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Least tern trying to intimidate a ghost crab, Assateague Island National Seashore, 2015.
The Avian Monitoring Team snapped this photo as they came upon two ghost crabs (Ocypodinae) actively trying to prey upon this least tern's (Sternula antillarum) nest. Least terns, like many shorebirds, lay their eggs directly on the sand. Even though they are nearly-perfectly camouflaged, they are still sometimes found by predators. When this happens, the parent bird(s) will try to dissuade predators by employing a variety of intimidation tactics, including the "I'm bigger than you buddy, so back off!" approach captured in this photo. Their defensive repertoire even includes dive-bombing and defecating on a predator in an attempt to scare it away from the nest.
U.S. National Park Service
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Assateague Island National Seashore, Code: ASIS
20150709
07/09/2015
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Organization: Assateague Island National Seashore
Address: 7206 National Seashore Lane, Berlin, MD 21811
Address: 7206 National Seashore Lane, Berlin, MD 21811
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