Rising Tide Images
Fuzzy
This nestling, mostly covered in fuzzy down with just a few developing feathers, clings to the branch where it was hatched. White terns are arboreal nesting seabirds, but do not actually construct a nest, relying instead on a hollow, fork, or pruning scar on the tree branch to balance an egg. This observant two week old chick uses its clawed web feet to keep its grip while it awaits its parents to return from the sea with a meal of fresh fish or squid. The white tern is also known as the manu o Kū, bird of the Hawaiian war god Kū.
Fuzzy
This nestling, mostly covered in fuzzy down with just a few developing feathers, clings to the branch where it was hatched. White terns are arboreal nesting seabirds, but do not actually construct a nest, relying instead on a hollow, fork, or pruning scar on the tree branch to balance an egg. This observant two week old chick uses its clawed web feet to keep its grip while it awaits its parents to return from the sea with a meal of fresh fish or squid. The white tern is also known as the manu o Kū, bird of the Hawaiian war god Kū.