Aleutian Tern

Uncommon and local, colonies vulnerable to disturbance. No obvious trends in population.
Family Gulls and Terns
Habitat Northern coasts (summer); open ocean (winter). During most of year apparently at sea, moving south to tropics in winter, although details poorly known. In breeding season along northern coastlines, foraging mostly offshore, nesting on open islands, sandbars, or beaches with dense low ground cover.
An uncommon bird, nesting around the Bering Sea and nearby waters, including much of the southern Alaskan coast and Aleutian Islands. May associate with Arctic Tern, but is far less numerous. Its habits have not been thoroughly studied. Its winter range was completely unknown until the late 1980s; now it is known that many Aleutian Terns spend the winter near the Equator in the western Pacific.
Photo Gallery
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Feeding Behavior
Forages mostly by flying or hovering low over water, dipping down to take items from surface; apparently seldom plunge-dives into water.

Eggs
1-2, sometimes 3. Buff to olive, heavily marked with dark brown. Incubation is probably by both sexes, about 22-23 days. Young: Both parents probably bring food for young. Age at first flight about 25-31 days. Young may remain around colony one or two weeks after fledging; age at independence unknown.

Young
Both parents probably bring food for young. Age at first flight about 25-31 days. Young may remain around colony one or two weeks after fledging; age at independence unknown.

Diet
Includes crustaceans, fish, insects. Diet in summer includes many euphausiid shrimp and other crustaceans, small fish, and insects. Winter diet essentially unknown.