Pedro Cerqueira Lima

Banded Roseate Terns from different continents trapped in the Azores

Abstract Banded Roseate Terns (Sterna dougallii) trapped on nests in the Azores illustrate that, during the nonbreeding season, birds from the Azores are found on the coast of Africa in groups of Roseate Terns from northern Europe and on the coast of South America with birds from the northeastern U.S. and the Caribbean. One Roseate Tern, probably originally banded on a nest in a western Atlantic colony, suggests the possibility of gene flow between these colonies and the Azores.

The Pink Feather Blush of the Roseate Tern

Abstract Roseate Terns (Sterna dougallii) were observed and/or netted on the coast of Bahia, Brazil in January and/or February from 1996 through 2003 as well as in November 2005. The breasts of almost all netted Roseate Terns examined were washed with pink. Analysis of breast feathers taken from birds during the breeding season indicates the pink color is carotenoid-based, with astaxanthin as a major component. Pigment concentration was low, measured in micrograms of carotenoids per gram of feather (maximum recorded 6.2 μg of carotenoids g-1 of feathers), compared to milligram quantities in overtly red feathers in other species, and varied markedly among individuals. A pink blush apparently characterizes the plumage of the Roseate Tern for most of the year, often being more prominent in January/February during the non-breeding season than in breeding birds in May.

Migration routes and non-breeding areas of Common Terns (Sterna hirundo) from the Azores

Abstract We describe the migration routes and non-breeding areas of Common Terns (Sterna hirundo) from the Azores Archipelago, based on ringing (banding) recoveries and tracking of three birds using geolocators. Over 20 years, there have been 55 transatlantic recoveries of Common Terns from the Azores population: six from Argentina and 49 from Brazil. The three tracked birds migrated south in different months (August, September, November), but the northern migration was more synchronous, with all leaving in April. The birds were tracked to three areas of the South American coast: the male spent November—April on the northern Brazilian coast (13°N–2°S), whereas the two females first spent some time off central-eastern Brazil (4–16°S; one for 1 week, the other for 3 months) and then moved south to the coast of south-eastern Brazil, Uruguay and northern Argentina (24–39°S). Although caution is needed given the small sample size and errors associated with geolocation, the three tracked terns potentially travelled a total of ∼23 200 km to and returning from their non-breeding areas, representing an average movement of ∼500 km day−1. With the exception of Belém, in northern Brazil, and Lagoa do Peixe, in southern Brazil, the coastal areas used by the tracked birds were also those with concentrations of ringing recoveries, confirming their importance as non-breeding areas for birds from the Azores.