131: Least Tern
Least, but not last (we've still got a LOT of animals to go)
Add this bird to the list of animals I did not know lived in Colorado. I am familiar with the Arctic Tern (I visited an archaeological site in Iceland where one of these was nesting on a midden feature mid-excavation and was wreaking absolute chaos), which is huge compared to the Least Tern. The Least Tern is the smallest tern, a little smaller than an American robin. In Colorado, they travel here to nest in the southeastern corner of the state along the Arkansas River. They nest on sandbars or other sandy features near water – such as reservoirs and gravel pits – and forage for food in marshy areas. Their preferred food is small fish which they scoop from the surface and aquatic invertebrates. Males will bring fish to females as part of their courtship, which sounds pretty nice.
Sadly they are endangered and the use of the river for agriculture – resulting in dramatic changes in flow throughout the year – makes it not conducive to nesting.
