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Beauty in Motion

September 6, 2007

A white tern (Gygis alba) takes flight on Midway Island in the South Pacific. The birds nest on coral islands throughout the tropics, and they lay just one egg at a time, typically balanced precariously on a tree branch or rock. WHOI population biologist Hal Caswell has been studying the population dynamics and geographic distribution of several types of birds, with a particular interest in how those species are being affected by climate change. (Photo by Hal Caswell, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)