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A least tern attacking a much larger black skimmer near Drum Inlet in North Carolina, United States. Adults have a … [8] Both female and male incubate the eggs for a period of about three weeks, and both parents tend the semiprecocial young. The Interior Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) is the smallest of the terns found in North America. The development of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers is largely due to the needs of agriculture, commerce, and communities. Phone: 612-713-5360
A female usually lays a clutch of one to three eggs, and shares nesting duties with her mate. Other close relatives include the yellow-billed tern and Peruvian tern, both from South America. A DVD of the program, One Good Tern Deserves Another, is available at our DVD Gallery - link is in right margin. 5600 American Blvd. These birds are slender and streamlined with a white breast and belly, a gray back, and long, narrow pointed wings. The interior least tern is protected by the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which forbids the purchase, sale, or possession of any migratory bird. West, Suite 990
Habitat loss due to development and habitat alteration, such as dams along the interior least tern’s habitat, are the critical problems this population is encountering. They have a black capped crown that extends forward over each eye, a snowy white forehead, neck and underside, and gray wings, back and tail. In an effort to insure the future of threatened and endangered species, like the least tern, the piping plover, and the pallid sturgeon, the U.S. The eggs are speckled and generally blend well with the sandy surface. At feeding time, the young terns wait along the shoreline for their parents to bring them fish. The Midwest Region includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin. in southern California,[9] as well as shiner perch, and small crustaceans elsewhere. [9] Elsewhere, they feed in proximity to lagoons or bay mouths. The population is about 21,500 pairs; it is not currently considered federally threatened, though it is considered threatened in many of the states in which it breeds. Earthwave SocietyFt. The wings are mostly pale gray, but with conspicuous black markings on their outermost primaries. Least terns are migratory shorebirds, and the smallest members of the gull and tern family. There are two eggs which can be seen if one looks closely. Other close relatives include the yellow-billed tern and Peruvian tern, both from South America. It flies over water with fast, jerky wingbeats and a distinctive hunchback appearance, with the bill pointing slightly downward. The interior subspecies, with a current population of about 7000 pairs, was listed as an endangered subspecies in 1985 (estimated 1000 breeding pairs), due to loss of habitat caused by dams, reservoirs, channelization, and other changes to river systems. [9] Insects are known to be eaten during El Niño events. The differences among the three subspecies may not be as much as had been thought.[3][4]. It takes about 18 days for the nest to be incubated until successfully hatches. A least tern lying just below the surface of the sand is probably on its nest. and anchovy (Anchoa spp.) With aggressive management, mainly by exclusion of humans via fencing, the Californian population has rebounded in recent years to about 4500 pairs, a marked increase from 582 pairs in 1974 when census work began, though it is still listed as an endangered subspecies. The western population, the California least tern, was listed as an endangered species in 1972 with a population of about 600 pairs. In the southeastern United States, many breeding sites are on white gravel rooftops. Subscribe while you're there! The least tern (Sternula antillarum) is a species of tern that breeds in North America and locally in northern South America. Recent threats include the gull-billed tern (Sterna nilotica), which can decrease reproductive success in a colony to less than 10%.[6]. While numbers have gradually increased with its protected status, it is still vulnerable to predators, natural disasters or further disturbance by humans. In any case, the bulk of the population has left the breeding grounds by the end of August. It is closely related to, and was formerly often considered conspecific with, the little tern of the Old World. They breed in the Mississippi and Rio Grande River Basins from Montana to Texas and from eastern New Mexico and Colorado to Indiana and Louisiana, with distribution generally restricted to those river segments least affected by dams and channelization. Reproduction: The interior least tern breeding season is April through August. Much of their natural habitat has been lost because of broad-scale changes to our natural river systems that include invasive plants, dams and reservoirs, river channelization, bank stabilization, hydropower generation, and water diversion. Adults in southern California eat kelpfish (most likely giant kelpfish, Heterostichus rostratus). The legs are yellowish. Fish and Wildlife Service
In some colonies in southern California, Spanish roof tiles are placed in colonies so chicks can hide there. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark recorded their first observation of an Interior Least Tern on August 5, 1804 along the Missouri River, near present day Omaha, Nebraska while on their 1803â1805 âVoyage of Discoveryâ across North America (2013 Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership Annual Report). It is closely related to, and was formerly often considered conspecific with, the little tern of the Old World.