Sternula antillarum
The Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) is a delicate jewel of coastal and inland waterways, distinguished as the smallest tern species in the Americas. Measuring a mere 21-23 cm (8.3-9.1 in) in length with a wingspan of 48-53 cm (19-21 in) and weighing just 35-49 g (1.2-1.7 oz), its diminutive size is its most immediate field mark. Adults in breeding plumage sport a bright white body, pale gray upperparts, black cap, a prominent white forehead patch, and a short, stout yellow bill with a black ...
Primarily found in low-lying coastal areas such as sandy beaches, barrier islands, and dredge spoil sites, but also utilizes sandbars along major inland rivers at low elevations.
Their diet consists almost exclusively of small fish, such as anchovies, silversides, and gobies, supplemented occasionally by shrimp or marine worms, captured by spectacular shallow plunge-dives.
Least Terns are highly diurnal, spending their days actively foraging and resting in communal roosts, especially during the non-breeding season. Their foraging strategy involves distinctive aerial plunge-diving; they hover briefly over shallow water before executing a shallow dive to snatch small...
The Least Tern boasts a vast breeding distribution spanning coastal and inland regions across the Americas. In North America, the Eastern subspecies (S. a. antillarum) breeds along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts from Maine south to Florida, and west to Texas, extending into the Caribbean and northe...
Least Concern
- The Least Tern is the smallest tern in the world, a true miniature master of the skies. - Despite its preference for open beaches, it has famously adapted to nesting on gravel rooftops and even parking lots in urban environments when natural nesting sites are scarce. - Their eggs are perfectly ...