NOTES: NESTING OF FORSTER’S TERN IN A TROPICAL COASTAL LAGOON, CUYUTLÁN, COLIMA, MEXICO

Abstract

Forster’s Tern (Sterna forsteri) nests mostly from central Canada to the central United States and has scattered colonies along both coasts of North America, south to northern Baja California along the west coast and to northern Tamaulipas along the east coast (Palacios and Alfaro 1991, Howell and Webb 1995, AOU 1998, McNicholl et al. 2001, Molina and Garrett 2001). In much of Mexico, Forster’s Tern is a common winter resident (Howell and Webb 1995, AOU 1998). During 2005, while doing field work on gulls and terns nesting in Laguna Cuyutlán, Colima, Mexico, we discovered 10 pairs of Forster’s Terns nesting.