The California Least Tern
by Haley
Most people have never heard of the California Least Tern, much less witnessed its beauty or learned about its fascinating behavior. The California Least Tern is one of the only birds that doesn’t always follow instinct. This bird has a great ocean view from it’s sandy beached home but is having it’s habitat destroyed by man as we speak.
The California Least Tern appears to be the most graceful bird when in flight. The tiniest member of the Tern family has a black capped head with a pure white triangular marking from the forehead to the beak. These small Terns have white under bellies and grayish black wings. The Least Tern’s webbed feet are short and mustard colored. These small terns have white under bellies and grayish black wings. The Least Tern’s webbed feet are short and mustard colored. Its long bill has a black tip and is mixed between the colors yellow and gold. From the tip of the tern’s beak to its tail is 9 inches! This tern also has a wingspan about two times its length of 19 inches.
The Least Tern’s behavior is very strange. It is very light for flight and is graceful when airborne. It is unusual because when migrating season comes, some birds stay behind in their winter homes instead of following instinct like most birds. However, the terns who decide to follow their instinct migrate in small groups to southern areas such as Mexico or South American countries. Their diet contains small fish and sometimes small, soft invertebrates. Least Terns catch their meals by hovering above the water then plunging into the deep.
The Least Tern lives mostly near coastal areas in California but can go as far as the Gulf of California near Mexico. In these areas it can be found around shallow waters with an abundant amount of young fish or in open areas with good views of predators. The nest is on sandy shores in gravel mixed with shells. Inside the nest is usually sand, soil, or pebbles.
In the 1800’s, Least Terns were almost erased from the world. This tragedy occurred because during that time their feathers were used as decorations on hats. However, that isn’t the only reason. Pollution in the air is getting into the water and the fish that the California Least Tern eats. Their habitat is also being destroyed every minute by mankind. Now they are forced to leave their original calm habitat. Jet skies and boats are causing the tides to get bigger making the water harder for them to swim. Now they can no longer get their food in calm waters. The biggest problem though is that the California Least Tern is prey for so many animals. Even pigeons (rock doves) will eat it. It is unbelievable that another bird will eat its own species!
Do you want to save this endangered bird? Well, here are some ways you can help. You can recycle so not as many trees would be cut down. People should also try to help stop pollution and try to keep waters clean. By doing this, maybe this bird can go back to its original habitat. Maybe you can even donate money to the United States Fish and Wildlife service (F.W.S. for short) to help.
Want some more interesting facts. There are many cool facts about this Tern. This bird is protected by local laws and even a treaty! Petite Sterne ( French), Gallito (Spanish), or the old name Sea Swallow are some of the different names for the Least Tern. Another name for the Tern family is Laridee. The sound it makes are short and shrill. Oh, and did you know this? The California Least Tern returns to its birthplace to breed every year! It is also at the bottom of the food chain for so many animals eat it, even ants have been found eating the eggs and nibbling at the feet of newly born chicks. Fortunately, now the population is growing with a large number of about 3,500 Terns in 2002.
So if you ever look in the sky and see a black, white and yellow bird, you know that the Least Tern is here. If you want to save this little guys home on the beach, stop polluting and try to follow the tips to save this endangered bird. You could help change its future.