Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii)

The Roseate Tern is a pale, medium sized tern with a long blackish, slightly drooped bill. Breeding birds have full black cap, pink wash to breast, crimson legs, red bill base and long white outer tail feathers.

There are approximately 300 pairs of Roseate Tern breeding at 3 different localities within South Africa one of which, Algoa Bay, occurs in the Eastern Cape. The breeding colonies are on Bird and St Croix Islands although these islands are hard to access. Cape Recife, located on the south east edge of Port Elizabeth, is the most reliable site and it is best to visit between June and September as the tern is virtually absent in summer. Roseate Tern has been listed as Endangered.

Directions

The entrance gate to Cape Recife is situated at 34°00'39.72"S, 25°41'19.96"E. Pass through the entrance gate and travel for approximately 2.2 kilometres on the tar road until you come to a parking lot. The coordinates for the parking lot are 34°01'66.00", 25°42'00.43"E. From the car park walk onto the beach and past the lighthouse (approximately 300m) until you come to the traditional area for the tern roost (34°01'48.87"S, 25°42'08.00"E). Scan the flocks for Roseate tern keeping in mind that they are normally only present in winter.

GPS Coordinates

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Location	Latitude	Longitude
Entrance gate	34°00'39.72"S	25°41'19.96"E
Parking lot	34°01'66.00"S	25°42'00.43"E
Tern roost	34°01'48.87"S	25°42'08.00"E