Over the past few decades, Aleutian terns may have seen the fastest decline of any seabird in Alaska — but they're a notoriously hard species to study. Now a coalition of scientists is working on a count to better understand the state of the species.
since 1960. The data they have says it’s the fastest decline of any seabird species in the state, but they want to make sure they have that right. Now a coalition of scientists is working on a statewide count to make sure they aren’t overestimating the decline.
Renner’s research from 2015 showed only about 5,000 Aleutian terns in the state. It helped prompt a collective effort to understand and conserve theStudying a migratory bird in a place as big as Alaska is not easy. Aleutian terns spend only three-to-four months here, and their range extends nearly 10,000 miles to places like Indonesia, the Philippines and Borneo.
The same characteristics that make them hard to study also make them a sought-after find for birders and outdoor enthusiasts. Aleutian terns only breed in Alaska and the Russian far east. They’re coastal birds that feed by plunge-diving into the sea after small fish, with a global population estimated at just 30,000 birds. They look a lot like Arctic terns, with silver-gray bodies and a black head, but Aleutian terns have a distinctive white patch on the forehead. Most tern calls are harsh; birders say the Aleutian tern’s call is softer.
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