Twenty-eight species of shore birds of the families Charadriidae and
Scolopacidae have been recorded from Micronesia, and one other of the
family Phalaropodidae apparently occurs in the area, making a total of
29 kinds. From the entire Southwest Pacific, Mayr (1945a:28-47) lists 31
species and subspecies of shore birds and mentions six other species
which may occur there. Thus, of a possible 37 kinds of shore birds in
this large area (which includes Micronesia), 29 are present in the
islands of Micronesia. For purposes of discussion, shore birds are here
placed in one of two groups: regular visitors or uncommon visitors. A
regular visitor is one which has been recorded in the literature or in
unpublished field accounts as being frequently observed in Micronesia in
periods of migration. An uncommon visitor is one which has been
infrequently observed in Micronesia. Of the 28 kinds of shore birds
recorded from Micronesia, 17 are classed as regular visitors and 11 are
classed as uncommon visitors.