The
little tern (
Sternula albifrons or
Sterna albifrons) is a
seabird of the
tern family,
Sternidae. It was formerly placed into the genus
Sterna, which now is restricted to the large white terns. The former
North American (
S. a. antillarum) and
Red Sea S. a. saundersi subspecies are now considered to be separate species, the
least tern (
Sternula antillarum) and
Saunders's tern (
Sternula saundersi).