HONOLULU (AP) — Kaʻiulani Murphy is quick to spot white terns flapping their wings when she’s guiding Polynesian voyaging canoes across the Pacific.The birds hunt for food at sea and lay eggs on land. So traditional navigators like her, who look to the stars, waves and other elements in nature to pilot across the ocean, see the bird’s presence as a sign that land is near.These days voyagers returning to Honolulu have more white terns to track than at any other time in modern history. New data shows their numbers have jumped more than 50% in the past decade — evidence the seabirds are thriving amid the concrete towers, traffic-clogged roads and Waikiki hotels in the state’s largest metropolis.AdvertisementAdvertisementThey’re defying the fate of many other native birds in Hawaii, where disease and predators that aren’t native to the islands have caused indigenous bird numbers to collapse.“This is our big city,” said Murphy, who has navigated canoes to Tahiti, Japan and Rapa Nui. “It’s crazy to me that they’re getting to such a big population within Honolulu.”There were 691 eggs and chicks in Honolulu trees as of this week, said Rich Downs, coordinator of the volunteer organization Hui Manu-o-Kū.The group takes its moniker from the Hawaiian name for the white tern, which means “bird of Kū,” the god of war.AdvertisementAdvertisementManu-o-Kū can breed year round, but activity peaks from winter into early spring. They’re the only seabirds that don’t build nests, but instead lay their eggs on bare tree branches, cliff ledges or window sills. After hatching, the young sit on a branch until they can fly, their strong claws helping them hold on even in strong storms.They’re found near islands in warm waters around the world, but in Hawaii they live mostly among remote, primarily uninhabited atolls in the northwest. The only place they’ve settled among the archipelago’s larger islands is Oahu, which is home to 1 million people.Scientists aren’t sure why the birds are thriving in Honolulu. The city might be hospitable because humans have reduced the numbers of predators like rats and cats around restaurants and buildings. Busy roads can also deter predators. Barn owls and mongoose, other species that like to feed on terns, are rare in the urban core.“All the lights and the noise, the …
