British Indian Ocean Territory Biodiversity Action Plan: Sooty Tern

The principal, known and quantifiable threat to Sooty Tern in the Chagos Archipelago is the loss of suitable breeding habitat through invasive / non-native species. Secondary threats are likely to be from overfishing of sub-surface predators in the Indian Ocean and climate change-induced habitat alteration. A lack of understanding of the breeding phenology and a total lack of research into the feeding and foraging requirements and non-breeding distribution of the central Indian Ocean population O. f. nubilosus hinders conservation management for this species in the Chagos Archipelago.