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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 109(1)

A survey of Fairy Tern (Sterna nereis) breeding colonies in the Southern Lagoon, New Caledonia

Marleen Baling A B , Darryl Jeffries A , Nicolas Barré C and Dianne H. Brunton A B D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand.

B Present address: Ecology and Conservation Group, Institute of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 102-904, North Shore Mail Centre, Auckland, New Zealand. Email: m.baling@massey.ac.nz

C Société Calédonienne d’Ornithologie, 12 bis, rue du Général Mangin, Centre Ville, BP 3135, 98846 Nouméa, New Caledonia.

D Corresponding author. Email: d.h.brunton@massey.ac.nz

Emu 109(1) 57-61 https://doi.org/10.1071/MU08047
Submitted: 11 September 2008  Accepted: 15 December 2008   Published: 5 March 2009

Abstract

The breeding success of Fairy Terns in New Caledonia is poorly known despite the species being considered nationally endangered. Between June and October 2004, we surveyed 22 islets and coral banks in the Southern Lagoon of New Caledonia at least once for the presence of breeding Fairy Terns (Sterna nereis). We present the first reports of the breeding success of Fairy Terns in the Southern Lagoon, and compare it with populations in Australia and New Zealand. We observed a protracted nesting period (3 months) and a low overall rate of nesting success (probability of a nest producing at least one fledging, P = 0.19) for colonies on Îlot Kae and Îlot Atire, with a higher fledging rate (P = 0.57) than hatching success (P = 0.34). In addition, no fledglings were produced from late nests. These levels of breeding success were similar to those found for the endangered subspecies of Fairy Tern in New Zealand. The population of Fairy Terns in the Lagoon appears to be increasing after an earlier disappearance of the population from the area. We recommend more regular surveys on the New Caledonian subspecies of Fairy Tern.

Additional keywords: breeding success, endangered species, nesting, seabird survey.


Acknowledgement

This survey was conducted with the permission of the New Caledonia Province Sud of Direction des Resources Naturelles (No. 6024–3429 DRN/ENV) and the University of Auckland Animal Ethics Committee (AEC/02/2004/R225). We are pleased to thank François Devinck, Benoit Perignon, Sven Nenu, Christophe Gosset and his crew, and Federic Paul and his crew (DRN – Province Sud); Jérôme Spaggiari; Gavin Hunt; Pascal Villard and Vincent Bretagnolle; Gwenda Pulham and Tony Habraken (OSNZ); and Tim Lovegrove for all their advice during this study. This project was funded by the New Zealand Department of Conservation.


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