_Nesting._--Murphy (1936:1152) writes that the Atlantic subspecies,
_A. s. stolidus_, breeds in tropical localities every month of the
year, although there may be a part of the resident population away
at sea at any given time. In the Pacific area, Kirby (1925:187)
found nests "on platforms of sticks built on tufts of grass" at
Christmas Island in August. In Micronesia, Coultas obtained young
birds at Kusaie in January and April and commented (field notes)
that they probably nest "spasmodically at all times of the year."
At Ponapé, Coultas observed nests in high trees in December, and
birds obtained by him in that month had enlarged gonads. At Bikini,
Morrison obtained eggs on March 2 and 19, and young on March 19. At
Palau, Coultas took one female tern in postnatal molt on November
8. Adults obtained by him in that month had enlarged gonads. At
Ulithi, the NAMRU2 party recorded one nest containing a single egg
on August 21. At the same atoll the NAMRU2 party received reports
of a large colony of nesting noddys in May to July, 1945. In the
following August few noddies were seen by the NAMRU2 party. McElroy
found nests on cliffs and in coconut trees at Truk in December,
1945. Hartert (1900:10) reports on eggs taken at Truk in the period
from March to July 1. The NAMRU2 party observed birds carrying nest
materials at Peleliu on August 28 but failed to find the nests. At
Guam, the writer found terns in numbers varying from 4 to 75 in May
to July, 1945, along the rocky cliffs but no evidence of nesting
activity was obtained. Strophlet (1946:537) reports that nests may
have been present on Orote Peninsula at Guam on December 13, 1945.
Coultas (field notes) is of the opinion that the birds do not nest
at Guam but do nest farther north in the Marianas. Borror
(1947:417) found two colonies at Agrihan on August 10, 1945. Thus,
there are records of nesting in nine months of the year in
Micronesia; although I suspect that the larger flocks of terns have
more regular breeding habits correlated with their pelagic feeding
activities. "Stragglers" probably nest irregularly.
_Food habits._--The author (1948:56) records small fish and
crustaceans in stomachs of terns taken at Ulithi and Peleliu. At
Ypao Point, Guam, birds were seen to fly back and forth in the day
from their roosts on the sea-cliffs. On one occasion I saw these
birds feeding approximately a half mile from shore.
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