Adopt a little tern
The little tern, once a frequent visitor to the isolated gavel banks of the Mura and Drava Rivers, is rarely seen today. On average, only four breeding pairs of this small bird can be found on the Drava River in Croatia. Adopt a little tern, ambassador of living rivers, and support our work!
Their habitats are decreasing due to the regulation of the river, extraction of gravel and sand, construction of hydropower plants and human disturbance.
The little tern, once a frequent visitor to the isolated gavel banks of the Mura and Drava Rivers, is rarely seen today. On average, only four breeding pairs of this small bird can be found on the Drava River in Croatia. Adopt a little tern, ambassador of living rivers, and support our work!
Their habitats are decreasing due to the regulation of the river, extraction of gravel and sand, construction of hydropower plants and human disturbance.
Adopt a little tern, support our work
Animal adoptions like yours give a huge boost to our work, not only the conservation of the little tern’s habitats but also the conservation of other bird species on our rivers. You also help in the implementation of activities crucial to the preservation of free-flowing rivers in our region. We are working on river restoration, establishing natural river dynamics and protecting the habitats of key riverine species. The presence of the little tern is a good indicator of the environmental conditions of dynamic river stretches with sand and gravel bars, steep banks and side arms, which are also home to other endangered river bird species. Your symbolic adoption supports our work.
Did you know?
The little tern is related to gulls and is fully adapted to dive-hunt for fish in rivers and seas. Little terns typically have neat white foreheads, yellow bills, and orange-yellow legs. Their long and narrow wings are grey, with a white underside. Chicks are grey, brown and yellow and are perfectly adapted to the nesting habitats of vegetation-free gravel and sand bars and islands.
A social bird that migrates in small flocks, usually in family groups, after wintering in Africa the little tern returns to Europe every summer to raise its young. In Europe, only a few rivers have suitable habitats for the little tern (e.g. the Loire in France, the Vistula in Poland, the Po in Italy, the Sava and Drava in Croatia), while bigger populations live along the European coasts. In Croatia today, on average, we find only 25-60 breeding pairs of little terns.
Learn more about the little tern
They fly at a speed of around 25km per hour and beat their wings 200 times per second! Beating wings helps them maintain an optimal temperature in their hives too.
Most of the other bees in a hive are female workers. The drones are male. Just a few individuals ever have the chance to mate with a queen.
How does it work?
First of all: thank you. You’re choosing something different. This is not a normal gift. This is a special gift because it will help protect the beautiful and fragile nature that surrounds us.
This is a perfect gift for animal lovers, environmentalists or simply people with a big heart.
Only 5 steps to complete your adoption, it’s easy!
- Choose the animal you love the most
- Personalize the certificate with your own message
- Fill the data (you can decide what day and what time you want the person to receive your special gift)
- Send the gift easily by email
- Enjoy the special gift
Last-minute gift? This is the perfect solution! You can send the personalized certificate very quickly! We'll keep you updated on how you're supporting our vital work.
Safety: our donation process is fully encrypted to ensure all personal and financial information is kept safe and secure.
Any questions? Take a look at our adoption FAQs .