ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT PROFILE

PROTECTION STATUS: Not listed

PETITIONED: 2009

RANGE: The Pacific Coast and the lower Colorado delta region of Southern California and Mexico

THREATS: Habitat destruction and modification, predation, human disturbance, a population-control project at one of only two U.S. breeding sites, military take, take for aquaculture, competition with other species, poor water quality and contaminants, flooding, global climate change, and poor ocean conditions

POPULATION TREND: Rangewide, there are only 495 to 1042 breeding pairs of this subspecies, only 154 to 263 of which breed in the United States. This bird has only two U.S. breeding sites and 12 breeding sites in Mexico.

Western gull-billed tern photo © Kimball L. Garrett