Table 3. Coastal Colonial Nesting Waterbird Populations in the New York Bight Watershed 1985, 1989, and 1995

Scientific name Common name Estimated Number of Nesting Pairs (Number of Colonies)      
      1985 1989 1995
           
PELECANIFORMES (Totipalmate Swimmers):          
Phalacrocorax auritus double-crested cormorant   0 (0) 1,722 (3) 1,806 (3)
           
CICONIIFORMES (Herons, Ibises, and Storks):          
Bubulcus ibis cattle egret   871 (7) 230 (8) 71 (8)
Casmerodius albus great egret   688 (35) 979 (33) 970 (39)
Egretta caerulea little blue heron   175 (18) 275 (25) 248 (23)
Egretta thula snowy egret   2,239 (40) 3,862 (38) 1,940 (40)
Egretta tricolor tricolored heron   197 (22) 290 (18) 222 (23)
Nycticorax violaceus yellow-crowned night-heron   134 (22) 67 (8) 109 (22)
Nycticorax nyticorax black-crowned night-heron   1,757 (49) 1,742 (45) 1,892 (42)
Plegadis falcinellus glossy ibis   1,567 (35) 1,905 (29) 2,093 (32)
           
CHARADRIIFORMES (Shorebirds, Gulls and Alcids):          
           
Charadriidae (Plovers):          
Charadrius melodus piping plover   163 (58) 246 (61) 292 (46)
           
Haematopodidae (Oystercatchers):          
Haematopus palliatus American oystercatcher   not surveyed 98 (25) 158 (44)
           
Laridae (Skuas, Gulls, Terns and Skimmers):          
Larus argentatus herring gull   17,952 (85) 26,124 (124) 14,359 (146)
Larus atricilla laughing gull   59,916 (74) 59,177 (34) 44,915 (120)
Larus marinus great black-backed gull   1,468 (64) 2,997 (71) 2,087 (97)
Rynchops niger black skimmer   906 (26) 937 (19) 1,101 (33)
Sterna antillarum least tern   2,228 (33) 3,913 (36) 4,042 (38)
Sterna caspia caspian tern   0 (0) 0 (0) 4 (3)
Sterna dougallii roseate tern   361 (2) 209 (4) 119 (6)
Sterna forsteri Forster's tern   2,169 (33) 2,072 (33) 4,463 (66)
Sterna hirundo common tern   35,296 (97) 40,926 (114) 11,385 (86)
Sterna nilotica gull-billed tern   32 (7) 4 (2) 36 (7)
           
           
Notes:          
Based primarily on helicopter surveys in New Jersey and ground counts in New York          
Conversions from adults to nesting pairs based on Erwin and Korschgen 1979 as modified by Litwin et al. 1993 for New York State          
American Oystercatcher surveyed in New York only, first year surveyed in New York was 1986          
1995 survey in New York lumped colonies that were recorded as indivual colonies in previous surveys          
           
           

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