Least Terns (Sternula antillarum) are nesting right now They nest right on the beach, so if oil is hits the beach they're on, they're not inclined to pick up and move. In other words, it's a bad time of year for an oil spill (which begs the question, is there a good time?).
According to this CBS News video, the Least Tern population along the Gulf Coast has declined significantly in recent times. A particularly ominous quote: "It (the spill) has the great potential for wiping out the entire population of the least tern along our coast area."
Bummer.
Tern doodled from a photo by Maggie Smith.
