Book ReviewsAn Inventory of Breeding Seabirds of the CaribbeanPetrels Night and Day. A Sound Approach GuideAlbatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of the World Author(s): David S. LeeIan C. T. NisbetRichard R. Veit Source: WaterbirdsWaterbirdsWaterbirdsWaterbirds, 32 32 32 32(4 4 4 4):604 604 606 608-609 606 608 609. 2009 2009 2009 2009. Published By: The Waterbird Society DOI: 10.1675/063.032.0416 URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1675/063.032.0416

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An Inventory of Breeding Seabirds of the Two of these chapters deserve special rec- Caribbean.—By Patricia E. Bradley and Rob- ognition. Mackin’s Geographic Information ert L. Norton (Eds.). 2009. University Press System (Chapter 27) is the foundation of this of Florida, Gainesville, Florida. 353 pp., 44 publication. This program is an important plates, 51 maps, 2 appendices. Hardcover: tool for monitoring long-term changes in $75.00 US. (ISBN 978-0-8130-3329-7). seabird populations. It currently tracks over This volume is essential to anyone inter- 800 nesting sites for 23 species. From this da- ested in marine birds of the tropical Western tabase one can map distributions and abun- Atlantic and is a key reference for all those dance of species, look at seabird populations involved in studies and conservation of trop- of specific countries or individual nesting ical seabirds. In addition to being an impor- sites, track changes, piece together informa- tant reference, it will serve as a benchmark tion such as ‘on a region wide basis 13.4% of for marine bird conservation within the re- the documented nesting colonies are known gion. Individual chapters summarize the dif- to be extirpated or severely depleted,’ or ferent nesting areas within each country and show that regionally there are only 580-750 review the nesting distribution and popula- pairs of Masked Boobies. The chapter also tion sizes of seabirds on the various islands. identifies the 25 most important nesting col- Current threats to each country’s seabirds onies and the 25 most endangered sites. This are explained and conservation laws and self-funded program will be important for needs are summarized. The text covers 23 the long-term conservation management of species of seabirds nesting in the Caribbean. Caribbean seabirds. Wiley and Hayes (Chap- Seven represent species or subspecies en- ter 31) prepared an extensive bibliography demic to the region, and 18 (78%) are con- of regional seabird publications with over sidered to be of some level of regional to glo- 1,500 references. Considering the factors of bal conservation concern. time (the earliest references date back to the Like the earlier Status and Conservation of early 1700s), the various political units and West Indian Seabirds (Schreiber and Lee 2000) languages of the region, and the diversity of this publication is an outgrowth of a Society of journals, newsletters and reports in which Caribbean Ornithology’s seabird workshop in these references appeared, this compilation 1997. This volume addresses the topic on a was a major task. country-by-country basis and covers a slightly Comparing estimates provided in Halew- wider area, while the former covered the is- yn and Norton (1984), Schreiber and Lee sues from a species perspective. The core of (2000) and the current volume, there are the book is 25 chapters on the marine bird several trends. Obviously over time the esti- faunas of individual island nations. However, mates have been fine-tuned with expanded chapters in the book not addressing specific numbers of surveys resulting in increased ac- island faunas should be mentioned. Some curacy. The current population estimates are bring information compiled by Schreiber and better documented than the earlier ones, Lee (2000) up to date while others help to and are based on more recent and complete place island-specific information and region- data sets. Some of the ‘increases’ or ‘decreas- al seabird conservation issues into perspec- es’ in total population sizes can be attributed tive. In addition to an introductory chapter by to this. Yet, for a good number of species the the editors, there are chapters on a geograph- estimates show sharp declines, often by 50% ic information system of West Indian seabird or more, in just a quarter of a century. Over- breeding sites, and on threats, status and con- all, the estimates are quite scary; those of us servation of Caribbean seabirds. The final addressing the issue earlier had assumed, or chapter is a bibliography. at least hoped, that as our knowledge be-

604 BOOK REVIEWS 605 came more complete we would find that the adult bird which was unlikely to have been a sizes of a number of important colonies had breeding individual; in Plate 30, a photo of a been grossly underestimated, or that key tern colony in Cuba, the birds identified as nesting sites had been overlooked. This does Common Terns are, in fact, Roseate Terns. not appear to be the case. The nesting of Common Terns in the Anti- As would be expected there is consider- lles needs verification. able variation in the depth of coverage be- Prior to the last several decades, interest tween the various island chapters. This re- in West Indian bird conservation had been sults from differential amounts of local infor- mostly directed toward endemic land birds mation, complexity of the faunal assemblag- and seabirds had been all but ignored. Ber- es, funding levels, local perceptions of the muda’s long standing laws, enforcement, relative importance of conservation issues, and management of nesting seabirds and and the knowledge of the individual chap- the success of their programs should be an ter’s authors. Some examples: The chapter inspiration for all island nations in address- on the Bahamas is extremely well done de- ing conservation issues. Gochfield et al. spite the fragmented nature of the country, (1994) reported on other successful and its diverse seabird fauna, and the fact that partly successful conservation efforts on Cul- many of the more remote islands have been ebra, Desecheo, Jamaica and Aruba. Coun- infrequently visited. The chapter on Bermu- tries in the West Indies and Greater Caribbe- da is almost totally lacking in literature cita- an should, by now, be aware of the problems tions, making it difficult to understand the and the solutions, and the fact that the pro- basis for many of the author’s statements. tection and management of seabird popula- The decades of dedicated conservation work tions is in their hands. The publications of by David Wingate, for example, are hardly Halewyn and Norton (1984), Schreiber and acknowledged and not cited. The Cuban Lee (2000), and the volume under review chapter omitted the only papers published are giving a consistent message. since the late 1800s on the status of the Although some island nations have vari- White-tailed Tropicbird on that island, de- ous laws protecting seabirds, in most cases spite one of these being co-authored by a Cu- the sites themselves are not protected and ban biologist and both being published in enforcement is all but nonexistent. As coast- journals based in the West Indies. al development and tourism continue to ex- The occurrence of nesting Common pand, more remote and out-of-the-way is- Terns throughout the West Indies remains lands, the very sites on which nesting sea- problematic. In the past, various authors birds are now dependent, will be targeted for have indicated they occur at scattered sites development. It will be informative to watch throughout the region. While these terns un- as powerful Ministries of Tourism and Eco- questionably breed in Bermuda and on is- nomic Development compete with under- lands off the northern South American staffed conservation departments over the coast, their presence as a breeding species in future of coastal areas and uninhabited is- the Greater and Lesser Antilles needs verifi- lands and cays. And stay tuned as island na- cation. Earlier published reports of Com- tions turn to wind fields for local energy mon Terns being widespread would appear needs: the placement of the turbines in rela- to be mostly based on misidentification of tion to seabird nesting sites will require red-billed Roseate Terns. The problem arises much consideration as remote sites current- again in this volume, with reports of possible ly supporting relict nesting colonies of sea- nesting on Anguilla and Basse-Terre, and birds will be prime targets for energy devel- breeding in Barbuda, Cuba, St. Barts, Marti- opment. nique, and East Caicos. Information provid- Compared to previous publications that ed in this book does nothing to document chose to address the topic on the species lev- breeding. Plate 25, labeled as “Common el, the major strength of this volume is its Tern in breeding plumage”, shows a sub- country-by-country coverage of seabird pop- 606 WATERBIRDS

ulations, with island-specific discussions of theme of the book is that most petrels are conservation issues and management needs. nocturnal, so that they have to be studied at This should allow governments to focus on night if their behavior and adaptations are to their local issues. In many cases the real chal- be understood. lenge is not simply protecting existing colo- The text is written in the first person by nies, but restoring them. While additional Magnus Robb, although he acknowledges field research is certainly important, and the input and participation of his co-authors monitoring is key in tracking success of cur- and many others. At one level, the book fol- rent and future conservation efforts, noth- lows the tradition of natural history explora- ing should take precedence over immediate tion. It recounts expeditions to many of the pro-active protection and management. remotest outposts of Europe and northwest David S. Lee Africa, including windswept islands off Ice- The Tortoise Reserve land, Scotland and Ireland, mountain ridges P.O. Box 7082 in Madeira, desert islands and laurel forests White Lake, North Carolina 28337 in the Canaries, sea cliffs and caves in the Ae- gean and Balearics, and volcanic islands in

LITERATURE CITED the Azores and Cape Verdes. There was even one expedition to Korea to record Swinhoe’s Gochfeld, M., J. Burger, A. Haynes-Sutton, R. van Halew- Storm-petrel (Oceanodroma monorhis). Be- yn and J. E. Saliva. 1994. Successful approaches to sea- sides the usual hazards of island expeditions bird protection in the West Indies. Pages 186-209 in Seabirds on islands: threats, case studies and action such as stormy weather and rickety boats, the plans. (D. N. Nettleship, J. Burger and M. Gochfeld, authors had to communicate with fishermen Eds.). BirdLife Conservation Series No. 1. BirdLife and guides in rustic dialects of many lan- International, Cambridge. Halewyn, R. van and R. L. Norton. 1984. The status and guages, from Greek to Portuguese and from conservation of seabirds in the Caribbean. Pages 169- Icelandic to Mallorquín, not to mention Ko- 222 in Status and conservation of the world’s seabirds. rean, Creole and “something like French”. (J. P. Croxall, P. G. H. Evans and R. W. Schreiber, Eds.). ICBP Technical Publication No. 2. Internation- Adding to the workload was the need to land al Council for Bird Preservation, Cambridge. on exposed rocky shores, carry heavy equip- Schreiber, E. A. and D. S. Lee (Eds.). 2000. Status and ment up cliffs, navigate precipitous moun- conservation of West Indian seabirds. Society of Car- ibbean Ornithology Special Publication No. 1. Soci- tain trails at night, and make sound record- ety of Caribbean Ornithology, Ruston. Louisiana. ings in noisy places. As Robb pithily points out, “behavioral studies are not straightfor- ward on nearly vertical cliffs in the dark” Petrels Night and Day. A Sound Ap- (p. 20). These aspects of the book will enter- proach Guide.—By Magnus Robb, Killian tain and impress all who have tried to work Mullarney and The Sound Approach. 2008. on seabirds in remote places in changeable Published by and available for purchase weather. from The Sound Approach, 29 High Street, At a second level, the book serves as a de- Poole BH12 1AB, UK. (www.soundap- scriptive natural history and guide to identi- proach.co.uk). 300 pp., 2 CDs, many illustra- fication. Besides detailed accounts of vocal- tions and sonagrams. £34.95 (approximately izations, the text includes a liberal sprinkling $55 US). (ISBN-13 978-90-890133-2-3). of information on history, feeding habits, be- This book recounts the authors’ seven- havior, breeding biology and conservation of year quest to make sound recordings of all each species, with an 11-page bibliography. the petrels that breed in the Western Pale- Each species is depicted in a full- or half- arctic. The term ‘petrels’ is used in the broad page plate of high-quality illustrations by Kil- sense, to include gadfly petrels (Pterodroma lian Mullarney, and there are excellent pho- spp.), Bulwer’s Petrel (Bulweria bulwerii), tographs of almost every species. As a field shearwaters (Calonectris and Puffinus spp.), guide, this book supersedes its most recent Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) and predecessor (Onley and Schofield 2007), al- storm-petrels (Hydrobatidae). The general though that book covered all the world’s pe- BOOK REVIEWS 607 trels, not just those in the Western Palearctic. lish sound recordings and photographs of it. Its main deficiency is that few molting birds They treat storm-petrels breeding in the are depicted, although the text states that Cape Verdes as another distinct species O. ja- molt patterns could be helpful in separating bejabe, and propose that the birds that breed cryptic species (p. 243). sympatrically in summer and winter in Ma- At a third level, the book presents de- deira, the Selvagens and Canaries also repre- tailed accounts and preliminary analyses of sent different species. If the latter suggestion the vocalizations of each species. Two CDs is found to be valid, the name O. castro would are attached with 127 cuts recording the be restricted to the winter breeders of that voices of all the breeding species, plus one area and the more widespread summer migrant (Greater Shearwater Puffinus gravis) breeders would need new names (they pro- recorded at sea. Given the circumstances in pose “Grant’s Storm-Petrel” and “O. granti”). which they were recorded, the clarity and These suggestions are not formal taxo- lack of background noise in most of these re- nomic proposals, and several are not yet sup- cordings are very impressive. Sonagrams are ported by genetic data. Instead, they are presented for almost every cut, and are an- based primarily on vocal differences, plus in notated and interpreted in the text. Differ- some cases geographic separation or differ- ences between sexes and among related spe- ences in breeding seasons (pp. 36, 42). The cies are pointed out in detail. Some statistical authors recognize that morphological and differences are reported, but there is no for- plumage differences among these cryptic mal analysis, although the authors state their species are very small, but make the reason- intention to publish details in scientific jour- able argument that nocturnal species are nals in the future (p. 12). more likely to diverge in voice than in exter- At a fourth level, the book has some tax- nal appearance. They also argue that petrels onomic pretensions, presenting several pro- are highly philopatric, so that geographic posals for further splitting of species that separation implies genetic isolation (pp. 36, have already been split in recent years. 125). Whereas Cramp and Simmons (1977) recog- Nevertheless, questions can be raised nized ten breeding species of petrels in the about each of these arguments. For diver- Western Palearctic and Onley and Schofield gence in breeding seasons, the authors (2007) recognized 14, this book proposes themselves give counter-examples (Bulwer’s recognizing 21, including three species of Petrel, p. 51; Leach’s Storm-petrel O. leucor- Pterodroma (P. “deserta” as well as feae and ma- hoa, p. 94) in which populations of the same deira), three species of Calonectris (C. “di- species breed several months apart in re- omedea” as well as borealis and edwardsii), two sponse to local conditions. For geographic species of Hydrobates (H. “melitaris” as well as separation, the authors themselves mention pelagicus), and five species of Oceanodroma numerous cases of petrels prospecting at po- (including four species of “band-rumped” tential breeding sites far outside their nor- storm-petrels). In addition, the book has a mal ranges (e.g. Deserta Petrel, Cahow Ptero- chapter on the enigmatic Swinhoe’s Storm- droma cahow and Madeiran Storm-petrel in petrel, which has recently been reported the Azores; Boyd’s Shearwater Puffinus boydi widely in NW Europe and has been found re- at St. Helena; Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris peatedly prospecting potential nest-sites in borealis in Ireland; Wilson’s Storm-petrel Oce- the Selvagens. The book also mentions at anites oceanites in Iceland, etc.), not to men- least five recently-extinct species: four shear- tion actual long-distance colonizations (Sco- waters and one gadfly petrel (pp. 40-41, 133, poli’s Shearwater C. diomedea in Atlantic 156). France; Manx Shearwater P. puffinus in New- In the case of the band-rumped storm-pe- foundland; Leach’s Storm-petrel in South trels, the authors anticipated the formal de- Africa). Clearly, wide separation does not im- scription of Monteiro’s Storm-Petrel (Ocean- ply geographic isolation in petrels. As to vo- odroma monteiroi: Bolton et al. 2008) and pub- calizations, the authors are the leading ex- 608 WATERBIRDS

perts, but even they characterize some of the Storm-Petrel). All species are illustrated by vocal differences as “slight” or “subtle” and color plates. I find the illustrations attractive acknowledge extensive overlap in some cases and reasonably accurate, though perhaps (pp. 35, 67, 104-106, 143-144). More rigor- not of the same caliber as the best field guide ous analysis would be required to support illustrations around today. There are intro- the claims that these differences are not ductory sections on taxonomy, descriptions mere dialects (pp. 124-125, 194). of the four families of Procellariiformes, Despite these caveats, this book reports identification, conservation, “How to Use an impressive body of fieldwork. It will be of This Book” and Seabird Topography. The interest to all petrel biologists and lovers of color plates have accompanying thumbnail islands, as well as to sound recordists. It descriptions of each species on the facing shows the potential value of sound record- page; this section is then followed by more ings in detecting cryptic species, and should complete textual accounts of each species, in stimulate similar work in other areas with a a format similar to Harrison (1983). diverse range of nocturnal petrels, such as The worst thing about this book is the the SW Pacific or New Zealand. However, it authors’ extensive and uncritical use of the will be difficult to match the combination of term “jizz”. This term, almost certainly de- exploratory zeal and technical expertise that rived from the Royal Air Force’s “GISS” (for is displayed in this book. General Impression of Size and Shape) Ian C. T. Nisbet used in identifying enemy aircraft, may be I. C. T. Nisbet & Company useful in casual conversation, but is an an- 150 Alder Lane noying cop-out within an authoritative North Falmouth, MA, 02556, USA book on field identification. I found myself mildly annoyed at statements such as “With

LITERATURE CITED practice, jizz often the best way to separate the species” for separating large albatrosses, Bolton, M., A. L. Smith, E. Gómez-Díaz, V. L. Friesen, R. and practically tearing my hair out by the Medeiros, J. Bried, J. L. Roscales and R. W. Furness. time I got to storm-petrels. I defy the au- 2008. Monteiro’s Storm-petrel Oceanodroma monteiroi: a new species from the Azores. Ibis 150: 717-727. thors to defend how the following state- Cramp, S. and K. E. L. Simmons (Eds.). 1977. The Birds ment (p. 174, Kermadec Petrel) is im- of the western Palearctic. Vol. I: ostrich to ducks. Ox- proved through the use of the j-word: ford University Press, Oxford. Onley, D. and P. Schofield. 2007. Albatrosses, petrels and “Long, broad-winged, square-tailed jizz rea- shearwaters of the world. Princeton University Press, sonably distinctive with experience”. I sin- Princeton, New Jersey. cerely hope any future editions will aban- don this sloppy language. That being said, this is a useful book that Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of adds substantially to the literature of field the World.—By Derek Onley and Paul identification of these birds. There is a good Scofield. 2007. Christopher Helm, London. discussion of the effects of molt, lighting and 240 pp. Softcover, £19.99 (approximately weather conditions upon the appearance of $32 US). 45 color plates. (ISBN 978-0-7136- petrels (although the dramatic effect of miss- 4332-9). ing upperwing coverts on shearwaters is per- This identification guide, the first since haps underemphasized, as is the very white Endicott and Tipling’s Seabirds of the world appearance of reflective patches on the un- (1997) and the first with painted plates since dersides of primaries of petrels, especially Harrison’s Seabirds: a guide to identification Murphy’s Petrels). In each account, one gets (1983), covers 137 species of Procellarii- the impression that the authors have consid- formes. Relative to these previous guides, erable first-hand experience with petrels in Onley and Scofield include 24 additional the field. There is an important and timely taxa due to taxonomic revisions and one section on the urgent conservation issues newly rediscovered species (New Zealand that petrels now face. BOOK REVIEWS 609

The entire book would have benefited evidence (known age, banded birds) should from more thorough review and editing. be provided to settle this question. There is some inconsistency in the separa- Under the topic of distribution: Broad- tion of regularly mapped ranges from va- billed Prion appears to be mapped as breed- grant occurrences. For example, off the ing on Amsterdam Island (it doesn’t breed southeastern coast of the United States, there or anywhere else in the Indian Ocean); Trindade Petrel occurs at least as frequently Jouanin’s Petrel occurs regularly much far- as does Fea’s Petrel, yet the former is not ther south than mapped (off central Mada- shown as occurring in the North Atlantic gascar); Flesh-footed Shearwater occurs reg- Ocean at all, while the latter has a mapped ularly off the western United States, as does range off North Carolina. White-faced Manx Shearwater with 25+ records per year Storm-Petrel, which appears off eastern off California; Shy and Salvin’s Albatrosses North America considerably more frequent- both occur regularly on the Patagonian ly than either of the two previous species, is Shelf off Argentina. The nesting range for not mapped as occurring there at all. Simi- Vanuatu Petrel is incorrectly mapped as be- larly, Bermuda Petrel, which occurs regularly ing on New Caledonia, and the citation for off North Carolina but has never appeared Shirihai (2004) is not listed in the literature in the northeast Atlantic, is shown as only oc- cited. curring in the immediate vicinity of Bermu- I offer the observation that my colleagues da with a vague arrow and question mark and I have seen fairly large numbers (20 per suggesting dispersal to the northeast. Incon- day) of the dark morph of Soft-plumaged Pe- sistencies such as these could have been eas- trel off Kerguelen, so it is perhaps not as rare ily picked up through peer review of drafts. as the authors suggest; these dark birds are I feel compelled to offer some nitpicks, easily distinguishable from Kerguelen Pe- first under the topic of identification: the trels by their much lighter, almost pale blu- short bill is not mentioned as being of prima- ish color. ry importance in distinguishing Short-tailed Books like this invite detailed criticisms from Sooty Shearwater; the highly distinctive and the tone of this review is probably rather flight of Grey Petrel (spurts of duck-like negative. Nevertheless, I find this to be a very wingbeats interspersed with gliding) is very useful and compact summary of the latest on poorly described, and this species is only sol- the identification and distribution of itary where it is uncommon—flocks of hun- tubenoses and I will carry it on all future dreds appear near nesting islands and ocean voyages. It is a must for all serious pe- around trawlers; the primary distinction be- lagic bird enthusiasts. tween South Georgia and Common Diving- Richard R. Veit Petrels, bill depth, is not mentioned; the high- Biology Department ly characteristic fine whitish feather edgings CSI/CUNY of Southern Royal Albatrosses, perhaps the 2800 Victory Blvd best distinction from Wandering, are only Staten Island, New York, 10314, USA vaguely described; and the bills of Juan Fernandez, White-necked and Vanuatu Pe- trels all look much too small. Finally, the bill LITERATURE CITED of two- and three-year-old Gray-headed Alba- Enticott, J. and D. Tipling. 1997. Seabirds of the world. tross is shown as pale with a dark tip, like Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Black-browed. Other sources have suggested Harrison, P. 1983. Seabirds—an identification guide. Croom-Helm, Beckenham, Kent. that Gray-headed always has a solidly dark Harrison, P. 1987. Seabirds of the world—a photographic bill; I am not sure of the correct answer but guide. Christopher Helm, London.