Chapter I Intro & Objectives - SPREP

PHOENIX ISLANDS PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT PLAN
Chapter III. Background, 3. Terrestrial Resources
Draft 1 March 2007
Clapp (1968) reported the pectoral sandpiper, E. melanotos, the bar-tailed godwit, Limosa
lapponica baueri, the sanderling, Crocethia alba, and the New Zealand cuckoo, Eudynamis
taitensis, from Orona (Hull).
Sibley and Clapp (1967) reported that specimens of the lesser frigatebird, Fregata ariel, had
been collected from Enderbury, Orona (Hull), and Abariringa (Canton).
Amerson (1968) lists the bird hosts for the tick, Ornithoros capensis and the O. capensis
group in Orona (Hull) (see Table III-3.11 above).
King (1973) reported that the sooty tern population was 3 million birds. Other tree dwelling
species were not abundant.
Garnett (1983) reported that species of seabirds were known to breed on Orona (Hull). They
included: Phaeton lepturus, Phaethon rubricauda, Sula sula, Fregata minor, Sterna fuscata,
Anous stolidus, Anous minutus, and Gygis alba.
Other bird species were migrants or visitors to Orona (Hull) (Garnett 1983). These included:
1) Pterodrona alba,
2) Puffinus pacificus,
3) Sula dactylatra,
4) Sua leucogaster,
5) Fregata ariel
6) Procelsterna cerulea,
7) Pluvialis dominica,
8) Arenaria interpres
9) Numenius tahitiensis,
10) Numenius phaeopus,
11) Calidris melanotos,
12) Limosa lapponica,
13) Croethia aba,
14) Eudynamis taitensis
Government of Kiribati (1995) reported on bird observations on Abariringa, Enderbury,
Manra, Nikumaroro, and Orona (see Table III-3.19 above). Many species of birds were
observed on Orona. Only the white tern bred on the island. Young of the frigate bird and the
red-footed booby (te koota) were not found. Breeding sooty tern (te tarariki), grey-backed
tern (tarangongo), brown booby (korobwaro), and the ref-footed booby (te mouakena) were
also not observed.
Kepler (2000) reported on bird counts on Abariringa (Canton), Enderbury, Manra, Orona, and
Nikumaroro (see Table III-3.20 above).
In 2000, in one area of Orona, tens of thousands of sooty terns were observed nesting (Stone
et al 2001). In addition, frigate birds, white fairy terns, brown noddies, borwn boobies and
masked boobies were observed.
Neilson (2002) reported the presences of various bird species on Abariringa (Kanton), Birnie,
Enderbury, Manra, Nikumaroro, Orona and Rawaki (see Table III-3.22 above).
In 2002, bird surveys were conducted on all Phoenix Islands, except McKean (Obura and
Stone 2003; Yoshinaga 2002; see Table III-3.23 above). No petrels, shearwaters, Pacific reef
herons, or blue-gray noddies were observed. Yoshinaga (2002) reported observing numerous
tiny dead chicks on Orona. There were many broken eggshells on the lagoon shores.
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