White Tern makes rare Caribbean appearance at St Croix wildlife refuge

The White Tern has made a rare appearance in the Caribbean.

Conservation group BirdsCaribbean reported the White Tern was spotted recently at the Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge in St Croix, US Virgin Islands.

Jennifer Valiulis, Executive Director of the St Croix Environmental Association, spotted the White Tern during an expedition on August 11.

This is only the second time that a White Tern has been spotted in the Caribbean.

“I first assumed it was a Least Tern,” Valiulis said in a comment to BirdsCaribbean. “But as I looked closer, I realised the markings weren’t right.”

Unlike the small, gray-backed Least Tern which is common to the area, this bird was larger, entirely white, with striking black eyes.

Valiulis shared her photos with ornithologists who confirmed it as a White Tern, a species typically found in the Pacific Ocean around Hawaii, and much less commonly in the south Atlantic.

Dr Rhiannon Austin, a seabird expert working in the Turks and Caicos Islands, explained: “This bird could have been blown off course during a storm or strong winds, a phenomenon known as ‘vagrancy,’ where birds end up far outside their usual range.”

While vagrancy in birds has always occurred to some extent, it is being observed with increasing frequency, with climate change playing a significant role in driving these shifts, BirdsCaribbean said.

Dr Lisa Sorenson, Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean, a regional nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of Caribbean birds, emphasised: “The sighting of the vagrant White Tern in St Croix underscores the growing impact of climate change on bird movements. Changes in weather patterns disrupt traditional migratory routes, behaviours, and food availability, forcing birds to stray from their typical habitats and ranges. This highlights the urgent need to protect diverse and resilient habitats as climate change continues to disrupt ecosystems globally.”