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Volume 53, No. 1

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Modeling breeding habitat preferences of Tahiti Petrel Pseudobulweria rostrata on Ta‘ū, American Samoa.


Authors

ANDREW J. TITMUS1,2, & CHRISTOPHER A. LEPCZYK3,4*

1Department of Biology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, USA
2Current address: National Science Foundation, Alexandria, Virginia, USA
3Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, USA
4Current address: College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA *(lepczyk@auburn.edu)

Citation

Titmus, A. J., & Lepczyk, C. A. 2025. Modeling breeding habitat preferences of Tahiti Petrel Pseudobulweria rostrata on Ta‘ū, American Samoa. . Marine Ornithology 53: 13 - 19
http://doi.org/10.5038/2074-1235.53.1.1617

Received 16 October 2023, accepted 15 July 2024

Date Published: 2025/04/15
Date Online: 2025/02/02
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Key words: spatial models, petrels, habitat survey, distribution models, tropical Pacific

Abstract

Understanding the prevalence and use of breeding habitat of seabird species is important for evaluating appropriate conservation and management strategies. Seabirds are one taxonomic group for which we have relatively few species distribution studies, particularly on remote islands. To address this limitation, the goals of this study were to (1) build and use a species distribution model to identify which differences in habitat structure, physical characteristics, and environmental conditions affect Tahiti Petrel Pseudobulweria rostrata nesting presence on the island of Ta‘ū, American Samoa; and (2) evaluate how important nesting habitat characteristics can identify the fine-scale extent and location of suitable Tahiti Petrel breeding habitat throughout the summit region of Ta‘ū. We found that closed canopy cover and higher altitudes best predicted Tahiti Petrel nesting locations. We classified the summit montane rainforest habitat above 650 m by the presence of canopy species using supervised image classification. Of the 774.7 ha (7.474 km2) of habitat classified, 63.8% was covered by canopy species, and a total of 254.1 ha (2.541 km2) of montane habitat was classified as most suitable for Tahiti Petrel nesting. Closed canopy cover was higher on the leeward side of the summit (80.02%) compared to the windward side (46.50%). This difference is likely caused by a combination of prevailing winds and disturbances from storm events, which can significantly alter the amount and distribution of canopy vegetation. This pattern highlights the importance of considering breeding habitat availability when assessing the conservation needs of Tahiti Petrels.

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