Texas Parks & Wildlife, Volume 33, Number 1, January 1975 Page: 2
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Least tern and chick by John Tveten
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Ternby Tim Leifeste
Dropping like a winged arrow, the tiny
tern folds its wings as its spinning body
splashes into the water bill-first and
disappears below the surface.
An instant later the tern emerges,
loudly announcing triumph with a small
fish clasped in its bill. On the ascent
the bird shivers violently, struggling to
shake off the water as it seeks to regain
altitude.
Goal achieved, it flies rapidly around
in a circle. The tern's flight is light, airy
and graceful as it surveys the sea below
with its slender, spikelike bill held
pointed straight down toward the water.
Round and round the bird goes, flap-
ping its wings without intermission.
Suddenly, it flutters its wings in rapid
vibration, seeming to hover, but then
proceeds as before. Doubtless there
was another small fish near the surface
which disappeared before the bird
could begin its descent.
Presently, the tern again stops short,
flutters, then dives daringly and
perpendicularly toward the water. Its
body rotates irregularly, as if by jerks.
But alas, its purpose is again frustrated;
and, on nearing the water's surface, the
tern recovers gracefully and swoops
skyward again to continue the feeding
ritual.Terns feed almost wholly on small
fish not over three to four inches long.
Some species, to a greater or lesser
extent, suppLement their diets with
shrimp, aquatic insects and other small
marine life.
In addition to feeding themselves,
adult terns must also feed their off-
spring, until full-grown, and even their
mates at times, generally during nest-
ing. In fact, feeding plays an important
role in the mating ritual. The male offers
his chosen companion a small fish,
much as we would offer a ring, to begin
the courtship.
In Texas, there are 10 species of
terns which are permanent or tempo-
rary inhabitants along our coast.
Particularly harmless and gentle birds,
they were once hunted for their
immaculate plumage. During the "Gay
Nineties' their feathers and skins were
valued highly by the millinery industry
and fashionable ladies. Gunners g.ot 10
to 12 cents for the skins of one spe-
cies-the least tern, Sterna albifrons,
the smallest and seemingly the most
delicate of the family Sterninae.
In one season year during the 1890s,
over 100,000 least tern skins moved
through the marketplaces of the world.
They became rare on the Atlantic coastand almost disappeared; but thanks to
changing fashion and laws which gave
all terns protection, the least tern is
again relatively plentiful as are most
other species of terns.
Least terns are commonly observed
all along the Texas coast, particularly
in the Laguna Madre, from March to
November. Though it winters south of
the United States, it breeds locally.
Whereas the least tern is the smallest
of its tribe, the Caspian tern, Hydro-
progne caspia, is the largest, almost the
size of the herring gull. Primarily a tern
of the bays and adjacent marshes, the
Caspian is the dominant, ruling spirit
in any ternery. It scorns the compan-
ionship of other species, holding itself
aloof and living a little apart from the
others.
When fishing, the Caspian usually
flies only a few yards above the water
in the typical ternlike manner (bill
pointing straight downward), but when
traveling it flies at great height, bill
pointing straight forward (also typical),
making rapid progress even against the
strongest winds.
It is a year-round resident, breeding
locally, with the greatest numbers
being found in colonies on the Nueces
Bay Islands. Relative to other species,TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE
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Texas. Parks and Wildlife Department. Texas Parks & Wildlife, Volume 33, Number 1, January 1975, periodical, January 1975; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1568877/m1/4/?q=green+energy: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.