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Interior Least Turn, Sterna antillarum atholassos
photo courtesy of USFWS
This bird is
critically imperiled in the state of Indiana.
The interior least turn is a small bird that has a white forehead
with a black crown and a gray body with a white stomach. They live approximately 21 years. They spend their summers in the United States where they
breed, building their nests on sandy banks with little to no vegetation.
Their diet consists of small fish.
In the winter, this species migrates to the Gulf Coast or Peru.
One of the reasons the interior least turn is endangered is due to
modifications of river flow caused by damming.
This changes the habitat where they build their nests.
Another reason is competition with other species of birds, the
interior least turn has been known to nest in colonies that consist of 200
birds. The colonies consist
of several different species and create competition for nest sites and
food.
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