LIVING SANIBEL: Least tern struggles with habitat loss
Least Tern (Sterna antillarum) Other names: sea swallow, pigeon de la mer,
little tern / Status: Fla.=threatened, IUCN=LC / Life span: to 24 years /
Length: 8.3-9.1 in. (21-23 cm) / Wingspan: 18.9-20.9 in. (48-53 cm) /
Weight: 1.1-1.6 oz (30-45 g) / Nests: in Florida in the summer months,
including Sanibel and Captiva; winters in Colombia and Venezuela / Found:
only during summer in gulf beach, interior wetlands, mangrove zone, and the
Sanibel Causeway.
True to its nickname sea swallow, this is the smallest tern in the Western
Hemisphere. Weighing less than a robin, this tiny tern feeds on small fish,
crustaceans, and sand eels. Its cap is similar to other terns, but its
diminutive size and black-tipped yellow bill are the best methods of
identifying this bird.
Like several other summer species, the least tern has made Florida its
northern nesting site, although several small populations nest as far north
as Massachusetts. Once hunted for its plumes, the least tern is still
considered threatened in much of its range, and its population is being
closely monitored. There is also a West Coast population that summers in
California and winters deep into Mexico.