Apart from in the breeding season the little tern spends most of its time hovering low above the sea looking from side to side with its beak pointing down as it searches for its prey. Once it has found its target it plunges vertically down to catch it.
除了繁殖季節，小燕鷗大部分時間都低空飛翔於海面，頭部不時左右擺動，嘴則垂直朝下，搜索海中獵物，有如偵察機，選中目標後，鼓起雙翼、垂直下降捕捉。