Black-footed Albatross
Phoebastria nigripes
|
| Black-footed Albatross
|
|
Black-footed Albatross on Midway
61,000 includes breeding and non-breeding birds
|
Late October
Black-footed albatrosses begin to return to Midway near the end of the month. Generally, they start to arrive a week or more before the Laysan albatrosses. Males arrive first to reclaim their nest site. Females follow about 3 weeks later.
November
Black-footed albatrosses have fully returned. Birds build nests and lay eggs.
December
Eggs are incubated for approximately 65 days by both parents.
January
Incubation continues. The first chicks hatch around the third week of January.
February
By the end of the month, all chicks have hatched. Non-breeders practice exuberant courtship displays at the colony periphery through April.
March
Adults forage diurnally to feed fuzzy chicks—potentially flying 500 miles or more from Midway to find flying fish ova, squid, fish and invertebrates. Older chicks start to wander a short distance from the nest site.
April
Chick-feeding continues. Chicks grow, wander from the nest and start to show evidence of adult feathers by the end of the month.
May
Chick-feeding continues and feathers grow as chicks take on an adult form. They start to walk upright and exercise their wings.
June
Adults begin leaving the atoll, abandoning chicks to fledge by themselves.
July
Remaining adults and chicks depart Midway.
August–Early October
Birds are out at sea between Japan and the US West Coast.
Return to top of page
Laysan Albatross
Phoebastria immutabilis
|
| Laysan Albatross
|
|
Laysan Albatrosses on Midway:
1,324,000 includes breeding and non-breeding birds
|
Late October
Laysan albatrosses start to return to Midway in the last few days of the month.
November
Most Laysan albatrosses return in November. Early birds start to lay eggs at the end of the month.
December
Most eggs are laid in December and are incubated for approximately 65 days by both parents.
January
Incubation continues. The first chicks hatch around the end of January.
February
Incubation continues. By the end of the month, all chicks have hatched. Non-breeders practice exuberant courtship displays at the colony periphery through April.
March
Adults forage nocturnally to feed fuzzy chicks, potentially flying 700 miles or more from Midway to capture squid, fish and invertebrates. Older chicks start to wander a short distance from the nest site.
April
Chick-feeding continues. Chicks grow, wander and start to show evidence of adult feathers by the end of the month. Photographically, chicks lose their “cuteness” by mid-month.
May
Chick-feeding continues and their feathers grow. They start to walk upright and exercise their wings.
June
Adults begin leaving the atoll at the end of the month, abandoning chicks to fledge by themselves.
July
More adults depart Midway and more chicks fledge.
August
Any remaining adults and fully feathered chicks depart.
September–Early October
Birds are out at sea in the North Pacific towards Japan and the Bering Sea.
Return to top of page
Short-tailed Albatross
Phoebastria albatrus
|
| Short-tailed Albatross
|
|
Short-tailed Albatrosses on Midway:
3 includes breeding and non-breeding birds
|
In 2011, three short-tailed albatrosses were present at Midway. Like many of the other albatrosses they arrived at the atoll in late October 2010. Two took up residence on Eastern Island and began courting as they had for the previous three years. In January 2011, they successfully laid an egg and reared a chick—the first documented record for short-tailed albatross successfully nesting outside of their restricted breeding range on Torishima Island and the Senkaku Islands in Japan. The chick fledged in June 2011.
The third short-tail also arrived at Midway’s Sand Island in October 2010 where it was seen from time to time until it departed for the season by mid-April 2011. This has been the Midway visitation pattern of this bird for the past several years.
Return to top of page
Bonin Petrel
Pterodroma hypoleuca
|
Bonin Petrel
Photo Copyright © Duncan Wright, USFWS
|
|
Bonin Petrels on Midway:
96,000 includes breeding and non-breeding birds.
Numbers may be substantially lower
following 2011 tsunami
|
August
Some adults return from a month or more at sea after the breeding season to prospect for a nest site or renovate their former underground burrow. As ground nesters, life at Midway has improved for Bonin petrels with the eradication of introduced rats.
September–December
During these months the petrels are occasionally seen excavating a burrow while pairs undertake mating flights consisting of chasing and calling to each other over the colony prior to egg laying. They probably spend lengthy periods at sea and commute to the atoll following foraging forays. Non-breeders also spend considerable time visiting the colonies, flying over them at night. The biology of Bonin petrels is still being studied and more will be revealed with satellite tracking and other future studies.
January
Egg-laying begins in the burrows. Bonin petrels lay only one egg that they incubate for approximately 50 days.
February
Incubation continues by both parents. Non-breeders continue to frequent the colonies at night.
March
Following the hatching in mid-March the chick is brooded by the adults for 2 days. More non-breeders are attracted to the atoll and can be seen coming in from the sea at dusk.
April
Adults forage nocturnally, returning to the burrow with (almost thoroughly) digested prey in their gut, called stomach oil, that is energy-rich and lighter to carry.
May
Chick-feeding continues. Some older chicks fledge at the end of the month. Adult activity over the atoll diminishes.
June
The remaining chicks fledge this month.
July
Both the chicks and the adults migrate to nutrient-rich waters off the coast of Japan where they stay until they return to Midway’s waters later in the year.
Return to top of page
Wedge-tailed Shearwater
Puffinus pacificus
|
| Wedge-tailed Shearwater
|
|
Wedge-tailed Shearwaters on Midway:
3,000 includes breeding and non-breeding birds
|
End of March
The first wedge-tailed shearwaters begin to return to Midway.
April
By mid-month many have arrived. Nest sites are selected by the courting pairs as part of their courtship ritual. They begin to dig burrows or select a nest site under dense vegetation, cut casuarina stumps or building ruins on Midway. The pairs are easy to photograph before they select a nest site.
May
The pair completes the burrow. “Wedgies” emit an eerie wailing call from their burrow during the night. During this time the pair will return to sea for up to a month to forage, building up energy reserves for egg-laying and incubation.
June
The female lays a single large white egg that the pair incubates for approximately 53 days. Both adults share incubation in alternating shifts of 13 days.
July
Incubation continues.
August
Following hatching the chick is brooded for 6 days. Afterwards, the chick is left in the burrow while both adults hunt.
September
The remaining “wedgie” eggs hatch. Adults pursue small bait fish being driven to the surface by large predatory fish such as tuna. They catch their prey diurnally, primarily by “contact-dipping”—the bird flies close to the surface and plunges its head and neck into the water to capture prey while in flight. Otherwise it can surface dive, propelling itself under the water with its wings. Similar to the Bonin petrel small chicks are fed stomach oil, but whole fish are brought to the burrow as the chick grows.
October
Chick-feeding continues. Both adults spend most of their time at sea. They are known to travel as far as 300 miles from the nest site to find food for the chick.
November
The chicks grow larger (fatter) than the adults. They are abandoned by the adults by mid-month and emerge from their burrow, driven by hunger, to fledge by month’s end.
Return to top of page
Christmas Shearwater
Puffinus nativitatis
|
Christmas Shearwater
Photo Copyright © Forest and Kim Starr
|
|
Christmas Shearwaters on Midway (breeds on Eastern Island):
350 includes breeding and non-breeding birds
|
March
Early Christmas shearwater arrivals begin on Eastern Island (the only island on which they breed at Midway).
April
By mid-April the remaining adults arrive, pair up and prepare nest sites—a shallow depression on the ground often lined with leaves and twigs. By the end of the month the female has laid their single large white egg.
May
Both the male and female incubate the egg which hatches in approximately 54 days.
June
The chick hatches. Both the male and female hunt nocturnally for food, capturing small bait fish and squid chased to the surface by large predatory fish. They, too, partially digest this prey, converting it to high-energy stomach oil to feed the growing chick.
July
Chick-feeding continues. Both adults are often out at sea.
August
Chick-feeding continues.
September
Chick-feeding continues. A few chicks fledge at the end of the month.
October
The remainder of the chicks fledge and the highly pelagic adults head to sea for the winter.
Return to top of page
Red-tailed Tropicbird
Phaethon rubricauda
|
| Red-tailed Tropicbird
|
|
Red-tailed Tropicbirds on Midway:
15,000 includes breeding and non-breeding birds
|
Mid–January
The nesting season for red-tailed tropicbirds is not synchronous and courtship display and egg-laying is spread out over several months. Early birds start courtship displays by month’s end.
February
Sporadic aerial courtship displays continue. A few nest scrapes are created beneath naupaka (Scaevola) shrubs or at the base of larger casuarina trees by the end of this month.
March
More frequent and larger aerial courtship flights take place—primarily at midday on sunny days. Loose colonies are formed on all three atoll islands and egg-laying increases by the end of the month. Both the male and female take turns incubating their one mottled egg for approximately 45 days.
April
A few early nesters eggs start to hatch by mid-month. More eggs are laid and robust courtship flights continue throughout the month.
May
Egg-laying decreases and hatching increases. Adults foraging for food to feed the chick can travel as far as 300 miles, one way, to capture flying fish and squid by plunge diving. Flying fish may also be caught in flight as they flee from feeding predators or are startled by boats.
June
The last few eggs are laid, some incubation continues, but most chicks have hatched and many adults are commuting from the atoll to find food for their chick. The chick’s rate of growth depends on the quality of food the parents can find. After hatching, fledging will generally occur from 75–120 days.
July
Early fledging begins. Adults feed growing chicks.
August
Fledging continues. Some adults suffering nesting failure may lay another egg. Feeding continues for the remaining chicks.
September
Fledging/feeding continues for the remaining chicks.
October
Nesting activity ends by months end. The remaining chicks fledge.
November–January
During the non-breeding season juveniles and adults wander the ocean as far as 3,000 miles from their nesting colony. Birds first breed between 3 to 5 years of age and will return to Midway to nest each year.
Return to top of page
Red-footed Booby
Sula Sula
|
| Red-footed Booby
|
|
Red-footed Boobies on Midway (breeds Eastern Island):
1,700 includes breeding and non-breeding birds
|
January
Early arrivals start to prospect for nest sites on Eastern Island. Though red-footed boobies occasionally roost on Sand Island, nesting only takes place on Eastern Island in naupaka (Scaevola sericea) and tree heliotrope (Tournefortia argentea) shrubs. A few may lay eggs by the end of the month. Males do skypointing displays to attract females.
February
Adults continue to construct stick nests (collected by the male) in small colonies and lay more eggs on Eastern Island. The first great frigatebirds arrive to compete for nest sites in the same shrubs. Skypointing continues.
March
Nest-building and egg-laying continues. Lacking a brood patch, both adults incubate their one egg with their warm webbed feet for approximately 45 days. A few chicks hatch by the end of the month.
April
Egg-laying and hatching continue. Most chicks are too small to see under the adults.
May
The last few eggs are laid. Hatching continues. Growing chicks are fed by both parents who hunt during the day. They plunge dive into the sea in pursuit of fish and squid. Red-footed boobies are sometimes seen feeding in association with predatory fish and dolphins, which herd and chase shoals of small fish to the surface.
June
Few chicks hatch. Feeding continues.
July
The last few chicks hatch. Feeding continues.
August
Chick-feeding continues. Fledging ranges between 95–100 days from hatching.
September
Chicks, now juveniles, exercise their fully-feathered wings in preparation for fledging.
October
Chicks fledge and head to sea with their parents. Post-fledging care and feeding can continue for 1 to 4 months.
Return to top of page
Great Frigatebird
Fregata minor
|
| Great Frigatebird
|
|
Great Frigatebirds on Midway (breeds on Eastern Island):
300 includes breeding and non-breeding birds
|
February
The first great frigatebirds arrive on Eastern Island to prospect for nest sites. Great frigatebirds nest only on Eastern Island at Midway but are often seen roosting in casuarina trees on Sand Island throughout the breeding season.
March
Male courtship displays with inflated red gular pouches is common. Once mates are selected, the male gathers twigs which the female fashions into a loosely constructed nest platform. Male thievery of a neighbors nest material is common. A few eggs are laid.
April
Courtship displays continue. More eggs are laid. Both parents develop a brood patch and incubate the egg for approximately 55 days.
May
Egg-laying continues. Some chicks hatch. Depending on food availability, it takes 17 to 24 weeks until fledging.
June
Hatching continues. Some chicks become easier to see as parents spend time at sea in search of food to feed the chick. Frigatebirds lack waterproof plumage. Therefore most of their hunting is done on the wing in pursuit of flying fish, squid, jellyfish and garbage dumped from boats. They also practice kleptoparasitism where the great frigatebird will sometimes harass other bird species on the wing, forcing them to release food that they have recently caught!
July
Chick-feeding continues.
August
Chick-feeding continues. The last few eggs from inexperienced breeders hatch. Growing flight feathers and contour feathers are apparent on many chicks.
September
Many chicks reach adult size and can be seen exercising their wings prior to fledging. Feeding continues.
October
Juveniles begin to fledge.
November
The last young fledge. Post-fledging care and feeding (usually by the female) can continue for 5 to 18 months. Most frigatebirds begin to breed after 9 years. Females do not breed every year due to the 18 months required to raise a chick. Males are believed to breed every year (with a different female). Fidelity to a nest site and a mate is low.
Return to top of page
White Tern
Gygis alba
|
| White Tern
|
|
White Terns on Midway:
22,500 includes breeding and non-breeding birds.
1984 estimate before significant cutting of casuarina trees.
Present numbers may be substantially lower.
|
January
White terns may be found flitting around Midway year-round. Courtship flights take place through much of the first half of the year. White terns are easy to see along the shore and are often found roosting in casuarina trees at almost any time of day and month. Nesting is not synchronous, so many stages in the breeding cycle can be seen from month to month through July.
February
Early “nesters” lay their single speckled egg in a depression of a tree branch, on building ledges or roofs, cut casuarina tree stumps, and on old military/contractor equipment. Because February is typically a stormy, wet and cool month, early eggs are frequently knocked to the ground by wind, or addled by rain and cool temperatures.
March
Adult numbers on Midway increases. More eggs are laid by the end of the month. Both parents incubate the egg for approximately 36 days until it hatches.
April
Though some birds are incubating eggs and a few chicks have hatched, in recent years the peak number of hatched chicks has come later in the summer from May through July.
May
Eggs are still being laid and incubated. Adults with a chick are actively foraging for fish in the inshore waters. Like many terns, they feed their chick whole small fish that they carry to the chick in their bill, instead of a regurgitated meal.
June
Peak numbers of white terns are present at Midway. Egg-laying and hatching are virtually complete. Chicks average 48 days from hatching to fledging.
July
Many chicks fledge. Younger chicks are fed by their parents as they grow into their white adult plumage.
August
Most white tern chicks have fledged by the end of August. After fledging, the young birds stay with the parents, for as long as two months, to be fed and to learn to catch prey before becoming fully independent.
September
Many white terns disperse along the Hawaiian Islands but a substantial number stay around Midway for the remainder of the year.
Return to top of page
Gray-backed Tern
Onychoprion lunatus (formerly Sterna lunatus)
|
| Gray-backed Tern
|
|
Gray-backed Terns on Midway:
Estimates range from 945–1,461
includes breeding and non-breeding birds
|
February
Early arrivals start to return to Eastern and Spit Islands near the end of the month. Gray-backed terns do not nest on Sand Island. Compared with some of Midway’s other breeding terns, far less is known about the breeding biology and behavior of gray-backed terns. This tern has a very limited range in the central Pacific Ocean—a considerably smaller range than most of Midway’s other breeding seabirds.
March
More “gray-backs” return to Eastern and Spit Islands. Occasionally their small, loose colonies erupt in “dread flights” involving masses of birds leaving the ground and flying in a series of loops around the colony before returning to the ground.
April
Eggs are being laid by mid-month. Gray-backed terns lay a single speckled egg in a shallow depression on the ground. They incubate the egg for approximately 32 days.
May
Egg-laying and incubation continues early in the month. Hatching starts and the chicks are reared for up to 46 days by both parents. Adults hunt in inshore waters, seizing prey for their chicks by “dipping” at the surface on the wing, or by plunge-diving on a wide variety of small fish and crustaceans. One of their favorite prey items, the cowfish, is consumed in great quantities.
June
Chicks continue to hatch and are fed by their parents through regurgitation.
July
More gray-backs hatch and older chicks start to fledge.
August
Most gray-backed terns have fledged by the end of the month. Chicks are fed by the adults around the colony and they may remain at the colony for up to six weeks after fledging.
September
Few remain around the atoll by September.
Return to top of page
Sooty Tern
Onychoprion fuscatus (formerly Sterna fuscatus)
|
| Sooty Tern
|
|
Sooty Terns on Midway:
135,000 includes breeding and non-breeding birds
|
February
Early arrivals start to return to Eastern and Spit Islands near the end of the month. Sooty terns do not nest on Sand Island but they did within recent history. Amazingly, this is a species that virtually lives on the wing—renowned for its ability to stay airborne for years at a time between fledging and first nesting, never coming to land during the non-breeding season, and rarely seen resting on the water. In comparison to the limited range of gray-backed terns, sooty terns are among the most numerous and wide-ranging tropical terns.
March
More and more sooty terns arrive on Eastern and Spit Islands. Large colonies start to form by the end of the month.
April
Massive “dread flights” involving thousands of birds takes place numerous times every day. As many as 45,000 pairs may nest on the atoll. Egg-laying begins at the end of the month.
May
One speckled egg is laid on the ground. Incubation lasts about 30 days.
June
Most sooty tern chicks hatch in June. Fledging takes 52 to 56 days. Adults hunt in offshore waters seizing prey for their chicks by “dipping” on the wing at the surface or by snatching small fish in midair as they attempt to escape from predatory fish below. Flying fish are a major part of their diet.
July
Chick-feeding continues.
August
Most chicks are fully feathered, exercising their wings and learning to fly. Fledging starts at the end of the month.
September
Fledging continues and most sooty terns leave the atoll by month’s end. Young remain with their parents who feed them for several weeks.
Return to top of page
Black Noddy
Anous minutus
|
| Black Noddy
|
|
Black Noddies on Midway:
18,000 includes breeding and non-breeding birds.
1984 estimate before significant cutting of casuarina trees.
Present numbers may be substantially lower.
|
January
These graceful, elegant and unwary medium-sized tropical terns have an unusual breeding cycle with a peak Midway nesting activity in January and February and a second peak in July and August. On Midway, black noddies lay a single speckled egg in a nest cup constructed on a forked branch of a casuarina tree. Their nest is usually made of seaweed, leaves, dead grass and stringy plastic debris collected from the intertidal zone, and is partly cemented together with their guano. In other regions they may nest on ledges of sea cliffs, in naupaka shrubs and on the creviced walls of sea caves. Unlike most seabirds, black noddies may produce two clutches during the year, which partly accounts for the two breeding cycle peaks. In January some may be seen incubating eggs while others tend to their growing chicks.
February–May
Nesting and chick-feeding continue. Nesting success is often weather related and, in years with turbulent storms in January and February, few nests may be found. The egg is incubated from 30 to 37 days. Black noddies hunt in inshore waters seizing small prey fish by “dipping” on the wing at the surface, or with very shallow dives. They often forage in mixed species flocks associated with schools of large predatory fish which drive small prey to the surface.
June
Most chicks are half-grown. Feeding continues about once every eleven hours.
July
Large fully-feathered chicks are fed by their parents while others fledge. Chicks remain with their parents for several weeks after fledging to be fed and to learn to hunt. Young adults (and older ones) that did not nest in the earlier part of the season may return to Midway in July, August or later.
August
Early-season chicks fledge.
September–December
Some early-season nesters may nest again along with returning young adults. Younger birds return to Midway to breed at two or three years of age.
Return to top of page
Brown Noddy
Anous stolidus
|
| Brown Noddy
|
|
Brown Noddies on Midway:
3,000 includes breeding and non-breeding birds.
1984 estimate before significant cutting of casuarina trees.
Present numbers may be substantially lower.
|
April
Brown noddies begin to return to Midway.
May
Most adults have returned and build nests and lay their one speckled egg. Some brown noddies have adapted to nesting in casuarina trees while others nest on the ground or in low naupaka shrubs. Throughout much of its range, tree-nesting is unusual for brown noddies.
June
Most brown noddies are incubating eggs while a few hatch near the end of the month. The egg is incubated by both adults for 30 to 37 days.
July
Some egg-laying continues. Most brown noddy chicks hatch in July. Fledging takes place 40 to 56 days after hatching. Adults feed chicks small fish captured by plunge-diving and grabbing prey at the surface while flying. They often hunt in mixed-species flocks for “bait fish” driven to the surface by larger predators.
August
Feeding continues. Most chicks fledge by the end of August, although small chicks and some adults incubating eggs can also be seen.
September
A few older chicks remain in early September and a small amount of late-breeding adults may still be found incubating eggs. Post-fledging feeding continues for several weeks.
October–December
During the non-breeding season, brown noddies will spend most of their time at sea and may roost on water, exposed rocks, islets, floating debris and even the backs of sleeping sea turtles.
Return to top of page
Distribution maps and most species estimates from Klavitter, John. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2004. Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge Wildlife Assessment For Henderson Field Airport Operations