. Atoll research bulletin. Coral reefs and islands; Marine biology; Marine sciences. 30. Figure 28. Nest site of Reef Heron in Pandanus on Roi-Namur. Photograph by W. L. Schipper, September 1979. Reef Herons probably breed at other islands of Kwajalein Atoll, but no nests were found in March 1988 despite careful searches of potential nesting areas. Records of breeding elsewhere in the Marshalls (Anderson 1981, Carpenter et al. 1968) and in the western Pacific (authors cited in Baker 1951) suggest peak breeding in June and July; but egg sets taken in Polynesia (Mayr and Amadon 1941) suggest a m
. Atoll research bulletin. Coral reefs and islands; Marine biology; Marine sciences. 30. Figure 28. Nest site of Reef Heron in Pandanus on Roi-Namur. Photograph by W. L. Schipper, September 1979. Reef Herons probably breed at other islands of Kwajalein Atoll, but no nests were found in March 1988 despite careful searches of potential nesting areas. Records of breeding elsewhere in the Marshalls (Anderson 1981, Carpenter et al. 1968) and in the western Pacific (authors cited in Baker 1951) suggest peak breeding in June and July; but egg sets taken in Polynesia (Mayr and Amadon 1941) suggest a more extended breeding season in other parts of the range. Birds seen during this survey mostly foraged in tide-pools and on reef-flats (Figure 29), where they presumably took fish, crustaceans, and mollusks (cf. Marshall 1951, Woodbury 1962). Others foraged on grassy areas, but usually near the shoreline. Birds on Ennylabagen seemed particularly prone to feed in grassy fields; they also feed in such areas on Roi-Namur (Schipper pers. coram.). Food taken in grassy areas is presumably largely insects and other invertebrates, but Schipper (pers. comm.) has noted them feeding on lizards and rats. They have previously been recorded capturing the Azure-tailed Ski nk (Emoia cyanura) at Arno Atoll in the Marshalls (Marshall 1951) and presumably do so at Kwajalein. Local informants also said that they feed on rats on Ujai Atoll (Fosberg, pers. comm.) Reef Herons occur in three plumage morphs: completely white; dark blue-gray: and "mottled," white variegated with varying amounts of blue-gray. The latter are not juveniles as birds are known to breed. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Smithsonian Institution. Press; National Research Council (U. S. ). Pacific Science Board; Smithsonian Institutio
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