Data Zone
Taxonomic note
Sternula antillarum (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) was previously placed in the genus Sterna.
Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
SACC. 2005 and updates. A classification of the bird species of South America. Available at: https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm.
| Critically Endangered | Endangered | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | - |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Least Concern | |
| 2016 | Least Concern | |
| 2012 | Least Concern | |
| 2009 | Least Concern | |
| 2008 | Least Concern | |
| 2004 | Least Concern | |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Least Concern | |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern | |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | does not normally occur in forest |
| Land-mass type | Average mass | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) | 18,200,000 km2 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) | 9,890,000 km2 | medium |
| Severely fragmented? | no | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population size | unknown | poor | estimated | 2009 |
| Population trend | decreasing | - | suspected | - |
| Generation length | 11.7 years | - | - | - |
Trend justification: The overall population trend is decreasing, although some populations are increasing or have unknown trends (Delany and Scott 2006). In North America, this species has undergone a small or statistically insignificant decrease over the last 40 years (data from Breeding Bird Survey and/or Christmas Bird Count: Butcher and Niven 2007).
| Country/Territory | Presence | Origin | Resident | Breeding visitor | Non-breeding visitor | Passage migrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anguilla (to UK) | extant | native | ||||
| Antigua and Barbuda | extant | native | ||||
| Argentina | extant | native | ||||
| Aruba (to Netherlands) | extant | native | ||||
| Bahamas | extant | native | ||||
| Barbados | extant | native | ||||
| Belize | extant | native | ||||
| Bermuda (to UK) | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (to Netherlands) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Brazil | extant | native | ||||
| Canada | extant | native | ||||
| Cayman Islands (to UK) | extant | native | ||||
| Colombia | extant | native | ||||
| Costa Rica | extant | native | yes | |||
| Cuba | extant | native | ||||
| Curaçao (to Netherlands) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Dominica | extant | native | ||||
| Dominican Republic | extant | native | ||||
| Ecuador | extant | vagrant | ||||
| El Salvador | extant | native | ||||
| French Guiana | extant | native | ||||
| Grenada | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Guadeloupe (to France) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Guatemala | extant | native | ||||
| Guyana | extant | native | ||||
| Haiti | extant | native | ||||
| Honduras | extant | native | ||||
| Jamaica | extant | native | yes | |||
| Martinique (to France) | extant | native | ||||
| Mexico | extant | native | ||||
| Montserrat (to UK) | extant | native | ||||
| Nicaragua | extant | uncertain | ||||
| Panama | extant | native | ||||
| Peru | extant | native | ||||
| Puerto Rico (to USA) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Sint Maarten (to Netherlands) | extant | native | yes | |||
| St Kitts and Nevis | extant | native | ||||
| St Lucia | extant | native | ||||
| St Martin (to France) | extant | native | yes | |||
| St Pierre and Miquelon (to France) | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| St Vincent and the Grenadines | extant | native | ||||
| Suriname | extant | native | ||||
| Trinidad and Tobago | extant | native | ||||
| Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) | extant | native | yes | |||
| USA | extant | native | yes | |||
| Venezuela | extant | native | ||||
| Virgin Islands (to UK) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Virgin Islands (to USA) | extant | native | yes |
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marine Intertidal | Salt Marshes (Emergent Grasses) | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Macroalgal/Kelp | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Macroalgal/Kelp | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Pelagic | marginal | resident |
| Marine Neritic | Seagrass (Submerged) | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Seagrass (Submerged) | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy-Mud | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy-Mud | major | breeding |
| Altitude | Occasional altitudinal limits |
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
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| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
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| Residential & commercial development | Housing & urban areas | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Least Tern Sternula antillarum. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/least-tern-sternula-antillarum on 23/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 23/11/2024.