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From about mid-May through August, the endangered Least Tern
makes its home on sand bars and islands of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers.
The Least Tern is a bird that has adapted to raising its young on desert-like habitats.
It lays a nest of one to five eggs in sand or gravel and faces many hazards.
Predators take their toll, and careless humans can trample colonies of the well-disguised nests.
Even in the best of times, the Least Tern must battle the extremes of the environment.
Sand temperatures can range from 55 degrees at night to 125 degrees during the day
so the birds must keep the eggs warm at night and try to cool them during the day in order for them to survive.