Why volunteers are needed to help save Michigan’s imperiled black terns
Updated 4:27 PM;
Today 4:27 PM
Michigan s black tern population has plummeted more than 70 percent in recent years. | Photo by Michigan Department of Natural Resources
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Agile, charismatic, and striking in appearance, black terns can be spotted returning to Michigan freshwater marshes this time of year, where they’ll spend the summer raising their young and acrobatically foraging for food.
But black tern populations are plummeting for reasons researchers don’t yet fully understand, leading to a need for volunteers to help survey these graceful birds.
Across North America, black tern numbers have dropped by 61% during the past 50 years. In Michigan, that number is even more dire, with the species’ population down by 71%. Black terns are listed as a Michigan Species of Special Concern.