Least Terns Breeding on the Mississippi Gulf Coast: The Largest US Breeding Area

On the Mississippi Gulf Coast, two one‑mile stretches of beach make up the largest nesting colony of Least Terns in the United States. This Important Birding Area right along the Gulf of Mexico contains sections of five beaches: Biloxi Beach, Gulfport East, Gulfport West, Long Beach, and Pass Christian. This puts the Least Tern within the most populated area for beach‑goers along the Mississippi coastline. Situations such as this make biologists suspect that humans and the family pet are the number one reason the Least Tern population is declining.

I was not aware of this Important Breeding Area until I visited Biloxi several months ago to photograph the birds wintering there. Nesting Least Terns quickly became a priority on my birding bucket list.

Memorial Day Weekend, we headed down to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. By my estimation, the Least Tern eggs should have started to hatch. On Friday early evening, when we arrived at the Biloxi Beach Least Tern Breeding Area, there wasn't a chick in sight, and I was more than a little disappointed.

The beach was roped off and marked with flags to help identify egg locations. I found one mother, Least Tern, who laid her eggs far outside the roped-off area and very close to the sidewalk. She didn't seem bothered by my presence,​ so I sat down on the sidewalk to get a few shots.  

*All images have been cropped.*

Camouflaged to look like the sand, the eggs were a sandy beige color with black, brown, tan, and gray splotches, making them very hard to see if you were walking along the beach. This is one of the reasons these sections of the beach are off-limits during the breeding season.

The smallest of the American Terns, the Least Tern falls somewhere in size between a Robin and a Crow. They are 8 - 9 inches long with a wingspan of 19 - 20 inches. They are migratory birds, with many wintering in Central America, the Caribbean, and the northern portion of South America. Although rare, some birds may remain on the Pacific and Gulf shores, but generally, they are gone by late summer to early fall.

They fish in shallow water very close to the shoreline, hovering and then plunging to capture their prey. The Least Tern skims the water, dipping its belly but never diving into it. While they eat mainly fish, they may also consume crustaceans and insects. They can live 15 to 20 years old.

In the past, Least Terns nested on the barrier islands just off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. They were first discovered nesting on the mainland in 1936, but after the man-made beaches were created in 1952, the Least Terns made the Mississippi coastline their home. The calmer, more inland water of the Mississippi Sound makes for good fishing, and the busy highway behind the beach helps to shelter them from prey.

When breeding, the Least Tern creates a shallow scrape in the ground by sitting down and kicking their feet while rotating their bodies. A couple of days later, 1 to 3 eggs will be in the nest that are colored similar to the ground. Incubation is 20 to 25 days. If the nest is destroyed or something happens to the chicks, the breeding pair can produce a new clutch in a week to 10 days. After the eggs hatch, the chicks usually flop around for the first day, but they can leave the nest afterward. By four days old, they are running around with their wings outstretched. The chicks will take their first flight at about 20 days old, and mom and dad will stay with their young until the fall migration. It will be two years before these new chicks are mature enough to breed.

Nicknamed the “Little Striker,” Least Terns will dive‑bomb and defecate on intruders that get too close to their nesting area.

We never went back to the breeding area the rest of the weekend.

Late Monday morning, Memorial Day, I suggested one last stop at the breeding area before we headed out of town. I’d read that Audubon docents would be stationed at each location for the holiday to help educate visitors and protect the birds, and I knew this was my chance to finally get answers about how soon the eggs would hatch.

This is where I met Misti, who was fantastic — warm, patient, and incredibly knowledgeable about the Least Terns. She seemed just as delighted that I was taking such an interest in the birds as I was to find someone truly “in the know.” As we walked up, I’m pretty sure I blurted out, “Hi, when will they hatch!”

She didn’t miss a beat. “Well, our first eggs hatched this morning. See those flags over there? That’s where the chicks are.”

Almost jumping up and down, I — the crazy lady — screamed, “THOSE ARE MY BABIES!”

Out of all the eggs on the beach, the first to hatch were the same ones I had photographed on Friday night. I never imagined that when I went down to the beach that evening, I’d end up photographing some of the season’s very first Least Tern chicks.

I think they had just left their nest in this shot. It's on the other side of the concrete riser. Mom pauses to feed her one chick an insect. The youngest of the chicks is still a little floppy here. Notice that he’s tumbled off the concrete riser and is on his belly in the sand. LOL



I couldn’t get as close to the chicks as I had the eggs; mom was much more protective.

Even though they were still a little floppy when we arrived, they seemed to find their legs as we watched. We decided they must have hatched on Sunday, so they were a day old.



The one little Least Tern is running. He looks like he's celebrating to me, so I've named this shot… Yay, I've Hatched!



Misti said, come back in two weeks. By then, the beach should be covered with chicks running around with their wings outstretched​. That would be June 8!



While the Least Tern Breeding Areas are roped off and signs like this are posted, I have still seen people walk along the shoreline. Not only are they putting the birds at risk, but they are also blocking the Least Terns path to the water. The Gulf of Mexico isn’t just their food source; while the birds are nesting, the mothers will dip their bellies in the cool water to help regulate the egg temperature keeping them from overheating. Once the chicks have hatched, they do the same thing to keep the babies cool.

Protected by law, the Least Tern is considered endangered, making it a federal offense to flush or disturb these birds. Fines are fairly stiff.

Look closely, and you will see the Least Tern scattered through the debris. With so many pristine beaches, I question why people would want to walk these trash-covered, seaweed- and driftwood-strewn sections. Once the breeding season begins, these sections of the beach cannot be raked and kept up like the others.



If you have any questions about the Least Terns, here's the link to the Facebook page of the Mississippi Coastal Bird Stewardship Program.

  My Second Visit - June 8, 2019

For more destination Wildlife Travel ideas, see my articles about:

Nebraska's Spring Migration of the Sandhill Crane

The White Squirrels of Olney Illinois

Not every image makes it into the blog. If you enjoyed the photos in this article, please check out the Mississippi Collection for more pictures of this beautiful state, or visit the Gallery with over 4000 images of locations around the United States. Susan's nature photography can be found in the Birds Collection, Eagles Collection, Sandhill Cranes Collection, Ducks & Geese Collection, and Animals & Wildlife Collection in the Gallery.

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