What they like

Open water with peace and space. Ponds, rivers, the Wadden coast, lakes. Low islets, bare sand- and shell-edges to breed on. Clear water to hunt in. You can help by keeping dogs on a leash on breeding beaches, boating quietly on the water, and leaving reed beds and natural banks intact. In a park or garden: make a pond with a gently sloping edge and let it be a bit untidy — life will move in.

Ecological importance

Top predator of small fish. He dives for smelt, stickleback and young herring, and also takes insects. That way they indicates the quality of the water. Chicks and eggs are food for gulls and crows; adults can be taken by a peregrine falcon. A colony is like a small town: many eyes, lots of alarm, lots of activity.

When in the Netherlands

Mainly April to September. Then they migrates to Africa.

Status

Breeding bird and passage migrant. Numbers fluctuate; breeding success is often under pressure from disturbance and a lack of suitable nesting sites.