Marshall Islands/Majurol: Laura Beach – Black-Naped Terns
At Laura Beach, we spotted quite a few elegant white seabirds – black-napped terns (Sterna sumatrana), locally known as “keer.” The birds are snow-white, except for a distinctive black band running through the head and eye (like a Zorro mask of sorts). Similar to arctic terns, these guys are quite aggressive and are known for dive-bombing approaching threats (although we got lucky and weren’t attacked). These are true seabirds, spending almost entire life over the ocean and just coming to breed to small islands; they even have a social gland to get rid of salt in their water and diet.
