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stricted to the Bering Sea coasts and neigh- 

 boring High Arctic coasts, respectively; their 

 status is precarious. 



The harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrioni- 

 cus) stands alone without close relatives. It 

 often breeds far from the sea, but spends the 

 shortest time only a few weeks away from 

 the rocky coast. There is a year-round popula- 

 tion of yearlings in the sea. The drakes of the 

 nearest breeding pairs at lower latitudes are 

 back to the sea, abandoning their mates at the 

 breeding stream when the alpine stream- 

 dwellers are still at sea awaiting the thawing 

 of their breeding grounds. Harlequin ducks 

 live in large parts of Siberia, from arctic 

 Alaska to central California and Colorado, 

 and also in the eastern Arctic. They do not 

 seem to me to be in immediate danger 

 globally, though perhaps they are locally. 



Gulls are a highly successful group of sea- 

 birds, and of the eight species on our coasts 

 the four more southern ones the western gull 

 (Larus occidentalis), glaucous-winged gull 

 (L. glaucescens), common gull (L. canus), and 

 herring gull (L. argentatus)are expanding 

 wherever civilization creates new scavenging 

 opportunities. Nothing is said about the popu- 

 lations of the kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), 

 black-legged kittiwake (R. brevirostris) and 

 Sabine's gull (Xema sabini), or of the other 

 two high arctic species (Pagophila eburnea, 

 Rhodostethia rosea) which do not nest regu- 

 larly in the area considered here. 



The arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) is cir- 

 cumpolarly widespread and successful, where- 

 as the Aleutian tern (S. aleutica) is a very re- 

 stricted Beringean endemic, and its status 

 needs to be exactly known. 



Almost one-third of the seabirds in this area 

 are alcids, a family centered in the North 

 Pacific and, more specifically, in the Bering 

 Sea. Most species breed in enormous 

 rookeries. Any impact of civilization is highly 

 detrimental under such circumstances. Of the 

 four circumpolar species the two Uria guille- 

 mots (murres) are important. The dovekie 

 (Alle alle) is a sparse pioneer of Bering Strait, 

 as is the black guillemot (Cepphus grylle) on 

 our side of the Arctic Sea. Its congener, the 

 pigeon guillemot (C. columba), is common and 

 successful all the way to coastal central Cali- 

 fornia. Of the remaining 11 species, special at- 



tention should be paid to the whiskered auklet 

 (Aethia pygmaea) of the Aleutian chain; the 

 Kittlitz's murrelet (Brachyramphus breviros- 

 tris) of the eastern Beringean and southern 

 Alaska coast; and to the widespread, but very 

 sporadic rhinoceros auklet, or puffin (Cero- 

 rhinca monocerata). 



To sum up, I have tabulated these 42 

 species, and indicated whether modern life- 

 history and population studies are extant: 



Procellariiformes 

 Phalacrocorax 

 Anseres 

 Anates 

 Lari 

 Sterni 

 Alcidae 

 Total 



Thus, 28 species await studies preliminary to, 

 and highly necessary for, conservation 

 measures. 



Seventeen species of marine birds are 

 spread either circumpolarly around the north- 

 ern perimeter or along the north-south coasts 

 of the Laurasian continents. Four of these are 

 of the High Arctic (Branta bernicla, Somateria 

 spectabilis, Xema sabini, Alle alle); another 

 seven penetrate the Bering Sea as well (Ful- 

 marus glacialis, Somateria mollissima, Clan- 

 gula hyemalis, Larus hyperboreus, Rissa tri- 

 dactyla, Sterna paradisaea, Uria lomvia); and 

 six are panboreal-subboreal, widespread in 

 their distribution Oceanodroma leucorhoa 

 (extends far south), Histrionicus histrionicus, 

 Larus argentatus (widespread latitudinally), 

 L. canus (also inland), Uria aalge, and Cep- 

 phus grylle. 



Seventeen species of marine birds are en- 

 demic to Beringia: Anser canagicus, Poly- 

 sticta stelleri, Somateria fischeri, Rissa brevi- 

 rostris, and Aethia pusilla (and the extinct 

 Phalacrocorax perspicillatus); P. urile, Sterna 

 aleutica, Aethia pygmaea, A. cristatella, and 

 Cyclorrhynchus extend westward to the Sea 

 of Okhotsk, as do Brachyramphus breviros- 

 tris and Larus glaucescens, which also extend 

 eastward; and Phalacrocorax pelagicus, 

 Cepphus columba, Fratercula corniculata, and 



