Count data for twelve species of seabird from Aride Island Nature Reserve, Seychelles were reviewed from 1988 to 2000. The numbers of six of the ten breeding species remained relatively stable during the period, while those of one species, the White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus) underwent a 60% decline. Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii) numbers significantly declined between 1987 and 1993, followed by a significant increase between 1994 and 2000. Current count data for Audubon’s Shearwater (Puffinus l’herminieri) and the Wedge-tailed Shearwater (P. pacificus) are insufficient to establish trends. The maximum annual count of roosting non-breeding frigatebirds (Fregrata spp.) increased steadily throughout the period. The island has internationally important numbers of breeding seabirds (330,000-720,000 pairs per annum), including the largest known colony of Audubon’s Shearwater, the largest colony of the declining Roseate Tern in Seychelles, and the largest known colony of the nominate subspecies of Lesser Noddy (Anous tenuirostris).
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1 March 2002
Trends in Seabird Numbers on Aride Island Nature Reserve, Seychelles 1988-2000
John Bowler,
Michael Betts,
Ian Bullock,
Jaime A. Ramos
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Waterbirds
Vol. 25 • No. 1
March 2002
Vol. 25 • No. 1
March 2002
Aride Island
count methodologies
Roseate Tern
seabirds
Seychelles
White-tailed Tropicbird