Critters of the Week

Where Spotted: Colonial Beach
Common Name: Royal Tern
Scientific Name: Thalasseus maximus
Length: 17.7-19.7 in (45-50 cm)
Weight: 13.8-15.2 oz (390-430 g)
Wingspan: 39.4-43.3 in (100-110 cm)

Quick Facts Courtesy of Cornell Labs

• In Southern California in the early 1950s, populations of the Pacific sardine crashed while northern anchovy numbers boomed. The area’s abundant Royal Terns, which fed heavily on the sardine, became quite rare. However, the smaller Elegant Tern, which had been rare, suddenly became abundant and has remained so through the present. Royal Terns have slowly increased to about three dozen pairs in Southern California, most in San Diego County (as of 2019).
• Royal Tern chicks leave the nest scrape within one day after hatching and congregate in a group known as a crèche (“nursery”), which can contain thousands of chicks ranging in age from 2–35 days old. Each Royal Tern parent feeds only its own chick, finding it in the crowd probably by recognizing its call.
• Like many tern species, Royal Terns in their colonies perform a group behavior that is called a “dread” or a “panic.” Virtually all the breeding birds in the colony rise up slowly and fly together in silence over the colony site for up to 20 minutes. These flights typically happen early during colony formation, but it’s not known why. Normally, Royal Tern colonies are very noisy places, even at night.
• The Royal Tern makes its nest scrape on the ground of low-lying islands. The pair defecates directly on the nest rim, perhaps to reinforce the nest against flooding. After a few weeks, the nest rim hardens.
• The oldest recorded Royal Tern was at least 30 years, 6 months old when it was found in Belize in 2013. It had been banded in North Carolina in 1983.

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Mac at Richmond SPCA

Are you searching for a fun, friendly and adorable family member? My name is Mac and I’m the guy for you! I am pretty lonely here by myself, just waiting for my special someone to come along. Won’t you please take me home today?

Age: 4 years, 3 months
Gender: Neutered Male
Color: Brown / White
Size: L (dog size guide)
ID: 47589834

Adopt Mac at Richmond SPCA

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