Скачать или смотреть Least Tern Sternula antillarum bird wildlife conservation sanctuary area Sunken Meadow State Park NY

Least Tern Sternula antillarum bird wildlife conservation sanctuary area Sunken Meadow State Park Pavilion - Kings Park Hamlet in the Town of Smithtown - Suffolk County - Long Island region - New York State - USA - summer June 18th 2021 4k video

Long Island NY is 118 miles long

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Least Tern
Scientific Name: Sternula antillarum

New York Status: Threatened
Federal Status: Endangered (interior U.S. only, not on coast)

Description
The least tern is the smallest American tern, weighing about 1 ounce and measuring about 9 inches in length.

Life History
By late April to mid-May, the least tern is on its northernmost breeding grounds, usually arriving before common terns and black skimmers. The least tern breeds in colonies of up to 200 birds. Nests are scraped in sand or gravel, and may be lined sparingly with small shells or other debris. Eggs are commonly laid in clutches of 2 from late May through June, and are incubated by both sexes for 21 days. The young fledge in 19-20 days. The least tern is very defensive in the colony, and adults scream and dive at intruders. Piping plovers, another endangered beach-nesting bird, are commonly found nesting in association with least terns. By late August and early September, least terns leave their northern breeding grounds to head for wintering areas.

Least terns feed mostly on small fish caught by skimming the surface of the water or by making dives from the air. Banding studies have shown individuals living up to 21 years.

Distribution and Habitat
The least tern has a nearly worldwide distribution. In the Western Hemisphere it breeds on the Pacific Coast from Central California to Peru; inland along the Colorado, Red, Rio Grande, Missouri, and Mississippi river systems; on the Atlantic Coast from Maine to Argentina; and along the Great Lakes in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ohio. Migrants mainly occur on Long Island's outer coast and rarely on the lower Hudson River. This species winters from the Gulf Coast and Central America south to Peru and Brazil.

The least tern breeds on broad, level expanses of open sandy or gravelly beach, dredge spoil and other open shoreline areas, and more rarely, inland on broad river valley sandbars. In an unusual case, 20 pairs nested on the roof of a city auditorium in Pensacola, Florida in 1957, and have continued to do so annually.


Status
The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists the least tern population found in the interior U. S. as endangered. Around the turn of the century, the least tern was in danger of extirpation in the northeastern U. S. because of hunting for the millinery trade. Protective legislation in 1918 allowed the species to recover in the 1920s and 1930s. In recent years, however, human pressures have been causing a decline in populations of this species. Surveys from 1985-1995 found an average of approximately 3,000 breeding pairs at between 50 and 66 colonies along New York's Long Island coast.

Development of coastal areas destroys breeding habitat and recreational activities can disrupt reproduction. Increases in populations of more aggressive gulls has led to competition for nesting sites. Some colonies are severely limited by predation from rats, great horned owls, black-crowned night herons, dogs, and cats.

Management and Research Needs
Researchers from private and public conservation organizations and concerned volunteers annually census breeding colonies on Long Island. With the cooperation of landowners, nesting areas are fenced off and signs


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New York State
Bird Conservation Area Program

General Site information: Sunken Meadow State Park is located on the north shore of Long
Island, with 3 miles of beachfront along the Long Island Sound. The eastern boundary is the
mouth of the Nissequogue River. The Sunken Meadow Creek, which had tidal flow restored in
2012 due to damage from Superstorm Sandy, is ~1.5 miles long. There are currently 89 acres of
low salt marsh and 450 acres of upland woodlands that include successional and mature coastal
oak-hickory. The 3/4 mile boardwalk along the beach is lined with shrubs. This site is part of the
Long Island Greenbelt Trail

Vision Statement: The Sunken Meadow State Park Bird Conservation Area (BCA) will continue
to maintain the habitat variety and quality that supports the diversity of bird species present,
while providing public access and recreational opportunities.

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