The Endemic Avifauna of Saipan, Tinian, Guam and Palau

Marshall, Joe

In the year from December, 1944, to December, 1945, I made a zoological collection, chiefly animals of medical interest, on the islands of Saipan, Tinian, Guam and Palau in Micronesia. These were obtained for the United States Army Medical Museum. Birds were collected incidentally to procuring a collection of mammals and their ectoparasites; they were turned over to the United States National Museum by the Army Medical Museum. Richard E. Genelly worked with me on Tinian and generously provided the photographs used in this paper. In my spare time I recorded field observations and prepared a series of study skins, some skeletons and alcoholics of birds which were sent to the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. Through the courtesy of Herbert Friedmann of the United States National Museum the first-mentioned bird skins were loaned to the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology where the following account of the endemic land and fresh-water species was prepared. It is based upon the 579 specimens collected by Genelly and myself and upon my field notes. Color of soft parts, degree of completion of the skull roof, size of gonads, stomach contents, amount of fat and stage in the molt sequence were recorded. I searched also for blood parasites in the species taken on Saipan and Tinian. Further information was obtained, though not reported here. Samuel A. Edgar identified intestinal parasites and Henry S. Dybas identified arthropods in the stomachs and collected ectoparasites, which were sent to the National Museum.

The Endemic Avifauna of Saipan, Tinian, Guam and Palau

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