Chapter I Intro & Objectives - SPREP

PHOENIX ISLANDS PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT PLAN
Chapter III. Background, 3. Terrestrial Resources
Draft 1 March 2007
noted that as many as 45 birds nest in a single bush. Hatheway (1955) suggested that the
limiting factor for bird nesting was the limited amount of Scaevola scrub for nesting sites.
McIntire (1960) noted that frigatebirds often made their nests in Suriana bushes. McIntire
(1960) reported that about 8 miles of Abariringa (Canton) were rookeries. Most of these
rookeries were formed by frigatebirds, Fregate minor palmerstoni, or red-footed boobies,
Sula sula rubripes. Other species nesting on Abariringa (Canton) included: ref-tailed tropic
birds, Phaeton rubricauda, which nested under Sida fallax bushes or under coral rock ledges.
In addition, there were two or three species of petrels and shearwaters, sooty tern, graybacked
tern, noddy, small noody, white tern, and gray terns.
McIntire (1960) noted that chickens were kept by Abariringa (Canton) residents. There was a
parasitic hippoboscid louse fly on some birds.
Child (1960) reported a large colony of grey-backed tern, Sterna lunata, on the southeastern
end of Abariringa (Canton).
Child (1960) reported the blue-grey noddy (Bennett’s noddy; blue-grey fairy ternlet),
Procelsterna cerulea nebouxi, on Abariringa (Canton), McKean, Rawaki (Phoenix), Manra
(Sydney), and Birnie.
Child (1960) reported nesting colonies of brown booby (common booby), Sula leucogaster
plotus, on Abariringa (Canton) and other Phoenix Islands.
Child (1960) reported that the blue-fced booby (masked gannet), Sula dactylatra personata,
were present in small numbers on Abariringa (Canton), McKean, Nikumaroro (Gardner),
Rawaki (Phoenix), and Manra (Sydney).
Child (1960) reported that in Abariringa (Canton), frigatebirds most commonly attacked
boobies for food.
According to Child (1960), Abariringa (Canton) and other Phoenix Islands were known
breeding places for the greater frigate-bird (Pacific frigate-bird), Fregata minor palmerstoni.
The lesser frigate-bird, Fregata ariel ariel, was observed on Abariringa (Canton), but did not
breed there according to Buddle (Child 1960).
The red-tailed tropic-bird, Phaethon rubricauda melanorhynchos, had breeding colonies on
Nikumaroro (Gardner), Orona (Hull), Rawaki (Phoenix), McKean, Manra (Sydney),
Abariringa (Canton) (Child 1960).
The Christmas Island shearwater, Puffinus nativitatis, bred on Abariringa (Canton) and
Rawaki (Phoenix) (Child 1960).
The Phoenix petrel, Pterodroma alba, had breeding colonies on Abariringa (Canton) and
Rawaki (Phoenix) and possibly Nikumaroro (Gardner) (Child 1960).
The shoveller (duck), Spatula clypeata, was observed on Abariringa (Canton) and other
Phoenix Islands (Child 1960).
82