U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Colonial-Nesting Waterbirds A Glorious and Gregarious Group

What Is a Colonial-Nesting Waterbird? species of cormorants, gulls, and terns also “Colonial-nesting waterbird” is a tongue- occupy freshwater habitats. twister of a collective term used by bird biologists to refer to a large variety of Wading Birds seek their prey in fresh or different species that share two common brackish waters. As the name implies, characteristics: (1) they tend to gather in these birds feed principally by wading or large assemblages, called colonies, during standing still in the water, patiently waiting the nesting season, and (2) they obtain all for fish or other prey to swim within Migratory Bird Management or most of their food (fish and aquatic striking distance. The wading birds invertebrates) from the water. Colonial- include the bitterns, herons, egrets, night- nesting waterbirds can be further divided herons, ibises, spoonbills, and storks. Mission into two major groups depending on where they feed. Should We Be Concerned About the To conserve migratory bird Conservation Status of Colonial-Nesting populations and their habitats Seabirds (also called marine birds, oceanic Waterbirds? birds, or pelagic birds) feed primarily in Yes. While many species of seabirds for future generations, through saltwater. Some seabirds are so appear to have incredibly large careful monitoring and effective marvelously adapted to marine populations, they nevertheless face a management. environments that they spend virtually steady barrage of threats, such as oil their entire lives at sea, returning to land pollution associated with increased tanker only to nest; others (especially the gulls traffic and spills, direct mortality from and terns) are confined to the narrow entanglement and drowning in commercial coastal interface between land and sea, fishing gear, depletion of forage fishes due feeding during the day and loafing and to overexploitation by commercial roosting on land. Included among the fisheries, and predation at colonies by seabirds are such groups as the introduced predators. Moreover, albatrosses, shearwaters, storm-petrels, populations of many species, especially tropicbirds, boobies, pelicans, cormorants, wading birds, are greatly depresssed frigatebirds, gulls, terns, murres, guillemots, murrelets, auklets, and puffins. A few

Snowy Egrets credit: Robert Savannah compared to 100 years ago, a direct result and water levels to favor waterbirds, and of a 50 percent loss of freshwater wetlands. minimizing human disturbance at colonies.

Eight species of colonial-nesting In cooperation with Federal, State, and waterbirds are already listed as other partners, we are working to develop Endangered or Threatened in the United the North American Waterbird States: Short-tailed Albatross, Dark- Conservation Plan. This plan, which is rumped Petrel, Townsend’s Shearwater, slated for completion in 2002, will provide a Brown Pelican, Wood Stork, Roseate Tern, detailed outline of the types of actions that Least Tern, Marbled Murrelet. We must need to be completed over the next 15-20 remain vigilant to ensure that others do not years to ensure healthy populations of decline to the point that they need to be colonial-nesting waterbirds. We have hired listed. a Waterbird Coordinator to help implement the Plan. What Are We Doing To Manage Colonial-Nesting Forsters Tern Waterbirds? We periodically prepare status The Migratory Bird Management assessments of species for which there is credit: Alan Brooks Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife some evidence of conservation concern, the Service is engaged in numerous activities to Black Tern being a recent example. ensure that colonial-nesting waterbird In a few rare but well-publicized instances populations remain healthy. Notable we have implemented measures to control resolved or minimized. Applied research examples include: “overabundant” populations that threaten must be conducted to better understand agricultural or economic interests, or relationships between colonial waterbirds We monitor nesting colonies to track human health and safety. One recent and various components of their trends in breeding populations. These example is the environmental impact environment, including humans, with an efforts have been most intensive on the statement and national management plan emphasis on identifying appropriate Pacific Coast, but surveys have also been now being developed for the Double- management and conservation strategies undertaken in recent years on the Atlantic crested Cormorant, which has caused for maintaining healthy populations. Coast and the U.S. Great Lakes in substantial economic impacts on the Habitat enhancement, modification, and cooperation with State wildlife agencies. commercial catfish industry and is restoration techniques must continue to be suspected of decreasing the abundance of developed, improved, and undertaken. We conduct or fund research activities to local sportfish populations in some Finally, public awareness of colonial investigate relationships between colonial- instances. waterbirds should be heightened and nesting waterbirds and various opportunities for educational and environmental and human factors. As part of a United Nations-sponsored recreational involvement increased. effort, and in cooperation with the National We employ methods to restore quality Marine Fisheries Service, we are *** nesting habitats, such as removing implementing a national plan of action to Colonial-nesting waterbirds and other introduced predators from seabird nesting reduce seabird mortality caused by migratory birds are some of nature’s most islands, manipulating vegetative structure unintentional entanglement in domestic magnificent resources. Their conservation longline fisheries gear, with a special focus is a critical and challenging endeavor for on North Pacific albatrosses. the Migratory Bird Management Program and all who value nature. What Else Is Needed for Colonial-Nesting Waterbirds? A number of important actions are needed to further conservation of colonial-nesting waterbirds. Baseline inventories of nesting colonies (where, when, what species, and how many) must be conducted across the continent. Standardized monitoring For More Information: techniques must be developed, and a Web- U.S. Fish and Wildife Service based monitoring database implemented to Division of Migratory Bird Management allow investigators to exchange information 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 634 on trends in populations, breeding success, Arlington, VA 22203 contaminant levels, and other parameters 703 358 1714 of interest. Conflicts between http://birds.fws.gov “overabundant” colonial waterbirds (e.g., Glossy Ibis cormorants, gulls) and humans must be credit: Alan Brooks January 2002