A Royal Recovery
Here’s a story from this time last year that we never got the chance to share! Last December, Pacific Wildlife Care admitted a species we’d never treated before: a Royal Tern.
The sleeker cousin of gulls, terns are social seabirds found along both U.S. coasts. They’re known for their plunge-diving hunting style, diving from the air straight down into the water to catch small fish and shrimp. While we occasionally admit Elegant and Caspian Terns, this Royal Tern was a first for our clinic!
The bird arrived from Oceano with two ~2 cm lacerations on the left wing’s patagium, the skin membrane between a bird’s shoulder and wrist that is essential for flight. We learned that someone had removed a fish hook from the wing before our rescue and transport volunteer, Jack Z., arrived on the scene (more on this below!). For any animal with fishing tackle-related injuries, we take x-rays to make sure no hooks or lures were swallowed. Fortunately, this patient’s x-rays came back clear.
After a day of stabilization and beginning a round of pain medications and antibiotics, our Director of Animal Care, Dr. Riggs, surgically cleaned and sutured the wound while the tern was under anesthesia. Routine monitoring followed, and the wing was supported in a wrap to protect the healing skin.
As healing progressed, the tern graduated from indoor housing to a small outdoor enclosure, and eventually to our largest aviary. Once there, the bird demonstrated strong, confident flight and a well-healed patagium! After 25 days in care, this Royal Tern was released back to the wild.
Proper Fishing Tackle Disposal Matters!
Fishing-tackle injuries are, unfortunately, a common reason animals come into our care. Hooks can puncture wings, line can cause constriction wounds, and swallowed tackle can be fatal.
This patient is an important reminder to dispose of fishing line and hooks properly in designated containers. If you find an animal caught on a fish hook, please do not remove the hook. Improper removal can worsen the injury or complicate treatment. Instead, leave the line attached, secure the animal safely if possible, and contact your nearest licensed wildlife rehabilitation center. Rehabilitators have the tools and training needed to remove hooks to minimize pain and damage.
More on Terns
If you’re on a SLO County beach this winter, keep your eyes and ears out for Royal Terns! In the nonbreeding season (winter), they gather in flocks with other terns and gulls, often forming large, noisy groups along beaches. On the West Coast, they breed farther south, in San Diego and Mexico, nesting in dense colonies on remote beaches and coastal islands.
Nesting terns are extremely sensitive to disturbance. People and dogs can cause an entire colony to flush or even abandon nests. You may remember the 2021 incident when a drone caused thousands of Elegant Terns to abandon their nesting site in Southern California? Disturbances like this can have long-lasting impacts on breeding success.
Terns face additional pressures, including rising sea levels that erode island nesting sites, increasingly intense storms associated with climate change, and growing recreational use of beaches that reduces safe nesting space.
Protecting these birds means giving colonies plenty of space, respecting posted dog rules on beaches, and supporting coastal conservation efforts.
If you love stories like this, you can help us continue this work by donating at pacificwildlifecare.org/give
Your donation directly supports wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and release across SLO County.
