Oceanic birds whose range is in the Northern Hemisphere (especially Palearctica) reach the northern and western edges of Micronesia as winter visitors. These include _Larus argentatus_, _Chlidonias leucopterus_, and _Sterna hirundo_. Another northern gull, _Larus ridibundus_, has been reported in the Marianas. One bird of the North and Northcentral Pacific, _Diomedea nigripes_, reaches the northern Marianas where it has been taken at Agrihan. It is not unlikely that other birds of the North Pacific reach northern Micronesia as occasional visitors. Species of oceanic birds which are restricted in their distribution to Polynesia and some adjacent islands and which range to Micronesia, either as visitors or residents, include _Puffinus tenuirostris_, _P. nativitatis_, _Pterodroma rostrata_, _P. hypoleuca_, _Sterna lunata_, and _Procelsterna cerulea_. The islands of the vast Pacific basin offer havens for many kinds of oceanic birds. Apparently there has been considerable speciation among sea birds in Polynesia, especially in its marginal areas. Micronesia has received only a small part of this avifauna. Two terns, _Sterna sumatrana_ and _Thalasseus bergii_, have reached Micronesia, either directly or indirectly, each from a dispersion point somewhere in the Melanesian or the Malayan area. These two birds are restricted in their ranges to the western Pacific and the Indian oceans. Many of the species of oceanic birds found in Micronesia have circumtropical ranges. These include _Puffinus pacificus_, _P. lherminieri_, _Phaëthon_, _Sula_, _Fregata_, _Sterna anaethetus_, _S. fuscata_, _Anoüs stolidus_, _A. tenuirostris_, and _Gygis alba_. Some of these kinds range along continental shores as well as in island archipelagoes. Others, like _Gygis alba_, are rarely found along the shores of continents or even at coastal islands. MIGRATORY SHORE BIRDS Twenty-eight species of shore birds of the families Charadriidae and Scolopacidae have been recorded from Micronesia, and one other of the family Phalaropodidae apparently occurs in the area, making a total of 29 kinds. From the entire Southwest Pacific, Mayr (1945a:28-47) lists 31 species and subspecies of shore birds and mentions six other species which may occur there. Thus, of a possible 37 kinds of shore birds in this large area (which includes Micronesia), 29 are present in the islands of Micronesia. For purposes of discussion, shore birds are here placed in one of two groups: regular visitors or uncommon visitors. A regular visitor is one which has been recorded in the literature or in unpublished field accounts as being frequently observed in Micronesia in periods of migration. An uncommon visitor is one which has been infrequently observed in Micronesia. Of the 28 kinds of shore birds recorded from Micronesia, 17 are classed as regular visitors and 11 are classed as uncommon visitors. ORIGINAL HOMES OF THE SHORE BIRDS THAT VISIT MICRONESIA