Priorities for Future Research

Perusal of foregoing text indicates many areas of “no information,” all worthy of investigation. But for understanding the ecology and evolution of the Royal Tern, we rank the following as deserving the greatest and most immediate attention:

(1) Obtaining representative series of specimens of austral S. m. maxima and S. m. albididorsalis and then publication of their measurements, sorted by age and sex.

(2) Accurate breeding distributions and population sizes of boreal S. m. maxima south of the U.S.-Mexico border, of austral S. m. maxima everywhere, and of S. m. albididorsalis .

(3) Molecular studies of boreal and austral S. m. maxima and S. m. albididorsalis to suggest their likely specific statuses relative to each other.

(4) Molecular studies of all crested-tern populations and named subspecies to suggest their likely specific statuses relative to each other.

(5) Detailed analysis of all boreal S. m. maxima band recoveries to confirm individual and population movements and interchanges.

(6) Detailed analysis of all band recoveries for development of lifetables, survivorship estimates, and population modeling for all Royal Tern populations, especially considering possible importance of metapopulations.

(7) Quantification of hatching and fledging rates and factors influencing them.

(8) Quantitative description of austral S. m. maxima ’s and of S. m. albididorsalis ’s downy chick and Juvenal plumages.

(9) Quantitative description of variation in plumages and molts of boreal and austral S. m. maxima and S. m. albididorsalis .

(10) Quantification of colony turnover dynamics throughout ranges of boreal and austral S. m. maxima and S. m. albididorsalis .

(11) Quantification of crèche dynamics in boreal and austral S. m. maxima and S. m. albididorsalis .