Shelter from the Storm - a photo on Flickriver

            An adult manu-o- Kū checks on its curious, newly hatched chick while providing shelter from a drenching storm.  Less than a week old, the downy hatchling visually explores the world around its nest.  The manu-o-Kū, or white tern, is an arboreal nesting pelagic seabird that doesn’t actually fabricate a nest; instead it uses a flat or hollow or fork in the tree to keep the egg from rolling away.  The hatchling uses its strong, clawed, semipalmate feet to cling to the tree branch that will be its home until fledging.  Parents alternate brooding duties until a week or two after hatching when the chick can thermoregulate and be left unattended for up to several hours.  Then both parents engage in fishing and feeding, often alternating their arrival time back to the nest.  Adults fish up to 120 miles offshore and provision the chick with fresh whole fish or squid rather than devouring then regurgitating a meal.  This avian behavior was known to Polynesian voyagers and other seafarers.  A landfall that may be out of view over the horizon could be located by following these birds conveying their catch back to their nestling.  
   

Taken on: May 16, 2024

Tags:

bird

seabird

tern

white tern

white noddy

gygis

Gygis alba

piscivore

pelagic bird

birds of Hawaii

Hawaiian bird

Hawaii

Oahu

Pacific

avian behavior

WHTT

GYGALB

nestling

hatchling

chick

cute

war god

tropical island

manu

oviparous

rain

raining

storm

respect wildlife

rising_tide_images

narra tree « less

Sets appears in: • Manu-o-Kū

Groups appears in: • Wildlife Photography • Nature and Landscapes more » • Seabirds • Birding In The Wild • Hawaiian Birds • Natural Landscape & Wildlife Photos • BirdWatching Magazine • Wild Bird Photography • National Geographic Your Shot ALUMNI « less

Camera: Canon EOS R5, f/10.0, 1/200 sec, 500mm, ISO 1250 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS R5
Lens:	RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM
Aperture:	f/10.0
Exposure Time:	0.005 sec (1/200)
Focal Length:	500mm
ISO:	1250
Exposure Bias:	-1/3 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Elements 20.0 (Windows)
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