Sussex Bird Club to hear about white tern Nov. 8

The Sussex Bird Club will offer a virtual program on Hawaii’s White Tern: An Urban Seabird, at 2 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 8.

When people think of the birds of Hawaii they usually picture its endemic forest birds, brightly colored and highly evolved to survive in remote forest patches on isolated islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Perhaps surprisingly, the official bird of the city of Honolulu is a seabird common to the tropics, the white tern. Hawaiians refer to this plain white bird as the Manu o Ku, a name loaded with historical and cultural significance.

Rich Downs will be presenting. For the past four years, Downs been coordinating the efforts of an array of government agencies, education institutions and conservation groups to enhance awareness, appreciation, understanding and conservation of the white tern.  Downs is an amateur ornithologist and bird photographer who divides his time between Honolulu and his home in Maryland.

Participation is free; registration is required. To register, go to delawarelibraries.libcal.com/event/7089554.