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Bird: Least Tern (Sterna antillarum) Length: 9" Description: A very small tern. Back cap extends down into a narrow black mask over dark eye. Bill is bright orange. Flies with shallow wingbeats, then flutters and hovers to dive. In flight shows dark bars on tips of wings (outer primaries). Winter and immature plumage is whiter on head, may show black only around eye. Voice: High pitched, shrieked, repeated "kihip" or "kip". Or "pip, pip, pip, peeete" Audio is available at eNature.com.
Feeding: Hovers and then plunges head-first into water to catch small fish. Behavior at Wakodahatchee: The Least Tern is very common at Wakodahatchee in the winter, and flocks are observed daily on the roofs of the gazebos. They soar above all the open ponds to dive and fish. The Least Tern is migratory and disappears in the winter months to be replaced by the Forsters Tern. The least tern nests in the sand, and its nesting sites are easily disturbed by high tides or human intrusion. For this reason The Least Tern has become endangered in California.
Click here for more information on The Least Tern from eNature.com
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This site is run with the approval and support of the Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department. All contents Copyright © 2006 Andrew Gobien unless noted otherwise |
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