Chapter I Intro & Objectives - SPREP

PHOENIX ISLANDS PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT PLAN
Chapter III. Background, 3. Terrestrial Resources
Draft 1 March 2007
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 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).
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).
Anon. (1965) reported that lesser frigatebirds banned in McKean were found in the
Philippines, Lord Howe Island, Nauru, New Guinea, Fiji, Cook Islands, French Polynesia,
Solomon Islands, New Ireland, and at sea south of Japan.
In 1963 and 1964, 13,027 nestlings and 146 adult lesser frigatebirds were banded on
Howland, McKean, Rawaki (Phoenix), and Enderbury (Sibley and Clapp 1967). A summary
of band recover is presented in Figure III-3.3 above.
Clapp and Sibley (1967) reported new records of bird species for Abariringa (Canton),
Birnie, Enderbury, Manra (Sydney), McKean, Nikumaroro (Gardner), and Rawaki (Phoenix)
(see Table III-3.18 below).
Clapp (1968) reported a dead sooty shearwater, Puffinus griseus, from McKean. In addition,
a reef heron, Demigretta sacra, was observed on McKean. Clapp (1968) also reported the
pectoral sandpiper, E. melanotos, the bar-tailed godwit, Limosa lapponica baueri, and the
sanderling, Crocethia alba, from McKean.
Amerson (1968) lists the bird hosts for the tick, Ornithoros capensis and the O. capensis
group in McKean (see Table III-3.11 above).
King (1973) reported that there were no introduced predators of birds to McKean. There was
a colony of 1,000 white-throated storm petrels, Nesofregatta albigularis, and 85,000 lesser
frigatebirds. Other species also had large colonies.
Garnett (1983) reported seabirds that nested on McKean including:
1) Puffinus pacificus,
2) Puffinus nativitatis,
3) Puffinus lherminieri,
4) Bulweria bulwerii,
5) Nesofregetta albrigularis,
6) Phaethon rubricauda,
7) Sula dactylatra,
8) Sula leucogaster,
9) Sula sula,
10) Fregata minor,
11) Fregata ariel,
12) Sterna fuscata,
13) Sterna lunata,
14) Anous stolidus,
15) Anous minutus,
16) Procelsterna carulea, and
17) Gygis alba.
Garnett (1983) reported the following non-breeding visitors and migrants to McKean
included:
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