Inventory and monitoring of seabirds in National Park of American Samoa

Abstract

This first island-wide inventory and preliminary monitoring of American Samoa seabird populations has produced several significant results. The beginning of a seabird colony catalog has been established in a digital format. The protocol for surveying seabirds around Tutuila Island by boat is described, and future efforts can be compared to baseline results reported here. A detailed survey of the National Park lands around Tutuila is mapped and photographed and seabird distributions found in the 2000 round-island survey and 2003 partial-island survey are discussed. Our results support anecdotal evidence that the inaccessible north shore of Tutuila supports the majority of that island’s resident seabirds. Greater than 90% of Red-footed Boobies and Great Frigatebird observations during the Tutuila round-island survey were made in NPSA areas. The north shore areas are important for coastal cliff nesters such as Brown, Black Noddies and Blue Noddies, a species of international significance. Bridled Terns are extending their pan tropical range to include Tutuila, including Park areas. White Terns and White-tailed Tropicbirds are more evenly distributed across forests in Tutuila within as well as outside NPSA areas.