The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society (HKBWS) has started a conservation research on breeding terns in Hong Kong waters. In summer 2019, a total of 110 adult and juvenile Bridled Terns Onychoprion anaethetuswere trapped for marking with rings and colour flags (white and yellow engraved flags), including two of them fitted with satellite-tracking transmitters. Marking the terns can shed light of some valuable ecological information such as local movements, home range of breeding terns, long-distance migration and longevity. Migration routes and wintering grounds of the Hong Kong breeding terns are still unknown.

When planning international conservation practices for conservation of these migration terns, lack of these information is not ideal. Birdwatchers, photographers and researchers are all welcome to report any re-sighting of terns with rings, leg-flags and satellite-tracking transmitter to the HKBWS office. This study supported by Japan Fund for Global Environment (JFGE) also aims to promote awareness of the public to concern more about seabirds and marine ecosystem conservation and further international cooperation among researchers and conservations in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway region.

Related information is also posted at: https://cms.hkbws.org.hk/cms/en/hkbws/work/resarch/tern/tern2019e

Photo 1. A leg-flagged Bridled Tern. (Photo credit: Simba Chan).

Photo 2. A Bridled Tern fitted with a satellite-tracking transmitter (Photo credit: Simba Chan).

Article prepared by

Yat-tung Yu

Coordinator, EAAFP Seabird Working Group

Research Manager, Hong Kong Bird Watching Society