Sable Island: Hunting

Terns: Sable as a refuge

Tern cap About 100 years ago, feathered hats were considered very stylish. Tern feathers, wings, even entire birds decorated women's heads.

Terns nesting along the eastern coast of North America were slaughtered for their plumage. Many colonies were nearly wiped out.

	On Sable, large colonies of terns bred in safety. They were protected both by distance and by an 1801 ruling prohibiting access to Sable without permission from the island's commissioners.
Common Tern Sterna hirundo	Roseate Terns once bred in large numbers on Sable Island
When the International Migratory Bird Convention Act of 1916 protected the terns, coastal colonies quickly recovered. They were probably restocked by birds from Sable.