Zoogeography and Taxonomic Relationships of 

 Seabirds in Northern North America 



by 



M. D. F. Udvardy 



California State University 

 Sacramento, California 95819 



Abstract 



The zoogeography and taxonomic relationships among 42 living and 1 extinct 

 species of marine birds from the northern and northwestern coasts of North 

 America are described. Seventeen species are circumpolar in distribution; 17 are 

 endemic to Beringia, and 8 have origins in the North Pacific. 



This discussion concerns the northern and 

 western coasts of the continent, from about 

 the Mackenzie Delta westward and south- 

 ward to the mouth of the Columbia River. Be- 

 sides bona fide seabirds, I include marine 

 birds that predominantly breed and feed on or 

 around the marine littoral, but exclude two 

 groups: shorebirds, jaegers, and phalaropes, 

 which breed inland and move out from the 

 Arctic after an undetermined postbreeding 

 period; and Anseriformes which become 

 "marine birds" in their southern winter quar- 

 ters. What remains is 42 living species 

 (Table 1). 



The Procellariiformes, or tube-nosed sea- 

 birds, have a predominantly southern hemi- 

 spheric, Gondwanan distribution. The North 

 Pacific basin is an important feeding ground 

 of several shearwaters (Puffinus spp.) that 

 breed in the South Pacific and subantarctic. 

 Only three species breed in the area under con- 

 sideration: the fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) 

 and two storm-petrels (Oceanodroma spp.), all 

 of which are still relatively widespread. 



Of the Pelecaniformes, the very successful, 

 worldwide cormorants (Phalacrocorax spp.) 

 inland water as well as coastal and "am- 

 phibious" species are on every continent are 

 ancient Pacific dwellers, with a high grade of 

 endemism here: Of the two subarctic species, 

 one (P. perspicillatus) became extinct long 

 ago, and the other, the red-faced cormorant 

 (P. urile), is very restricted, and deserves our 



greatest attention. The pelagic cormorant 

 (P. pelagicus), Brandt's cormorant (P. penicil- 

 latus), and the double-crested cormorant 

 (P. auritus) are widespread and successful, ex- 

 tending south of the area here considered; 

 double-crested cormorants also breed inland 

 and across toward the North Atlantic coast. 

 As fish-eaters they are often persecuted where 

 coastal fishermen possess firearms, and thus 

 are sensitive to increasing human influence on 

 the coasts. 



Two species of arctic geese need special at- 

 tention. The emperor goose (Philacte cana- 

 gica) is a Beringean endemic and lives in a 

 very restricted area of both sides of this sea; 

 its status (endangered?) is unknown to me. 

 Since the black brant (Branta bernicld) is a 

 long-range migrant, it is hunted as a game 

 bird at its winter grounds, and subject to 

 management measures. Whereas the emperor 

 goose is a unique offshoot of the genus Anser, 

 the Pacific brant is considered a subspecies; 

 its general distribution is circumpolar. 



Five arctic ducks, and one other, constitute 

 the sea ducks of the area. The common eider 

 (Somateria mollissimd), king eider (S. spec- 

 tabilis), and the oldsquaw (Clangula hyemalis) 

 are widespread, and circumpolar or nearly so; 

 hunting and down-robbing in other parts of 

 the Arctic may provide clues as to their rela- 

 tive tolerance of primitive or advanced civili- 

 zation. The spectacled eider (S. fischeri) and 

 Steller's eider (Polysticta stelleri) are re- 



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