Fairy tern of extinction for decades. The fairy tern was consequently uplisted to Vulnerable status in 2008. The New Zealand fairy tern has numerous breeding areas, largely incorporating the upper-north region of the North Island. In 2011, there were only about 42 known individuals. With a breeding program in place by the New Zealand Department of Conservation, the population was estimated in 2018 at 43. Fairy tern The fairy tern ("Sternula nereis") is a small tern which is native to the southwestern Pacific. It is listed as "Vulnerable" by the IUCN and the New Zealand subspecies is "Critically Endangered". There are three
Sandwich tern Sandwich tern The Sandwich tern ("Thalasseus sandvicensis") is a tern in the family Laridae. It is very closely related to the lesser crested tern ("T. bengalensis"), Chinese crested tern ("T. bernsteini"), Cabot's tern ("T. acuflavidus"), and elegant tern ("T. elegans") and has been known to interbreed with the lesser crested. The Sandwich tern is a medium-large tern with grey upperparts, white underparts, a yellow-tipped black bill and a shaggy black crest which becomes less extensive in winter with a white crown. Young birds bear grey and brown scalloped plumage on their backs and wings. It is a vocal bird. It