Friday's Foto

Measuring only 8.3 to 9.1 inches in length, the Least Tern is the smallest North American tern. This specie's preference for nesting along sandy beaches causes conflicts with humans. According to Cornell's "All About Birds" website:

"Although widespread and common in places, the Least Tern's favored nesting habitat is prized for human recreation, residential development, and alteration by water diversion, which interfere with successful nesting in many areas. It is classified as threatened, endangered, or as a species of concern for most states because of loss of nesting habitat. Interior population federally listed as endangered in 1985."

In an apparent pair-bonding display, I watched this individual begging for food, then being fed by another adult. Here is a link to a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation page on the Least Tern.