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  California Least Tern

(Sterna antillarum browni)     ORDER: CHARADRIIFORMES   l   FAMILY: LARIDAE

 
                                                                                                                                                                        ~ August 26, 2009
                                                                                                                                                               Oso Flaco, Guadalupe, CA
                                               The above young  juvenile is so adorable.  Notice the bands on the legs.

 
              Least Terns change their beak color as they mature.  This is a juvenile in his first summer.
                                                                                                                                                                     ~September 6, 2009
                                                                                                                                                                            Bolsa Chica, CA

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                        ~ August 26, 2009
                                                                                                                                                               Oso Flaco, Guadalupe, CA

 
 
                                                                                                                ~ August 26, 2009
                                                                                                       Oso Flaco, Guadalupe, CA


The California Least Tern was almost exterminated in the late 1880s for their feathers to adorn hats.  Now it is an endangered subspecies which in 1974 had 582 breeding pairs.  Fortunately with conservation efforts, the numbers have gradually increased.

Black stripes run from the beak across the eyes ending in a scull cap topping a white forehead.  The wings are gray and the chest white.  The California Least Tern have short, forked tails.  Both the bill and legs are orange.  It is the smallest of the terns - around 21-23 cm or 8¼ to 9 inches.