Specimens examined.—Total number, 25 (11 males, 13 females, 1 unsexed), as follows: Mariana Islands, AMNH—Guam, 10 (July 13, Aug. 1, 5, 7, 13, 19, 23, 31); Palau Islands, AMNH—exact locality not given, 10 (Nov. 11, 13, 15, 23, 25); Caroline Islands, AMNH—Truk, 5 (June 3, 8, 16, 17, 18).
Nesting.—Hartert (1900:9) describes two nests found on swampy ground. One contained three eggs, the other four eggs. He writes, "The eggs are pale buff, or cream-colour, speckled all over with brownish rufous, more frequently near the broad end. In some eggs, these spots are larger, in others minute, and there are often some, underlying pale purplish gray spots."
Remarks.—Superficially, the White-browned Rail of Micronesia is distinct from its near relative, P. c. collingwoodi, but the differences are not so well marked as they are between insular populations of other species of rails. It is probably a comparatively recent addition to the Micronesian avifauna, and its pattern of distribution may represent an early stage in the development of endemism in contrast to the pattern of later stages in the development of insular forms shown by the isolated rails, Rallus owstoni and Aphanolimnas monasa. The fact that Poliolimnas cinereus is found only on widely separated islands in Micronesia does not necessarily mean that it has become "extinct" on the intervening islands, but that it may be partial to the larger, "high" islands, or that it is actually present but remains to be discovered on these intervening islands when more intensive field investigations are made. Hachisuka (1939a:151), in naming the Micronesian form, comments that it has a shorter bill than P. c. collingwoodi of the Philippines and Celebes, and that it is intermediate between this subspecies and P. c. brevipes of the Volcano Island to the north. Within these three subspecies there are trends toward a shorter culmen and shorter tarsus and, less markedly, toward a shorter wing. From the evidence at hand, it can be concluded that Poliolimnas first colonized Micronesia probably from the Philippine area (or Papuan area) through the Palaus and Carolines, to the Marianas and north to the Volcano Islands. Further, this has probably been a relatively recent invasion, although the subspecies in the Volcano Islands shows marked change in length of tarsus and culmen. This extension of range to the islands north of the Marianas is unusual and resembles somewhat the distribution of Nycticorax caledonicus in the same general area.
The Micronesian White-browed Rail is a shy bird with the typical skulking habits of most rails. The NAMRU2 party did not find the bird at Guam, although reports were obtained that it was present in the marsh and swamp areas. Coultas (field notes) tells of observing the rail at Palau at a fresh water lake on Babelthuap, where it was difficult to obtain and apparently rare. Seale (1901:30) obtained a female specimen at Guam from native boys who snared it in a sweet potato patch near the Agaña River. This bird, taken in June or July, had eggs ready for laying. McElroy of the NAMRU2 party observed rails at Truk in brackish swamps, where he found them to be fairly common. A male which was taken in December had enlarged gonads. At Asor in the Ulithi Atoll, the NAMRU2 party learned that a small rail (possibly of this species) was found at taro patches in the early days of occupation, but that it was apparently eliminated by clearing operations. The taking of a bird at Bikini, as reported by Yamashina (1940:679), is further evidence that these birds may subsist on coral atolls as well as on the high volcanic islands; possibly the bird of the Marshalls may have been derived from the south rather than from the west. Unlike Rallus owstoni, this bird is apparently restricted to swampy areas, and may be eliminated from its habitat by drainage or clearing by man. It may always persist, however, in the taro patches maintained by the natives.
Gallinula orientalis Horsfield, Trans. Linn. Soc. London, 13, 1821, p. 195. (Type locality, Java.)
Gallinula chloropus indicus Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 197 (Babelthuap); Takatsukasa and Yamashina, Dobutsu. Zasshi, 44, 1932, p. 266 (Pelew, Coror).
Gallinula chloropus indica Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 221 (Babelthuap).
Gallinula chloropus subsp. Baker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p. 49 (Peleliu, Angaur).
Geographic range.—Malaysia from southern Malay Peninsula to Celebes. In Micronesia: Palau Islands—Babelthuap, Koror, Peleliu, Angaur.
Characters.—Adult: Resembles G. c. indica Blyth, G. c. lozanoi Lletget and G. c. guami Hartert, but smaller and paler; upper wing-coverts less olivaceous-brown and more slate-colored; back, rump, and scapulars less richly washed with olivaceous-brown. Resembles G. c. orientalis from Java in size, but much paler.
Measurements.—An unsexed adult bird from Angaur measures: wing, 150; bill from rictes, 27.1; bill from nostril, 13.4; tarsus, 46.
Specimens examined.—Total number, 3 (2 males, 1 unsexed) from Palau Islands, USNM—Angaur (Sept. 21).
Remarks.—Owing to the lack of sufficient material, I am unable to determine the exact status of the resident gallinule in the Palau Islands. On the basis of a single, unsexed adult and two immatures there is not very much that can be said. The adult is smaller and paler than G. c. indica, G. c. lozonoi, and G. c. guami. It resembles specimens of the subspecies G. c. orientalis in size but is also paler than the skins of this race which I have examined. It seems closest to this latter subspecies to which I tentatively refer it. If it is closest to this subspecies, it probably reached Palau from the Celebean region, rather than from the Philippines or some other route. Whether specimens taken by the Japanese at Babelthuap and Koror are G. c. indica is questionable, unless the skins were from migrants which may visit Palau from the west or northwest. The Hand-list of Japanese Birds (Hachisuka et al., 1942:177) records G. c. indica from the Bonin Islands.
The three Gallinules were taken by the NAMRU2 party at fresh and brackish water swamps at Angaur on September 21, 1945. Several Gallinules were seen in the area and several were observed also at Peleliu Island. One of the immatures was just growing its wing feathers, indicating that the birds must breed in the Palau Islands.
Gallinula chloropus guami Hartert, Novit. Zool., 24, 1917, p. 268. Type locality, Guam).
Fulica chloropus Quoy and Gaimard, Voy. "Uranie," Zool., 1824, p. 703 (Guam); Kittlitz, Obser. Zool., in Lutké, Voy. "Le Séniavine," 3, 1836, p. 305 (Guahan).
Gallinula galeata var. sandwichensis Oustalet, Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, (3), 8, 1896, p. 34 (Saypan, Tinian, Guam).
Gallinula chloropus Hartert, Novit. Zool., 5, 1898, p. 62 (Guam); Seale, Occ. Papers Bernice P. Bishop Mus., 1, 1901, p. 31 (Guam); Safford, Osprey, 1902, p. 67 (Marianas); idem, Amer. Anthro., 4, 1902, p. 711 (Guam); idem, The Plant World, 7, 1904, p. 265 (Guam); idem, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb., 9, 1905, p. 79 (Guam); Prowazek, Die deutschen Marianen, 1913, p. 101 (Marianen); Cox, Island of Guam, 1917, p. 21 (Guam); Wetmore, in Townsend and Wetmore, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoöl., 63, 1919, p. 177 (Guam); Strophlet, Auk, 63, 1946, p. 536 (Guam).
Gallinula chloropus guami Hartert, Vögel pal. Fauna, 15, 1921, p. 1843 (Guam); Kuroda, Avifauna Riu Kiu, 1925, p. 199 (Guam); Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 43 (Guam, Tinian, Saipan); Mathews, Syst. Avium Australasianarum, 1, 1927, p. 99 (Mariana Islands); Takatsukasa and Yamashina, Dobutsu. Zasshi, 44, 1932, p. 226 (Pagan); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 197 (Guam, Tinian, Saipan, Pagan); Hachisuka, Birds Philippine Islands, 1, 1932, p. 241 (Guam); Peters, Checklist Birds World, 2, 1934, p. 204 (Marianne Islands); Bryan, Guam. Rec., vol. 13, no. 2, 1936, p. 15 (Guam); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 222 (Guam, Tinian, Saipan, Pagan); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 288 (Marianas); Downs, Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci., 49, 1946, p. 92 (Tinian); Stott, Auk, 1947, p. 525 (Saipan); Baker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p. 49 (Guam, Tinian, Saipan).
Geographic range.—Micronesia: Mariana Islands—Pagan, Saipan, Tinian, Guam.
Characters.—Adult: Head and neck sooty black; upper back dark, bluish slate-gray; lower back and wing-coverts brownish; tail blackish-brown; wings dark brown, outer edge of first primary white; breast and upper abdomen dark slate-gray, feathers on sides of breast with longitudinal white streak; under wing dark with white edges; lower abdomen grayish with white-tipped feathers; vent black; under tail-coverts white; bill and frontal shield red, tip of bill yellowish; legs and feet olive-green.
Adult female: Resembles adult male but usually with smaller frontal shield.
Immature: Resembles adult, but forehead mottled white and brown, with sides of head less distinctly speckled with brown; crown, neck and upper back dusky brown; back, scapulars and upper tail-coverts olivaceous-brown; chin and throat whitish; breast feathers pearly-gray tipped with white; abdomen white; sides gray, washed with buff. Older birds are darker above and more brownish-gray below; frontal shield small.
G. c. guami resembles G. c. indica, but upper wing-coverts darker and near "olivaceous black"; back, rump and scapulars darker and less olivaceous brown, although not so dark as in G. c. orientalis. From G. c. lozanoi, G. c. guami differs in: slightly darker upper wing-coverts; richer olivaceous-brown on back, scapulars and rump; thinner culmen with possibly less yellow coloring on tip. G. c. guami resembles G. c. sandvicensis Streets of the Hawaiian Islands, but has less olive wash on the feathers and a smaller frontal shield.
Measurements.—Measurements of Gallinula chloropus are presented in table 18. In general, females are smaller than males.
| Location | No. | Wing | Bill from rictus |
Bill from nostril |
Tarsus |
| G. c. indica | 15 | 164 | 27 | 14.4 | 48 |
| 158-173 | 24-29 | 13.1-18.1 | 44-50 | ||
| G. c. orientalis | 3 | 152 | 27 | 13.8 | 45 |
| 146-152 | 26-29 | 13.1-14.4 | 44-46 | ||
| G. c. lozanoi | 11 | 164 | 27 | 14.5 | 50 |
| 153-170 | 24-29 | 13.1-15.2 | 45-57 | ||
| G. c. guami | 11 | 164 | 27 | 14.7 | 49 |
| 156-171 | 24-28 | 13.1-16.2 | 47-56 | ||
| G. c. sandvicensis | 2 | 150-158 | 27 | 13.4 | 52-56 |
Weights.—From Guam an adult male weighed 291 grams and an adult female 256 (Baker, 1948:49).
Specimens examined.—Total number, 42 (16 males, 22 females, 4 unsexed), as follows: Mariana Islands, USNM—Guam, 5 (Feb. 24, May, June 5, 7, 18—Tinian, 3 (Oct. 12, 18)—Saipan, 3 (Sept. 28, 30); AMNH—Guam, 25 (Feb. 21, April 6, July 13, 28, 30, Aug. 1, 3, 6, 7, 13, 19, 23, 30, 31, Sept. 3, 17, Dec. 11—Tinian, 5 (June 11, Sept. 12, 13, 14).
Nesting.—Hartert (1898:63) reports nests of the Gallinule at Guam in grass and on swampy ground in December and March. A male with enlarged gonads was taken by the NAMRU2 party at Guam on June 7. Marshall (1949:219) is of the opinion that this bird breeds all year.
Food habits.—Seale (1901:31) found grass, insects, and larvae in stomachs obtained at Guam.
Remarks.—The subspecies G. c. indica, G. c. lozanoi, G. c. guami, and G. c. sandvicensis bear a close resemblance to one another in size and color. G. c. guami and G. c. lozanoi resemble each other so closely that it would be difficult to separate unlabeled specimens of the two subspecies. G. c. orientalis differs from all of the gallinules in smaller size and darker color. Study of these forms indicates that the Gallinule has colonized the Marianas from Asia probably by way of Japan and the Bonin and Volcano islands. The Hawaiian subspecies is probably of American origin, as pointed out by Mayr (1943:46), and is not a close relative of the Mariana subspecies. The fact that these insular subspecies have not undergone much differentiation does not necessarily mean that they are recent arrivals, but probably is a reflection of the lack of plasticity of the species; as a whole the species does not exhibit anywhere a great amount of geographic variation. A thorough study of all insular populations of this species (including specimens from the Azores, Seychelles, Réunion, Mauritus, and the Greater and Lesser Antilles) might reveal the effect of isolation on the species in general. Its ability to become established on isolated islands is apparent, although it is indeed peculiar that the species has not reached the Caroline Islands.
The Gallinule in the Marianas is restricted to fresh water lakes, marshes and swamps on the islands of Guam, Tinian, Saipan and Pagan. Coultas (field notes), on visiting the island of Tinian in 1931, comments that the bird is rare and found at only one lake on the island. Downs (1946:92) noted the species in 1945, and Joe T. Marshall Jr. obtained three specimens at Lake Hagoya in October of the same year. Gleise (1945:220) estimated the population of Gallinules on Tinian in 1945 at 70 individuals. Stott (1947:525) reports that the birds were abundant at Lake Susupe, Saipan, in 1945. Seale (1901:31) found the Gallinule to be abundant at Guam in marshes and taro patches. In 1945, the NAMRU2 party found fairly large populations of the Gallinule in fresh water marshes and fallow rice paddies at Guam. The greatest concentration of birds appeared to be in the Agaña Swamp and along the Ylig River. They seldom ventured out into open water but preferred weedy edges into which they could suddenly dart when disturbed. It was interesting to note such wary behavior, for an observer would think that after the bird had been in an environment virtually devoid of birds of prey (except for an occasional migrant) for a number of generations, it would have lost such behaviorisms as a result of the absence of the selective processes involved in predation.
Porphyrio melanotus Temm. var. pelewensis Hartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1872, p. 107. (Type locality, Pelew Islands.)
Porphyrio melanotus Hartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1868, pp. 8, 117, 118 (Pelew); Gray, Hand-list Birds, 3, 1871, p. 64 (Pelew).
Porphyrio melanotus pelewensis Wiglesworth, Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 61 (Pelew); Bolau, Mitteil. Naturhist. Mus. Hamburg, 1898, p. 70 (Palau); Dubois, Syn. Avium, 2, 1904, p. 976 (Pelew); Mathews, Birds Australia, 1, 1911, p. 241 (Pelew); Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 43 (Pelew); Mathews, Syst. Avium Australasianarum, 1, 1927, p. 100 (Pelew); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 197 (Palau); Hachisuka, Birds Philippines, 1, 1932, p. 245 (Pelew).
Porphyrio pelewensis Finsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 8, 1875, pp. 5, 39 (Palau); Salvadori, Atti Accad. Sci. Torino, 14, 1879, p. 1169 (Pelew); Schmeltz and Krause, Ethnogr. Abth. Mus. Godeffroy, 1881, p. 407 (Palau); Finsch, Deut. Ver. zum Schutze der Vogelwelt, 18, 1893, p. 459 (Palau); Sharpe, Cat. Birds British Mus., 23, 1894, p. 206 (Pelew); Nehrkorn, Nat. Eiers., 1899, p. 205 (Palau-Inseln); Matschie, Journ. f. Ornith., 1901, p. 113 (Palau); Reichenow, Die Vögel, 1, 1913, p. 216 (Palauinseln); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 51 (Pelew).
Porphyrio cyanocephalus Elliot, Stray Feathers, 7, 1878, pp. 10, 13 (Palau).
Porphyrio poliocephalus pelewensis Peters, Check-list Birds World, 2, 1934, p. 208 (Pelew); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 222 (Koror).
Porphyrio porphyrio pelewensis Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 288 (Palau); Baker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p. 49 (Angaur).
Geographic range.—Micronesia: Palau Islands—Koror, Angaur.
Characters.—Adult: A large, purplish-blue, marsh bird with crown and sides of head dusky-black; wing-coverts purplish-blue; rest of upper parts dark, washed with olivaceous-brown; outer webs of primaries and secondaries tinged with purplish-blue; chin, axillaries and under wing-coverts dusky; under tail-coverts whitish; rest of underparts purplish-blue, blacker on abdomen.
Porphyrio p. pelewensis resembles P. p. palliatus Bruggemann of Celebes and P. p. melanopterus Bonaparte of the Moluccas and New Guinea but upper parts paler and slightly less glossy; lesser and primary wing-coverts more purplish-blue and less greenish-blue; outer webs of primaries and secondaries lighter purplish-blue; underparts less blue with patch on throat and breast paler blue with less green (patch present on only one specimen from the Palaus).
Measurements.—Measurements of one male: wing, 227; tail, 81; culmen and shield, 62.5; tarsus, 77; of three females: wing, 212, 218, 227; tail, 77, 81, 86; culmen and shield, 57, 61, 64; tarsus, 75, 75, 77.
Specimens examined.—Total number, 6 (1 male, 3 females, 2 unsexed), as follows: Palau Islands, USNM—Angaur, 1 chick (Sept. 21) AMNH—exact locality not given, 5 (Nov. 13, 19, Dec. 17-19, undated).
Nesting.—A black, downy chick was captured on September 21, 1945, at the edge of a fresh-water lake on Angaur by Davidson of the NAMRU2 party (Baker, 1948:49). Two females taken by Coultas in December had enlarged gonads.
Remarks.—The Purple Swamphen in the Palaus stands out as one of the more distinctive subspecies of P. porphyrio. It also marks the most northeastern extension of the range of this species. The subspecies in the Palaus shows affinities to that found to the south and southwest and probably reached Micronesia via the Papuan area, Celebes or the Moluccas rather than from the Philippines. It is interesting that this bird, as well as several other species, has been able to establish itself at the Palau Islands, but has not extended its range farther into other islands of Micronesia. Perhaps, the bird is now in an early stage in its island occupation.
The Purple Swamphen is probably not abundant in the Palaus. It is a large and conspicuous bird, and its restriction to swamps and areas around lakes may allow native hunters to obtain it rather easily, particularly by snares or by organized drives. Coultas (field notes) obtained specimens in taro swamps; he saw only 4 individuals and remarks that the birds utter harsh cries at night. The NAMRU2 party flushed an adult from lake side vegetation at Angaur on September 21, 1945. This bird was not taken, but a downy young was obtained in the area the same day.
Fulica atra Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1, 1758, p. 152. (Type locality, Europe, restricted to Sweden.)
Fulica atra Hartert, Novit. Zool., 5, 1898, pp. 64, 69 (Guam); Seale, Occ. Papers Bernice P. Bishop Mus., 1, 1901, p. 32 (Guam); Safford, Osprey, 1902, p. 70 (Marianas); idem, The Plant World, 7, 1904, p. 268 (Guam); Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 43 (Guam); Bryan, Guam Rec., vol. 13, no. 2, 1936, p. 15 (Guam).
Fulica atra atra Hartert, Vögel pal. Fauna, 15, 1921, p. 1852 (Guam); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 197 (Tinian, Guam); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 222, (Tinian, Guam); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 302 (Micronesia).
Geographic range.—Breeds in Europe, northern Africa, and Asia. Winters south to Africa, Malaysia, southern Asia. In Micronesia: Mariana Islands—Tinian, Guam.
Remarks.—The Common Coot is a straggler to Micronesia in winter. It has been recorded from Guam and Tinian. An unsexed specimen in the collections of the American Museum of Natural History was taken at Guam in the fall of 1896 by one of Owston's collectors.
Tringa Squatarola Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1, 1758, p. 149. (Type locality, Europe, restricted to Sweden.)
Charadrius squatarola Hartert, Novit. Zool., 5, 1898, p. 66 (Saipan); Seale, Occ. Papers Bernice P. Bishop Mus., 1, 1901, p. 35 (Micronesia); Safford, Osprey, 1902, p. 67 (Marianas).
Squatarola squatarola Hartert, Novit. Zool., 7, 1900, p. 9 (Ruk); Safford, The Plant World, 7, 1904, p. 266 (Guam); idem, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb., 9, 1905, p. 80 (Guam); Cox, Island of Guam, 1917, p. 22 (Guam); Ridgway, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., 50, pt. 8, 1919, p. 72 (Ruk); Bryan, Guam Rec., vol. 13, no. 2, 1936, p. 15 (Guam); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 216 (Saipan, Truk); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 36 (Truk); Baker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p. 50 (Guam).
Squatarola helvetica Takatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 61 (Marianas, Ruk).
Squatarola squatarola hypomelaena Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 43 (Ruk, Saipan); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 193 (Saipan, Truk).
Geographic range.—Breeds in arctic regions of Holarctica. Winters in Southern Hemisphere. In Micronesia: Mariana Islands—Guam, Saipan; Caroline Islands—Truk; Marshall Islands—Eniwetok.
Specimens examined.—One female from Mariana Islands. USNM—Guam (Aug. 27).
Remarks.—The Black-bellied Plover is an uncommon visitor to Micronesia. One bird was obtained by Markley of the NAMRU2 party at Guam on August 27, 1945; Flavin recorded five of these birds from November, 1944, to January, 1946. Bryan and Greenway (1944:109) record this species as an occasional visitor to the Hawaiian Islands. Gleise and Genelly (1945:221) observed the Black-bellied Plover at Eniwetok in 1945.
Charadrius fulvus Gmelin, Syst. Nat., 1, pt. 2, 1789, p. 687. (Type locality, Tahiti.)
Charadrius pluvialis Kittlitz, Obser. Zool., in Lutké., Voy. "Le Séniavine," 3, 1836, pp. 287, 299, 304 (Ualan, Longounor, Guahan); idem, Denkw. Reise russ. Amer. Micron. und Kamchat., 2, 1858, pp. 32, 55 (Ualan).
Charadrius virginianus Hartlaub, Journ. f. Ornith., 1854, p. 167 (Mariannen, Carolinen).
Charadrius longipes? Gray, Cat. Birds Trop. Is. Pacific Ocean, 1859, p. 47 (Ladrone or Marian Islands, Oualan).
Pluvialis fulvus Schlegel, Mus. Pays-Bas, 6, no. 29, 1865, p. 52 (Micronesie).
Charadrius fulvus Finsch and Hartlaub, Fauna Central-polynesiens, 1867, p. 196 (Marianen, Ualan); Hartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1868, pp. 8, 117, 118 (Pelews); Finsch and Hartlaub, Journ. f. Ornith., 1870, p. 139 (Pelew); Finsch, Journ. f. Ornith., 1872, p. 52 (Pelew, Carolinen); Hartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1872, pp. 89, 104 (Pelew, Mackenzie, Uap); Gräffe, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 2, 1873, p. 123 (Yap); Finsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 8, 1875, pp. 5, 31 (Palau); idem, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 12, 1876, pp. 18, 38 (Ponapé); idem., Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1877 (1878), p. 781 (Ponapé); idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1880, p. 576 (Ruk); idem, Journ. f. Ornith., 1880, pp. 293, 305 (Ponapé, Kuschai); idem, Ibis, 1880, pp. 220, 331, 332 (Taluit); Schmeltz and Krause, Ethnogr. Abth. Mus. Godeffroy, 1881, pp. 281, 353 (Ponapé, Ruk); Finsch, Ibis, 1881, pp. 105, 106, 109, 113, 115 (Kushai, Ponapé); Salvadori, Ornith. Papuasia, 3, 1882, p. 395 (Carolines, Pelews, Marianas); Finsch, Mitth. Ornith. Ver. Wien, 1884, p. 55 (Jaluit, Milli, Kuschai); Wiglesworth, Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 63 (Marshall Islands, Ualan, Luganor, Ponapé, Ruk, Uap, Pelew, Marianne); Oustalet, Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, (3), 8, 1896, p. 46 (Guam, Hogoleu, Marshalls, Palaos); Hartert, Novit. Zool. 5, 1898, p. 66 (Guam); idem, Novit. Zool., 7, 1900, p. 9 (Ruk); Seale, Occ. Papers Bernice P. Bishop Mus., 1, 1901, p. 36 (Micronesia); Schnee, Ornith. Monatsber., 1901, p. 132 (Marshalls); Safford, Osprey, 1902, p. 68 (Marianas); idem, The Plant World, 7, 1904, p. 266 (Guam); Schnee, Zool. Jahrbücher, 20, 1904, p. 389 (Marschall-Inseln); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 51 (Ponapé).
Charadrius dominicus fulvus Safford, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb., 9, 1905, p. 80 (Guam); Cox, Island of Guam, 1917, p. 22 (Guam).
Charadrius dominicus Sharpe, Cat. Birds British Mus., 24, 1896, p. 195 (Micronesia).
Pluvialis dominicus fulvus Ridgway, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., 50, pt. 8, 1919, p. 89 (Kuschai, Pelew, Ruk, Marianas, Mackenzie, Ponapé); Wetmore, in Townsend and Wetmore, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoöl., 63, 1919, p. 177 (Uala, Arhno, Rongelab); Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 44 (Guam, Angaur, Ualan, Luganor, Ponapé, Ruk, Yap, Arhno); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 216 (Saipan, Tinian, Guam, Babelthuap, Koror, Peliliu, Angaur, Yap, Ulithi, Truk, Lukunor, Ponapé, Kusaie, Mille, Arhno, Majuro, Likieb).
Pluvialis apricarius fulvus Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 193 (Saipan, Tinian, Babelthuap, Koror, Pelilieu, Angaur, Yap, Uluthi, Truk, Lukunor, Ponapé, Kusaie, Mille, Arhno, Majuro, Likieb).
Pluvialis dominica fulva Peters, Check-list Birds World, 2, 1934, p. 244 (Oceania); Bryan, Guam, Rec., vol. 13, no. 2, 1936, p. 24 (Guam); Stickney, Amer. Mus. Novit., no. 1248, 1943, p. 3 (Saipan, Guam, Palau, Ponapé, Kusaie, Ruk, Tarawa); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 39 (Oceania); Downs, Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci., 49, 1946, p. 93 (Tinian); Strophlet, Auk, 1946, p. 536 (Guam); Borror, Auk, 1947, p. 417 (Agrihan); Stott, Auk, 1947, p. 525 (Saipan); Baker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p. 50 (Guam, Rota, Peleliu, Garakayo, Ulithi, Truk).
Pluvialis dominica Wharton and Hardcastle, Journ. Parasitology, 32, 1946, pp. 306, 310, 313, 316, 318 (Ulithi, Guam); Wharton, Ecol. Monogr., 16, 1946, pp. 174, 175 (Guam).
Geographic range.—Breeds from Siberia to western Alaska. Winters from India east to Oceania; stragglers occur west to Africa and east to Pacific coast of North America. In Micronesia: Mariana Islands—Guam, Rota, Tinian, Saipan, Agrihan, Asuncion; Palau Islands—Angaur, Peleliu, Ngabad, Garakayo, Koror, Babelthaup; Caroline Islands—Yap, Ulithi, Truk, Lukunor, Ponapé, Kusaie; Marshall Islands—Mille, Arhno, Rongelab, Majuro, Likieb, Bikini.
Specimens examined.—Total number, 69 (39 males, 26 females, 4 unsexed), as follows: Mariana Islands, USNM—Guam, 17 (July 8, 19, 24, Aug. 31, Sept. 4, 17, 19, 26, Oct. 5, 8, 23, 24)—Rota, 5 (Oct. 20, 25); AMNH—Guam, 6 (Mar. 7, 8, 27, Aug. 15)—Saipan, 1 (Sept. 8)—Asuncion, 2 (Feb. 16); Palau Islands, USNM—Peleliu, 9 (Sept. 6-20)—Garakayo, 1 (Sept. 20); AMNH—exact locality not given, 7 (Oct. 13, Nov. 13, 15); Caroline Islands, USNM—Ulithi, 4 (Aug. 16, 21); AMNH—Kusaie, 9 (Mar. 10-30)—Ponapé, 2 (Dec. 15)—Truk, 3 (Feb. 6); Marshall Islands, USNM—Bikini, 3 (Mar. 4, 7, May 3).
Parasites.—Wharton (1946:174, 175) records the following chiggers (Acarina) from Pluvialis taken by the NAMRU2 party at Guam: Acariscus pluvius, A. anous, Neoschöngastia carveri, and N. namrui; and at Ulithi: N. pauensis and N. ewingi.
Weights.—Birds taken at Guam and Rota weighed as follows: seven males, 107-125 (117); four females, 109-120 (114).
Remarks.—The Pacific Golden Plover is one of the most abundant migratory shore birds to visit Micronesia. So characteristic of Micronesia is this species that almost all ornithologists who have made observations in the area have recorded it. Finsch observed the plover in the Carolines and Marshalls. Coultas made notes on, and collected specimens of, it in the Marianas, Carolines, and Palaus. The Hand-list of Japanese Birds (Hachisuka et al., 1942:216) lists Pluvialis from 17 islands in Micronesia.
Stickney (1943:3, 4) discusses the migrations of the Pacific Golden Plover through Oceania, using as a basis for her remarks the data from the extensive collections made by the Whitney South Sea Expedition. She states that the northward migration begins in March from the southern islands (New Zealand and southern Australia). At Guam in 1945, the writer observed flocks of plover beginning on February 11. Birds were seen in small groups in March and April. In the latter month most of the birds seen were in nuptial plumage. For the year 1945, the latest spring record at Guam was April 28. In the same year, Gleise (1945:220) observed his last spring record at Tinian "between April 26 and 27." In 1946, Morrison obtained plover in nuptial plumage at Bikini on May 3.
In an effort to obtain dates when shore birds appeared at Guam, field parties of NAMRU2 made observations at several beaches in late spring, summer, and early fall, as is shown in table 8. Pacific Golden Plovers in post-nuptial molt were first observed and collected on July 8. Following this date, small flocks and later large flocks were more numerous; by September 29, plover were abundant. Similar findings were obtained at Ulithi (see table 9) and in the Palau Islands (see table 10) in August and September. The birds collected by the NAMRU2 party at Guam, Ulithi, Peleliu, and Garakayo in July, August, September, and early October were in postnuptial molt. Birds taken at Rota on October 20 and 26 were in winter plumage. Downs (1946:93) observed plover in small flocks at Tinian in 1945, beginning after September 5. Borror (1947:417) saw two birds at Agrihan on August 10, 1945.
The flocks of plover seen by the NAMRU2 party varied in size from three to 30 birds, the average being less than ten. Coultas (field notes) noted "large flocks" at the Palaus from October to December, 1931. Although plover was often found on the same beach as other birds, the NAMRU2 observers rarely saw plover together with other shore birds. However, on air strips Pluvialis occasionally occurred with small numbers of Arenaria, Heteroscelus spp., and Numenius phaeopus. Pluvialis and N. phaeopus were the only shore birds found to use open grassy flats and other inland areas at Guam and Peleliu in 1945.
Stickney (1943) records Pluvialis in late spring and summer from Polynesia, indicating these to be birds remaining in the winter range during the breeding season. The NAMRU2 party observed no Pacific Golden Plovers at Guam which might be regarded as non-migrants, but other species of shore birds were found which might be considered as such. The lingering of individuals in the winter range is not unusual among migratory birds, and as Stickney points out, most of the non-migrants retain their winter dress or assume an incomplete breeding plumage.
Charadrius semipalmatus Bonaparte, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 5, 1825, p. 98. New name for Tringa hiaticula Ord. not Charadrius hiaticula Linnaeus, in Wilson's Amer. Ornith., Ord. repr., 7, 1824, p. 65. (Type locality, Coast of New Jersey.)
Charadrius hiaticula Finsch, Ibis, 1880, p. 331 (Taluit); Wiglesworth, Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 64 (Taluit or Bonham); Schnee, Zool. Jahrbücher, 20, 1904, p. 389 (Marschall-Inseln); Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 45 (Taluit).
Geographic range.—Breeds from Arctic America south to coastal Canada. Winters from southern United States to South America. In Micronesia: Marshall Islands—Jaluit.
Remarks.—Finsch (1880d:331) reported this bird (sight record) at Jaluit in the Marshall Islands. Other than this observation, there is no history of the species in Micronesia.
Charadrius curonicus Gmelin, Syst. Nat., 1, pt. 2, 1789, p. 692. (Type locality, Kurland.)
Charadrius dubius curonicus Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 194 (Yap); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 217 (Yap); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 37 (Micronesia).
Geographic range.—Breeds in northern Europe and Asia. Winters from Africa east to Malaysia and Melanesia. In Micronesia: Caroline Islands—Yap.
Remarks.—The Ring-necked Plover has been recorded at Yap by the Japanese collectors. Mayr (1945a:37) remarks that the bird is an occasional migrant through Micronesia. Gleise and Genelly (1945:221) observed four "Papuan" Ring-necked Plovers at Eniwetok in 1945. Apparently no specimen was obtained.
Charadrius alexandrinus nihonensis Deignan, Journ. Washington Acad. Sci., vol. 31, 1941, p. 106. (Type locality, Aomori, Hondo.)
Charadrius cantianus Hartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1868, pp. 117, 118 (Pelew); idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 89 (Pelew); Finsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 8, 1875, p. 31 (Palau).
Aegialitis cantianus Wiglesworth, Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 64 (Pelew); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 62 (Pelew).
Aegialitis alexandrinus dealbatus Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 45 (Pelew).
Charadrius alexandrinus dealbatus Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 194 (Palau); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 217 (Palau); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 37 (Palau).
Geographic range.—Breeds in Japan and possibly on adjacent parts of the Asiatic mainland. Winters south to Malaya. In Micronesia: Palau Islands—exact locality unknown.
Remarks.—The Kentish Plover is known from a single record obtained by Semper in the Palau Islands. It is tentatively assigned to C. a. nihonensis, which breeds directly north of the Palau Islands on Japan. C. a. dealbatus (Swinhoe) breeds more to the west on the Asiatic mainland and adjacent islands south of Japan. Additional specimens are needed before the subspecific status of migrants to Micronesia can be accurately determined.
Charadrius mongolus stegmanni Stresemann, Ornith. Monatsb., 48, 1940, p. 55. New name for Charadrius mongolus littoralis Stegmann, 1937, preoccupied. (Type locality, Behring Island.)
Charadrius sanguineus Lesson, Man. d'Ornith., 2, 1828, p. 330 (No type locality = Mariana Islands, ex Oustalet, Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, (3), 8, 1896, p. 48); idem, Traité d'Ornith., 1831, p. 544 (no locality = Mariana Islands); Hartlaub, Journ. f. Ornith., 1854, p. 167 (Mariannen).