Royal Tern Perched Atop A Wooden Marker Pole In Chokoloskee Bay In Florida. Stock Photo

Pictured is a royal tern perched atop a wooden marker pole near the shore in Chokoloskee Bay in Florida. Blurred red mangrove trees are in the background. The binomial name is Thalasseus maximus. The royal tern feeds in salt water by diving into the water from heights near 30 feet to capture small fish such as anchovies, weakfish, and croakers. They also eat insects, shrimp,crabs, and hatchling sea turtles. Chokoloskee Bay is roughly ten miles long and two miles wide. It is located along Florida’s Gulf Coast and is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by the Ten Thousand Islands.