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…