CLIPBOARD : BREEDING BIRDS : LEAST TERN (Sterna antillarum)

Description: White overall with black crown, nape and eyeline. The bill is orangish-yellow with black tip; legs are also orangish-yellow. Black feathers edging wings are predominant in flight. Tail is short and deeply forked. This is the smallest North American tern. Length: 9 inches.

Habitat: Prefers open, flat beaches and shallow water of rivers and lakes.

Diet: Aquatic insects, shrimp, small fish and eggs.

Displays: Male flies with fish in bill, chased upwards by several terns, then glides down; courtship feeding. Hovers and defecates over intruders.

Nest: Unlined depression scraped in sand or dirt, just deep enough to keep eggs from rolling away.

Eggs: Olive-buffed with dark brown markings, 1.2 inches long.

Call: A short kip , or a harsh chir-ee-eep . Terns lack song, but the calls serve varied functions in mate calling and warning of predators. Mates recognized by call.

Notes: Currently protected by the Endangered Species Act, the Least Tern was close to extinction by the early 1900s when the plume industry claimed up to 100,000 terns during a single season.

Breeding bird atlas: To report bird breeding activity in your neighborhood, or to get information on the breeding bird atlas, call Sea and Sage Audubon Society members Sylvia Gallagher, (714) 962-8990, or Nancy Kenyon, (714) 786-3160. Note: Map is divided into 5-kilometer squares so that Audubon Society volunteers can more easily survey areas on a regular basis.

Sources: Sea and Sage Audubon Society; “The Birder’s Handbook,” Ehrlich, Dobkin and Wheye, Fireside Books (1988); “Field Guide to the Birds of North America,” National Geographic Society (1987); “Birds of Southern California: Status and Distribution,” Garrett and Dunn, Los Angeles Audubon Society (1981).