Yankee, Tango and Lima Piers can be found on the Buttermilk Channel side of Governors Island. And on those piers can be found a secret treasure, for they play host to the island’s very own common tern breeding colony. Hundreds of common terns return to these piers from their wintering grounds in the Caribbean and South America each May.
The common tern is a waterbird commonly found along rivers, lakes and oceans across North America. The breeding adult is mostly white with a black crown and tail, an orange/red bill and orange legs and feet. It is graceful bird that feeds by plunging into the water from the air to catch small fish and invertebrates. Soon after the adult terns arrive on Governors Island they scrape together simple nests of twigs, pebbles, shells, and even refuse. They lay 1 to 4 eggs that hatch in about 21 days. At hatching, the young are downy and able to walk but they stay near their nests and are fed by both parents before fledging after about 28 days. The adults and their young leave the island for their wintering grounds in mid to late August.
Why is this colony so special? In the early 20th century common terns were nearly extirpated by plume hunters, who desired their beautiful white feathers for women’s hats. Though protective legislation allowed them to make a comeback, destruction of their habitat, predation and competition from other waterbirds pose new threats. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation lists the common tern as a threatened species. So take a walk out onto Yankees Pier to look. Watch the adult birds feed adorable fuzzy young. But don’t touch….these are birds are an important treasure that must be protected.