on cliffs. These were a big success and helped to boost the breeding pair numbers from 453 to 466.
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Posted On: 22/10/2021