Do a Good Tern to Protect the Terns

In May 2021 a drone crashed near North Tern Island on the southern end of the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, causing roughly 3,000 Elegant Terns (Thalasseus elegans) to abandon an estimated 1,500 eggs. While Elegant Terns are not yet considered threatened, they are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (16 U.S.C. 703–712, MBTA). And, while Elegant Terns are still relatively common along the Pacific Coast, they face numerous conservation challenges.

Their limited nesting areas make them vulnerable to human disturbance (such as drones), natural predators, and introduced predators like domesticated cats and dogs. Continued threats to these birds could cause their populations to dwindle and drive them toward extinction.