Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii dougallii
Distribution a clutch of one to three eggs, cream with brown spots, which camouflage well with the rocky, coralline ground. The eggs hatch after about 24 days. Both parents nurture, feed and tend to the hatchlings. The hatchlings depend completely on their parents for safety and food. The hatchlings grow quickly, and after four or five weeks (25 to 28 days)of hatching, they are ready to fly. Nonetheless, they stay with their parents of several months after leaving the nest, while they learn to hunt.
Family: Laridae Order: Charadriiformes
Description The roseate tern is a medium-sized sea bird. Its underside, neck, and tail (which is long and bifurcate) are white. Its back and wings, on the other hand, are light gray. The roseate tern also has a small cap of black feathers on its head. The legs are coral red, but turn dark red during winter. The beak is coral red with a black tip during breeding season, but turns black during winter. In this species, the male and the female cannot be told apart by eyesight. Juveniles are very different from adults, as their feathers have brown splotches, the beak is brown, and the legs are dark gray.
Biological Information Reproducción The roseate tern is a migratory bird, which means they do not stay in Puerto Rico. Rather, they travel to other parts of the world and returns to the island to reproduce during May through August. Females lay
Habitat The roseate tern likes nesting on cays and rocky or coralline islets far from the coast. There, the mating pair selects an area in which to make their nest, which is often just a small cavity among rocks or on the ground itself. They rarely nest in large islands. Diet This species obtains their food through quick dives into the sea. Their diet is rich in proteins. It mostly feeds on small fish such as sardines and anchovies. Distribution The roseate tern is found mostly on the northern hemisphere, along the northeast coast of the United States. They can migrate from Nova Scotia through Brazil. In Puerto Rico, roseate tern nesting sites have been reported in the cays and islets near Lajas, Manatí, Barceloneta, Guayanilla, Culebra and Vieques. Since 2005, surveys about the amount of individuals nesting in Puerto Rico’s cays and islets fluctuates around 2,000.
Threats During their breeding season, the roseate tern faces a variety of threats, which affect their nests, eggs, hatchlings and even the adults, whether directly or indirectly. For instance, other marine birds such as
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