
A Roseate Tern over Marathon, the Florida Keys
Photo credit:
The wondrous world of Dave Irving
Tern sounds credit: birdediting?
The
Endangered Birds of Florida
The Roseate Tern
Sterna dougallii
To begin: what is a Bird?
A Bird is a warm blooded,
bipedal (two legs)
vertebrate (has a backbone)
with feathers,
bills and wings and most can
fly.
It lays eggs to reproduce and
many theories have
it classified as a direct
descendant of Dinosaurs,
dating back to the Jurassic
period.
In Florida, this elegant Tropical bird is currently found in the
Middle to Lower Keys, from Marathon down to the Dry Tortugas.

Roseate with Decoy in Dry Tortugas National Park
Photo credit: Sharyn Hood/FFWC
Like the Brown Pelican, the Roseate Tern dives dramatically, in a
method
called plunge-diving, for its food which is primarily small
fish.
It has also been known to steal food from other birds.
A breathtaking beauty in flight, the Roseate Tern has a 30 inch wingspan
and is just a bit similar to our Florida Swallow-Tailed Kite.

A Roseate Tern in Flight
Photo credit: Mike Morel/FWS
At present, there are a total of 67 nests, this is called a
colony,
on the rooftop of
the FWC Building in Marathon,
in the Florida Keys, where they are very
closely watched.
See
them in their new Rooftop home

Roseate Colony at the Dry Tortugas
Photo credit: Sharyn Hood/FFWC
There are about 300 pairs left in the State and
they only come ashore to nest, spending the rest
of their time in South America.
The Roseate Tern is Federally and State listed as Threatened.
See and hear the Roseate Tern in action:
You Tube Tern
More You
Tube Tern
Places to learn more:
A photo comparison of NE and Florida R. Terns
Roseate Tern
Audubon
Roseate Tern
Audubon Images
Roseate Tern
Best Ostrich Info Online
The Roseate
Tern
Cornell Lab
Terns Find New Home
Dry Tortugas Blog
Nesting Set Up
Summertime At The Tortugas
FNAI
Roseate Tern
Fox News
Terns Live On Rooftop
FWS
Caribbean Ecological
Services
Habitat Model
Palometa 2010
Roseate Tern Florida
Great Florida Birding Trail
Roseate Tern
Key News
Rare Terns Flock to FWC
to Nest
MyFWC
Roseate Tern
Oil Spill: Wildlife Crisis, a Diver in Danger
Roseate Tern
Southeastern Outdoors
If We Build It They Will Come
The Website of Everything
Roseate Terns
USGS
Fact Sheet
Roseate Tern
The
Falkner Island Tern Project
Wilkes Honor College
Roseate Tern Images
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