An investigation into factors contributing to mortality of young terns at a managed colony

Abstract

Terns are a highly migratory group of seabirds that are found worldwide. In Ireland, there are five species of commonly breeding tern: Little Tern Sternula albifrons, Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii, Arctic Tern S. paradisaea, Common Tern S. hirundo and Sandwich Tern S. sandvicensis. Prior work has demonstrated that whilst many Irish tern species, including Common and Roseate Terns, are increasing in abundance, the productivity of these species can be low. Multiple factors may influence the ability of adult terns to successfully raise chicks, including food availability, provisioning rates, colony density, dependence effects, and/or disease. Here, we investigated factors contributing to the mortality of young terns from Rockabill Island in the Republic of Ireland, which supports the largest breeding population of Roseate Terns in Europe. To better understand the factors contributing to the deaths of young birds, we analysed the macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of necropsies of 60 young Common, Arctic and Roseate Terns. Of the carcasses that we examined, 41 showed congested blood circulation in the lungs and head simultaneously, and of the remaining 19 birds, only five presented a clear cause of death. Here, we outline descriptions of these carcasses in addition to recommendations of further investigations that might help to confirm the causal factors leading to young tern mortality.