Seabird Working Group
Over 150 seabird species inhabit the EAAF, some of which have long trans-equatorial migration routes while others move at a smaller regional scale. Although some species have very large populations, many species are declining or are facing a high risk of extinction due to several ongoing threats at their breeding and wintering sites. To achieve positive conservation outcomes, a joint and equal responsibility for the conservation of seabirds is urgently required across the region. Unfortunately, conservation, management, education, and research activities for seabirds in the EAAF have lacked coordination in terms of objectives, field methods, reporting and information exchange.
The EAAFP Seabird Working Group (WG) was established in 2007 to assist in the coordination of conservation activities across the flyway through promoting, facilitating, coordinating and harmonizing seabird conservation, education, and research activities across the EAAF. The WG cooperates with all Partners, scientists, and land managers interested in seabird conservation and helps to improve communication among these groups.
Taxonomic groups that occur in the Flyway include:
Gaviidae: Divers (Loons)
Diomedeidae: Albatross
Procellariidae: Shearwaters/Petrels
Oceanitidae: Storm-Petrels
Phaethontidae: Tropicbirds
Fregatidae: Frigatebirds
Pelecanidae: Pelicans
Sulidae: Gannets/Boobies
Phalacrocoracidae: Cormorants
Laridae: Gulls/Tern/Skimmers
Stercorariidae: Skuas
Alcidae: Auks
Key elements of the 2015-2016 work plan include to:
- Update the WGs Prioritization Process before MOP9;
- Coordinate input into the ‘Global Seabird Colony Registry’;
- Develop a Tern conservation plan;
- Coordinate information update on the Aleutian Terns in Russia;
- Encourage the nomination of sites to the EAAFP Flyway Site Network;
- Support a meeting with seabird experts, conservationists and policymakers from the EAAF.
Working Group documentation
- EAAFP Seabird WG update (Oct 2015)
- Coordinating Seabird Conservation along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway: Poster presentation at the 42nd Pacific Seabird Group Annual Conference (Mayumi Sato et al., Feb 2015)
- EAAFP WG Work Plan (2015-2016)
- Term of Reference (Dec 2018)
- Terms of Reference (Nov 2007)
- EAAFP: Background paper of Seabird Species prioritization project (Mar 2014)
- A – Seabird Priority List (Mar 2014)
- B – Seabird Priority Rules (Mar 2014)
Working Group Chair
Robb Kaler
US Fish & Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Management,
1011 East Tudor Road, Anchorage, Alaska, 99503 USA
Tel: +907 786 3984 Fax: +907 786 3641
E-mail: [email protected]
Bio: Robb received his MSc degree at Kansas State University, USA in 2007 where he studied the population demography of reintroduced island ptarmigan in the western Aleutian Islands, Alaska. He joined the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2010 and serves as the Alaska Region Seabird Data Coordinator. Robb is the Alaska/Russia Representative on the Executive Committee of the Pacific Seabird Group and is a member of the World Seabird Union’s Development Team responsible for the Global Seabird Colony Register.
Working Group Coordinators
Yat-tung Yu
The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society,
7C, V Ga Building, 532 Castle Peak Road,
Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2377 4387 Fax: +852 2314 3687
E-mail: [email protected]
Bio: Yat-tung has long been fascinated by seabirds in his birdwatching experience. He is a founding member of the Tern Research Group of the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society, which is responsible to regular surveys of breeding tern colonies in Hong Kong. Yat-tung also collects information of seabirds in the coastal areas of China and promotes seabird monitoring activities. Yat-tung is currently a team member of the recovery programme of the critically endangered Chinese Crested Tern coordinated by BirdLife International, aiming to restore breeding habitats for this species and other breeding terns.
Related Materials
- Seabird Fact Sheet – Saguda Palawan, Inc., Foundation for the Philippine Environment, and Tubbataha Management Office (2024)
- Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels: ACAP produces a booklet to celebrate 10 years of achievements (John Cooper, Aug 2015)
- International Single Species Action Plan for the Conservation of the Chinese Crested Tern (Sterna bernsteini) – TS No. 21
Related News and publications
- Australasian Seabird Group eBulletin:
- Simba Chan, 2022, Chinese Crested Tern (Thalasseus bernsteini). Editor(s): Dominick A. DellaSala, Michael I. Goldstein, Imperiled: The Encyclopedia of Conservation, Elsevier: Pages 19-28 (link)
- BirdLife International: Forest & Bird and Birds New Zealand complete the identification of New Zealand’s Marine Important Bird Areas (Mike Britton, Mar 2016)
- BirdLife International: Brave efforts pay off in doubly-successful project to restore colonies of Chinese Crested Tern (Shaun Hurrell, Aug 2015)
- Mongabay: Chinese Crested Tern is the rarest wanderer in the world (Ridzki R. Sigit, May 2015)
- OPCF HongKong -The Bird of Legend: Chinese Crested Tern (Nov 2014)
- Audubon: A Big Comeback for Chinese Crested Terns in the Jiushan Islands, China (Aug 2014)
- Taiwan Today: Endangered Chinese crested tern calls Penghu home (Jul 2014)
- BirdLife International: China’s rarest seabird benefits from colony restoration (Jim Lawrence, Oct 2013)
- BirdLife International: Restoring a Breeding Colony for Chinese Crested Tern (Mar 2013)
- Marine Important Bird Areas inventories: Japan
- Russia Far East
Working Group Collaboration
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Year of the Terns
To raise awareness among EAAFP Partners, researchers, conservationists, and the general public, while promoting the exchange of information and collaboration on seabird species in the EAA Flyway, the EAAFP and the Seabird Working Group initiated the Year of the Terns in 2022To raise awareness among EAAFP Partners, researchers, conservationists, and the general public, while promoting the exchange of information and collaboration on seabird species in the EAA Flyway, the EAAFP and the Seabird Working Group initiated the Year of the Terns in 2022. |
