Nesting.—Nehrkorn (1899:222) recorded eggs taken at the Palau Islands. Yamashina (1932a:410) listed the finding of three nests containing one egg each on September 26, 1931, at Arhno in the Marshall Islands. The NAMRU2 party obtained no evidence of nesting at Ulithi or Palau in August and September, 1945. Coultas (field notes) obtained reports of the finding of two eggs at the Palau Islands in the period October to December, 1931.Parasites.—Uchida (1918:483, 488) records the following Mallophaga taken at Ponapé from this tern:Docophorus albemarlensis,Colpocephalum milleri, andColpocephalum impertunum.Remarks.—There are no records for the Black-naped Tern from the Mariana Islands, although the species is known from the Palau, Caroline and Marshall Islands. At Ulithi Atoll, the NAMRU2 party observed these terns at the islands of Potangeras, Mangejang, Pau, and Losiep in August, 1945. They were found in groups of 4 to 15, either sitting on sandy beaches or rocky exposures or flying over the reefs. Unlike the Crested Tern, these birds appeared quite unafraid of man and would hover over a freshly killed or wounded individual of their own kind, making of themselves easy targets. The writer saw only one Black-naped Tern at the Palau Islands (Peleliu, on September 16, 1945). The birds seem to prefer the "low" atolls to the "high" volcanic islands of Micronesia.Two subspecies ofSterna sumatranaare recognized by Peters (1934:336):Sterna sumatrana mathewsiknown from islands of the western Indian Ocean andSterna s. sumatranafrom islands of Oceania, Australia, Malaysia, and China coast. There is a considerable area separating these subspecies. For populations in the Pacific area, other names which have been proposed areSterna sumatrana kempiMathews for birds from Torres Straits andGygis decorataHartlaub for birds from the Fiji Islands. A study of 201 specimens of this species from various parts of its range (in the collections of the American Museum of Natural History and the United States National Museum) shows that there is little color variation within the species. This observation is the same as that of Mathews (1912:372).As listed intable 19, measurements of the length of the wing show little variation. The length of the tail of birds from localities more remote from the continent of Asia (Micronesia, Phoenix, Union, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and the islands of the Indian Ocean: Aldabra and Providence) is, on the average, shorter than the length of the tail of birds from islands nearer the Asiatic mainland. This shortness is reflected also in the measurement of the difference between the shortest and longest tail feather.Table 19. Measurements ofGallinula chloropusLocationNo.WingTailDifference:LongestandshortesttailfeatherExposedculmenTarsusS. s. sumatranaMicronesia13221127653720.5211-225117-13854-7935-3920.0-21.0Phoenix and Union5228113663719.536-3818.5-20.0Fiji, Samoa, Tonga29221131633820.0218-229122-14251-7436-4118.0-21.0New CaledoniaLoyalty, NewHebrides8224141723919.5221-230135-14868-8137-4118.5-20.0Queensland, TorresStraits4229142783819.5139-14871-8336-4018.5-20.0Solomons52227144773619.0220-232129-16266-9534.0-38.518.5-20.5New Guinea,Bismarcks10224143763419.5219-231135-14667-8132.0-36.518.5-20.0Malay area49228141743420.0220-234125-15363-8432.0-37.019.0-20.5China coast,Riu Kiu21223144773519.5212-234130-15167-8531.5-38.019.0-20.0S. s. mathewsiMicronesia10220125713819.035.0-40.018.0-20.0The differences in the length of the exposed culmen of these terns shows that birds from islands more remotely oceanic possess longer bills than do those from islands closer to the Asiatic continent. Murphy (1938:538) has written that this phenomenon is characteristic among some species which have both continental and insular populations (or subspecies).Figure 10shows the southeastern part of the range of the subspecies,Sterna s. sumatrana, and gives the average measurements of the exposed culmen of birds from several localities.These localities are given intable 19. Terns with longer bills (37-39) were taken in Micronesia, in the Polynesian islands, and in northern Australia. Terns with shorter bills (34-36) were taken in Melanesia, Malaysia, and the coastal region of China, but there appears to be no abrupt line of demarkation between them. Further evidence of this tendency may be obtained from the literature. Kuroda (1925:191) gives the measurements of the exposed culmen of seven males and five females from the Riu Kius as averaging 35 mm. (range 31-40.5). It is also of interest to note that the length of the exposed culmen of the males averages one to two mm. longer than that of the females. The status ofSterna sumatrana mathewsimay be questioned. I find no characters separating my series of mostly poor specimens. The systematic position of this subspecies from the Indian Ocean (and likewise the status of subspecies of other sea birds which range into the Indian Ocean) may not be known with certainty until additional material is obtained.Fig. 10Fig. 10.Geographic variation in the average length of the exposed culmen ofSterna sumatrana sumatrana.Sterna lunataPealeSpectacled TernSterna lunataPeale, U. S. Expl. Exped., 8, 1848, p. 277. (Type locality, Vincennes Island, Paumotu Group.)Sterna lunataHartlaub, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1867 (1868), p. 831 (Pelew); Hartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1868, pp. 9, 118 (Pelew);idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1872, pp. 90, 113 (Pelew); Finsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 8, 1875, pp. 5, 41 (Palau); Saunders, Cat. Birds British Mus., 25, 1896, p. 100 (Pelew); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, 1, 1915, p. 62 (Ruk, Pelew); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 195 (Palau); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 218 (Palau); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 26 (Micronesia).Onychoprion lunatusSalvadori, Ornith. Papuasia, 3, 1882, p. 451 (Pelew); Wiglesworth, Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 76 (Pelew).Melanosterna lunataKuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 52 (Pelew).Geographic range.—Breeds in Oceania from the Hawaiian Group south to Fiji and the Tuamotus and west to the Moluccas. In Micronesia: Palau Islands—exact locality not known.Remarks.—Finsch (1875:41) recorded specimens taken by Tetens, Peters and Kubary at the Palau Islands. Coultas obtained one immature male at sea south of the eastern Caroline Islands at 1° 25´ N and 159° E on October 19, 1930. The Spectacled Tern ranges throughout the tropical Pacific, spending considerable time at sea, and probably reaches most parts of Micronesia in its travels.Sterna anaetheta anaethetaScopoliBridled TernSterna AnaethetusScopoli, Del. Flor. et Faun., Insubr., fasc. 2, 1786, p. 92. (Type locality, "In Guinea" = Panay, Philippine Islands,ex.Sonnerat.)Sterna anaesthetaTakatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 62 (Pelew).Melanosterna anaestheta anaesthetaKuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 52 (Pelew).Sterna anaethetus anaethetusHand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 195 (Palau); Yamashina, Tori, 10, 1940, p. 678 (Bikar); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 218 (Palau, Bikar).Sterna anaetheta anaethetaMayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 26 (Palau).Geographic range.—Breeds from Malaysia to Australia and Oceania and north to Formosa. Ranges west to Ceylon and north to Japan. In Micronesia: Palau Islands—exact locality not known; Marshall Islands—Bikar.Measurements.—Four adult males from the Palau Islands have the following measurements: wing 246-254, longest tail feather 147-177, shortest tail feather 71-72, exposed culmen 40-44, tarsus 21-23; one adult female: wing 266, exposed culmen 40.5, tarsus 22.5.Specimens examined.—Total number, 7 (4 males, 3 females) from Palau Islands, AMNH—exact locality not given (Dec. 20).Remarks.—The Bridled Tern is known from the Palau Islands and from Bikar in the Marshall Islands. In Micronesia, the species apparently reaches the northeastern extent of its range. In the Palaus, Coultas found the terns on small outlying islands. Heobserved them to fly to sea early in the day and to return to the islands in the evening. Of the seven specimens obtained by him, two males and one female had enlarged gonads (Dec. 20).Sterna fuscata oahuensisBloxhamSooty TernSterna OahuensisBloxham, Voy. "Blonde," 1826, p. 251. (Type locality, Oahu, Hawaiian Islands.)Sterna fuliginosaFinsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 12, 1876, pp. 18, 39 (Ponapé);idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1877 (1878), p. 781 (Ponapé);idem, Journ. f. Ornith., 1880, p. 295 (Ponapé); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 62 (Ponapé).Onychoprion fuscata infuscataKuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 51 (Ponapé).Sterna fuscata nibilosaHand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 195 (Ponapé); Yamashina, Tori, 10, 1940, p. 677 (Helen Reef); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 218 (Ponapé, Helen Reef).Sterna fuscata oahuensisMayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 25 (Micronesia).Geographic range.—Breeds from the Hawaiian, Marcus, and Bonin islands south to the Phoenix Islands and Micronesia. In Micronesia: Mariana Islands—Asuncion; Palau Islands—Helen Reef; Caroline Islands—Ponapé.Specimens examined.—Total number, 1 unsexed from Mariana Islands, AMNH—Asuncion (Jan. 18).Remarks.—The systematic position of the Sooty Tern in Micronesia is uncertain; in using this name I am following Peters (1934:338), who comments that the species "is badly in need of revision." Coultas obtained one immature female at O° 90´ S and 159° 50´ E, a position south of the eastern Caroline Islands. The bird is tentatively placed in the subspeciesS. f. oahuensis. The Sooty Tern probably does not breed in large numbers in Micronesia, unless it be in the northern Marianas. Bryan (1903:97) reports that this species is very abundant at Marcus Island, which is north and east of the Marianas.Sterna albifrons sinensisGmelinLeast TernSterna sinensisGmelin, Syst. Nat., 1, pt. 2, 1789, p. 608. (Type locality, China, ex Latham.)Sterna albifronsMarshall, Condor, 51, 1949, p. 221 (Saipan).Geographic range.—Found on coastal areas from Korea and China south to New Guinea. In Micronesia: Mariana Islands—Saipan.Specimens examined.—One female from Mariana Islands, USNM—Saipan (Sept. 26).Remarks.—Marshall (1949:221) took one of two Least Terns at Lake Susupe on Saipan on September 26, 1945. The specimen taken, a female, is in post juvenal molt.Thalasseus bergii pelecanoides(King)Crested TernSterna pelecanoidesKing, Surv. Intertrop. and Western Coasts Australia, 2, 1827, p. 422. (Type locality, Torres Strait, northern Queensland.)Sterna bergiiFinsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 8, 1875, p. 50 (Palau);idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1877 (1878), p. 781 (Ponapé);idem, Ibis, 1880, pp. 330, 332 (Ratak Chain);idem, Journ. f. Ornith., 1880, p. 295 (Ponapé);idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1880, p. 577 (Ruk);idem, Ibis, 1881, pp. 113, 115 (Ponapé); Schmeltz and Krause, Ethnogr. Abth. Mus. Godeffroy, 1881, pp. 281, 299, 330, 353 (Ponapé, Mortlock, Nukuor, Ruk); Salvadori, Ornith. Papuasia, 3, 1882, p. 434 (Ruk, Ponapé, Marshalls); Finsch, Mitth. Ornith. Ver. Wien, 1884, p. 51 (Jaluit); Wiglesworth, Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 74 (Pelew, Luganor, Nukuor, Ruk, Ponapé, Marshall Islands); Hartert, Novit. Zool., 7, 1900, p. 10 (Ruk); Saunders, Cat. Birds British Mus., 25, 1896, p. 89 (Ponapé, Marshalls); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 52 (Ponapé); Uchida, Annot. Zool. Japon., 9, 1918, pp. 483, 488 (Ponapé).Sterna bergeriSchnee, Zool. Jahrbücher, 20, 1904, p. 390 (Marschall-Inseln).Sterna bergii cristataStresemann, Novit. Zool., 21, 1914, p. 58 (Truk).Thalasseus bergii pelecanoidesOberholser, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 49, 1915, p. 523 (Marshall Islands); Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 51 (Luganor, Nukuor, Ruk, Ponapé, Marshall Islands); Kuroda, Avifauna Riu Kiu, 1925, p. 188 (Marshall Islands); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 194 (Palau, Faraulep, Truk, Lukunor, Nukuoro, Ponapé, Jaluit, Mille, Aurh, Maloelab, Ailuk); Yamashina, Tori, 10, 1940, p. 677 (Helen Reef, Babelthuap); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 218, (Babelthuap, Helen Reef, Faraulep, Truk, Lukunor, Nukuoro, Ponapé, Jaluit, Mille, Aurh, Maloelab, Ailuk).Thalasseus bergii cristatusPeters, Check-list Birds World, 2, 1934, p. 342 (Carolines, Marshalls); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 26 (Micronesia); Baker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p. 55 (Peleliu, Ngajangel [Kayangel], Truk).Geographic range.—Malaysia and east coast of Australia south to Tasmania, east to Melanesia and Polynesia, north to Phoenix Islands and Micronesia (seefigure 11). In Micronesia: Palau Islands—Helen Reef, Peleliu, Babelthuap; Caroline Islands—Ulithi, Truk, Faraulep, Lukunor, Nukuoro, Ponapé; Marshall Islands—Jaluit, Mille, Aurh, Moloelab, Ailuk, Bikini.Characters.—Adult: A large, white tern with back, rump, tail, wing-coverts, wing, and axillaries pearl gray; outer edges of primaries pearly grayish-black; crown black with crest; bill greenish-yellow with blackish base; feet black. Crown black, mottled with white and mantle paler in postnuptial plumage.Immature: Resembles adult, but crown and back dark, mottled with white and crest small.Measurements.—Measurements of Crested Terns of the Pacific area are listed intable 20.Specimens examined.—Total number, 10 (6 males, 4 females), as follows: Caroline Islands, USNM—Ulithi, 1 (Aug. 21); AMNH—Truk, 2 (May 7, Dec. 5)—Ponapé, 3 (Nov. 1, 7); Marshall Islands, USNM—Bikini, 4 (March 4, 11, 12).Parasites.—Uchida (1918:483, 488) obtained the following species of bird lice (Mallophaga) from the Crested Tern at Ponapé:Docophorus albemarlensisandColpocephalum importunum.Remarks.—Oberholser (1915:520-526, pl. 66) lists five subspecies (T. b. cristatus,T. b. halodramus,T. b. pelecanoides,T. b. rectirostris, andT. b. poliocercus) in the region including the coast ofChina, the Riu Kiu Islands, Malaysia, Melanesia, eastern Australia, Polynesia, and Micronesia. Only one subspecies,T. b. cristatus, is recognized in this area by Stresemann (1914:58), Hartert (1921:1695-1696), and Peters (1934:341-342), who mention that there is much variation in size and coloring.Table 20. Measurements ofThalasseus bergiiin the Pacific AreaLocationNo.WingLongesttailfeatherShortesttailfeatherExposedculmenTarsusThalasseus bergii pelecanoidesPalaus, Carolines,Marshalls63431688260334-352153-18480-8558-65Christmas, Phoenix,Tuamotus, Society,Fiji, Loyalty,New Hebrides48344170835827329-362145-19877-9254-6425-29Eastern Australia14345165885827338-349152-17484-9255-6326-29New Guinea, Bismarck,Archipelago, Moluccas18342168815927332-361144-19475-8753-6426-28Totals86344169835827329-362144-19875-9253-6525-29Thalasseus bergii cristatusPhilippines, China,Formosa, Riu Kius18332162815828324-342149-18278-8755-6426-30Thalasseus bergii gwendolenaeWestern Australia14354171865827339-369162-18281-9153-6525-29Measurements, as shown intable 20, indicate a wide range of sizes but, in most series, the averages are nearly the same. Nevertheless, it is evident that birds from the coast of China, the Riu Kius, Formosa, and the Philippines have a distinctly shorter wing than birds from the Moluccas, Melanesia, eastern Australia, Polynesia, and Micronesia. Further evidence of this is presented by Kuroda (1925:186) who lists the measurements of the wing of eight Crested Terns from the Riu Kiu Islands as 322 to 340 (average 330). The occurrence of populations withshorter wings has already been pointed out in the work of Oberholser (1915:520-526), who divided the short-winged birds into two subspecies. It seems advisable to recognize but one subspecies,T. b. cristatus, for the birds with short wings and another subspecies,T. b. pelecanoides, to include the birds with the longer wings (seefigure 11). The average measurements of the length of wings of these two subspecies, 332, and 344, differ significantly, although there is some overlap in measurements. A few specimens at hand from the western part of Malaysia are in poor condition and not measurable.Fig. 11Fig. 11.Geographic distribution ofThalasseus bergii. (1)T. b. bergii; (2)T. b. thalassinnus; (3)T. b. velox; (4)T. b. cristatus; (5)T. b. gwendolenae; (6)T. b. pelecanoides.Most specimens ofT. b. cristatusandT. b. pelecanoideshave lighter-colored upper parts than specimens ofT. b. velox, but not so light-colored as specimens ofT. b. gwendolenae. Size probably is a better character than color to use in separating these groups.In Micronesia, the NAMRU2 party observed Crested Terns at Ulithi, Peleliu and Truk, in August, September, and December, 1945, respectively. Birds were seen as singles or in small groups flying over the reefs. The birds were wary and difficult to approach, but they were conspicuous and easily identified.Procelsterna cerulea saxatilisW. K. FisherBlue-gray TernProcelsterna saxatilisW. K. Fisher, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 26, 1903, p. 559. (Type locality, Necker Island, Hawaiian Islands.)Procelsterna cerulea saxatilisYamashina, Tori, 10, 1940, p. 678 (Bikar); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 219 (Bikar); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 27 (Micronesia).Geographic range.—Known from Marcus Island and the western Hawaiian Islands. In Micronesia: Marshall Islands—Bikar.Remarks.—Yamashina (1940:678) recorded the taking of eight of these terns (5 adult males, 3 adult females) on July 10, 1932, at Bikar in the Marshall Islands. He gives the following measurements: wing, 180.5-188; tail, 104-113.5; exposed culmen, 24-26.5. This is the only known record for the species in Micronesia.Anous stolidus pileatus(Scopoli)Common NoddySterna pileataScopoli, Del. Flor. et Faun. Insubr., fasc. 2, 1786, p. 92. (No type locality = Philippines,ex.Sonnerat.)Sterna stolidaChamisso, in Kotzebue's Voy. "Rurick," 3, 1821, pp. 150, 157 (Marshall Islands); Kittlitz, Kupfertaf. Naturgesch. Vögel, 3, 1833, p. 27, pl. 36, fig. 1 (Mordloks-Inseln);idem, Obser. Zool., in Lutké, Voy. "Le Séniavine," 3, 1836, pp. 286, 299, 308, 309 (Ualan, Lougounor, Ouleai);idem, Denkw. Reise russ. Amer. Micron. und Kamchat., 1, 1858, p. 364, 2, pp. 77, 86 (Ualan); Wiglesworth, Ibis, 1893, p. 212 (Marshalls).Anous stolidusHartlaub, Archiv f. Naturgesch., 18, 1852, p. 137 (Mortlock);idem, Journ. f. Ornith., 1854, p. 168 (Carolinen); Gray, Cat. Birds Trop. Is. Pacific Ocean, 1859, p. 59 (Carolines); Finsch and Hartlaub, Fauna Centralpolynesiens, 1867, p. 236 (Mordlocks, Puynipet = Ponapé); Hartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1868, pp. 9, 118 (Pelew);idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1872, pp. 90, 112 (Pelew); Finsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 8, 1875, pp. 6, 42 (Palau);idem, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 12, 1876, pp. 18, 40 (Ponapé);idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1877 (1878), p. 781 (Ponapé);idem, Journ. f. Ornith., 1880, pp. 295, 307 (Ponapé, Ruck, Kuschai);idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1880, p. 577 (Ruk, Ponapé, Kuschai);idem, Ibis, 1881, pp. 105, 109, 115, 246, 247 (Kuschai, Ponapé); Schmeltz and Krause, Ethnogr. Abth. Mus. Godeffroy, 1881, pp. 299, 330, 353 (Mortlock, Nukuor, Ruk); Salvadori, Ornith. Papuasia, 3, 1882, p. 455 (Pelews, Carolines, Marshalls); Finsch, Mitth. Ornith. Ver. Wien, 1884, p. 51 (Jaluit, Ponapé); Wiglesworth, Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 76 (Pelew, Mortlock, Ruk, Nukuor, Ponapé, Ualan, Marshalls); Saunders, Cat. Birds British Museum, 25, 1896, p. 136 (Pelew, Carolines, Marshalls); Oustalet, Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, (3), 8, 1896, p. 59 (Saypan, Guam, Rota, Agrigan, Hogoleu = Truk, Kushai, Ponapi, Marshalls); Hartert, Novit. Zool., 5, 1898, p. 68 (Guam); Seale, Occ. Papers Bernice P. Bishop Mus., 1, 1901, p. 21 (Guam); Safford, Osprey, 1902, p. 66 (Mariannas); Bryan, Occ. Papers Bernice P. Bishop Mus., 2, 1903, p. 101 (Guam); Schnee, Zool. Jahrbücher, 20, 1904, p. 390 (Marshall-Inseln); Safford, The Plant World, 7, 1904, p. 267 (Guam);idem, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb., 9, 1905, p. 80 (Guam); Prowazek, Die deutschen Marianen, 1913, p. 100 (Marianen); Takastukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 51 (Ponapé, Ruk); Cox, Island of Guam, 1917, p. 22 (Guam); Uchida, Annot. Zool. Japon., 9, 1918, pp. 484, 488 (Palau, Ponapé); Wharton, Ecol. Monogr., 16, 1946, p. 174 (Guam); Wharton and Hardcastle, Journ. Parasitology, 32, 1946, pp. 292, 296, 306 (Guam, Ulithi).Anous pileatusPelzeln, Reise "Novara," Vögel, 1865, pp. 155, 162 (Puynipet = Ponapé).Anous stolidus pileatusHartert, Novit. Zool., 7, 1900, p. 9 (Ruk); Wetmore, in Townsend and Wetmore, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoöl., 63, 1919, p. 183 (Kusaie); Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 49 (Guam, Saipan, Pelew, Mortlock, Ruk, Wolea, Nukuoro, Ponapé, Kusaie, Marshalls); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 195 (Koror, Urukthapel, Angaur, Saipan, Guam, Wolea, Truk, Mortlock, Lukunor, Nukuoro, Ponapé, Kusaie, Jaluit, Mille, Aurh, Wotze); Bryan, Guam Rec., vol. 13, no. 2, 1936, p. 24 (Guam); Yamashina, Tori, 10, 1940, p. 678 (Assongsong, Babelthuap); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 219 (Saipan, Assongsong, Guam, Babelthuap, Koror, Urukthapel, Peliliu, Angaur, Wolea, Truk, Mortlock, Lukunor, Nukuoro, Ponapé, Kusaie, Taluit, Mille, Aurh, Wotze); Borror, Auk, 1947, p. 417 (Agrihan); Baker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p. 56 (Rota, Guam, Peleliu, Ngabad, Ulithi, Truk).Anous stolidus unicolor?Ridgway, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., 50, pt. 8, 1919, p. 547 (Guam).Table 21. Measurements ofAnoüs stolidusof the Pacific AreaLocationNo.WingTailExposedculmenAnoüs stolidus ridgwayiIsabella, Cocos, Clipperton Islands1827815841260-295147-16638-42Anoüs stolidus galapagensisGalapagos Islands1127715140274-282142-16038-42Anoüs stolidus pileatusHawaiian Islands: Nihoa to Midway3528116242268-299149-17638-40Wake Islands827815941273-285152-17039-43Mariana Islands: Guam, Rota1228016741275-288159-18739-43Palau Islands927816141268-283155-16639-42Caroline Islands4128216442270-291150-17339-45Marshall Islands328216442270-289154-17441-43Ellice, Phoenix, Danger,Suvarov Islands2728416241265-295152-17439-44Christmas Island1328716243280-292152-17440-46Marquesas Islands1928216342275-291155-17040-43Tuamotu Archipelago3828716542277-299154-17339-46Society, Austral, Cook,Rapa Islands1629016443280-301155-17340-45Oeno, Henderson, Ducie,Easter Islands629316444285-298154-17541-45Samoa, Fiji, Tonga1928516442277-295153-17339-44Kermadecs, Norfolk2327615841269-289148-17338-43New Hebrides, Solomons,New Guinea area3127815841265-287150-17239-44Northwest Australia926314540258-267138-15238-42South China Sea area, Strait of Malacca427115339262-278148-25737-40Riu Kius, Japan526814839259-275143-15537-40Indian Ocean area: Seychelles,Aldebra, Providence, Somaliland2027615441270-286146-16439-42
Nesting.—Nehrkorn (1899:222) recorded eggs taken at the Palau Islands. Yamashina (1932a:410) listed the finding of three nests containing one egg each on September 26, 1931, at Arhno in the Marshall Islands. The NAMRU2 party obtained no evidence of nesting at Ulithi or Palau in August and September, 1945. Coultas (field notes) obtained reports of the finding of two eggs at the Palau Islands in the period October to December, 1931.
Parasites.—Uchida (1918:483, 488) records the following Mallophaga taken at Ponapé from this tern:Docophorus albemarlensis,Colpocephalum milleri, andColpocephalum impertunum.
Remarks.—There are no records for the Black-naped Tern from the Mariana Islands, although the species is known from the Palau, Caroline and Marshall Islands. At Ulithi Atoll, the NAMRU2 party observed these terns at the islands of Potangeras, Mangejang, Pau, and Losiep in August, 1945. They were found in groups of 4 to 15, either sitting on sandy beaches or rocky exposures or flying over the reefs. Unlike the Crested Tern, these birds appeared quite unafraid of man and would hover over a freshly killed or wounded individual of their own kind, making of themselves easy targets. The writer saw only one Black-naped Tern at the Palau Islands (Peleliu, on September 16, 1945). The birds seem to prefer the "low" atolls to the "high" volcanic islands of Micronesia.
Two subspecies ofSterna sumatranaare recognized by Peters (1934:336):Sterna sumatrana mathewsiknown from islands of the western Indian Ocean andSterna s. sumatranafrom islands of Oceania, Australia, Malaysia, and China coast. There is a considerable area separating these subspecies. For populations in the Pacific area, other names which have been proposed areSterna sumatrana kempiMathews for birds from Torres Straits andGygis decorataHartlaub for birds from the Fiji Islands. A study of 201 specimens of this species from various parts of its range (in the collections of the American Museum of Natural History and the United States National Museum) shows that there is little color variation within the species. This observation is the same as that of Mathews (1912:372).
As listed intable 19, measurements of the length of the wing show little variation. The length of the tail of birds from localities more remote from the continent of Asia (Micronesia, Phoenix, Union, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and the islands of the Indian Ocean: Aldabra and Providence) is, on the average, shorter than the length of the tail of birds from islands nearer the Asiatic mainland. This shortness is reflected also in the measurement of the difference between the shortest and longest tail feather.
Table 19. Measurements ofGallinula chloropus
Table 19. Measurements ofGallinula chloropus
The differences in the length of the exposed culmen of these terns shows that birds from islands more remotely oceanic possess longer bills than do those from islands closer to the Asiatic continent. Murphy (1938:538) has written that this phenomenon is characteristic among some species which have both continental and insular populations (or subspecies).Figure 10shows the southeastern part of the range of the subspecies,Sterna s. sumatrana, and gives the average measurements of the exposed culmen of birds from several localities.These localities are given intable 19. Terns with longer bills (37-39) were taken in Micronesia, in the Polynesian islands, and in northern Australia. Terns with shorter bills (34-36) were taken in Melanesia, Malaysia, and the coastal region of China, but there appears to be no abrupt line of demarkation between them. Further evidence of this tendency may be obtained from the literature. Kuroda (1925:191) gives the measurements of the exposed culmen of seven males and five females from the Riu Kius as averaging 35 mm. (range 31-40.5). It is also of interest to note that the length of the exposed culmen of the males averages one to two mm. longer than that of the females. The status ofSterna sumatrana mathewsimay be questioned. I find no characters separating my series of mostly poor specimens. The systematic position of this subspecies from the Indian Ocean (and likewise the status of subspecies of other sea birds which range into the Indian Ocean) may not be known with certainty until additional material is obtained.
Fig. 10Fig. 10.Geographic variation in the average length of the exposed culmen ofSterna sumatrana sumatrana.
Sterna lunataPeale, U. S. Expl. Exped., 8, 1848, p. 277. (Type locality, Vincennes Island, Paumotu Group.)
Sterna lunataPeale, U. S. Expl. Exped., 8, 1848, p. 277. (Type locality, Vincennes Island, Paumotu Group.)
Sterna lunataHartlaub, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1867 (1868), p. 831 (Pelew); Hartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1868, pp. 9, 118 (Pelew);idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1872, pp. 90, 113 (Pelew); Finsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 8, 1875, pp. 5, 41 (Palau); Saunders, Cat. Birds British Mus., 25, 1896, p. 100 (Pelew); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, 1, 1915, p. 62 (Ruk, Pelew); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 195 (Palau); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 218 (Palau); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 26 (Micronesia).
Sterna lunataHartlaub, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1867 (1868), p. 831 (Pelew); Hartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1868, pp. 9, 118 (Pelew);idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1872, pp. 90, 113 (Pelew); Finsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 8, 1875, pp. 5, 41 (Palau); Saunders, Cat. Birds British Mus., 25, 1896, p. 100 (Pelew); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, 1, 1915, p. 62 (Ruk, Pelew); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 195 (Palau); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 218 (Palau); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 26 (Micronesia).
Onychoprion lunatusSalvadori, Ornith. Papuasia, 3, 1882, p. 451 (Pelew); Wiglesworth, Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 76 (Pelew).
Onychoprion lunatusSalvadori, Ornith. Papuasia, 3, 1882, p. 451 (Pelew); Wiglesworth, Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 76 (Pelew).
Melanosterna lunataKuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 52 (Pelew).
Melanosterna lunataKuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 52 (Pelew).
Geographic range.—Breeds in Oceania from the Hawaiian Group south to Fiji and the Tuamotus and west to the Moluccas. In Micronesia: Palau Islands—exact locality not known.
Remarks.—Finsch (1875:41) recorded specimens taken by Tetens, Peters and Kubary at the Palau Islands. Coultas obtained one immature male at sea south of the eastern Caroline Islands at 1° 25´ N and 159° E on October 19, 1930. The Spectacled Tern ranges throughout the tropical Pacific, spending considerable time at sea, and probably reaches most parts of Micronesia in its travels.
Sterna AnaethetusScopoli, Del. Flor. et Faun., Insubr., fasc. 2, 1786, p. 92. (Type locality, "In Guinea" = Panay, Philippine Islands,ex.Sonnerat.)
Sterna AnaethetusScopoli, Del. Flor. et Faun., Insubr., fasc. 2, 1786, p. 92. (Type locality, "In Guinea" = Panay, Philippine Islands,ex.Sonnerat.)
Sterna anaesthetaTakatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 62 (Pelew).
Sterna anaesthetaTakatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 62 (Pelew).
Melanosterna anaestheta anaesthetaKuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 52 (Pelew).
Melanosterna anaestheta anaesthetaKuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 52 (Pelew).
Sterna anaethetus anaethetusHand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 195 (Palau); Yamashina, Tori, 10, 1940, p. 678 (Bikar); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 218 (Palau, Bikar).
Sterna anaethetus anaethetusHand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 195 (Palau); Yamashina, Tori, 10, 1940, p. 678 (Bikar); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 218 (Palau, Bikar).
Sterna anaetheta anaethetaMayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 26 (Palau).
Sterna anaetheta anaethetaMayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 26 (Palau).
Geographic range.—Breeds from Malaysia to Australia and Oceania and north to Formosa. Ranges west to Ceylon and north to Japan. In Micronesia: Palau Islands—exact locality not known; Marshall Islands—Bikar.
Measurements.—Four adult males from the Palau Islands have the following measurements: wing 246-254, longest tail feather 147-177, shortest tail feather 71-72, exposed culmen 40-44, tarsus 21-23; one adult female: wing 266, exposed culmen 40.5, tarsus 22.5.
Specimens examined.—Total number, 7 (4 males, 3 females) from Palau Islands, AMNH—exact locality not given (Dec. 20).
Remarks.—The Bridled Tern is known from the Palau Islands and from Bikar in the Marshall Islands. In Micronesia, the species apparently reaches the northeastern extent of its range. In the Palaus, Coultas found the terns on small outlying islands. Heobserved them to fly to sea early in the day and to return to the islands in the evening. Of the seven specimens obtained by him, two males and one female had enlarged gonads (Dec. 20).
Sterna OahuensisBloxham, Voy. "Blonde," 1826, p. 251. (Type locality, Oahu, Hawaiian Islands.)
Sterna OahuensisBloxham, Voy. "Blonde," 1826, p. 251. (Type locality, Oahu, Hawaiian Islands.)
Sterna fuliginosaFinsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 12, 1876, pp. 18, 39 (Ponapé);idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1877 (1878), p. 781 (Ponapé);idem, Journ. f. Ornith., 1880, p. 295 (Ponapé); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 62 (Ponapé).
Sterna fuliginosaFinsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 12, 1876, pp. 18, 39 (Ponapé);idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1877 (1878), p. 781 (Ponapé);idem, Journ. f. Ornith., 1880, p. 295 (Ponapé); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 62 (Ponapé).
Onychoprion fuscata infuscataKuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 51 (Ponapé).
Onychoprion fuscata infuscataKuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 51 (Ponapé).
Sterna fuscata nibilosaHand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 195 (Ponapé); Yamashina, Tori, 10, 1940, p. 677 (Helen Reef); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 218 (Ponapé, Helen Reef).
Sterna fuscata nibilosaHand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 195 (Ponapé); Yamashina, Tori, 10, 1940, p. 677 (Helen Reef); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 218 (Ponapé, Helen Reef).
Sterna fuscata oahuensisMayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 25 (Micronesia).
Sterna fuscata oahuensisMayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 25 (Micronesia).
Geographic range.—Breeds from the Hawaiian, Marcus, and Bonin islands south to the Phoenix Islands and Micronesia. In Micronesia: Mariana Islands—Asuncion; Palau Islands—Helen Reef; Caroline Islands—Ponapé.
Specimens examined.—Total number, 1 unsexed from Mariana Islands, AMNH—Asuncion (Jan. 18).
Remarks.—The systematic position of the Sooty Tern in Micronesia is uncertain; in using this name I am following Peters (1934:338), who comments that the species "is badly in need of revision." Coultas obtained one immature female at O° 90´ S and 159° 50´ E, a position south of the eastern Caroline Islands. The bird is tentatively placed in the subspeciesS. f. oahuensis. The Sooty Tern probably does not breed in large numbers in Micronesia, unless it be in the northern Marianas. Bryan (1903:97) reports that this species is very abundant at Marcus Island, which is north and east of the Marianas.
Sterna sinensisGmelin, Syst. Nat., 1, pt. 2, 1789, p. 608. (Type locality, China, ex Latham.)
Sterna sinensisGmelin, Syst. Nat., 1, pt. 2, 1789, p. 608. (Type locality, China, ex Latham.)
Sterna albifronsMarshall, Condor, 51, 1949, p. 221 (Saipan).
Sterna albifronsMarshall, Condor, 51, 1949, p. 221 (Saipan).
Geographic range.—Found on coastal areas from Korea and China south to New Guinea. In Micronesia: Mariana Islands—Saipan.
Specimens examined.—One female from Mariana Islands, USNM—Saipan (Sept. 26).
Remarks.—Marshall (1949:221) took one of two Least Terns at Lake Susupe on Saipan on September 26, 1945. The specimen taken, a female, is in post juvenal molt.
Sterna pelecanoidesKing, Surv. Intertrop. and Western Coasts Australia, 2, 1827, p. 422. (Type locality, Torres Strait, northern Queensland.)
Sterna pelecanoidesKing, Surv. Intertrop. and Western Coasts Australia, 2, 1827, p. 422. (Type locality, Torres Strait, northern Queensland.)
Sterna bergiiFinsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 8, 1875, p. 50 (Palau);idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1877 (1878), p. 781 (Ponapé);idem, Ibis, 1880, pp. 330, 332 (Ratak Chain);idem, Journ. f. Ornith., 1880, p. 295 (Ponapé);idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1880, p. 577 (Ruk);idem, Ibis, 1881, pp. 113, 115 (Ponapé); Schmeltz and Krause, Ethnogr. Abth. Mus. Godeffroy, 1881, pp. 281, 299, 330, 353 (Ponapé, Mortlock, Nukuor, Ruk); Salvadori, Ornith. Papuasia, 3, 1882, p. 434 (Ruk, Ponapé, Marshalls); Finsch, Mitth. Ornith. Ver. Wien, 1884, p. 51 (Jaluit); Wiglesworth, Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 74 (Pelew, Luganor, Nukuor, Ruk, Ponapé, Marshall Islands); Hartert, Novit. Zool., 7, 1900, p. 10 (Ruk); Saunders, Cat. Birds British Mus., 25, 1896, p. 89 (Ponapé, Marshalls); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 52 (Ponapé); Uchida, Annot. Zool. Japon., 9, 1918, pp. 483, 488 (Ponapé).
Sterna bergiiFinsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 8, 1875, p. 50 (Palau);idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1877 (1878), p. 781 (Ponapé);idem, Ibis, 1880, pp. 330, 332 (Ratak Chain);idem, Journ. f. Ornith., 1880, p. 295 (Ponapé);idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1880, p. 577 (Ruk);idem, Ibis, 1881, pp. 113, 115 (Ponapé); Schmeltz and Krause, Ethnogr. Abth. Mus. Godeffroy, 1881, pp. 281, 299, 330, 353 (Ponapé, Mortlock, Nukuor, Ruk); Salvadori, Ornith. Papuasia, 3, 1882, p. 434 (Ruk, Ponapé, Marshalls); Finsch, Mitth. Ornith. Ver. Wien, 1884, p. 51 (Jaluit); Wiglesworth, Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 74 (Pelew, Luganor, Nukuor, Ruk, Ponapé, Marshall Islands); Hartert, Novit. Zool., 7, 1900, p. 10 (Ruk); Saunders, Cat. Birds British Mus., 25, 1896, p. 89 (Ponapé, Marshalls); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 52 (Ponapé); Uchida, Annot. Zool. Japon., 9, 1918, pp. 483, 488 (Ponapé).
Sterna bergeriSchnee, Zool. Jahrbücher, 20, 1904, p. 390 (Marschall-Inseln).
Sterna bergeriSchnee, Zool. Jahrbücher, 20, 1904, p. 390 (Marschall-Inseln).
Sterna bergii cristataStresemann, Novit. Zool., 21, 1914, p. 58 (Truk).
Sterna bergii cristataStresemann, Novit. Zool., 21, 1914, p. 58 (Truk).
Thalasseus bergii pelecanoidesOberholser, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 49, 1915, p. 523 (Marshall Islands); Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 51 (Luganor, Nukuor, Ruk, Ponapé, Marshall Islands); Kuroda, Avifauna Riu Kiu, 1925, p. 188 (Marshall Islands); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 194 (Palau, Faraulep, Truk, Lukunor, Nukuoro, Ponapé, Jaluit, Mille, Aurh, Maloelab, Ailuk); Yamashina, Tori, 10, 1940, p. 677 (Helen Reef, Babelthuap); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 218, (Babelthuap, Helen Reef, Faraulep, Truk, Lukunor, Nukuoro, Ponapé, Jaluit, Mille, Aurh, Maloelab, Ailuk).
Thalasseus bergii pelecanoidesOberholser, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 49, 1915, p. 523 (Marshall Islands); Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 51 (Luganor, Nukuor, Ruk, Ponapé, Marshall Islands); Kuroda, Avifauna Riu Kiu, 1925, p. 188 (Marshall Islands); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 194 (Palau, Faraulep, Truk, Lukunor, Nukuoro, Ponapé, Jaluit, Mille, Aurh, Maloelab, Ailuk); Yamashina, Tori, 10, 1940, p. 677 (Helen Reef, Babelthuap); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 218, (Babelthuap, Helen Reef, Faraulep, Truk, Lukunor, Nukuoro, Ponapé, Jaluit, Mille, Aurh, Maloelab, Ailuk).
Thalasseus bergii cristatusPeters, Check-list Birds World, 2, 1934, p. 342 (Carolines, Marshalls); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 26 (Micronesia); Baker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p. 55 (Peleliu, Ngajangel [Kayangel], Truk).
Thalasseus bergii cristatusPeters, Check-list Birds World, 2, 1934, p. 342 (Carolines, Marshalls); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 26 (Micronesia); Baker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p. 55 (Peleliu, Ngajangel [Kayangel], Truk).
Geographic range.—Malaysia and east coast of Australia south to Tasmania, east to Melanesia and Polynesia, north to Phoenix Islands and Micronesia (seefigure 11). In Micronesia: Palau Islands—Helen Reef, Peleliu, Babelthuap; Caroline Islands—Ulithi, Truk, Faraulep, Lukunor, Nukuoro, Ponapé; Marshall Islands—Jaluit, Mille, Aurh, Moloelab, Ailuk, Bikini.
Characters.—Adult: A large, white tern with back, rump, tail, wing-coverts, wing, and axillaries pearl gray; outer edges of primaries pearly grayish-black; crown black with crest; bill greenish-yellow with blackish base; feet black. Crown black, mottled with white and mantle paler in postnuptial plumage.
Immature: Resembles adult, but crown and back dark, mottled with white and crest small.
Measurements.—Measurements of Crested Terns of the Pacific area are listed intable 20.
Specimens examined.—Total number, 10 (6 males, 4 females), as follows: Caroline Islands, USNM—Ulithi, 1 (Aug. 21); AMNH—Truk, 2 (May 7, Dec. 5)—Ponapé, 3 (Nov. 1, 7); Marshall Islands, USNM—Bikini, 4 (March 4, 11, 12).
Parasites.—Uchida (1918:483, 488) obtained the following species of bird lice (Mallophaga) from the Crested Tern at Ponapé:Docophorus albemarlensisandColpocephalum importunum.
Remarks.—Oberholser (1915:520-526, pl. 66) lists five subspecies (T. b. cristatus,T. b. halodramus,T. b. pelecanoides,T. b. rectirostris, andT. b. poliocercus) in the region including the coast ofChina, the Riu Kiu Islands, Malaysia, Melanesia, eastern Australia, Polynesia, and Micronesia. Only one subspecies,T. b. cristatus, is recognized in this area by Stresemann (1914:58), Hartert (1921:1695-1696), and Peters (1934:341-342), who mention that there is much variation in size and coloring.
Table 20. Measurements ofThalasseus bergiiin the Pacific Area
Table 20. Measurements ofThalasseus bergiiin the Pacific Area
Measurements, as shown intable 20, indicate a wide range of sizes but, in most series, the averages are nearly the same. Nevertheless, it is evident that birds from the coast of China, the Riu Kius, Formosa, and the Philippines have a distinctly shorter wing than birds from the Moluccas, Melanesia, eastern Australia, Polynesia, and Micronesia. Further evidence of this is presented by Kuroda (1925:186) who lists the measurements of the wing of eight Crested Terns from the Riu Kiu Islands as 322 to 340 (average 330). The occurrence of populations withshorter wings has already been pointed out in the work of Oberholser (1915:520-526), who divided the short-winged birds into two subspecies. It seems advisable to recognize but one subspecies,T. b. cristatus, for the birds with short wings and another subspecies,T. b. pelecanoides, to include the birds with the longer wings (seefigure 11). The average measurements of the length of wings of these two subspecies, 332, and 344, differ significantly, although there is some overlap in measurements. A few specimens at hand from the western part of Malaysia are in poor condition and not measurable.
Fig. 11Fig. 11.Geographic distribution ofThalasseus bergii. (1)T. b. bergii; (2)T. b. thalassinnus; (3)T. b. velox; (4)T. b. cristatus; (5)T. b. gwendolenae; (6)T. b. pelecanoides.
Most specimens ofT. b. cristatusandT. b. pelecanoideshave lighter-colored upper parts than specimens ofT. b. velox, but not so light-colored as specimens ofT. b. gwendolenae. Size probably is a better character than color to use in separating these groups.
In Micronesia, the NAMRU2 party observed Crested Terns at Ulithi, Peleliu and Truk, in August, September, and December, 1945, respectively. Birds were seen as singles or in small groups flying over the reefs. The birds were wary and difficult to approach, but they were conspicuous and easily identified.
Procelsterna saxatilisW. K. Fisher, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 26, 1903, p. 559. (Type locality, Necker Island, Hawaiian Islands.)
Procelsterna saxatilisW. K. Fisher, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 26, 1903, p. 559. (Type locality, Necker Island, Hawaiian Islands.)
Procelsterna cerulea saxatilisYamashina, Tori, 10, 1940, p. 678 (Bikar); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 219 (Bikar); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 27 (Micronesia).
Procelsterna cerulea saxatilisYamashina, Tori, 10, 1940, p. 678 (Bikar); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 219 (Bikar); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 27 (Micronesia).
Geographic range.—Known from Marcus Island and the western Hawaiian Islands. In Micronesia: Marshall Islands—Bikar.
Remarks.—Yamashina (1940:678) recorded the taking of eight of these terns (5 adult males, 3 adult females) on July 10, 1932, at Bikar in the Marshall Islands. He gives the following measurements: wing, 180.5-188; tail, 104-113.5; exposed culmen, 24-26.5. This is the only known record for the species in Micronesia.
Sterna pileataScopoli, Del. Flor. et Faun. Insubr., fasc. 2, 1786, p. 92. (No type locality = Philippines,ex.Sonnerat.)
Sterna pileataScopoli, Del. Flor. et Faun. Insubr., fasc. 2, 1786, p. 92. (No type locality = Philippines,ex.Sonnerat.)
Sterna stolidaChamisso, in Kotzebue's Voy. "Rurick," 3, 1821, pp. 150, 157 (Marshall Islands); Kittlitz, Kupfertaf. Naturgesch. Vögel, 3, 1833, p. 27, pl. 36, fig. 1 (Mordloks-Inseln);idem, Obser. Zool., in Lutké, Voy. "Le Séniavine," 3, 1836, pp. 286, 299, 308, 309 (Ualan, Lougounor, Ouleai);idem, Denkw. Reise russ. Amer. Micron. und Kamchat., 1, 1858, p. 364, 2, pp. 77, 86 (Ualan); Wiglesworth, Ibis, 1893, p. 212 (Marshalls).
Sterna stolidaChamisso, in Kotzebue's Voy. "Rurick," 3, 1821, pp. 150, 157 (Marshall Islands); Kittlitz, Kupfertaf. Naturgesch. Vögel, 3, 1833, p. 27, pl. 36, fig. 1 (Mordloks-Inseln);idem, Obser. Zool., in Lutké, Voy. "Le Séniavine," 3, 1836, pp. 286, 299, 308, 309 (Ualan, Lougounor, Ouleai);idem, Denkw. Reise russ. Amer. Micron. und Kamchat., 1, 1858, p. 364, 2, pp. 77, 86 (Ualan); Wiglesworth, Ibis, 1893, p. 212 (Marshalls).
Anous stolidusHartlaub, Archiv f. Naturgesch., 18, 1852, p. 137 (Mortlock);idem, Journ. f. Ornith., 1854, p. 168 (Carolinen); Gray, Cat. Birds Trop. Is. Pacific Ocean, 1859, p. 59 (Carolines); Finsch and Hartlaub, Fauna Centralpolynesiens, 1867, p. 236 (Mordlocks, Puynipet = Ponapé); Hartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1868, pp. 9, 118 (Pelew);idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1872, pp. 90, 112 (Pelew); Finsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 8, 1875, pp. 6, 42 (Palau);idem, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 12, 1876, pp. 18, 40 (Ponapé);idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1877 (1878), p. 781 (Ponapé);idem, Journ. f. Ornith., 1880, pp. 295, 307 (Ponapé, Ruck, Kuschai);idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1880, p. 577 (Ruk, Ponapé, Kuschai);idem, Ibis, 1881, pp. 105, 109, 115, 246, 247 (Kuschai, Ponapé); Schmeltz and Krause, Ethnogr. Abth. Mus. Godeffroy, 1881, pp. 299, 330, 353 (Mortlock, Nukuor, Ruk); Salvadori, Ornith. Papuasia, 3, 1882, p. 455 (Pelews, Carolines, Marshalls); Finsch, Mitth. Ornith. Ver. Wien, 1884, p. 51 (Jaluit, Ponapé); Wiglesworth, Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 76 (Pelew, Mortlock, Ruk, Nukuor, Ponapé, Ualan, Marshalls); Saunders, Cat. Birds British Museum, 25, 1896, p. 136 (Pelew, Carolines, Marshalls); Oustalet, Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, (3), 8, 1896, p. 59 (Saypan, Guam, Rota, Agrigan, Hogoleu = Truk, Kushai, Ponapi, Marshalls); Hartert, Novit. Zool., 5, 1898, p. 68 (Guam); Seale, Occ. Papers Bernice P. Bishop Mus., 1, 1901, p. 21 (Guam); Safford, Osprey, 1902, p. 66 (Mariannas); Bryan, Occ. Papers Bernice P. Bishop Mus., 2, 1903, p. 101 (Guam); Schnee, Zool. Jahrbücher, 20, 1904, p. 390 (Marshall-Inseln); Safford, The Plant World, 7, 1904, p. 267 (Guam);idem, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb., 9, 1905, p. 80 (Guam); Prowazek, Die deutschen Marianen, 1913, p. 100 (Marianen); Takastukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 51 (Ponapé, Ruk); Cox, Island of Guam, 1917, p. 22 (Guam); Uchida, Annot. Zool. Japon., 9, 1918, pp. 484, 488 (Palau, Ponapé); Wharton, Ecol. Monogr., 16, 1946, p. 174 (Guam); Wharton and Hardcastle, Journ. Parasitology, 32, 1946, pp. 292, 296, 306 (Guam, Ulithi).
Anous stolidusHartlaub, Archiv f. Naturgesch., 18, 1852, p. 137 (Mortlock);idem, Journ. f. Ornith., 1854, p. 168 (Carolinen); Gray, Cat. Birds Trop. Is. Pacific Ocean, 1859, p. 59 (Carolines); Finsch and Hartlaub, Fauna Centralpolynesiens, 1867, p. 236 (Mordlocks, Puynipet = Ponapé); Hartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1868, pp. 9, 118 (Pelew);idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1872, pp. 90, 112 (Pelew); Finsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 8, 1875, pp. 6, 42 (Palau);idem, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 12, 1876, pp. 18, 40 (Ponapé);idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1877 (1878), p. 781 (Ponapé);idem, Journ. f. Ornith., 1880, pp. 295, 307 (Ponapé, Ruck, Kuschai);idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1880, p. 577 (Ruk, Ponapé, Kuschai);idem, Ibis, 1881, pp. 105, 109, 115, 246, 247 (Kuschai, Ponapé); Schmeltz and Krause, Ethnogr. Abth. Mus. Godeffroy, 1881, pp. 299, 330, 353 (Mortlock, Nukuor, Ruk); Salvadori, Ornith. Papuasia, 3, 1882, p. 455 (Pelews, Carolines, Marshalls); Finsch, Mitth. Ornith. Ver. Wien, 1884, p. 51 (Jaluit, Ponapé); Wiglesworth, Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 76 (Pelew, Mortlock, Ruk, Nukuor, Ponapé, Ualan, Marshalls); Saunders, Cat. Birds British Museum, 25, 1896, p. 136 (Pelew, Carolines, Marshalls); Oustalet, Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, (3), 8, 1896, p. 59 (Saypan, Guam, Rota, Agrigan, Hogoleu = Truk, Kushai, Ponapi, Marshalls); Hartert, Novit. Zool., 5, 1898, p. 68 (Guam); Seale, Occ. Papers Bernice P. Bishop Mus., 1, 1901, p. 21 (Guam); Safford, Osprey, 1902, p. 66 (Mariannas); Bryan, Occ. Papers Bernice P. Bishop Mus., 2, 1903, p. 101 (Guam); Schnee, Zool. Jahrbücher, 20, 1904, p. 390 (Marshall-Inseln); Safford, The Plant World, 7, 1904, p. 267 (Guam);idem, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb., 9, 1905, p. 80 (Guam); Prowazek, Die deutschen Marianen, 1913, p. 100 (Marianen); Takastukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 51 (Ponapé, Ruk); Cox, Island of Guam, 1917, p. 22 (Guam); Uchida, Annot. Zool. Japon., 9, 1918, pp. 484, 488 (Palau, Ponapé); Wharton, Ecol. Monogr., 16, 1946, p. 174 (Guam); Wharton and Hardcastle, Journ. Parasitology, 32, 1946, pp. 292, 296, 306 (Guam, Ulithi).
Anous pileatusPelzeln, Reise "Novara," Vögel, 1865, pp. 155, 162 (Puynipet = Ponapé).
Anous pileatusPelzeln, Reise "Novara," Vögel, 1865, pp. 155, 162 (Puynipet = Ponapé).
Anous stolidus pileatusHartert, Novit. Zool., 7, 1900, p. 9 (Ruk); Wetmore, in Townsend and Wetmore, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoöl., 63, 1919, p. 183 (Kusaie); Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 49 (Guam, Saipan, Pelew, Mortlock, Ruk, Wolea, Nukuoro, Ponapé, Kusaie, Marshalls); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 195 (Koror, Urukthapel, Angaur, Saipan, Guam, Wolea, Truk, Mortlock, Lukunor, Nukuoro, Ponapé, Kusaie, Jaluit, Mille, Aurh, Wotze); Bryan, Guam Rec., vol. 13, no. 2, 1936, p. 24 (Guam); Yamashina, Tori, 10, 1940, p. 678 (Assongsong, Babelthuap); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 219 (Saipan, Assongsong, Guam, Babelthuap, Koror, Urukthapel, Peliliu, Angaur, Wolea, Truk, Mortlock, Lukunor, Nukuoro, Ponapé, Kusaie, Taluit, Mille, Aurh, Wotze); Borror, Auk, 1947, p. 417 (Agrihan); Baker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p. 56 (Rota, Guam, Peleliu, Ngabad, Ulithi, Truk).
Anous stolidus pileatusHartert, Novit. Zool., 7, 1900, p. 9 (Ruk); Wetmore, in Townsend and Wetmore, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoöl., 63, 1919, p. 183 (Kusaie); Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 49 (Guam, Saipan, Pelew, Mortlock, Ruk, Wolea, Nukuoro, Ponapé, Kusaie, Marshalls); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 195 (Koror, Urukthapel, Angaur, Saipan, Guam, Wolea, Truk, Mortlock, Lukunor, Nukuoro, Ponapé, Kusaie, Jaluit, Mille, Aurh, Wotze); Bryan, Guam Rec., vol. 13, no. 2, 1936, p. 24 (Guam); Yamashina, Tori, 10, 1940, p. 678 (Assongsong, Babelthuap); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 219 (Saipan, Assongsong, Guam, Babelthuap, Koror, Urukthapel, Peliliu, Angaur, Wolea, Truk, Mortlock, Lukunor, Nukuoro, Ponapé, Kusaie, Taluit, Mille, Aurh, Wotze); Borror, Auk, 1947, p. 417 (Agrihan); Baker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p. 56 (Rota, Guam, Peleliu, Ngabad, Ulithi, Truk).
Anous stolidus unicolor?Ridgway, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., 50, pt. 8, 1919, p. 547 (Guam).
Anous stolidus unicolor?Ridgway, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., 50, pt. 8, 1919, p. 547 (Guam).
Table 21. Measurements ofAnoüs stolidusof the Pacific Area
Table 21. Measurements ofAnoüs stolidusof the Pacific Area