Baby Least Tern Eats His Fish

July 31, 2009: This tiny chick was brought to us a few days ago. For now, he lives in an incubator in ICU. Note that there is a heating pad under the towel, to keep him toasty warm. When he sleeps, he snuggles into the feather duster. On the right side of his cage is a little mirror, where he can look at himself. Because we don't have another baby Tern, his image in the mirror keeps him company.

You can Google "Least Tern" on the internet to see what he'll look like when he grows up.

Least Tern: Sterna antillarum, Order: Charadriiformes, Family: Laridae

The smallest of American Terns, the Least Tern is found nesting on sandy beaches along the southern coasts of the United States and up the major river systems far into the interior of the continent.

Its habitat is seacoasts, beaches, bays, estuaries, lagoons, lakes and rivers, breeding on sandy or gravelly beaches and banks of rivers or lakes. Its food is small fish and some invertebrates. Although widespread and common in places, the Least Tern's favored nesting habitat is prized for human recreation, residential development, and alteration by water diversion, which interfere with successful nesting in many areas. It is classified as threatened, endangered, or as a species of concern for most states because of loss of nesting habitat. Interior population federally listed as endangered in 1985.

Source: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds

Check out International Bird Rescue Research Center here:

http://www.ibrrc.org/

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Baby
• chick
• Least
• Tern
• IBRRC
• bird
• pelagic
• nature
• wildlife
• habitat
• endangered
• species
• Petite
• Sterne
• Charrán
• mínimo
• Golondrinita
• marina
• Gallito

[horsecrazy4011]

aww he reminds me of regi my old chicken b 4 i had a utube account

[TYPEArchANGEL]

aww..

this reminds me of when i took care of a baby rail.

the poor little guy died from an unknown cause but i'm pretty sure he didn't die because i didn't love and take care of him.

[lovinSpoonful]

What a cutie! Hope he's going to be kept in human care for the rest of his life - unless you find other terns to put him with. He needs to learn survival skills from his own specie. Nice to see you doing this rescue work for the little fella.