Least Tern (LETE)
Sternula antillarum
Range
Least Tern populations are concentrated along ocean coasts from North America to the top of South America; they can also be found in some inland locations in the southeastern and midwestern U.S.
Additional Maps
Identification
This species is the smallest of all North American terns, about 22 cm in length. They have a black cap and stripe over the eye, which contrasts with the white forehead, neck, and underbelly. The upperparts and wings are light gray, and the straight, narrow bill is yellow or orange with a dark tip. The black stripe over the eye is considered wider on male Least Terns but sexes are more reliably distinguishable by behavior.
The Least Tern has calls but does not have a song. These calls include vocalizations like ki-dik for the male’s contact call, alarm calls such as zweep, tsip tsip tsip, kit-kit-kit-kit, or krowkgh, recognition calls like k’ee-you-hud-dut, keedee-cui keedee-cui, or kee-zink kee-zinkI. Other calls include the k’ee-you summons call to their young and the throaty brooding call between mates.
Habitat
Least Terns typically form colonies along coasts or rivers on sand or dried mudflats with little to no vegetation. They can also be found on sandy or shell islands, as well as on gravel and sand pits. Their nests are often on deposited dredged materials, such as sand, silt, or gravel. On Long Island, New York, Least Terns usually use habitats like peninsulas, sandy shorelines, and barrier islands.
Conservation Status
- Delisted from the Federal Endangered Species List in 2021
- Listed as Least Concern but Decreasing by the International Union for Conservation of Nature
- Listed as a Red-Alert Species by Road to Recovery
Status by State
- Listed as Vulnerable by Alabama State Species of Greatest Conservation Need
- Listed as Vulnerable by Arkansas State Species of Greatest Conservation Need (pg 282)
- Listed as Vulnerable by California State Species of Greatest Conservation Need (pg C-22)
- Listed as Threatened by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
- Listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the 2015 Delaware Wildlife Action Plan (pg 20)
- Listed as Vulnerable by Florida State Species of Greatest Conservation Need (pg 55)
- Listed as Vulnerable by Georgia State Species of Greatest Conservation Need (pg A-4)
- Listed as Endangered by Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
- Listed as Vulnerable by Louisiana State Species of Greatest Conservation Need (pg 139)
- Listed as Bird Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the 2015-2025 Maryland State Wildlife Action Plan (pg 41)
- Listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the 2015 Massachusetts Wildlife Action Plan (pg 128)
- Listed as Vulnerable by Mississippi State Species of Greatest Conservation Need
- Listed as Critically Imperiled by Missouri Department of Conservation
- Listed as a High Priority Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the List of Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Fish and Wildlife Species of New York State
- Listed as Vulnerable by Texas State Species of Greatest Conservation Need (pg 37)
Threats to Conservation
Least Tern populations are affected by flooding, habitat destruction, nest-disturbance, and pollution. Pollutions of particular concern include PCBs, pesticides such as DDT, and heavy metals because these can accumulate in birds with a primary diet of fish. Oil pollution is also an issue in coastal and inland habitats as well as on migration routes. Least Terns are also affected by human disruption through shoreline development, depositing of dredged material, water turbulence from jet skis/boats, and nest disturbances from pedestrians.
Funding Opportunities
- Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP)
- America the Beautiful Challenge
- Carolina Bird Club Conservation Grants
- Community Forest Program
- ConocoPhillips Partnership for Public and Private Land Managers
- Conservation Nation Grant Program
- Conservation Partners Legacy Grant Program
- Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
- Fish and Wildlife Grants List for California
- Florida’s State Wildlife Grants Program
- Gulf Coast Conservation Grants Program
- Hewlett Foundation- Western Conservation Grants
- Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative Small Grant Program
- Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant Program
- National Coastal Resilience Fund
- National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grants
- Natural Areas Research Grant
- Natural Legacy Program
- Nature Works
- Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) Grant
- NFWF- America Restoration Grant
- NOAA Office for Coastal Management: Funding Opportunities
- North American Wetlands Conservation
- Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Project Funding Resources
- NRCS Wetland Mitigation Banking Program
- Pacific Birds U.S. Partnership
- Partners for Fish and Wildlife
- Point Blue California Restoration Grant
- Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)
- Sacramento California Grant and Funding
- Texas State Wildlife Grants
- The Lawrence Foundation- Environmental Grants
- The Migratory Bird Program
- Tribal Wildlife Grants
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund
- Western Habitat Grant Proposals
- Wildlife Habitat Grant Program
- Wisconsin Forest Landowner Grant Program
General Management Guides
Regional Management Guides
- Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Fact Sheet
- Maine Feasibility Statements for Least Tern Goals and Objective (2001)
- New Hampshire Fish and Game Department: Tern Restoration Project
- New York Natural Heritage Program
- NFWF Chesapeake Bay Business Plan
- NYSDEC Species Assessment and Guide
Resources
- Audubon Bird Guide
- Audubon New York: Coast Conservation
- Audubon New York: How to Know if a Shorebird is Being Disturbed
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
- Guide to the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grants
- International Coastal Cleanup
- The Least Tern’s Comeback is a Model for Conservation Success
- Long Island Sound Study
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services 5 year review (2013)
- Wildlife Watch: Helping the Least Tern Take Flight