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Arctic tern migration
\"Simple text and full-color photography introduce beginning readers to arctic tern migrations. Developed by literacy experts for students in kindergarten through third grade\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Seasonally specific responses to wind patterns and ocean productivity facilitate the longest animal migration on Earth
Migratory strategies of animals are broadly defined by species’ eco-evolutionary dynamics, while behavioural plasticity according to the immediate environmental conditions en route is crucial for energy efficiency and survival. The Arctic tern Sterna paradisaea is known for its remarkable migration capacity, as it performs the longest migration known by any animal. Yet, little is known about the ecology of this record-breaking journey. Here, we tested how individual migration strategies of Arctic terns are adapted to wind conditions and fuelling opportunities along the way. To this end, we deployed geolocators on adult birds at their breeding sites in Svalbard, Norway. Our results confirm fundamental predictions of optimal migration theory: Arctic terns tailor their migration routes to profit from (1) tailwind support during the movement phase and (2) food-rich ocean areas during the stopover phase. We also found evidence for seasonally distinct migration strategies: terns prioritize fuelling in areas of high ocean productivity during the southbound autumn migration and rapid movement relying on strong tailwind support during the northbound spring migration. Travel speed in spring was 1.5 times higher compared to autumn, corresponding to an increase in experienced wind support. Furthermore, with their pole-to-pole migration, Arctic terns experience approximately 80% of all annual daylight on Earth (the most by any animal), easing their strictly diurnal foraging behaviour. However, our results indicate that during migration daylight duration is not a limiting factor. These findings provide strong evidence for the importance of interaction between migrants and the environment in facilitating the longest animal migration on Earth.
Journal Article
Tiny tern takes flight
Tiny Tern's journey begins! Arctic terns make the longest migration of any species. Every year, they fly from the northern Arctic to the southern Antarctic--and back--spending most of the year in flight. As the days grow shorter and colder, Tiny Tern and his flock prepare to leave the Arctic and begin their journey towards sunlight and warmth. The terns travel all the way to the other side of the world. Along the way, they encounter many dangers. Experience a bird's-eye view of getting lost in heavy storms, protecting hatchlings from predators, and finally reaching your destination. Following the story, discover more educational content about arctic terns. Read about what they eat, how they fly, and everything they encounter during their time in the Arctic and Antarctic.
CHILDBOOK
Arctic terns from circumpolar breeding colonies share common migratory routes
The Arctic tern is an iconic seabird, famous for its annual migrations between the Arctic and the Antarctic. Its wide geographical range has impeded knowledge of potential population bottlenecks during its annual bi-hemispheric movements. Although Arctic terns breed in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic coasts of North America, few tracking studies have been conducted on North American Arctic terns, and none in Canada, which represents a significant proportion of their circumpolar breeding range. Using light-level geolocators, we tracked 53 Arctic terns from 5 breeding colonies across a wide latitudinal and longitudinal range within North America. We compared the routes taken by birds in our study and migration timing to those previously tracked from Greenland, Iceland, The Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Maine (USA), and S. Alaska (USA). Most Arctic terns tracked globally used one of 3 southbound migration routes: (1) Atlantic West Africa; (2) Atlantic Brazil; and (3) Pacific coastal, and one of 2 northbound migration routes: (1) Mid-ocean Atlantic and (2) Mid-ocean Pacific. Some other trans-equatorial seabirds also used these migration routes, suggesting that Arctic tern routes may be important for other species. The migration timing for southbound and northbound migrations was generally different between tracked tern colonies worldwide but generally fell within a 1–2 mo window. Our research suggests that conservation management of Arctic terns during their migration should dynamically adapt with the times of the year that terns use parts of their route. Future identification of common multi-species seabird flyways could aid the international negotiations required to conserve pelagic seabirds such as Arctic terns.
Journal Article
Inuit knowledge of Arctic Terns (Sterna paradisaea) and perspectives on declining abundance in southeastern Hudson Bay, Canada
The Arctic Tern ( Sterna paradisaea ; takatakiaq in Inuttitut) breeds in the circumpolar Arctic and undertakes the longest known annual migration. In recent decades, Arctic Tern populations have been declining in some parts of their range, and this has been a cause of concern for both wildlife managers and Indigenous harvesters. However, limited scientific information is available on Arctic Tern abundance and distribution, especially within its breeding range in remote areas of the circumpolar Arctic. Knowledge held by Inuit harvesters engaged in Arctic Tern egg picking can shed light on the ecology, regional abundance and distribution of this marine bird. We conducted individual interviews and a workshop involving 12 Inuit harvesters and elders from Kuujjuaraapik, Nunavik (northern Québec), Canada, to gather their knowledge of Arctic Tern cultural importance, ecology, and stewardship. Interview contributors reported a regional decline in Arctic Tern numbers which appeared in the early 2000s on nesting islands near Kuujjuaraapik. Six possible factors were identified: (1) local harvest through egg picking; (2) nest disturbance and predation; (3) abandonment of tern nesting areas (i.e., islands that have become connected to the mainland due to isostatic rebound); (4) climate change; (5) natural abundance cycles within the Arctic Tern population; and (6) decline of the capelin ( Mallotus villosus ) in the region. Recommendations from Inuit contributors related to Arctic Tern stewardship and protection included: (1) conduct more research; (2) let nature take its course; (3) conduct an awareness campaign; (4) implement an egg picking ban; (5) coordinate local egg harvest; (6) start ‘tern farming’; (7) protect Arctic Terns across their migration route; and (8) harvest foxes predating on terns. Our study highlighted complementarities between Inuit knowledge and ecological science, and showed that Inuit harvesters can make substantial contributions to ongoing and future Arctic tern research and management initiatives.
Journal Article
Hypotheses and tracking results about the longest migration: The case of the arctic tern
The arctic tern Sterna paradisaea completes the longest known annual return migration on Earth, traveling between breeding sites in the northern arctic and temperate regions and survival/molt areas in the Antarctic pack‐ice zone. Salomonsen (1967, Biologiske Meddelelser, Copenhagen Danske Videnskabernes Selskab, 24, 1) put forward a hypothetical comprehensive interpretation of this global migration pattern, suggesting food distribution, wind patterns, sea ice distribution, and molt habits as key ecological and evolutionary determinants. We used light‐level geolocators to record 12 annual journeys by eight individuals of arctic terns breeding in the Baltic Sea. Migration cycles were evaluated in light of Salomonsen's hypotheses and compared with results from geolocator studies of arctic tern populations from Greenland, Netherlands, and Alaska. The Baltic terns completed a 50,000 km annual migration circuit, exploiting ocean regions of high productivity in the North Atlantic, Benguela Current, and the Indian Ocean between southern Africa and Australia (sometimes including the Tasman Sea). They arrived about 1 November in the Antarctic zone at far easterly longitudes (in one case even at the Ross Sea) subsequently moving westward across 120–220 degrees of longitude toward the Weddell Sea region. They departed from here in mid‐March on a fast spring migration up the Atlantic Ocean. The geolocator data revealed unexpected segregation in time and space between tern populations in the same flyway. Terns from the Baltic and Netherlands traveled earlier and to significantly more easterly longitudes in the Indian Ocean and Antarctic zone than terns from Greenland. We suggest an adaptive explanation for this pattern. The global migration system of the arctic tern offers an extraordinary possibility to understand adaptive values and constraints in complex pelagic life cycles, as determined by environmental conditions (marine productivity, wind patterns, low‐pressure trajectories, pack‐ice distribution), inherent factors (flight performance, molt, flocking), and effects of predation/piracy and competition. The arctic tern is probably the animal that performs the longest known migrations. We used geolocator tracking data from a population of arctic terns from the Baltic Sea for evaluating the ecology and evolution of its long‐distance pelagic migration. We also compared with results from geolocator studies of arctic tern populations from Greenland, Netherlands, and Alaska. This comparison revealed unexpected segregation in time and space between tern populations in the same flyway.
Journal Article
Variation in migration behaviors used by Arctic Terns (Sterna paradisaea) breeding across a wide latitudinal gradient
Arctic Terns (Sterna paradisaea) share a few routes to undertake the longest annual migrations of any organism. To understand how the wide spatial range of their breeding colonies may affect their migration strategies (e.g., departure date), we tracked 53 terns from five North American colonies distributed across 30° of latitude and 90° of longitude. While birds from all colonies arrived in Antarctic waters at a similar time, terns nesting in the Arctic colonies migrated back north more slowly and arrived to their breeding grounds later than those nesting in the colony farther south. Arrival dates in Antarctic waters coincided with the start of favorable foraging conditions (i.e., increased ocean productivity), and similarly arrival dates at breeding colonies coincided with the start of local favorable breeding conditions (i.e., disappearance of snow and ice). Larger birds followed a more direct southbound migration route than smaller birds. On both southbound and northbound migrations, daily distances traveled declined as time spent in contact with the ocean increased, suggesting a trade-off between resting/foraging and traveling. There was more unexplained variation in behavior among individuals than among colonies, and one individual had a distinctive stop around Brazil. Terns nesting in the Arctic have a narrow time window for breeding that will likely increase with continuing declines in sea ice and snow. Departing Arctic Terns likely have few clues about the environmental conditions they will encounter on arrival, and their response to environmental changes at both poles may be assisted by large individual variation in migration strategy.
Journal Article
Monitoring ground-nesting seabirds in the Canadian Arctic: the Nasaruvaalik Island Field Station
The Nasaruvaalik Island field station in the high Arctic was established to facilitate research and monitoring on rare seabird species, largely to meet regulatory obligations defined in Canada's Species At Risk Act. After building a small research facility at the site, investigations have not only shed new insights on at-risk seabirds but have (1) provided new insights into movements and annual habitat needs of other ground-nesting seabirds, (2) shown effects of weather on seabird breeding effort and success, (3) determined contaminant concentrations in species that have generally been overlooked in Arctic pollution monitoring, and (4) have captured trends in local breeding populations that appear to mirror region-wide trends. However, the future of monitoring at the site is unclear, as safety concerns, considerations of new approaches to Arctic research, and monitoring priorities in a time of multiple environmental stressors may be shifting.
Journal Article
‘Stepping stone’ pattern in Pacific Arctic tern migration reveals the importance of upwelling areas
Arctic terns Sterna paradisaea are noted for their extraordinary migration between Arctic and sub-Arctic breeding grounds and Antarctic wintering areas. Until recently, few data existed to document this migration, and none existed for North Pacific breeders. In this study, we tracked 6 Alaskan Arctic terns tagged with combined light geolocation and saltwater immersion tags through their fall migration. During fall 2007, these birds used several highly productive stopover locations to refuel during their southward migration: the California Current, the northern and southern Humboldt Current, and the Patagonian Shelf. At least 3 of the birds went on to winter in the Weddell Sea region of Antarctica, where Arctic terns from several Atlantic populations are also known to winter. Analysis of the first ever post-breeding behavioral data collected on this species showed that the birds foraged extensively in these staging areas, spending more time foraging on days when they were located within staging areas during the fall migration. We also found that the birds were exclusively diurnal foragers, spending their nights standing out of the water and/or flying. Arctic terns likely face strict time constraints throughout the migration, timing stopovers to match production while simultaneously aiming to arrive at the wintering grounds with sufficient time remaining to complete the winter molt before returning north. Ecological disturbance at any of these locations could have serious consequences for many birds. Further, predicted effects of climate change in the Weddell Sea region could have repercussions throughout the global Arctic tern population.
Journal Article
Pair bonds during the annual cycle of a long-distance migrant, the Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea)
Background The extent to which pairs remain together during the annual cycle is a key question in the behavioural ecology of migratory birds. While a few species migrate and winter as family units, for most the extent to which breeding partners associate in the non-breeding season is unknown. The Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) has one of the longest migrations of any species, and the aim of this study was to establish whether or not partners remain together after breeding. Methods Leg-mounted geolocators were fitted to breeding pairs of Arctic Terns nesting on the Farne Islands, Northumberland, UK. The devices were recovered for analysis the following year. Results Analysis of data for the six pairs which returned the following year showed that partners departed from the colony at different times after breeding and migrated independently to different Antarctic regions. Partners also departed from the Antarctic and turned to the breeding colony independently. One third of the pairs divorced on return. Conclusions For long-distance migrants reliant on unpredictable foraging opportunities, it may not be viable to remain as pairs away from the breeding colony. Synchrony in arrival times at the breeding colony may maximise the chance of retaining a familiar partner, but could be affected by environmental factors in wintering areas or along migration routes.
Journal Article