shorebirds – Alaska Native News

Shorebirds depend on wee slivers of Alaska

By Ned Rozell | Geophysical Institute on Nov 5, 2021 Featured, Southwest Alaska, The Arctic and Alaska Science

Pencil-beaked shorebirds with the ability to stay airborne for a week — flying all the way from Alaska to New Zealand — rely on a few crescents of mudflat to fuel that incredible journey. Scientists recently found that almost the entire population of bar-tailed godwits that breed in Alaska fatten up on clams and worms […]

Alaska’s Shorebirds Exposed to Mercury

By Central Ornithology Publication Office on Jul 13, 2016 Featured, Science/Education, The Arctic and Alaska Science

Shorebirds breeding in Alaska are being exposed to mercury at levels that could put their populations at risk, according to new research from The Condor: Ornithological Applications. Thanks to atmospheric circulation and other factors, the mercury that we deposit into the environment tends to accumulate in the Arctic. Mercury exposure can reduce birds’ reproductive success […]