A new longevity record for the Damara Tern Sternula balaenarum

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.64640/d7a2m9b3

Keywords:

Damara Tern, longevity, migration, Namibia, seabird conservation

Abstract

A Damara Tern ringed as an unfledged chick and fitted with a colour ring in March 2008 in southern Namibia has been regularly observed at a roost near Lüderitz in winter and early spring since 2015. The latest confirmed sighting of this bird was on 2 August 2025, i.e. 17 years and four months since ringing. This constitutes the present longevity record for this species. Fifty-seven sightings of this bird since 2015 between mid-May and early October in southern Namibia indicate that it is highly unlikely that it undertook a winter migration to tropical West Africa, at least in most years, during the period 2015–2025.

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Published

2025-09-05

Issue

Vol. 10 (2025): Namibian Journal of Environment

Section

Section B: Short Communications

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Articles in this journal are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License. The copyright of all articles and field notes belongs to the authors. All other copyright is held by the journal.