It is approximately 490 miles (790 kilometers) west-northwest of Oahu, about halfway to Midway Island to the west.

The island provides a breeding habitat to 18 species of seabirds, green sea turtles, and Hawaiian monk seals.

[2] The island is protected by thousands of feet of seawall built during WWII, later some repair work was done.

The island has a sand airstrip, which is not longer active, and there are buildings left over from the prior Navy, Coast Guard, and National Wildlife Service use.

The US Fish & Wildlife Service closed its field station on the island at the end of 2012 after a storm damaged the facilities.

[6] The station's main function was as an emergency landing site for planes flying between Hawaii and Midway Atoll.

[8] One emergency landing occurred in 1944, when a Curtiss C-46 Commando with dozens of marines aboard had an engine failure and was close to ditching in the ocean.

The twin-engine transport plane was down to an altitude of less than 300 feet, despite having dropped as much weight as possible when it managed to land on Tern Island.

[12] Monthly flights typically involved travel to Honolulu for mail, while heavier cargo usually came by water.

[12] Upgrades included the cleanup of old waste, improved water tanks, and solar power.

[13] The solar power runs a reverse osmosis desalinator, capable of producing 1200 gallons a day.

[14] The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) operated a field station on the island from 1979 to 2012.

[18] The viewer offered a series of panoramic images from head height to be viewed around the island.

[2] In 2013 the NOAA ship Oscar Sette visited French Frigate Shoals and established a field camp on Tern Island.

[28] Examples include the short-eared owl (Asio flammeus) and fork-tailed swift (Apus pacificus).