The Natural History of French Frigate Shoals, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
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ATOLL RESEARCH BULLETIN NO. 150 THE NATURAL HISTORY OF FRENCH FRIGATE SHOALS, NORTHWESTERN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS by A. Binion Amerson, Jr. Issued by THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION with the assistance of The Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife US. Department of the Interior Washington D.C., U.S.A. December 20, 1971 ACKNOWLEDGMENT The Atoll Research Bulletin is issued by the Smithsonian Institution as a part of its Tropical Biology Program. rt is co- sponsored by the Museum of Natural History, the Office of Environ- mental Sciences, and the Smithsonian Press. The Press supports and handles production and distribution. The editing is done by the Tropical Biology staff, Botany Department, Museum of Natural History. The Bulletin was founded and the first 117 numbers issued by the Pacific Science Board, National Academy of Sciences, with financial support from the Office of Naval Research. Its pages were largely devoted to reports resulting from the Pacific Science Board's Coral Atoll Program. The sole responsibility for all statements made by authors of papers in the Atoll Research Bulletin rests with them, and statements made in the Bulletin do not necessarily represent the views of the Smithsonian nor those of the editors of the Bulletin. Editors F. R. Fosberg M.-H. Sachet Smithsonian Institution Washington, D. C. 20560 D. R. Stoddart Department of Geography University of Cambridge Downing Place Cambridge, England TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ...........................................iv LIST OF 'PABLES ............................................ix INTRODUCTION ...............................................1 DESCRIPrION ................................................ 3 GEOLOGY ...................................................28 CLIMATE ....................................................32 HISTORY ...................................................38 A French Discovery ...................................38 United States Possession .............................39 Guano and Shipwrecks .................................39 Hawaiian Control .....................................hl United States Territory ..............................41 World War I1 ......................................... 45 Tern Island Naval Air Facility .......................48 Fishing Interests .................................... 52 East Island LOXAN Station ............................ 53 Tern Island LORAN Station ............................56 Refuge Status ........................................ 59 SCIENTIFIC VISITS .........................................59 VEGETATION ................................................62 Vascular Plants ......................................65 Tern Island ......................................67 East Island ......................................71 Trig Island ......................................'72 Whale-Skate Island ...............................'75 Round Island .....................................75 Little Gin Island ................................77 Gin Island .......................................77 Shark Island .....................................77 Other Islands ....................................79 REPTIUS ..................................................79 Chelonia mydas ....................................... 79 Lepidodactylus lugubris ..............................92 BIIiDS .....................................................93 Introduction ......................................... 93 Resident Seabirds ................................95 Migrant Shorebirds ...............................96 Vagrant, Accidental, and Introduced Birds ........ 90 Offshore and Pelagic Birds .......................97 Annual Cycles ........................................99 Breeding Cycles ..................................99 Population Cycles ...............................101 Ecological Distribution Within the Atoll ............104 Resident Seabirds ...............................104 Migrant Shorebirds ..............................107 Vagrant, Accidental, and Introduced Birds ....... lo7 Island Accounts ..................................... 107 Bare Island..................................... 108 Disappearing Island ............................. 108 East Island..................................... 108 Gin Island ......................................114 La Perouse Pinnacle ............................ -114 Little Gin Island ...............................119 Mullet Island ...................................119 Near Island ....................; ................ 121 Round Island .................................... 121 Shark Island ....................................123 Tern Island .....................................126 Trig Island .....................................131 Whale-Skate Island ..............................135 Banding and Movements ............................... 139 Banding .........................................139 Movements .......................................141 Species Accounts ....................................144 Diomedea nigripes ...............................144 Diomedea immutabilis ............................153 Fulmarus glacialis rodgersii ....................161 Pterodroma hypoleuca ............................162 Pterodroma ultima ............................... 165 Pterodroma arminjoniana heraldica ...............165 Bulweria bulwerii ...............................165 Puffinus griseus ................................169 Puffinus pacificus ..............................170 Puffinus nativitatus ............................1'79 Oceanodroma tristrami ..........................-182 Phaethon aethereus mesonauta .................... 184 Phaethon rubricauda .............................185 Phaethon lepturus ...............................193 -Sula dactylatra ................................-193 --Sula sula ....................................... 205 -Sula leucogaster ................................214 Fregata minor ...................................218 BUbUlcUs ...................................227 Anas- platyrhynchos ..............................228 Anas- strepera ...................................228 Anas-- acuta ......................................228 Gallus gall~~................................... 229 Phasianus colchicus .............................229 Fulica americana ................................229 Pluvialis dominica ..............................230 Charadrim semipalmatus .........................237 Numenius tahitiensis ............................237 Heteroscelus incanum ............................ 241 Arenaria interpres ..............................247 Crocethia -alba ................................. -254 -Larus delawarensis ..............................258 Larus occidentalis ..............................258 -Larus glaucescens ...............................258 -Larus pipixcan ..................................259 Sterna fuscata ..................................259 Sterna lunata ...................................268 iii Proeelsterna cerulea ............................274 Anous. stolidus ..................................275 A* A* tenuirostris ..............................286 Gygis alba .....................................-293 Psittirostra cantans ultima .....................299 A- A- flameus ...................................301 polyglottos ...............................302 MAMMALS ..................................................302 Stenella roseiventris ...............................303 Tursiops tr~~catus.................................. 303 Cetacea species .....................................304 Monachus schauinslandi.............................. 304 Canie familiaris ....................................317 --Felis catus ........................................ -318 -Sus =~fa ..........................................318 SUMMARY.................................................. 319 ACKNOmGmTs.......................................... 320 LITERATURE CITED .........................................322 APPENDIX UBUS.......................................... 337 FIGURES The Hawaiian Islands. Map of French Frigate Shoals. Redrawn from U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Chart No. 4172. First map of French Frigate Shoals. Published in 1796 in Paris (~renchHydrographic Office Map No. 556). Map of French Frigate Shoals. Drawn 1859, printed 1867. Map of French Frigate Shoals by N.C. Brooks showing track of Gambia and wreck of South Seaman, late April or early May 1859. Original 1914 survey map of French Frigate Shoals surveyed by the officers of the U.S.S. Rainbow. Northeast face of La Perouse Pinnacle 7 August 1965; Little La Perouse at right. POBSP photograph by A.B. Amerson, Jr. Tern Island, 10 January 1966. Redrawn from official U.S. Navy photograph. Tern Island Naval Air Facility, 15 December 1943. Redrawn from official U.S. Navy blueprint map. Map of Tern Island, 22-27 June 1923. Redrawn from Tanager Expedition map. Tern Island, 24 June 1932. Redrawn from official U.S. Navy photograph. East Island, 10 January 1966. Redrawn from official U.S. Navy photograph. Map of East and Mullet Islands, 22-27 June 1923. Redrawn from Tanager Expedition map. East Island, 11 November 1935. Redrawn from official U.S. Navy photograph. Map of East Island, 1 November 1948. Redrawn from official U.S. Coast Guard Operational Data Report. Whale-Skate Island, 10 January 1966. Redrawn from official U.S. Navy photograph. 17. Map of Whale, Trig and Skate Islands, 22-27 June 1923. Redrawn from Tanager Expedition map. Whale and Skate Islands, 24 June 1932. Redrawn from official U.S.