The plight of the least tern 



The bird that is causing ornithologists the great- 

 est concern on the North Carolina coast now is the 

 Least Tern. The smallest of the terns, the Least 

 Tern habitually nests on the beaches, where it is 

 exposed to the hazards of encroaching develop- 

 ment, tourists and fishermen, 



This little bird seems to be suffering all over 

 the country. One race of Least Terns on the West 

 Coast has already been placed on the California 

 and federal registers of endangered species. In 

 North Carolina, the Least Tern falls into the offi- 

 cial category of special concern, which is one step 

 short of a threatened species. 



Leon Jernigan, a graduate student at NCSU, 

 is rapidly becoming North Carolina's expert on the 

 plight of this bird. Jernigan has been working with 

 Sea Grant-supported researchers Jim Parnell and 

 Bob Soots to study the size of the Least Tern popu- 

 lation. He is also studying the bird's requirements 

 for suitable nesting sites. When he completes his 

 research this summer, Jernigan expects to be able 

 to propose management techniques that might 

 increase the size of the colonies in the state. 



The Least Tern requires a bare, sandy area with 

 little or no vegetation for nesting. In the past it 

 has nested largely on the barrier islands and 

 coastal beaches. It has been slower than many 

 other species to turn to the safer habitats on dredge 

 islands. But now an estimated two-thirds of the 

 population nests on dredge islands. There are more 

 suitable dredge islands that are not being used, 

 Jernigan points out. 



The Least Tern is most vulnerable during its 

 nesting season, which can stretch from the first of 

 May until the end of July. The female usually lays 

 two inch-long eggs directly on the sand. The eggs 

 have a 19- to 20-day incubation period. It is 21 

 days before the hatched fledgling can fly. Because 

 they are well-camouflaged, the eggs and the young 

 are often destroyed by vehicles and people. 



Like many other -birds, adult Least Terns will 

 fight to protect their nests. Though they will leave 

 their nests when frightened, they often dive at or 

 excrete on people who disturb them. Such defense 

 methods are ineffective when the enemies are the 

 four wheel drive vehicles driven on the beaches. In 

 recognition of this problem, the U.S. Park Service 

 posts signs at the Cape Hatteras National Sea- 

 shore which read: "Terns Nesting: Do Not Dis- 

 turb." 



Jernigan also points out that pets can be a prob- 

 lem for nesting terns. One dog could easily wipe 

 out a colony of 15 terns, he said. In rare cases, 

 vandalism is the cause of a colony's rain. Some- 

 times people collect the eggs they find lying on the 



Least Tern fledglings are well-camouflaged in 

 their sandy nest. 



sand. "Most people have a concept that birds nest 

 in a tree in a regular nest. I don't think they realize 

 that an egg in the sand can be a nest, too," Jerni- 

 gan said. 



Foul weather hits the Least Tern hard. Last 

 summer's rains took heavy tolls among the col- 

 onies. Many nests were washed out and adult pairs 

 laid as many as three separate sets of eggs in an 

 effort to reproduce. 



Last summer Jernigan counted about 1500 nests 

 in 79 colonies on the coast. He believes that figure 

 may be somewhat inflated because some colonies 

 moved and may have been counted twice. Still, it's 

 a low figure when compared with statistics on other 

 terns. The population of adult Koyal Terns, for 

 instance, was about 17,000 birds — in only seven 

 colonies. 



The Least Tern has had a rough history in the 

 United States. Along with several other birds, 

 it suffered a severe decline in the late 1800s when 

 it was hunted widely. Its plumage was popular for 

 ladies' hats. At the turn of the century a law was 

 passed prohibiting killing of the birds. 



Jernigan believes that a few compromises on the 

 part of people who use the coast would aid in the 

 Least Tern's recovery. Four wheel drive vehicles 

 would do very little damage to the colonies, he con- 

 tends, if people would drive them only on the first 

 berm of the beach. Colonies usually nest against or 

 behind the dunes. He also suggests that known 

 nesting sites be posted during nesting season and 

 that, if possible, traffic be routed around them. 

 Dredge islands now being used by Least Terns 

 must be maintained so that they do not develop 

 too much vegetation. 



