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"[T]his bird is very noysey when flying which it dose extreemly swift the motion of the wing is much like that of the Kildee it has two notes one like the squaking of a small pig only on reather a higher kee, and the other kit'-tee'-kit'-tee'-as near letters can express the sound." -- Meriwether Lewis
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When the Corps of Discovery canoed the Missouri River, Clark commented on the "Sand bars which choked up the Missouri and confined the [river] to a narrow . . . Chanel." These seasonal islands did more than force the water to plot a more meandering course; they provided nesting grounds for migratory birds like the interior least tern, a fork-tailed bird that darts over the banks like a swallow. |
The following measures would greatly benefit the interior least tern:
Use Land and Water Conservation Fund monies to purchase habitat on the Garrison Reach portion and along the federally designated wild and scenic stretches of the Missouri River.
Convince the Army Corps of Engineers to manage the Missouri River for wildlife rather than barge traffic. This includes altering the river flow below the Fort Randall and Gavins Point Dams to mimic natural patterns and create sandbars.
Learn more about the Interior least tern's range in South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska.
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