Gulls in the Central Pacific 1 
Fred C. Sibley 2 and Robert W. McFarlane 3 
Published information on the distribution of 
gulls in the central Pacific Ocean is limited to 
reports covering accidental or vagrant individ- 
uals of nine species. Reports for the central 
Pacific prior to 1961 were summarized by Bryan 
(1958) and Udvardy (1961), and all subse- 
quent published records have appeared in The 
Elepaio, the journal of the Hawaiian Audubon 
Society (Walker, 1961; Bryan, 1962, 1964; 
Ord, 1962, 1963*, 1963b, 1963c, 1964). Papers 
by King (1955), Bourne (1965), and Fry 
(1966) present three gull records from other 
central Pacific islands. 
Data collected through May 1966 increase 
our knowledge of gull distribution and provide 
the first quantified information on gull occur- 
rence in the Hawaiian Islands. The 41 speci- 
mens of eight species and 50 other sight records 
more than double the number of gull records 
from the central Pacific. Biweekly field reports 
from Kure Atoll provide the first positive in- 
formation on arrival and departure dates. Most 
of the new records from the Hawaiian Islands 
have been summarized by Clapp and Woodward 
(in press) and those from the Line Islands and 
Phoenix Islands by Clapp and Sibley (1967). 
During 1963 the Pacific Ocean Biological 
Survey Program (POBSP) of the Smithsonian 
Institution began a study of the central Pacific 
area emphasizing bird distribution and move- 
ments. Investigators of the POBSP have visited 
most of the islands between latitudes 30 °N and 
10°S and longitudes 150°W and 180°W (i.e., 
the Hawaiian, Line, Phoenix, and Tokelau 
islands), maintained year-round field stations 
on Kure and Johnston atolls, and accumulated 
thousands of hours of pelagic observations. 
We are greatly indebted to all members of 
1 Paper 26, Pacific Ocean Biological Survey Pro- 
gram, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C. 
20560. Manuscript received June 13, 1967. 
2 Present address: Bureau of Sport Fisheries and 
Wildlife, 1013 Sunset Place, Ojai, California 93023. 
3 Department of Zoology, University of Florida, 
Gainesville, Florida. 
POBSP who assisted in the collection of these 
data and to Mrs. Roxie Laybourne and Dr. 
Lester Short, U.S. National Museum, who iden- 
tified some of the specimens. 
RECORDS FROM THE 
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS 
Ten species have been recorded in the litera- 
ture: Larus argentatus, L. calif ornicus, L. dela- 
warensis, L. glaucescens, L. hyperboreus, L. 
occidentalis, L. Philadelphia, L. pipixcan, and 
Rissa tridactyla as accidentals or occasional strag- 
glers, L. novae-hollandiae as a zoo escapee and 
L. occidentalis as an introduction. Neither of 
the latter two species became established. 
Table 1 presents data on all identifiable gull 
specimens collected through March 1966. In 
February and March of 1963, 12 gulls of three 
species were collected in the Leeward Hawaiian 
Islands. At least 8 other gulls were seen (6 on 
Midway and 2 on Kure), and 3 unidentifiable 
carcasses were found on beaches (2 on Midway 
and 1 on Kure). 
During the period September 1963 to July 
1965 from one to three observers were present 
on Green Island, Kure Atoll, and species ob- 
servations were made continuously. The 3 -mile 
perimeter of the island was patrolled at least 
every third day and special emphasis was placed 
on the sighting and collection of gulls. Al- 
though gulls roosted on an isolated sand bar 
west of the island, they spent part of every day 
on Green Island and it is unlikely that many 
were overlooked during the two years of ob- 
servation. 
No gulls were seen on Kure Atoll during the 
winter of 1963-1964 and none were seen on a 
trip to the Leeward Hawaiian Islands in March 
1964. 
During the winter of 1964— 1965 at least 22 
individual gulls were present on Kure Atoll. 
The number sighted during each 2 -week period 
and the minimum number for that period are 
presented in Table 2. The daily variation in 
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