Puffinus Nativitatis Research Articles

Beyond the surface: Seabirds and plastics as indicators in a large, remote marine protected area

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are an important conservation tool for species and habitats; however, they are not a panacea solution. For example, MPAs provide little protection from plastic pollution which travels vast distances on ocean currents. Here we document exposure of juvenile Christmas Shearwaters (Puffinus nativitatis) to plastics on uninhabited Ducie Atoll in the remote South Pacific. Despite being surrounded by the very large Pitcairn Islands MPA, most birds (68.7 %; n = 16) contained 3.8 ± 4.1 pieces of ingested plastic. Unexpectedly, the number, mass and frequency of occurrence of plastic in two age classes (young downy chicks and fledglings) was similar. While the reason for this is unknown, it may suggest birds do not acquire new plastic items, or are able to rid themselves of plastics, beyond a certain age. We discuss the potential health consequences of plastic ingestion in Christmas Shearwaters and call for further research of this poorly studied species.

Pelagic birds around Rapa and Marotiri, French Polynesia, October–December 2019, with notes on Rapa Shearwater Puffinus myrtae and Titan Storm Petrel Fregetta [grallaria] titan

We report pelagic observations from around Rapa Island and Marotiri Rocks, in the Austral Islands, French Polynesia, made during the first dedicated at-sea survey of birds in the region, during October–December 2019. We recommend that the regional occurrence of several seabird species be modified and that the list of avifauna for Rapa and Marotiri, the Austral Islands, and East Polynesia variously be amended to include Juan Fernández Petrel Pterodroma externa, Mottled Petrel P. inexpectata, Gould's Petrel P. leucoptera, Stejneger's Petrel P. longirostris, Buller's Shearwater Ardenna bulleri and Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus. Two Gould's Petrels were behaving as if breeding, and the timing of egg laying by Christmas Shearwater Puffinus nativitatis is apparently somewhat earlier than the species' other populations. We found Polynesian Storm Petrel Nesofregetta fuliginosa foraging in large numbers around Marotiri suggesting a hitherto unrecognised and perhaps significant breeding population; we also found large numbers around Rapa. Titan Storm Petrel foraged off Rapa in substantial numbers and c.5% appeared to be a variant, raising the possibility of two distinctive phenotypes. We include at-sea images and a field description of ‘classic’ Rapa Shearwater Puffinus myrtae, and report an unidentified small Puffinus seen at Marotiri. Our survey adds significant new information to knowledge of seabirds in this region, and in combination with previous work argues strongly for the conservation of Rapa, Marotiri and the surrounding ocean’s pelagic birds.

MetaBARFcoding: DNA‐barcoding of regurgitated prey yields insights into Christmas shearwater (Puffinus nativitatis) foraging ecology at Hōlanikū (Kure Atoll), Hawaiʻi

AbstractMorphological identification of digested prey remains from a generalist predator can be challenging, especially when attempting to match degraded remains to taxonomic keys. DNA techniques, whereby prey is sequenced and matched to large public nucleotide sequence databases, are increasingly being used to augment morphological identification. We used “metaBARFcoding” (DNA metabarcoding) to target a region of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) mitochondrial gene to identify prey in highly digested regurgitations from Christmas shearwaters Puffinus nativitatis at Hōlanikū (Kure Atoll). Metabarcoding was used to bulk‐process 92 water samples from regurgitations collected from 2009 to 2017, providing an overview of the seabird's diet. We additionally Sanger‐sequenced 100 prey items from 50 randomly chosen regurgitations to verify that metabarcoding characterized key components of the diet. The metabarcoding technique identified 87 unique taxa from 29 families of fish and squid, spanning diverse taxa, including reef‐associated, pelagic–oceanic, and mesopelagic species. Rare prey (frequency of occurrence ≤5% of samples) constituted 66% of the species richness, demonstrating the highly diverse diet of this generalist predator. Overall, 81% of the families detected in the contemporary diet were previously documented in Christmas shearwater diets from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Our results indicate that metabarcoding the COI region is useful in identifying a wide range of taxa from highly digested regurgitations, thus facilitating this approach to study seabird diets.

Revision of the status of bird species occurring or reported in Colombia 2018

Chilean Flamingo Phoenicopterus chilensis, an Antshrike Thamnophilus sp., Yellow-crowned Elaenia Myiopagis flavivertex and Red-crested Finch Coryphospingus cucullatus are each newly added to the Colombian bird checklist, based on photographic records. Ochraceous Wren Troglodytes ochraceus is added based on a sonogram of an archived sound recording. Red-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon rubricauda, Juan Fernandez Petrel Pterodroma externa, White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis, Tahiti Petrel Pseudobulweria rostrate, Gould's Petrel Pterodroma leucoptera and Lincoln's Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii are each added as unconfirmed based on sight records. Following new publications and a revision, several species are removed from Colombia's checklist: South American Tern Sterna hirundinacea, Christmas Shearwater Puffinus navitatis, White-bellied Storm-Petrel Fregetta grallaria, Bluish-fronted Jacamar Galbula cyanescens, Black-necked Araçari Pteroglossus aracari, Undulated Antshrike Frederickena unduliger, Chestnut-shouldered Antwren Euchrepomis humeralis, Painted Tody-Flycatcher Todirostrum pictum, Roraiman Flycatcher Myiophobus roraimae, Couch's Kingbird Tyrannus couchii and Dotted Tanager Tangara varia. New photographic records allow White-throated Kingbird Tyrannus albogularis and Pacific Parrotlet Forpus coelestis to be promoted from unconfirmed to confirmed status. Short-tailed Field Tyrant Muscigralla brevicauda is returned to confirmed status based on a specimen and further supported by new photographic records presented here. We publish sonograms of archived sound recordings so as to promote Buffthroated Tody-Tyrant Hemitriccus rufigularis and Foothill Schiffornis Schiffornis aenea to confirmed status. Imperial Snipe Gallinago imperialis and Beautiful Treerunner Margarornis bellulus are now known from field observations as well as historical "Bogotá" specimens. Following status revisions, various species are downgraded to unconfirmed status, namely: Galapagos Penguin Spheniscus mendiculus, Little Woodstar Chaetocercus bombus, Black Nunbird Monasa atra, Graychested Greenlet Hylophilus semicinereus, Guianan Gnatcatcher Polioptila guianensis, Pirre Chlorospingus Chlorospingus inornatus, Pine Warbler Setophaga pinus and Palm Warbler Setophaga palmarum (the latter being confirmed on San Andrés and Providencia only, with photographs presented here). We present details of an overlooked specimen record for Colombia and new photographic records of Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina and Crimson-breasted Finch Rhodospingus cruentus as well as photographic records of White-bellied Spinetail Mazaria propinqua, Ecuadorian Tyrannulet Phylloscartes gualaquizae and Pink-footed Shearwater Ardenna creatopus, all of which we retain as confirmed species. We present new information on the status of the Mallard Anas platyrhynchos and Feral Pigeon Columba livia as breeding and introduced species. Common Quail Coturnix coturnix is a newly recorded escaped species that lacks evidence of establishment. Island Canary Serinus canaria and Zebra Finch Taeniopygia guttata are now confirmed escapees, due to photographic records. Splits are accepted of Rufescent Antshrike Thamnistes rufescens and Choco Screech-Owl Megascops centralis, with Bogota Sunangel Heliangelus zusii and Colombian Screech-Owl Megascops colombianus no longer recognized as valid species. Several amendments to genus and species names, English names and linear order are made, following recent publications. The Colombian checklist changes to 1,934 species (excluding escapees). Methods for categorizing records and the assessment of the status of species for a national checklist are discussed, in terms of the kinds of records (sight records, photographs, sound recordings, telemetry, specimens, etc), escaped or introduced species and taxonomy. We discuss all identified differences between our list and another recently published checklist of Colombia's birds

Antibiotic Resistance Patterns in Fecal Bacteria Isolated from Christmas Shearwater (Puffinus nativitatis) and Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra) at Remote Easter Island

Antibiotic Resistance Patterns in Fecal Bacteria Isolated from Christmas Shearwater (Puffinus nativitatis) and Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra) at Remote Easter Island

Antibiotic Resistance Patterns in Fecal Bacteria Isolated from Christmas Shearwater (Puffinus nativitatis) and Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra) at Remote Easter Island

Antibiotic use and its implications have been discussed extensively in the past decades. This situation has global consequences when antibiotic resistance becomes widespread in the intestinal bacterial flora of stationary and migratory birds. This study investigated the incidence of fecal bacteria and general antibiotic resistance, with special focus on extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) isolates, in two species of seabirds at remote Easter Island. We identified 11 species of bacteria from masked booby (Sula dactylatra) and Christmas shearwater (Puffinus nativitatis); five species of gram-negative bacilli, four species of Streptococcus (Enterococcus), and 2 species of Staphylococcus. In addition, 6 types of bacteria were determined barely to the genus level. General antibiotic susceptibility was measured in the 30 isolated Enterobacteriaceae to 11 antibiotics used in human and veterinary medicine. The 10 isolates that showed a phenotypic ESBL profile were verified by clavulanic acid inhibition in double mixture discs with cefpodoxime, and two ESBL strains were found, one strain in masked booby and one strain in Christmas shearwater. The two bacteria harboring the ESBL type were identified as Serratia odorifera biotype 1, which has zoonotic importance. Despite minimal human presence in the masked booby and Christmas shearwater habitats, and the extreme geographic isolation of Easter Island, we found several multiresistant bacteria and even two isolates with ESBL phenotypes. The finding of ESBLs has animal and public health significance and is of potential concern, especially because the investigation was limited in size and indicated that antibiotic-resistant bacteria now are distributed globally.

Metal levels in feathers of 12 species of seabirds from Midway Atoll in the northern Pacific Ocean

Seabirds are excellent subjects for examination of heavy metals because they are long-lived, feed at different distances from land, and exhibit different trophic levels. In this paper we compare the levels of lead, cadmium, mercury arsenic, chromium, manganese, selenium, and tin in the feathers of birds nesting on Midway Atoll in the northern Pacific Ocean. We test the null hypothesis that there are no interspecific differences in the levels of metals in the feathers of the adult black-footed albatross ( Diomedea nigripes), Laysan albatross ( Diomedea immutabilis), red-footed booby ( Sula sula), great frigatebird ( Fregata minor), Bonin petrel ( Pterodroma hypoleuca), Christmas shearwater ( Puffinus nativitatis), red-tailed tropicbird ( Phaethon rubricauda), wedge-tailed shearwater ( Puffinus pacificus), brown noddy ( Anous stolidus), sooty tern ( Sterna fuscata), grey-backed tern ( Sterna lunata), and white tern ( Gygis alba), and young of some of these species. There were interspecific differences in the levels of all metals for adults. Christmas shearwater had the highest levels of lead, cadmium, selenium and manganese, but the second lowest levels of mercury. In general, metal levels were the lowest in the smallest species (white tern), but were not the highest in the largest species (black-footed albatross), except for manganese, arsenic and mercury. There was a high variance in metal levels among adults for some species, but not for others. White tern adults were variable for lead, while Christmas shearwaters were variable for lead and cadmium. Compared to the means for metals in other birds generally (after Burger, 1993), Christmas shearwaters had higher levels of lead, white terns, brown noddy, Christmas shearwater, frigatebirds and Laysan albatrosses had higher levels of cadmium, and bonin petrel, wedge-tailed shearwater, tropicbirds, frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, and both albatrosses had higher levels of mercury. Whereas the means for lead and cadmium were below the known effects levels, some individuals had levels high enough to cause adverse effects in the birds. The mean values for mercury in Bonin petrel, red-tailed tropicbird, and black-footed albatross were higher than the levels known to cause adverse reproductive and behavioral effects.

Wing Ecomorphology of Seabirds from Johnston Atoll

Wing morphology of nine species of seabirds from Johnston Atoll in the central tropical Pacific was analyzed to determine how wing size and shape correlated with observed foraging behavior and, in some species, the energetic cost of flight. Red-tailed Tropicbirds (Phaethon rubricauda) and Christmas Shearwaters (Puffinus nativitatis) had lower wing areas, shorter wing spans, and higher relative wing loading than would be predicted from mass alone. Brown Noddies (Anous stolidus) and Red-footed Boobies (Sula sula) had lower wing loading, Brown Boobics (Sula leucogaster) and Sooty Terns (Sterna fuscata) had higher aspect ratios, and Brown Noddies had lower aspect ratio than would be predicted from mass alone. Aspect ratio showed greater intraspecific variation than the other variables. In most cases, predicted differences in wing morphology correlated well with observed foraging differences among species, and species that did not differ significantly in body mass differed with respect to wing size and shape; these morphological differences reflected varying flight and foraging behaviors. Sooty Terns had a higher aspect ratio and higher wing loading than Brown Noddies reflecting their more pelagic lifestyle, and Christmas Shearwaters had a lower aspect ratio and higher wing loading than Wedge-tailed Shear-waters (Puffinus pacificus) reflecting their pursuit plunging behavior.

Metals in Feathers of Bonin Petrel, Christmas Shearwater, Wedge-Tailed Shearwater, and Red-Tailed Tropicbird in the Hawaian Islands, Northern Pacific

Levels of environmental pollutants are usually higher in mainland and coastal areas than in offshore or oceanic islands due to higher inputs from agricultural and industrial sources. Levels of heavy metals are usually higher in adult than in young birds, because they have had longer to accumulate metals in their tissues, and/or because they may eat larger, more contaminated, prey. We examined the levels of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, mercury, and selenium in the adults and young of Bonin petrel (Pterodroma hypoleuca), Christmas shearwater (Puffinus nativitatis) and red-tailed tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda) on Midway Atoll, and adult wedge-tailed shearwater (Puffinus pacificus) on Midway Atoll and on Manana Island (off Oahu) in the northern Pacific. All birds were analyzed individually except for Christmas Shearwater chicks where samples were pooled to obtain sufficient quantities for analysis. Significant (p<0.05) age-related differences were found for mercury, selenium, manganese and chromium in Bonin petrels, for selenium and mercury in Christmas shearwaters, and for chromium and mercury in Red-tailed Tropicbirds. Lead approached significance for all three species. Adults had higher levels than young except for chromium and manganese in the petrels and arsenic in all three species. There were significant interspecific differences in concentrations of all metals except arsenic for the adults nesting on Midway. Christmas shearwaters had the highest levels of all metals except mercury and chromium. Bonin petrels, the smallest species examined, had mercury levels that were over three times higher than any of the adults of the other three species. For wedge-tailed shearwaters, levels of chromium and lead were significantly higher, and manganese and selenium were lower on Midway than Manana. Knowledge of the foraging ranges and habits of these far-ranging seabirds is inadequately known, but does not currently explain the observed differences among species. We could not find a consistent pattern of differences between the burrow nesting species (Bonin petrel, Wedge-tailed shearwater) and the surface nesting tropicbirds. There was no consistent pairwise correlation between any metals across all species.

Extinction and biogeography of birds on huahine, society islands, French polynesia

AbstractThis study is based upon the identification of 336 bird bones from the Fa'ahia archaeological site, Huahine, French Polynesia. The bones represent birds that were killed for their flesh, feathers, or bones by prehistoric Polynesians. The radiocarbon ages of excavated strata at Fa'ahia range from about 1140 ± 90 to 770 ± 90 yr B.P. The bird bones represent 15 species of resident seabirds, 15 species of resident landbirds, four migrant species, and one introduced species. The only extinct seabird is a gull, Larus new species, although locally extirpated seabirds are Puffinus pacificus, Puffinus nativitatis, Puffinus lherminieri, Pterodroma rostrata, Pterodroma alba, Pterodroma arminjoniana, Sula leucogaster, Sula sula, Fregata minor, Fregata ariel, and Anous minutus. Extinct landbirds are Gallirallus new species, Gallicolumba nui, Macropygia arevarevauupa, Vini vidivici, Vini cf. sinotoi, and Aplonis diluvialis. Locally extirpated landbirds are Ardeola striata, Porzana tabuensis, Gallicolumba erythroptera, Ducula galeata, Ducula aurorae, and Acrocephalus caffer. The bones from Fa'ahia increase the seabird and landbird fauna of Huahine, from the historically known 3 to 15 species and from 7 to 18 species, respectively. Thus the number of species from Huahine is even greater than those from nearby Tahiti, which has a much greater land area and elevation. The occurrence of so many extinct or extirpated species of birds at the Fa'ahia site suggests that this site represents a very early phase of human occupation on Huahine, probably no more than 500 years after the first arrival of people on this previously undisturbed island ecosystem.

Meal Sizes and Feeding Rates of Christmas Shearwaters and Phoenix Petrels on Christmas Island, Central Pacific Ocean

Meal size and feeding frequency of Christmas Shearwaters and Phoenix Petrels on Motu Tabu, Christmas Island, Central Pacific Ocean, were determined by weighing chicks at 4-h intervals throughout 24-h periods. Most feeding occurred between 1600 and 2400 hours. Meal size was estimated by the mass increment between visits. Positive increments were summed over 24 h (SUM) to provide an index to the total mass of food received. Over two nights, 10 of 17 Phoenix Petrel chicks had SUMs exceeding 25 g (max. 110 g), indicating large meals. Four SUMs of 5 and 10 g were discounted as either weighing errors or inconsequential meals. Assuming that members of a pair fed their chicks independently, this indicates a probability of feeding of 0.36 per parent per night, i.e., every third night on average. Twenty-six of 30 Christmas Shearwater chicks had SUMs exceeding 35 g (max. 95 g), suggesting a feeding probability of 0.63 per parent per night. The means of SUMs were 54.8 + 23.5 SD for the Christmas Shearwater (16.1% of chick mass) and 37.1 ? 36.8 SD for the Phoenix Petrel (13.6%). Estimated masses of meals delivered by each parent were 48.2 g + 9.1 SD (14.2% adult mass) and 49.4 g ? 21.5 SD (18.2%), respectively. Net mass gains by chicks over 24 h were significantly related to SUM with slopes of 0.42 g g-1 ? 0.07 SE and 0.77 g g-' ? 0.11 SE, respectively. These data are consistent with the suggestion of Ashmole and Ashmole (1967) that the Phoenix Petrel feeds more pelagically than the Christmas Shearwater and delivers a meal with a higher energy content and less water. In general, mass increments can be analyzed to describe components of variation in meal size and feeding rate for comparison among pelagic seabirds. These data may also allow one to infer aspects of feeding ecology and the resource environment of the chick.

The Food of Grey-Faced Petrels (Pterodroma macroptera gouldi (Hutton)), with Special Reference to Diurnal Vertical Migration of their Prey

Although the ecology of several species of Procellariidae (petrels, shearwaters and fulmars) has been studied by many ornithologists, of the eleven genera only Fulmarus, Puffinus and Pachyptila have received much critical attention; Pterodroma, which comprises more species than any other genus in the family, has been little studied. This is because Pterodroma is an oceanic genus breeding in the tropics, sub-tropics and southern hemisphere in places difficult of access such as remote islands. In common with most pelagic birds the food and feeding habits of gadfly petrels (Pterodroma spp.) are known only vaguely (see Ashmole 1971). A number of authors have recorded food remains obtained from petrels they handled. Often stomachs were empty but for digestion-resisting fragments of cephalopod beaks and eye lenses, fish bones, crustacean exoskeleton or pieces of stone or pumice. This situation seems to result from rapid digestion combined with infrequent feeding. The following information applies to Pterodroma only; comparisons with some other genera are made in the discussion. Cephalopods have been reported in the diet of P. m. macroptera (Smith), P. m. gouldi (Hutton), P. cooki (Gray), P. leucoptera (Gould), P. neglecta (Schlegel), P. cahow (Nichols & Mowbray), P. lessoni (Garnot), P. solandri (Gould), P. brevirostris (Lesson), P. mollis (Gould) and P. phaeopygia (Salvin) (Sladden & Falla 1928; Oliver 1930, 1955; Falla 1934, 1937; Palmer 1962; Mougin 1969; Harris 1970; Serventy, Serventy & Warham 1971; Wingate 1972). Fish are eaten by P. inexpectata (Forster), P. phaeopygia, P. solandri and P. mollis (Kuroda 1955; Pocklington 1967; Harris 1970; Serventy et al. 1971). Crustacea are taken by P. macroptera gouldi, P. neglecta, P. phaeopygia, P. brevirostris and P. cahow (Sladden & Falla 1928; Oliver 1930; Larson 1967 per Harris 1970; Mougin 1969; Wingate 1972); those eaten by P. cahow include a small scarlet shrimp (Palmer 1962). Other pelagic organisms have been noted among food of P. macroptera gouldi and P. phaeopygia which took pteropods (Oliver 1930; Loomis 1918 per Harris 1970). But none of these workers was able to analyse the composition of the food or to identify food items to a lower level. Thus the food of gadfly petrels (and shearwaters, Puffinus spp.) was known only by generalizations until Ashmole & Ashmole (1967) examined the feeding ecology of Procellariidae, Phaethontidae (tropic-birds) and Sterninae (terns and noddies) on Christmas Island in the central Pacific Ocean. The petrels they studied were the phoenix petrel (Pterodroma alba (Gmelin)) and the Christmas Island shearwater (Puffinus nativitatis Streets). Detailed comparisons of their findings with mine are made in the discussion. In their analysis of samples from Pterodroma alba they identified several

Six New Species and Additional Records of Chiggers from the Central Pacific (Acarina: Trombiculidae)

Described are 6 new species: Schoengastia pobsa from nesting area, seabirds, and European rabbit; Schoengastia saurella from lizards, Cryptoblepharus boutoni and Lepidodactylus lugubris; Microtrombicula nesiota from Sula dactylata; Toritrombicula gygis from Gygis alba; Toritrombicula oceanica from Pluvialis dominica; Toritrombicula thalassa from Nesofregetta albigularis. New host and locality records are given for Blankaartia amersoni, Neoschoengastia atollensis, N. carveri, N. ewingi, N. nr. gallinarum (with description and comments), N. namrui, Neoschoengastoides nr. archaea, Guntherana domrowi, and Guntherana sp. Brennan (1965) identified four species of chiggers in a meager 12 collections from a few seabirds and lizard on four islands of the north central Pacific. Described were Blankaartia amersoni and Guntherana domrowi, and listed were Schoengastia philipi (here revealed to be a new species) and a lone specimen of the peculiar Womersia strandtmanni, a first and only record of its occurrence in the Pacific. This report derives from 111 lots of chiggers collected as that part of the Smithsonian Institution's Pacific Ocean Biological Survey Program to determine species, numbers, host associations, and ecology of all ectoparasites of terrestrial vertebrates in the primary area of interest. General collections were made from 96 host species on 42 islands. Chiggers were identified from 17 hosts plus man (one specimen attached) on 15 islands and three positions at sea, the 18 locations lying within approximately 26? N to 12? S and 167? E to 159? W. Fifteen species including six new are recorded. Sixteen species of chiggers in seven genera are now recognized in the central Pacific. Schoengastia pobsa sp. n. (Fig. 1) Type data: Holotype and 3 paratypes, RML 46987, larvae, from nesting area, McKean Island, 1 May 1966, N. Heryford; 9 paratypes off Psittarostra cantans, Laysan Island, 11 June 1966, Amerson; 4 paratypes off Phaethon rubricauda and 1 off Puffinus nativitatis, Phoenix Island, 15 April 1966, Heryford; 8 paratypes off Oryctolagus cuniculus, Phoenix Island, 26 May 1965, Amerson. Received for publication 18 May 1971. Holotype and some paratypes in the Rocky Mountain Laboratory, other paratypes in the National Museum of Natural History, Bishop Museum, British Museum (Natural History), and Field Museum of Natural History. Diagnosis: S. pobsa and the following species, S. saurella, superficially resemble S. philipi Womersley and Kohls (off skink, Goodenough Island, New Guinea) but are distinguished by 2 mastitarsalae III and dorsal formula 2-10-8-8-6-2, 1 mastitarsala III and 2-8-6-6-4-2 in S. philipi. Body: Ovate, length and width of holotype, unfed, 215 by 110' u. Eyes 2/2, in a plate, diameter of anterior eye, 8 Am. Anus between fourth and fifth rows of ventral setae. Gnathosoma: Mildly punctate. Cheliceral blades with tricuspid cap and a row of 4 to 6 small dorsal teeth. Galeal seta nude. Palpal setae B/N/NNB, rarely the genual with 1 or 2 branches; tarsus with 7 branched setae, a subterminala and a tarsala; tibial claw trifurcate. Scutum: As figured. With deeply convex and mildly sinuous posterior margin and sinuous anterior margin. Sparsely punctate. Sensillae broadobovate, their bases barely posterior to posterolateral setae. AM less than half as long as the subequal AL and PL. Scutal measurements of holotype: AW 49, PW 67, SB 17, ASB 17, PSB 22, AP 20, AM 28, AL 61, PL 62, S 22 X 13. Legs: Moderately to sparsely punctate. Specialized setae as figured: 3 genualae I, genuala II and III, tibiala III, 2 nude mastitarsalae III. Nonspecialized setae heavily to sparsely branched. Coxal III seta anteromediomarginal. Leg index 660 (sum of lengths of legs I to III on one side). Body setae: Dorsal setae arranged 2-10-8-8-6-2; humerals 41 Au, posthumerals 26 to 40 A, becoming smaller posteriorly. Ventral setae 2-2 sternals plus 28 to 32, postanals similar to dorsals. Schoengastia saurella sp. n. Type data: Holotype and 7 paratypes, RML 45540, larvae, off Cryptoblepharus boutoni, Baker Island, 9 July 1963 (this series was referred to

NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF EASTER ISLAND

SummaryInformation on the occurrence and breeding status of sea‐birds at Easter Island has long been scanty and incomplete. In order to obtain accurate information and in particular to investigate reports of a supposed breeding site of a “brown‐plumaged petrel”, we spent three weeks on the island, including 12 days camping out on the uninhabited, waterless islet of Motu‐Nui.The petrel proved to be the Christmas Island Shearwater Puffinus nativitatis, whose breeding range is thus extended by nearly 2,000 miles. Ten other species of sea‐birds were definitely identified and specimens, photographs and breeding records were obtained for most of them. It is shown that the bird species frequenting Easter Island are, like the human inhabitants, predominantly of Polynesian origin—in fact the American continents are not represented at all.The paper opens with a brief outline of present‐day conditions on the main island, and concludes with an account of the “bird‐cult” rituals which are known to have been a feature of life in Easter Island for centuries.