August marks one more installment in our summer of Audubon shorebirds! We are rounding out the season with the Lesser Tern (plate 319), which is also known as the Least Tern. This moderately sized shorebird is found in Massachusetts on both sandy and gravelly beaches. The Commonwealth's Division of Fisheries and Wildlife has a webpage devoted to the least tern, where we learned that in 2024 there were 89 breeding sites in Massachusetts. Sometimes, the least tern nests alongside the
piping plover since they have similar nesting requirements!
The least tern has been identified as a species of greatest concern by the Massachusetts State Wildlife Action Plan. You can read all about the tern on the
SWAP website, including information about its lifecycle, habitat, and conservation.
In Audubon's print, the black capped bird is labeled as "adult spring plumage" which is its breeding plumage. Also shown is the young tern, which is more brown.
Visit our reading room from August 12 through September 9 to see the print on display.
Elizabeth Roscio
Preservation Librarian
