The Pomarine Jaeger, the largest of the three jaegers, prowls the arctic tundra subsisting on a dietcomposed almost entirely of brown lemmings (Lemmus trimucronatus). This species presumablynests only in years when lemmings are abundant (Wiley and Lee 2000). Their breeding range inAlaska is relatively close to the coast, typically nesting in wet tundra habitats, the same habitatsas those utilized by their favorite prey. Pomarine Jaegers may forgo breeding in low lemmingyears and prematurely return to their tropical and sub-tropical pelagic wintering grounds (Wileyand Lee 2000). Current global population estimate is 250,000 – 3 million individuals (BirdLifeInternational 2012).
