Attributes of Least Tern Colonies along the Arkansas River, Oklahoma
We investigated attributes of 5 colony sites of endangered least terns (Sterna antillarum athalassos) nesting on the Arkansas River from Tulsa to Muskogee, Oklahoma, in 1992 and 1993. We tested hypotheses that least terns selected areas to nest with the lowest amount and height of vegetation and nested near driftwood or similar debris. River flows prior to the nesting season in May 1993 scoured all sandbars, removing vegetation and increasing abundance of driftwood. Attributes of colony sites of nesting least terns varied substantially from one location to another. Distances from nests and...
