Interior Least Terns - Nest, Eggs, Chicks

Nests:

• nest in colonies
• place nests on the ground in bare sand
• lay 2 - 3 eggs in a small cup-like depression
• produce one per season
• may re-nest up to three times if the nest is lost early in the season
• do not nest until their 3rd summer
• can live 20 years or more (record is 24 years)

Eggs:

• Well camouflaged (pale to tan with dark spots but coloration is highly variable)
• Take about 21 days to hatch
• A little larger than a quarter

Chicks:

• Coloration varies from grayish-brown to yellow to nearly reddish or sandy-brown with white undersides and tiny dark spots on head and back
• Semiprecocial which describes young that have open eyes, down, and are mobile at hatch but don't leave the nest right after hatching
• Typically leave the nest within two days of hatching
• Flightless and depend on parents for food (small fish) and protection until about 21 days

Defensive Behavior

• Adults are aggressive
• Adults defend nest and chicks by mobbing, dive bombing, and defecating on intruders
• Chicks will usually lay flat on the sand pretending to be a rock or they will hide under a plant, rock, or piece of driftwood

Nest and Chick Predators:

• American Kestrels (Falco sparverius)
• Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias)
• American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
• Owls
• Skunks
• Raccoons
• Foxes
• Coyotes
• Cats
• Dogs
• Humans