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W. SNOW Volume 115 No. 1 March 1995 FORTHCOMING MEETINGS Tuesday, 25 April 1995. Mr D. A. Turner who is well known to visitors to East Africa, will be visiting Britain and will speak on “Ornithology in East Africa, looking back over the last thirty years and into the 21st century”’. Those wishing to attend are asked to notify the Hon. Treasurer by Tuesday, 11 April 1995*. Tuesday, 23 May 1995. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING at 6 p.m. Followed by the evening meeting at which Dr David Thomas of the University of Wales returns to speak, on this occasion on “Cool birds in hot deserts”. The subject of the talk is the sandgrouse—members will already know of the remarkable work done by Dr Thomas in this field. Those wishing to attend the evening meeting are asked to notify Miss H. Baker by Tuesday, 9 May 1995*. Tuesday, 20 June 1995. Dr Carlo Violani of Milan and of Pavia University will speak on ““Tommaso Salvadori and his ornithologi- cal world”. Dr Violani will speak on one of Italy’s best known ornithologists, Count Ardelado Tommaso Salvadori Paleotti (1835— 1923). Those wishing to attend are asked to notify the Hon. Treasurer by Tuesday, 6 Fune 1995*. Tuesday, 18 July 1995. Mr David Fisher will speak on “‘Birds of Mongolia’’. *Late acceptances and cancellations can usually be taken up to the Thursday preceding a meeting. Meetings are held in the Sherfield Building of Imperial College, South Kensington, London at 6.15 p.m. for 7 p.m. A map showing Imperial College will be sent to members on request. Overseas Members visiting Britain are particularly welcome at meetings. Details can be obtained from the Hon. Secretary, 1 Uppingham Road, Oakham, Rutland LE15 6JB. Telephone (01572) 722788. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 Apart from single copies made for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under UK law, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, except with prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the Editor; for address see inside back cover. 1 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) Bulletin of the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Vol. 115 No. 1 Published 24 March 1995 REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE FOR 1994 Meetings. Eleven meetings were held during 1994. ‘Ten evening meetings were held at Imperial College and a second Club visit was made on 22 April to the Sub-department of Ornithology at The Natural History Museum at Tring. A total of 429 attended these meetings, 276 members and 153 guests, which is above the average attendance of recent years despite the steady increase in the charges for meetings made by Imperial College since 1991. The 1994 programme included a presentation by Mr John Burton of early films of ornithological interest retrieved from the National Film Archive; and speakers during the year included Dr Storrs Olson, Mr Martin Woodcock, Dr Peter Lack, Mr Richard ffrench and Mr John Wyatt. An extra meeting was arranged in August when Professor Jacques Vielliard, of Sdo Paulo, spoke. Mr Tom Gullick introduced Rafael Heredia who spoke on the Lammergeier in the Pyrenees at a well attended meeting in October in the Rector’s House. We are most grateful to Mr Gullick for arranging Senor Heredia’s visit to London. Committee. The Committee met 7 times in 1994 and the attendance was 78%. The first of the series of Occasional Publications, Extinct and Endangered Birds in the collections of The Natural History Museum by Alan Knox and Michael Walters, was seen through the press by Dr J. F. Monk and was published in May. The Committee are now actively considering publication of a second title of the series. Mr Peal has continued the work of completing the stock of back-numbers of the Bulletin for all years. The Committee is most grateful to Mrs F. E. Warr who looks after the stock of back-numbers of the Bulletin, dealing with their despatch and with that of separates for authors. During the 102 years of its existence the Club has accumulated considerable amounts of archive material. Arrangements are presently being made for these to be collected in one place and collated. The Committee is indebted to Mr N. H. F. Stone who is undertaking the work of collating and cataloguing the material before it is placed on permanent loan in the Library of The Natural History Museum through the kind offices of Mr I. R. Bishop. A Club badge, a sterling silver brooch in the form of an Ibis, has been produced by Messers Gittings for sale by the Club. Membership. Paid-up membership increased during the year from 574 to 583 at 31 December 1994. 354 members have addresses within the U.K. and 229 overseas. There were 35 new members in 1994, 9 mem- bers resigned and 31 failed to pay their subscriptions, and 14 members Annual General Meeting 2 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) who were in arrears in 1993 and 1994 became fully paid-up members. Each new member elected to the Union in 1994 was sent the new recruitment leaflet and an invitation to become a member of the Club. Bulletin Sales. Non-member Subscribers were 138, 20 in the U.K. and 118 overseas. Although there was a welcome increase overall and an increase of 12 in the number of Overseas Subscribers, the reduction of Subscribers within the U.K. may reflect the continued reduced funding for books and journals for institutions here. Bulletin. Volume 114 consisted of 280 pages, and contained 39 main papers and 11 shorter (In Brief) contributions. There was one colour plate. Papers included descriptions of 9 new subspecies (7 Afrotropical, 1 Central American, 1 Pacific Ocean), also field descriptions of 6 probably new taxa from a very little known part of New Guinea. New distributional data were published for Siberia, Liberia, New Guinea, Mexico and three South American countries. Among papers of special interest may be mentioned the first ornithological survey of the Fakfak Mountains of Irian Jaya, evidence for a major southward extension of the range of Garden Warblers wintering in South Africa, the discovery of the nest and egg of Loria’s Bird of Paradise, the first detailed field observations of the endemic Javan Scops Owl, and a critical review of American migration routes of the Arctic Tern, correcting previous errors and providing evidence for a hitherto unknown migration route through or along the coast of western Mexico. There was the usual variety of papers dealing with points of distribution and taxonomy. ‘The 63 authors were from 21 countries and 5 continents. Finance. Investment income accrued as budgeted for, allowing operating expenditure to be generally matched by total income, having regard amongst others to the relatively modest level of current subscription rates. The Herbert Stevens Fund yielded net income and associated Inland Revenue tax recovered as planned although the underlying portfolio value did not change significantly, reflecting market trends. The C.O.I.F. investments yielded gross income at relatively modest interest rates, increasing slightly towards the year end. Sale of publications, including the special Centenary Volume 112A and Occasional Publication No. 1, and goods continued to contribute significantly to total income. The Lloyds current account was closed at the beginning of the year. Credit card transactions continued to be requested extensively by Members and non-member Subscribers. The Accounts for 1994, which are not yet available, will be tabled at the Annual General Meeting and published subsequently in the Bulletin. Members wishing to have copies before the Annual General Meeting are asked to apply to the Honorary Treasurer. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The Annual General Meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Club will be held in the Ante-room of the Sherfield Building, Imperial College, London SW7 at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, 23 May 1995. Meetings 3 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) AGENDA 1. Minutes of the 1994 Annual General Meeting (see Bull. Brit. Orn. CPs 137): Report of the Committee and Accounts for 1994. The Bulletin. The election of Officers. The Committee proposes that: aah Dr D. W. Snow be re-elected Editor. (ii) Mrs A. M. Moore be re-elected Honorary Secretary until 31 December 1995 and Commander M. B. Casement, O.B.E., R.N. (Retd), be elected to succeed her from 1 January 1996. (iii) Mr S. J. Farnsworth be re-elected Honorary Treasurer. (iv) Dr R. P. Prys-Jones and Mr N. H. F. Stone be elected as members of the Committee (vice Dr J. F. Monk and Dr R. A. Cheke who retire by rotation). 5. Any other business of which notice shall have been given in accordance with Rule (12). ots By Order of the Committee AMBERLEY M. Moore, Honorary Secretary The eight hundred and forty-fourth meeting of the Club was held on Tuesday, 4 October 1994, at 6.15 p.m. at Imperial College, in the Rector’s House. 29 Members and 35 Guests attended. Members attending were: D. GrIFFIN (Chairman), T. M. GULLICK (who introduced the speaker), M. A. Apcock, Dr J. S. Aso, Miss H. Baker, P. J. BELMAN, Mrs D. BraDLEy, P. J. Butt, D. R. CaLpEr, Cdr M. B. Casement, R. D. CHANCELLOR, Professor R. CHANDLER, Dr R. A. CHEKE, S. J. FARNSWORTH, Revd T. W. GLapwin, R. H. KETTLE, I. T. Lewis, Mrs A. M. Moore, R. G. Morcan, Mrs M. Mutter, P. J. OLiver, R. E. F. Peat, R. C. Price, M. L. R. Romer, Dr C. Ryatt, D. S. Sart, P. WILLIAM SMITH, S. A. H. Statuam, N. H. F. STONE. Guests attending were: RAFAEL HEREDIA (Speaker), S. DE ALBUQUERQUE, M. ANDREWS, Sir JOHN BapenocH, Mrs J. BuLL, Mrs J. CaLper, M. H. Carsourn-SmiTu, C. E. J. Carter, Dr P. J. CasseL_Ton, T. B. Clark, Dr D. CLarke, Mrs J. CLarke, T. R. Cooke, M. J. Corrrett, Mrs F. FARNsworTH, Miss J. FENTON, J. Francis, Mrs J. GLADWIN, Mrs K. Guiiick, Mrs R. Herepia, Dr B. Herepia, Mrs B. Herepia, Mrs S. Lewis, W. Makins, Mrs F. Maxins, D. Mixing, P. J. Moore, R. Newton, Mrs E. Newron, A. Nussey, C. J. ParKER, Mrs M-C. Parker, Mrs B. Peat, Mrs S. SmitH, M. Watton. After supper Mr Gullick introduced Rafael Heredia who spoke on his work with Lammergeier in the Pyrenees since 1970. A summary of his talk appears below. The Spanish population of the Lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus has shrunk from virtually countrywide to only the Pyrenees. Poison (mostly for wolves and foxes), the gun and egg collecting were responsible, and the last bird outside the Pyrenees was poisoned in the Sierra Cazorla in 1986. The Pyrenees has an estimated 70% of the European population; small numbers in Corsica and the Balkans, including Crete, are under extreme threat and both information and tight conservation are lacking. The massive re-introduction programme in the Alps may or may not succeed; none of the released birds has yet bred in the wild. In the Spanish Pyrenees, however, the population has been studied and aided. Luckily the Pyrenees are without wolves and the greatest enemy of the Lammergeier, strychnine poison, was never in wide use as elsewhere. The main problems have been nest robbing and unintentional human disturbance, also occasional food shortage. These threats are being countered by the watching of the more vulnerable nest sites, political intervention when tourist development threatens, and supplementary ‘bone-stocked’ feeding sites. Meetings 4 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) Feeding sites ensure food for chicks and perhaps also keep the sub-adult vultures in safer habitat than that to which they might stray if food became too short. Detailed monitoring of movements and studies including ‘wing-tagging’ and radio-tracking have shown that sub-adult mortality is much lower than expected. For example, out of 16 birds wing-tagged since 1986 all but 2 were still alive this year and each one survived its first full year. However is seems that the Lammergeier may well need to be 12 years old before it becomes a regular (annual) and effective breeder. Studies have also shown that the bone breaking (by dropping) is not to expose bone marrow but to splinter the bone into pieces which the bird can swallow whole, or even smaller pieces, which can be fed to the chick. Dead migrant birds exposed by the melting snows, even the size of a Robin, are frequently found in nests. Bone itself is much the main food and the chief sources are chamois, particularly after trophy hunting, marmots and hill sheep. Large areas for controlled chamois hunting will benefit the Lammergeier. The withdrawal of the EU subsidy on hill sheep would be a severe blow. Happily it seems that the Pyrenees population is showing a strong increase. Although surveys before 1984 cannot be considered thorough the number of pairs occupying breeding territories has increased from 48 in 1984 to 73 in 1994. Further optimism is justified by the fact that mortality of sub-adults is low, and the numbers reaching maturity, and therefore new breeding pairs, are increasing each year. This we can hope may lead to a gradual re-occupation of the old range elsewhere in Spain, such as the Picos de Europa. The days of study and experiment are past. The need now is for an increasing programme of nest vigilance, supplementary feeding and an understanding (voluntary or enforced) by tourist and social infrastructural developers that their activities should not affect the survival of the magnificent ‘‘Bone Breaker’’. After the dinner members and guests contributed over £400 to the fund BirdLife International is administering on behalf on Rafael Heredia, which is devoted solely to nest vigilance and supplementary feeding. The eight hundred and forty-fifth meeting of the Club was held on Tuesday, 8 November 1994, at 6.15 p.m. in the Ante-room of the Sherfield Building of Imperial College, South Kensington. 27 Members and 8 Guests attended. Members attending were: D. GRIFFIN (Chairman), The Reverend 'T. W. GLADWIN (Speaker), M. A. Apcock, Miss H. Baker, P. J. BELMAN, I. R. BrsHop, Mrs D. M. Brapb.ey, D. R. CaLpEer, Cdr M. B. Casement, Dr R. A. CHEKE, J. H. ELGoop, S. J. FaRNSwortTH, G. D. Fie_p, A. Gipps, Dr L. G. Grimes, C. A. R. HELM, Ms R-M. Jones, R. H. Kettrie, D. J. Montier, Dr J. F. Monx, Mrs A. M. Moores, R. G. Morcan, Mrs M. Mutter, J. G. Parker, R. E. F. Peat, Dr N. J. Skinner, N. H. F. STONE. Guests attending were: Mrs D. ANstEY, Mrs G. BonHamM, Mrs J. GLapwin, Mrs S. GRIFFIN, Mrs J. Grimes, Dr A. MELLAND, Mrs M. Montier, P. J. Moore. The Vice-chairman, the Reverend T. W. Gladwin, was the speaker after supper. He spoke of spring and autumn visits he had made in the east of the United States of America. Besides an account of the avifauna of the Appalachian Mountains and their watershed he gave an overview of the natural history of the Georgian seaboard and its islands, and of the wooded swamplands of the coastal area. He described the habitats and feeding ecology of the birds, particularly the warblers, over the area and discussed some of the effects of air pollution in the eastern deciduous forests and montane woodland of the Appalachians. The eight hundred and forty-sixth meeting of the Club was held on Tuesday, 6 December 1994, at 6.15 p.m. in the Ante-room of the Sherfield Building of Imperial College, South Kensington. 25 Members and 12 Guests attended. Meetings 5 Bull. B.OLG. 1995; 115(1) Members attending were: The Revd T. W. GLapwIn (in the Chair), M. P. WALTERS (Speaker), M. A. Apcock, Miss H. Baker, P. J. BELMaNn, I. R. Bishop, D. R. CALDER, Dr M. Carswe.__, Cdr M. B. CasEeMENT, Professor R. CHANDLER, Dr R. A. CHEKE, A. GIBBS, C. A. R. Herm, Ms R-M. Jones, Dr C. F. Mann, D. J. Montier, Mrs A. M. Moore, R. G. Morcan, Mrs M. Mutter, R. E. F. Peat, Dr R. Pr¥s-JoNgEs, Dr R. C. SELF, Dr D. W. Snow, N. H. F. Stone, Mrs F. E. Warr, Professor W. E. Waters. Guests attending were: Mrs G. BonHam, Mrs J. CALDER, S. Drovetsku, Mrs J. Guapwin, Miss C. Horr, Mrs M. Montirr, P. J. Moore, P. MuLuer, Mrs S. STONE, J. Warr, G. VOELKER. After supper the Vice-Chairman congratulated Mr Maurice Adcock on his recent award of the Bernard Tucker Medal by the British Trust for Ornithology. Mr Gladwin said that Mr Adcock has been involved for many years in ringing projects of the Trust, particularly innovatory work on the seabirds of the south Essex coast. It was with great pleasure that members heard that this work has been recognised by the Trust’s award. Mr Michael Walters of the Sub-department of Ornithology of the British Museum spoke on the history of ornithology. He traced its history from the earliest times to the end of the nineteenth century. Some of the most important ornithologists over the centuries were discussed, commencing with Aristotle, whose writings remained the principal authority on the subject for 1500 years. It was in the eighteenth century with the work of Linnaeus, Brisson and Buffon that ornithology really emerged as the serious discipline we know today. Brief diversions into general zoology were necessary to explain the gradual development of the mutability of species, and some of the more bizarre taxonomic arrangements of the past, such as the Quinary system. The work of the world’s leading museums and the voyages of exploration which provided the specimens that stocked these museums were discussed. It was pointed out that while the eighteenth century was an era of expansion in both discovery and knowledge, it was also an era of considerable extinction, and unfortunately the importance of much of the material being collected was not appreciated at the time. As a result, many unique specimens have now been lost. The tragic dispersal of the great collection of Sir Ashton Lever meant that many unique types of now extinct species were lost for ever. The introduction of the use of trinomials was a matter which occupied the closing part of the talk. Many portraits of leading ornithologists accompanied the discussion, where possible with pictures of the birds named after them. R.W. Furness S& L. R. Monteiro 6 Bull. B.O:C. 1995, 115(1) Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus in the Azores: first breeding record for Europe by Robert W. Furness & Luis R. Monteiro Received 17 December 1993 In September 1993 we visited many islands in the Azores to study seabird populations and ecology. We spent four days and three nights on a small islet ‘Ilheu de Baixo’ (39°00'N, 27°57'W) off Graciosa in the central group of the Azores archipelago. This islet has steep cliffs of volcanic rock, an area of boulders below one cliff, and a cap of compact gravelly soil crowning the summit. The highest point of the crown is 73m above sea level. The islet has populations of Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris diomedea (about 150 burrows contained well-grown chicks during our visit, with most occupied burrows between boulders or in shallow soil below the cliffs), Madeiran Storm Petrel Oceanodroma castro (large numbers were visiting nest sites in preparation for breeding, most activity being over the boulder-fields below the cliffs), Little Shearwater Puffinus assimilis (small numbers were active at night amongst the storm petrels but this species is a winter breeder here), Yellow-legged Gulls Larus cachinnans atlantis (in May 1993 about 300 pairs were estimated to breed in the colonies, some on an area of boulder-field but most on the summit cap of the islet; during our visit adults were attending the colony but their chicks had fledged and almost all fledglings had dispersed). Small numbers of Common Terns Sterna hirundo were present on the edges of the islet but breeding had clearly finished much earlier in the summer. The upper slopes of the islet are difficult to reach as they are surrounded by a vertical belt of rock or compacted grit cliff with only one point of ascent, and that being slightly awkward. The upper slopes consist of patches of bare grit, short grass and areas of densely growing flowering plants. In September these had died due to the normal summer shortage of water and were standing to form a canopy of flower stems and heads about 1 m off the soil surface. The majority of the gull territories lay over much of these slopes, with nest sites still evident, though the postbreeding adult gulls were mainly forming large flocks on the less vegetated patches. Close to the summit of the islet and on the edge of the gull colony we found a Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus incubating a single egg in a scrape underneath the thin canopy of dried plants. The bird was immediately recognisable to species because of its size, white plumage with characteristic black markings on the nape, back and shoulders, its heavy blood-red bill, narrow pointed wings and broad tail (though the elongated white central tail feather was broken short). It remained with its egg despite our approaching to within | m, turned to face us, arched its wings, raised its tail and neck feathers and opened its bill in threat. About 1m from the nest scrape lay a second egg, closely similar in size R.W. Furness S& L. R. Monteiro 7 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) and markings to the one in the nest, but pierced and empty. We assume that this broken egg represented an earlier clutch laid by the same pair, but lost to gull predation, and that the egg being incubated was a replacement clutch. We left the bird on its egg and returned about an hour later with ringing and measuring equipment and cameras. The egg measured 56.6 by 43.4 mm and was ovate (neither end being markedly broader), matt off-white with considerable rusty-brown speckling and smudging. The incubating bird weighed 680g, and measurements were: wing length (maximum chord) 308 mm, head- plus-bill 116 mm, bill length (culmen) 59.3 mm, bill depth at gonys 14.1 mm, bill depth at nostril 18.5 mm. These measurements fall within the range given for the tropical North Atlantic subspecies P. a. mesonauta (Cramp & Simmons 1977), which would be the most likely to occur since this subspecies breeds in the Cape Verde Islands and West Indies. The bird had a bright blood-red bill, a pronounced black eye-stripe and jet black barring on the back, characters typical of this subspecies and ruling out the nominate P. a. aethereus (South Atlantic) and P. a. indicus (Indian Ocean). We ringed the bird, put a small spot on its forehead with an indelible marker pen, and released it back onto its egg. It immediately postured aggressively, uttering a harsh and loud churring noise for about ten seconds before settling onto its egg and resuming incubation. We returned to visit the nest after 4, 15 and 24 hours, finding the same individual on the egg on each visit. The partner was never seen and the incubating bird was not seen away from its nest. However. we left the islet on 24 September so were unable to continue observations. During a very brief return visit in late October 1993 there was no sign of the adults and the nest site was empty, so the breeding attempt clearly failed. Since the interval between egg loss and laying of a replacement clutch is about 42-112 days and incubation lasts for about 43 days (Cramp & Simmons 1977), the first egg was probably laid in May, and so the tropicbird would have been breeding alongside the Yellow-legged Gulls and on the edge of that colony. The gull colony probably provided the stimulus for the birds to attempt breeding on this islet, tropicbirds being highly social breeders. There are not only no previous breeding records in Europe, but also very few European records of vagrant Red-billed Tropicbirds. The species is not migratory and rarely occurs outside its normal tropical range. Red-billed ‘Tropicbird was listed by Le Grand (1983) as a possible but unconfirmed very rare or accidental visitor to the Azores. Cramp & Simmons (1977) report two records from Madeira; one in 1893, and one in 1966. However, in the last few years there seem to have been an unusually high number of sightings north of the normal range of Cape Verde birds. In addition to our breeding record, there is a recent unreported sighting of two tropicbirds near Condor Bank, about 150km SW of Graciosa, in late October 1991 (Bill Herbert, pers. comm.). Sight records have been reported from the Canaries (24 March, 12 and 19 April 1991; 23 May 1992; Anon 1991, 1992) and a dead immature was found on a beach in Suffolk in February 1993 R.W. Furness & L. R. Monteiro 8 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) (Anon 1993). This last may be of doubtful status, as was a winter beached tropicbird in the Netherlands in 1985 (Bruinzeel 1986). Whether the sight records from the Canaries and our breeding record represent the start of a range extension to northern Macaronesia is not clear, nor is the source of these birds. Bannerman & Bannerman (1968) reported that there had been “‘an alarming decline’ in numbers and breeding distribution of Red-billed Tropicbirds in the Cape Verde Islands during the 1950s and 60s, the population having fallen to less than 1000 individuals by the late 1960s (de Naurois 1969). We have no information on more recent population trends in that group. Le Grand et al. (1984) provide no information subsequent to the surveys of de Naurois (1969). However, it is perhaps as likely that the birds breeding in the Azores originated from the population in the West Indies as from the Cape Verde Islands. Halewyn & Norton (1984) considered the population of Red-billed 'Tropicbirds in the Caribbean to be above 1600 pairs and probably stable in numbers, so it seems that the west Atlantic holds about three-quarters of the population of this subspecies. Acknowledgements Fieldwork was supported by grants from Junta Nacional de Investigagao Cientifica e Tecnologica grants BD/2289/92-IG and STRDB/C/MAR/228/92. We thank W.R.P. Bourne for advice on recent records of tropicbirds. References: Anon 1991. Recent WP reports. Dutch Birding 13: 154-156. Anon 1992. Recent WP reports. Dutch Birding 14: 149-152. Anon 1993. Recent WP reports. Dutch Birding 15: 82-90. Bannerman, D. A. & Bannerman, W. M. 1968. History of the Birds of the Cape Verde Islands. Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh. Bruinzeel, L. W. 1986. Red-billed tropicbird at Egmond aan Zee in January 1985 (Dutch with English summary). Dutch Birding 8: 45-48. Cramp, S. & Simmons, K. E. L. (eds) 1977. The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. 1. Oxford Univ. Press. Le Grand, G. 1983. Check list of the birds of the Azores. Arquipelago Ser. Cienc. Nat. 4: 49-58. Le Grand, G., Emmerson, K. & Martin, A. 1984. The status and conservation of seabirds in the Macaronesian islands. Pp. 377-391 in J. P. Croxall, P. G. H. Evans & R. W. Schreiber (eds), Status and Conservation of the World’s Seabirds. |CBP Tech. Publ. No. 2, Cambridge. van Halewyn, R. & Norton, R. L. 1984. The status and conservation of seabirds in the Caribbean. Pp. 169-222 in J. P. Croxall, P. G. H. Evans & R. W. Schreiber (eds), Status and Conservation of the World’s Seabirds. I1CBP ‘Tech. Publ. No. 2, Cambridge. de Naurois, R. 1969. Notes bréves sur lPavifaune de l’archipel du Cap-vert. Faunistique, endémisme, écologie. Bull. Inst. Fond. Afrique Noire 31: 143-218. Addresses: R. W. Furness, Applied Ornithology Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, U.K. L. R. Monteiro, Department of Oceanography and Fisheries, University of the Azores, 9900 Horta, Azores. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 L.R. Monteiro S R. W. Furness 9 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) Fea’s Petrel Pterodroma feae in the Azores by Luis R. Monteiro & Robert W. Furness ~ Received 20 December 1993 Three species of gadfly petrel closely related to the Soft-plumaged Petrel Pterodroma mollis of the southern hemisphere occur in the North Atlantic (Bourne 1983, in press). All three are Red Data Book species, listed as rare or endangered (Collar & Stuart 1985). The Bermuda Petrel P. cahow breeds only in Bermuda where it has been brought back from the verge of extinction by intensive conservation measures (Lever 1984). The Freira (Madeira Petrel) P. madeira is extremely rare, with a population of less than 50 pairs nesting in a single colony on Madeira (Buckle & Zino 1989). Fea’s Petrel (Gon-gon or Bugio Freira) P. feae nests on Bugio in the Desertas (near Madeira) and in the Cape Verde Islands, and has a total population estimated at a few hundred pairs (Zino & Zino 1986). Bourne (1965) predicted that an undiscovered Pterodroma intermediate in character between P. cahow and P. feae might exist in the Azores, where little survey of the status and numbers of seabirds had then been carried out. In 1990 a Pterodroma was caught at night at a seabird colony in the Azores. That bird was found to be closely similar in appearance and in most measurements to P. feae from Bugio, but with a longer tail, matching that of P. cahow (Bibby & del Nevo 1991). These authors concluded their account of this specimen by suggesting that a population of Pterodroma intermediate between P. cahow and P. feae may breed in the Azores, and quoted W. R. P. Bourne as suggesting that such an intermediate might require feae and cahow to be classified as a single species, presumably with the Azores birds as a third subspecies. In September 1993 we visited many islands in the Azores archipelago to study seabird populations and ecology. We spent several nights at each of various sites mist-netting Madeiran Storm Petrels Oceanodroma castro, Little Shearwaters Puffinus assimilis and Bulwer’s Petrels Bulweria bulwerii, and catching Cory’s Shearwaters Calonectris diomedea by hand. On most nights between 14 and 26 September 1993 we caught 40-160 petrels and shearwaters in two 18 m four-shelf mist nets. Almost all birds were caught between 2100 and 2300 hrs local time as numbers flying over the colonies were much reduced after about 2230 hrs, and we generally ceased netting before midnight. A first-quarter moon combined with clear skies seemed to keep activity of Cory’s Shearwaters low until after the moon had set, but seemed to have little effect on the timing of storm petrel activity. On our last night we caught 150 storm petrels without using a tape lure, the nets being set on the cliff-top edge of a small islet. At 2310 hrs, by which time the capture rate had fallen close to zero, a gadfly petrel flew into the net. Having handled many thousands of Soft-plumaged Petrels on Gough Island, RWF immediately recognised that the bird was not Pterodroma mollis as it was very much more bulky, had a uniformly dark underwing and a conspicuously heavy bill, and lacked L. R. Monteiro S R. W. Furness 10 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) the pectoral band normally present in that species (Plate 1). It lacked the pale rump of P. cahow or P. hasitata, and its large size and massive bill excluded P. madeira. We therefore identified it as a specimen of P. feae either as a vagrant from Bugio or the Cape Verde Islands or as an Azores bird from an unknown breeding population. The bird was white below, grey-brown above but the dorsal surface of the tail was a distinctively pale ashy-grey. It had a dark patch around the eye, dark pectoral spots covered by the folded wings but no band across the breast. The eye was brown, the underwing dark and uniform apart from white inner underwing coverts at the leading edge of the wing and paler grey-brown axillaries with off-white bases. The bill was black and impressively massive, the legs and proximal half of the feet pink, the distal half and nails being inky black. The white flanks were slightly mottled with grey (Plate 1). In all respects the plumage and soft parts agreed with the description of the bird caught by Bibby & del Nevo (1991) except that they described the axillaries as white whereas in our bird they were pale proximally but grey-brown distally. Our specimen had a brood patch that had been completely bare but was now about half refeathered. It had no active moult of flight feathers and no sign of heterogeneous ages of coverts. We retained the bird in a large bag until daylight in order to be able to examine it thoroughly in good light. In the early morning we searched its plumage for feather lice. The lice we obtained were examined by Dr R. L. Palma, Museum of New Zealand, Wellington, and found to include an adult male Halipeurus theresae, a species previously found on P. feae from the Desertas (Zonfrillo 1993), and P. axillaris from the Chatham Islands, New Zealand (Pilgrim & Palma 1982), but not found on P. madeira or P. cahow (Zonfrillo 1993). We also took a spot of blood which could be used for DNA analysis to compare among Pterodroma taxa, and ringed the bird. On release, the bird flew low over the water with rapid wingbeats, the pale grey tail being a pronounced feature in flight in contrast to the rather uniform and dark upperwing and back. Haney et al. (1993) report a sight record of a bird identified as P. feae in the western Atlantic, and also remark on the pale tail as one feature of this species. Because we were aware of the critical nature of the measurements in assigning the individual to a taxon (and because we wondered whether it might be the same individual caught but not ringed by Bibby & del Nevo) the bird was measured and results recorded independently by LRM and RWF. Our measurements of bill length differed by 0.4 mm but all other measurements were within 0.2 mm. Our measurements, those reported by Bibby & del Nevo (1991) and measurements of P. feae from Bugio and the Cape Verde Islands from live birds and from museum skins (data from Cramp & Simmons 1977 and from the Museum of Natural History, Paris, measured by LRM) are given in ‘Table 1 for comparison. Some useful comparisons can be made from these data. The two Azores specimens are clearly too large to be P. madeira. Our bird was closely similar in measurements to the specimen caught by Bibby & del Nevo (1991) except in tail length. Our specimen had a tail length of Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) L.R. Monteiro & R. W. Furness "€66] F9quiaidag ul SolOZYW oy} ul 1Yysned ‘apaf DWUOApOAAT SB payyuapt “pjrq sy], “] eI d (6961) ‘JP 2 uluRNoOf ¢ ‘(LZ6]) SUOLUUUIS 2 dwRID F (9861) CUTZ % OUIZ € (1661) OAON [Pp ® Aqqig Z ‘(AroysTFY [RANIVNY Fo UuNasnyAy Size oY} Ul surys Apnjs fo sjustuaiInsvaw o1e SULUNTOS 9pJOA “T) PUe orsng) Apnys sty} | “Sfoy Se eS 0 085858580 0 Bull. \BiO.E, 1995/1 51) 11 R.W. Furness iro & L. R. Monte SI, 1 LI-L SIScl 81 s+ O+r-LI 1 I azis af dues (€b-S' I+) (Lt-I4) (OS-@t) SC 1s == Vr O'S+ = + 9F O'S+ = 903-PlIN (71-01) (S'+1-9'71) (pSI-VeD (91-€1) [sou 3 Gb = rl = = Stl Lyi = O'sT wdep [Td (€°71-9'01) (6 7I-L'7D) sAuos 4 = = SU = = a = = 871 ydop TIT (97-@7) (0£-L7) (0-97) (0-87) (1€-L7) Al 0'S7 O€ S°87 9°87 +87 167 167 L°6C S87 yasugy [I (+£-89) (€Z£-1L) am = Iau = = VL = = Vel peoH (8£-S°67) (9¢-€£) (8£-ZE) (9¢-+¢) (I+-7£) 67 9€ 6're 9're O'se 9°Se 8°s¢ ose O'se snsiv [, (801-001) (ST 1-26) (ST 1-801) (O07 I-£01) (SS1-901) 4 Sol Za 6'£01 Sol Ell TUT Ol 871 OTH yrsus] PRL, (PS7-I47) (ZL7-+97) (€L7-£972) (ZL7-L9@) (787-87) Se Lye 097 L997 997 897 8°897 897 OLZ $697 yysus] SUI AA CiGGeSeV) (9€€-S67) (¢S€-SZZ) = we +07 = = tag = S7E ILE Ze S67 (8) JUSTO g Z S + | £ Z | QIUILIJFOY aT S S S S "Tl ali | ulys 10 OAT] SESS Se ee ee ee SS ee DALIPDUL ‘d M0YDI ‘d IpPloA eO) IPLIA ~) avaf ‘ o1sng o1sng SOLOZVW SOLOZVW sotoads/A]LI0'T ee a Se ee ee ee _ — ——— ——————— o “OT qey oud MOI post] 91B SOIINOS ‘SUBOUT MOI sosoyjuoird ul UdAIS aie SsosuP.l ‘OTQU[IVAR ov BLP ATO MA ‘suonejyndod DUWOA POLI] TI OHUBAY YON WOA} spArq Jo SJUDQUDIANSBITAT 1a ravt L.R. Monteiro S R. W. Furness 12 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) 112 mm, which agrees almost exactly with that of birds from Bugio. We cannot say whether the much longer tail length recorded by Bibby & del Nevo (1991) is evidence of extensive variability in this character, or of difference in measurement technique. Setting aside their tail measurement, all other measurements from the two Azores specimens match the range of P. feae from Bugio, though bill depth (the most striking character of the bird in the hand) is close to the upper limit found in the Bugio population. ‘The differences in measurements of the birds caught in the Azores by Bibby & del Nevo (1991) and ourselves seem to rule out the possibility that the same individual was caught twice. It is noteworthy that P. feae from the Cape Verde Islands is generally smaller than our specimen from the Azores or the birds from Bugio. This is especially noticeable for the tail length and bill depth at gonys, though it is true of every character measured (Table 1). Comparing between measurements (made by LRM) of P. feae study skins from Bugio and from the Cape Verde Islands, now in the Paris Museum, tail length was significantly longer among the birds from Bugio (t=2.34, P<0Q.05) as was bill depth at gonys (t=3.28, P<0.001). The population of P. feae at Bugio is thought to be only a few dozen pairs, whereas several hundred pairs breed in the Cape Verde Islands (Cramp & Simmons 1977). The small size of the Bugio population and lack of compatibility of measurements of the Azores specimens with the Cape Verde birds strengthen the suspicion that there may be an Azores breeding population of P. feae, since the chances of two wandering birds from the very small Bugio population being caught at Azores seabird islets seem very small. However, although the distribution of the species at sea is not well known, in addition to occurring off the United States it has been recorded in Israel and regularly near the Canary Islands and off western Africa (Haney et al. 1993). With such a wide pelagic range, visits of non-breeders to the Azores would not be unexpected. The species is also known to associate at sea with Cory’s Shearwaters (Lambert 1980, Haney et al. 1993) and rafting Cory’s Shearwaters might attract non-breeding P. feae to Azores shearwater colonies. Although neither P. mollis, P. feae nor P. madeira appear in Le Grand’s (1983) Azores checklist, a bird of one of these forms was seen at sea close to the Azores (37° 56’N, 20° 48’W) in August 1992 by Moore (in press). Bibby & del Nevo (1991) suggested that the bird which they caught might nest on the islet where they caught it and that the lack of any characteristic Pterodroma calls at night could be attributed to the drowning effects of Cory’s Shearwater calls. We visited the islet where they caught their bird during September 1993 and spent several nights mist-netting there. We spent two days censusing the Cory’s Shearwater colony on that islet and ringing chicks. Using mark-recapture we estimated there to be rather less than 200 burrows containing Cory’s Shearwater chicks. On the islet where we caught a Pterodroma we estimated the Cory’s Shearwater population to be even smaller, with less than 100 chicks present during our visit. Thus we doubt that the shearwater activity would mask the calling of Pterodroma petrels if they L.R. Monteiro S R. W. Furness 13 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) were breeding on these islets. LRM has visited these islets in almost every month of the year without hearing any Pterodroma vocalisations. We are confident that gadfly petrels do not breed on accessible parts of either of the islets where birds were caught, as we thoroughly searched the islets for nests of shearwaters, storm petrels and Bulwer’s Petrels and would almost certainly have located gadfly petrel adults or chicks if any had been present. Thus the breeding locality of P. feae in the Azores remains to be found. Small numbers might nest on sheer cliffs on the islets, or high up in the caldeiras of one or more of the larger islands, in habitat similar to that used by P. madeira in Madeira. The mountain habitat in the Azores is rarely visited by ornithologists and gadfly petrels could easily have gone undetected there, despite their characteristic nocturnal calls (James & Robertson 1985). Our specimen had a partly refeathered brood patch. This cannot be taken as evidence of breeding status as pre-breeding petrels may develop brood patches during the breeding season, but we noted that the patch had been fully bare, whereas many pre-breeding petrels develop only an incomplete brood patch. If this was a breeding bird, refeathering in late September would imply incubation during July-August. Bibby & del Nevo (1991) found a moderately well developed brood patch on the bird they caught on 28 June 1990, which would also be compatible with incubation during July-August. This is reported to be the laying period of P. feae on Bugio, though the population in the Cape Verde Islands lays in December-January (Cramp & Simmons 1977). Further investigation is required to determine whether P. feae breeds in the Azores, and if possible whether this represents a recent expansion of range or a relict population. Gadfly petrels are highly susceptible to rat predation of eggs and chicks (Collar & Stuart 1985), and the abundance of black rats Rattus rattus on most of the Azores islands and some islets must be a major cause for concern. It is possible that the Azores population of P. feae, if it exists, may already be close to extinction as a consequence of rats. Postscript. On a return visit to the Azores in August 1994 we retrapped the same individual P. feae at the same site. Acknowledgements Fieldwork was supported by grants from Junta Nacional de Investigacao Cientifica e Tecnologica, grants BD/2289/92-IG and STRDB/C/MAR/228/92. We thank W. R. P. Bourne and B. Zonfrillo for advice, and Dr R. L. Palma for identifying feather lice. References: Bibby, C. J. & del Nevo, A. J. 1991. A first record of Pterodroma feae from the Azores. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 111: 183-186. Bourne, W. R. P. 1965. The missing petrels. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 85: 95-105. Bourne, W. R. P. 1983. The soft-plumaged petrel, the gon-gon and the Freira, Pterodroma mollis, P. feae, and P. madeira. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 103: 52-58. Bourne, W. R. P. in press. The names and distribution of Pterodroma petrels in the North Atlantic. Birding World Buckle, A. & Zino, F. 1989. Saving Europe’s rarest bird. Roundel 67: 112-116. J. M. Cardoso da Silva 14 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) Collar, N. J. & Stuart, S. N. 1985. Gon-gon, Pterodroma feae (Salvadori 1900); Freira, Pterodroma madeira Mathews 1934. Pp. 39-46, 52-58 in Threatened Birds of Africa and Related Islands. 1\CBP/IUCN Red Data Book, Part 1. Cambridge. Cramp, S. & Simmons, K. E. L. (eds) 1977. The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. 1. Oxford Univ. Press. Haney, J. C., Faanes, C. A. & Bourne, W. R. P. 1993. An observation of Fea’s Petrel, Pterodroma feae (Procellariitormes: Procellariidae), off the southeastern United States, with comments on the taxonomy and conservation of soft-plumaged and related petrels in the Atlantic Ocean. Brimleyana 18: 115-123. James, P. C. & Robertson, H. A. 1985. Soft-plumaged petrels Pterodroma mollis at Great Salvage Island. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 105: 25-26. Jouanin, C., Roux, F. & Zino, A. 1969. Visites aux lieux de nidification de Pterodroma mollis ‘deserta’. Oiseau 39: 161-175. Lambert, K. 1980. Beitrage zur Vogelwelt der Kapverdischen Inseln. Beitr. Vogelkd. 26: 1-18. Le Grand, G. 1983. Check list of the birds of the Azores. Arquipelago Ser. Cienc. Nat. 4: 49-58. Lever, C. 1984. Conservation success for two Bermudan bird species. Oryx 18: 138-143. Moore, C. C. in press. Pelagic seabird transects through Azorean waters, autumn 1990-1992. Arquipelago Ser. Cienc. Nat. Pilgrim, R. L. C. & Palma, R. L. 1982. A list of the chewing lice (Insecta: Mallophaga) from birds in New Zealand. Notornis 29, suppl. Zino, P. A. & Zino, F. 1986. Contribution to the study of the petrels of the genus Pterodroma in the archipelago of Madeira. Bol. Mus. Mun. Funchal 38: 141-165. Zonfrillo, B. 1993. The relationships of the Pterodroma petrels from the Madeira archipelago inferred from their feather lice. Bol. Mus. Mun. Funchal Sup. no. 2: 325-331. Addresses: LL. R. Monteiro, Department of Oceanography and Fisheries, University of the Azores, 9900 Horta, Azores. R. W. Furness, Applied Ornithology Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, U.K. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1994 Seasonal distribution of the Lined Seedeater Sporophila lineola by José Maria Cardoso da Silva Received 21 February 1994 Long-distance migration is more pronounced in Nearctic than Neotropical birds. However, recent studies (e.g. summaries in Sick 1983, 1985; Willis 1990) indicate that many more species of Neotropical birds undertake extensive migrations than was previously thought; but the migration patterns of most of them remain unknown. Even very basic data such as general schedules of movements and limits of wintering and breeding areas are scarce (Marantz & Remsen 1991): One such species is the Lined Seedeater Sporophila lineola. It has two populations that can only be distinguished by voice: one that breeds in the Caatinga region of northeastern Brazil, and another that breeds in southeastern Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina (Vielliard 1987). The Caatinga population’s song (dit dit dit drdrdrdr) is quite distinct from that of the southern population (didididididee or krrrrrrre, F. M. Cardoso da Silva 1S Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) sometimes with no terminal ‘chirp’, sometimes with more than one) (Schwartz 1975, Vielliard 1987). The song of the southeastern population is, in turn, very similar to that of Lesson’s Seedeater S. bouvronides (Schwartz 1975), a close relative which breeds in the Llanos region and migrates to the Amazon valley afterwards (Ridgely & ‘Tudor 1989). Schwartz (1975) and Thomas (1979) recorded the Lined Seedeater as a non-breeding species in the Llanos region between June—July and November—December, just when Lesson’s Seedeater was observed breeding there. More interesting still are the reports that adult males of the Lined Seedeater sing during the migration period in Surinam (Haverschmidt 1968) as well as in north-central Venezuela (Schwartz 1975). In both cases, the described song is similar to that recorded for the Caatinga population (Vielliard 1987), whose seasonal movements were reported by Sales (1989). These observations suggest that there may be a migratory movement by Lined Seedeaters between the Caatinga and Llanos regions. No vocal record of the southern population is known outside its breeding area. However, there is good evidence that it is also a seasonal migrant (Sick 1985, Ridgely & Tudor 1989). Details of its movements are unknown. In this paper, I analyse the geographical and seasonal distri- bution of the two populations of the Lined Seedeater in order to: (a) identify their possible migratory routes; (b) delimit roughly their wintering and breeding areas; (c) define their basic migratory schedules; and (d) discuss their patterns of migration in relation to the climate and food availability in the breeding and wintering areas. Methods Because individuals of the Lined Seedeater sing during migration (Schwartz 1975), I attempted to collect data on this behaviour in several localities in Brazilian Amazonia between 1981 and 1993. In addition, I used records of vocal migrant birds in other areas gathered from literature to supplement my own data. These vocal records formed the basis upon which I traced the ‘migration tracks’ of the two Lined Seedeater populations. A ‘migration track’ is defined as the track or corridor generated by connecting the sites where vocal records of a determined population were collected with its respective breeding area, using the minimum-distance criterion. To test the hypothesis that these ‘ migratory tracks’ adequately represent the migratory routes of the Lined Seedeater, I analysed the temporal distribution of records of Lined Seedeaters in the major regions along these ‘migration tracks’. If the records in successive regions are complementary, the hypothesis that the ‘migration tracks’ are migratory routes is supported. Although there are several sources of bias (see Remsen & Parker 1990), the careful plotting of all available records of one species has been considered the simplest method for defining roughly the migration patterns of some South American species (Lanyon 1978, J. M. Cardoso da Silva 16 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) Marini & Cavalcanti 1990, Remsen & Parker 1990, Marantz & Remsen 1991). I used records from the following sources: (a) my _ personal observations in several sites in Brazil; (b) the complete list of observations made by G. F. Mees (2m litt.) in Surinam; (c) label information on the adult male skin specimens of Lined Seedeaters from the following museums: American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CM), Museum of Zoology of University of Michigan (UMMZ), Museu de Historia Natural Bernardino Rivadavia (MHNBR), Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University (LSUMZ), Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), Museu Nacional de Historia Natural, Bolivia (MBHN), Museu de Historia Natural Capao do Imbuia (MHNCI), Alexander Koenig Zoological Research Institute and Museum (AKZM), Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi (MPEG), Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo (MZUSP), Museu de Historia Natural Costa Lima (MHNCL), Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro (MNRJ) and Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen (ZMUC). I considered only adult male specimens in this analysis because lineola females and immature males are evidently indistinguishable from those of bouvronides. To combine specimens and observation records, I considered all individuals recorded in a single observation day as equivalent to one specimen record. The list of all records used in this analysis is available on request. Results Caatinga population The ‘migration track’ of the Caatinga population includes points in north-central Venezuela (Schwartz 1975), Surinam (Haverschmidt 1968, G. F. Mees in litt.) and eastern Para, between the rivers Tocantins and Gurupi. In eastern Para, I made long-term observations in Belém (01°27’S, 48°29’W, 1981-1984) and Paragominas (03°00'S, 47°18'W, 1990-91). At these sites, singing individuals were observed only between November and January. Adult males may sing in the same place for up to 5—7 consecutive days, only to disappear afterwards. This is an important point, because to one making only short-term observations this behaviour could wrongly suggest a breeding situation. I analysed the specimens and sight records of the Lined Seedeater along this ‘migration track’ (Fig. 1). The Caatinga records (n=21) are between December and June. This period can be regarded as a rough estimate of the breeding season for this population. Records for eastern Para (n=133) show two well-marked peaks: May—August, when Caatinga individuals are expected to be leaving their breeding area, and November—January when they are expected to be returning to start a new reproductive season (Fig. 1). Because I made long-term monthly observations in eastern Para, the lack of records of Lined Seedeaters in February—April and September—October in this region indicates their absence rather than lack of sampling. The records for the region F. M. Cardoso da Silva 7, Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) CAATINGA POPULATION Venezuela, Guyanas, and Amap4 0 Eastern Para DEEVMNARM! UIT TALS TON Caatinga DESI MCAT MN SUI WA RIStVOTIN Figure 1. Seasonal distribution of specimen and sight records along the ‘migration track’ of the Caatinga population of the Lined Seedeater. Solid symbols represent possible breeding sites, open symbols localities where wintering individuals have been recorded. Sites where singing individuals were recorded are indicated by letters (A=central-north Venezuela, B=Surinam, C=Belém, D=Paragominas). In the graphs, vertical axis indicates percentage of the records, horizontal axis months. formed by Amapa, the Guianas and north-central Venezeula (n=56) are quite similar to those for eastern Para (Fig. 1), but there are two differences: (a) the presumed absence of Lined Seedeaters in this region in September but not in October and (b) a small number of records (specimens collected in Cayenne and housed in CM) in February (3) and March (1), whose dates fall within the breeding season of the Caatinga population. The first difference is clearly misleading, because in a year-round study at one site in the Llanos region Thomas (1979) recorded Lined Seedeaters there in September. The second difference is more intriguing. Perhaps these records are of delayed individuals of the Caatinga population or, alternatively, they are of individuals from the southern population. Southern population I recorded individuals singing the southern population song at only one place in central Amazonia, Santarém (02°26'S, 54°42'W), where I observed adult males singing in the tops of small trees in varzea savannas in September and October 1985. This is the only vocal record known for this population outside its breeding area. Because no record of the Caatinga population song is known from central and western Amazonia, I have included all this region, from the left bank of the river Tocantins to southern Colombia and eastern Peru, in the ‘migration track’ of the southern population. Again, specimen and sight records were plotted to verify whether they are complementary amongst the major regions along this J. M. Cardoso da Silva 18 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) SOUTHERN POPULATION "Western and Central Amazonia" 40. x "Central" 7 FMAMID SAS ND "Southern" J FMAM) J AS OND Figure 2. Seasonal distribution of specimen and sight records along the ‘migratory track’ of the southern population of the Lined Seedeater. Solid squares represent possible breeding sites; solid triangles and open squares represent records of wintering individuals. Some localities with solid triangles may also be breeding sites. Question mark represents the doubtful records in French Guiana which may be of individuals from the southern population. A= Santarém, the only locality in Amazonia where singing individuals of the southern population were recorded. In the graphs, vertical axis indicates percentage of the records, horizontal axis months. ‘migration track’. Records for the ‘southern’ region (southeastern Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina), where the Lined Seedeater is known to breed (Hartert & Venturi 1909, Sick 1985, Ridgely & Tudor 1989), are mainly between November and February with a few records (2,4%; n=83) between May and October (Fig. 2). The Lined Seedeater was recorded for the ‘central’ region (which includes Minas Gerais, Goias, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins and Bolivia) almost all year (n=39), but mainly (69% of records) between November and February (Fig. 2), a pattern similar to that of the ‘southern’ region. This may indicate that besides being a passage zone for migratory individuals coming from the south, the ‘central’ region is also, at least in part, a breeding area. In central and western Amazonia (Fig. 2), Lined Seedeaters are recorded almost year-round but mainly between February and November (91,9%; n=112). The absence of specimen records in June and August is clearly fortuitous, as local residents in Santarém informed me that Lined Seedeaters are found there during these months. I regard this information as reliable because the Lined Seedeater is a well-known cage-bird and my informants live very close to where I made my observations. Hence, the records in central and western Amazonia are somewhat complementary to those from the ‘southern’ and ‘central’ regions (Fig. 2). This pattern supports the hypothesis that these three regions form a single ‘migration track’ for the southern populations of the Lined Seedeater. }. M. Cardoso da Silva 19 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) Discussion Migratory patterns The basic migratory patterns of the Lined Seedeater populations are simple. The population that breeds in the Caatinga region between January and May—June (Sales 1989) migrates to the Llanos region and Guianas across eastern Para. The southern population that is known to breed in southeastern Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina between December and February (Hartert & Venturi 1909, Ridgely & Tudor 1989) migrates through the ‘central’ region to central and western Amazonia (and possibly French Guiana). There are still three points that deserve further investigation. First, it is not certain whether the records in February and March in French Guiana are of migrants from the southern population or delayed individuals from the Caatinga population. If the former is the case, then this region would be unique in that slight spatial, but not temporal, overlap exists between the wintering areas of the two populations of the Lined Seedeater. Second, the presence of the Lined Seedeater almost all year in central and western Amazonia 1s intriguing. Sick (1985) reported Lined Seedeaters in southeastern Brazil (Espirito Santo and Parana) between December and March—April. Records in March—April do not agree with the pattern derived here from specimen records (Fig. 2). Because detailed observations at one specific site, such as those made by H. Sick in Espirito Santo, provide a more accurate picture of the seasonal distribution of a species than the crude pattern generated by specimen records (Remsen & Parker 1990), it is possible that populations from the southern region have different migration schedules: the northernmost population may arrive in and leave its breeding area later than the more southerly populations. Such a difference in timing could explain the species’ presence year-round in central and western Amazonia. Third, the status of the population that occurs in the ‘central’ region still needs to be determined. Cintra & Yamashita (1990) reported that the occurrence of the Lined Seedeater in the Pantanal region is seasonal (January—May), but they made no mention of whether it breeds there. Only detailed year-round field studies in the above-mentioned critical areas can adequately resolve these three questions. So far as I can determine, regular migratory movement between Caatinga and Llanos, such as that exhibited by the Caatinga population of the Lined Seedeater, is not shared with any other species of bird. In contrast, the pattern shown by the southern population is, at least in part, quite similar to that reported for Sporophila caerulescens (Remsen & Hunn 1979) and many other species of birds besides seedeaters (Sick 1985). The trophic basis for migration As Remsen & Hunn (1979) and Sick (1985) have pointed out, the migratory movements of many species of the genus Sporophila are undoubtedly attuned to wet and dry seasons and the effect of these on grass seed production in the breeding areas. This effect is much more J. M. Cardoso da Silva 20 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) important for species that are stem-gleaner specialists, i.e. those that feed mainly on seeds still borne on the stalks, than to species that are able to feed on fallen seeds on the ground (Remsen & Hunn 1979). This hypothesis is fully supported by the seasonal movements of the Lined Seedeater, a stem-gleaner specialist. The Caatinga population breeds when rains reach their maximum peak in this region (January to May; Nimer 1979) and migrates during the well-marked regional dry season (June to December). The breeding season of the southern population is also well correlated with the maximum rainfall in that region (November—December to January— February; Nimer 1979), but the period of migration can be only partially predicted by the regional dry season (May-June to September—October). These two simple correlations suggest that migrations of the Caatinga population are probably determined more by the rainfall pattern than are those of the southern population. Remsen & Hunn (1979) suggested that in western Amazonia, the production of grass seeds should be almost continuous, presumably as a result of the almost daily rainfall there. However, Junk (1970) pointed out that in the varzea grasslands of this region (a habitat commonly used by Lined Seedeaters during migration; D. C. Oren, pers. comm.) the production of grass seed is highly seasonal. Unfortunately, phenological data from western and central Amazonia are inadequate to evaluate or reconcile this apparent contradiction. On the other hand, the presence of Lined Seedeaters, from the Caatinga population, in the Llanos is well correlated with the peak of the production of grass seed reported for this region (Sarmiento 1979). This period (June—January) also coincides with the breeding season of other seedeater species (e.g. S. bouvronides; Schwartz 1975, Thomas 1979). Thus, at least for the Caatinga population of the Lined Seedeater, the development and maintenance of its migratory behaviour can be viewed as an optimization strategy in which individuals take advantage of the best of two worlds (Ramos 1990). Acknowledgements My studies have been supported by the Conselho Brasileiro de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq), Brasilia, Brazil. Financial support for field work and collection studies came from National Geographic Society (Grant no. 4964-93), Frank M. Chapman Memorial Fund, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. I thank the following people and institutions for data on specimens or for allowing me to examine the collections under their care: American Museum of Natural History (F. Vuilleumier and P. Sweet), National Museum of Natural History (R. Bierregaard), Field Museum of Natural History (D. Willard), Carnegie Museum of Natural History (K. C. Parkes), Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan (J. Hinshaw), Museu de Histéria Natural Bernardino Rivadavia (J. R. Navas), Museu de Historia Natural Capao do Imbuia (F. Straube), Museu Nacional de Historia Natural, Bolivia (O. Rocha O.), Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University (J. V. Remsen, Jr.), Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo (H. F. Camargo and P. E. Vanzolini), Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro (D. M. Teixeira and J. B. Nacinovic), Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi (F. C. Novaes), Museu de Historia Natural A. Costa Lima (B. Rabelo), Museum Alexander Koenig (K. L. Schuchmann) and Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen (J. Fjeldsa). I thank J. Fjeldsa, J. V. Remsen Jr. and D. W. Snow for their comments on early drafts. I am deeply indebted to G. F. Mees (Rijksmuseum van Naturlijke Historie, Leiden) for sharing with me his field notes and all F. M. Cardoso da Silva 21 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) his correspondence with the late P. Schwartz about the S. lineola-bouvronides complex. I dedicate this paper to him, for his important contributions to Neotropical ornithology and ichthyology. References: Cintra, R. & Yamashita, C. 1990. Habitats, abundancia e ocorréncia das espécies de aves do Pantanal de Poconé, Mato Grosso, Brasil. Papéis Avulsos Zool. 37: 1-21. Hartert, E. & Venturi, S. 1909. Notes sur les oiseaux de la République Argentina. Novit. Zool. 16: 159-267. Haverschmidt, F. 1968. Birds of Surinam. Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh. Junk, W. 1970. Investigations on the ecology and production-biology of the ‘‘Floating Meadows”’ (Paspalo-Echinochloetum) on the Middle Amazon. Part I: The floating vegetation and its ecology. Amazoniana 2: 449-495. Lanyon, W. E. 1978. Revision of the Myzarchus flycatchers of South America. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 161: 427-628. Marantz, C. A. & Remsen, J. V., Jr. 1991. Seasonal distribution of the Slaty Elaenia, a little-known austral migrant of South America. 7. Field Orn. 62: 162-172. Marini, M. A. & Cavalcanti, R. B. 1990. Migracoes de Elaenia albiceps chilensis e Elaenia chiriquensis albivertex (Aves: Tyrannidae). Bol. Mus. Para. Emilio Goeldi, sér. Zool. 6: 59-66. Nimer, E. 1979. Climatologia do Brasil. FIBGE, Rio de Janeiro. Ramos, M. A. 1990. Eco-evolutionary aspects of bird movements in the northern Neotropical region. Proc. XIX Int. Orn. Congr.: 251-293. Remsen, J. V., Jr. & Hunn, E. S. 1979. First records of Sporophila caerulescens from Colombia; a probable long distance migrant from southern South America. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 99: 24-26. Remsen, J. V., Jr. & Parker, T. A., III. 1990. Seasonal distribution of the Azure Gallinule (Porphyrula flavirostris), with comments on vagrancy in rails and gallinules. Wilson Bull. 102: 380-399. Ridgely, R. S. & Tudor, G. 1989. The Birds of South America. Vol. 1. Oxford Univ. Press and Univ. of Texas Press. Sales, L. G., Jr. 1989. Breve anilhamento de Sporophila lineola (Aves: Emberizidae) no Estado do Ceara. Anais V Encontro Nac. Anilhadores de Aves [ENAV]: 28-29. Brasilia. Sarmiento, G. 1979. Estructura y Funcionamento de Sabanas Neotropicales. Universidade de Los Andes, Mérida, Venezuela. Schwartz, P. 1975. Solved and unsolved problems in the Sporophila lineola/bouvronides complex (Aves: Emberizidae). Ann. Carnegie Mus. 45: 277-285. Sick, H. 1983. Migracdes de aves na América do Sul continental. Publicagao Técnica, CEMAVE, 2: 1-83. Sick, H. 1985. Ornitologia Brasileira: uma introducao. Vol 2. Ed. Univ. Brasilia. Thomas, B. T. 1979. The birds of a ranch in the Venezuelan Ilanos. Pp. 213-259 in J. F. Eisenberg (ed.), Vertebrate Ecology in the Northern Neotropics. Smithsonian Inst. Press. Vielliard, J. 1987. O uso da bioactstica na observacao de aves. Anais II Encontro Nacional de Anilhadores de Aves [ENAV]: 98-121. Editora da UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro. Willis, E. O. 1990. Land-bird migration in Sao Paulo, southeastern Brazil. Proc. XIX Int. Orn. Congr.: 754-764. Address: José Maria Cardoso da Silva, Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 W.R. P. Bourne 22 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) The origin and affinities of Berthelot’s Pipit Anthus bertheloti by W. R. P. Bourne ~ Received 20 July 1993 The warm temperate eastern North Atlantic or Macaronesian islands support a number of endemic birds whose distinctive features may presumably either be the result of adaptation to the insular environment, or preserve characteristics of earlier forms of mainland species. Extreme examples are provided by the laurel pigeons Columba junoniae, C. bolli and C. trocaz of the Canaries and Madeira, which might either be derived from one or more species that have been lost on the mainland, or a series of colonisations by the present Wood Pigeon C. palumbus (which once had a rather distinct race on Madeira) modified on the islands in different ways, or earlier forms of the Wood Pigeon which has undergone further development on the mainland. Similarly, since another endemic species, Berthelot’s Pipit Anthus bertheloti, has received little attention from zoogeographers such as Voous (1960) and Harrison (1982), I looked at them in search of evidence for their ancestry, concluding “‘while it usually appears to be assumed that they are descended from the Tawny Pipit A. campestris, presumably because of their pale colour and rather similar “‘chup”’ call note (I did not hear the song), they are actually closer in size to the Rock and Water Pipits A. petrosus and A. spinoletta, some of which also have a pale plumage, and moreover resemble Berthelot’s Pipit in having the four longest primaries similar in length’’ (Bourne 1984). When I met the relevant editor of the Birds of the Western Palearctic I asked what he made of this, and he subsequently kindly shared the credit with me for a text that I never saw (Cramp 1988: 331). This has now been challenged by Alstro6m & Mild (1993), who repeat that Berthelot’s Pipit appears to be an insular derivative of the Tawny Pipit. This does not really deal with the problem which concerned me, which was why it has evolved in the way that it has. Now that I have seen the song-flight of Berthelot’s Pipit, while it seems indisputable that it must indeed be closely related to the Tawny Pipit, surely there is also at least one other species which appears allied to both, with an intermediate appearance, and similar tertials, behaviour (including the song) and habitat (arid rough ground from plains to mountain tops), so that surely it should also be included in the discussion? This is the Long-billed Pipit A. szmilis, with numerous races in the Middle East, Africa and India (details of all these birds will be found in Cramp 1988). This transforms the situation, since it now not only becomes more debatable whether A. bertheloti is derived from A. campestris, but also whether one or both of these may be derived from A. similis, or vice W.R. P. Bourne 23 Bull, BiOsEa 4995, 1151) versa, or whether they all arose independently from some common ancestor? There are a limited number of possibilities. According to Olson (1985) the Passeriformes did not become numerous until about 10-20 million years ago in the Miocene. Kurtén (1968) has deduced that European mammal species and Brodkorb (1971) that bird species subsequently persisted for about three million years under the stable climate of the Pliocene, but a much shorter time during the climatic fluctuations of the Pleistocene. It also appears from the present distribution and variation of Palearctic birds (Vaurie 1959, 1965) that while the 10,000-15,000 years since the last glaciation may have sufficed for the development of many often highly distinct races, it has not been long enough for the emergence of many new species. Therefore there should have been time for the development of more than one, but not many, successive species in each modern genus, most of which appear to have originated in the Pliocene, since when the well-studied genus Homo, for example, appears to have had time to pass through a sequence of three species and three races (Wood 1994). In discussing the evolution of A. bertheloti it is desirable to start by considering the whole genus Anthus, and its relation to its nearest allies. It seems likely that the first streaky, squeaky proto-pipit with cryptic plumage and a ventriloquial call rather similar to those of a young wagtail Motacilla originated in the Pliocene in some area of open ground which has now become difficult to locate owing to the subsequent wide dispersal of its descendants. One population, which I shall refer to as the Tundra Pipit, may have settled on the open ground then widespread in high northern latitudes, and started to migrate into lower latitudes in the winter to avoid the short northern days. Here it may have come into contact with another, more sedentary, population, referred to as the Desert Pipit, which had settled on the other large area of open ground, the subtropical deserts, with the result that they diverged in their form, ecology and behaviour. The marked fluctuations in climate during the Pleistocene may then have led to the development of many specialised local representatives of each form. If we now consider the Western Palearctic pipits which I know best in particular, and ignore the probability that others have been lost, there are now three species or groups with a distribution implying further evolution within the area (as opposed to some other more highly migratory derivatives of the Tundra Pipit such as the Tree and Red-throated Pipits A. trivialis and A. cervinus, which may have originated in the area with severer winters further east). They comprise the widespread small, partially migratory Meadow Pipit A. pratensis of northern grassland; the more local medium-sized spinoletta/petrosus group which has now broken up (or been forcibly split!) into the pale southern montane Water Pipit and dark northern coastal Rock Pipit, which disperse in the winter; and the large, pale campestris/similis group in the Mediterranean area, which move south to be replaced by the Meadow and Water Pipits in the winter. The simplest explanation for their evolution is surely that the complex Water Pipit group, which have a circumpolar range and still W.R. P. Bourne 24 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) predominate on the periphery in North America, may be the most direct descendants of the hypothetical Tundra Pipit; the Meadow Pipit, with a very similar voice and display, may be an early derivative of this group which developed and came to replace it in the comparatively mild northwestern Palearctic grasslands during the Pleistocene; and the Rock Pipit is a later derivative which has occupied the rocky northern coasts left unoccupied by the Meadow Pipit during a late interglacial or even the postglacial period. Similarly, the Long-billed Pipit may be descended from the hypothetical Desert Pipit, while the "Tawny Pipit may be an early derivative comparable to the Meadow Pipit in the Mediterranean area. ‘There are several possible explanations for the origin of Berthelot’s Pipit. I originally wondered if it might be an ancient derivative of the widely-dispersed primeval Pliocene proto-pipit, but it hardly seemed distinct enough for such antiquity. Then I wondered if it might be a glacial relict derived from the ‘Tundra Pipit. Now after seeing its song-flight I suggest that it is more likely to be an early derivative of the ancestral Desert Pipit, of roughly equal status to (and forming a superspecies with) the ‘Tawny and Long-billed Pipits, which has diverged from the latter in the opposite direction to the Tawny Pipit, and converged with the pipits of similar habitats further north in its size, form and appearance. ‘The fact that it still appears to be primarily a bird of low, arid terrain (though it now also frequents bare ground in the hills) suggests that like some other Macaronesian birds such as the Canary Chat Saxicola dacotiae it may be an early subtropical rather than a more recent glacial relict. Acknowledgement I am grateful to Dr Kees Roselaar for his helpful comments on this argument. References: Alstrém, P. & Mild, K. 1993. The taxonomic status of Anthus bertheloti. Bull. Brit. Orn. CI. 113: 88-92. Bourne, W. R. P. 1984. The birds of Madeira in the winter. Bocagiana 76: 1-6. Brodkorb, P. 1971. Origin and evolution of birds. Avian Biology 1: 19-55. Cramp, 5. 1988. Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa—The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. 5. Tyrant flycatchers to thrushes. Oxford Univ. Press. Harrison, C. J. O. 1982. An Atlas of the Birds of the Western Palearctic. Collins. Kurtén, B. 1968. Pleistocene Mammals of Europe. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. Olson, S. L. 1985. The fossil record of birds. Avian Biology 8: 79-238. Vaurie, C. 1959, 1965. The Birds of the Palearctic Fauna. Vol. 1. Witherby, London. Voous, K. H. 1960. Atlas of European Birds. Nelson. Wood, B. 1994. The oldest hominid yet. Nature 371: 280-281. Address: Dr W. R. P. Bourne, Zoology Department, Aberdeen University, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen AB9 2TN, Scotland. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 V. C. Quesnel 25 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) The case history of an aberrant Black-throated Mango Hummingbird Anthracothorax nigricollis by Victor C. Quesnel Received 23 February 1994 Since 1985 the Black-throated Mango Anthracothorax nigricollis, one of the commonest Trinidad hummingbirds, has nested regularly in an open-sided greenhouse near Talparo, which has been used for the commercial production of tomatoes, and there have been as many as three nests in it at the same time. Thus, the nests and the birds are very familiar to me. On 22 May 1989 I discovered an empty nest in the greenhouse which on the following day had, to my surprise, a sitting bird that was to all appearances not the expected female but a male Black-throated Mango. (The sexes in this species are differently coloured and easily distinguished.) There was now one egg in the nest. A second egg was subsequently laid on some unrecorded date, probably 24 May. During the subsequent days this seemingly male bird was the only one seen incubating. No bird in female plumage ever approached the nest in my presence. On 9 June the first egg hatched, and at 16.00 hours on 11 June there was still one egg and one chick in the nest. At the same time the next day the nest was empty. The main breeding season for hummingbirds in Trinidad is from December to June. Accordingly, in December 1989 I began a careful watch in the greenhouse in the expectation that the ‘male’ Black-throated Mango would be back again. I wanted to see if it would construct the nest or if it took over the incubation from the female after the eggs had been laid. On 14 February 1990 I found a nest with two chicks in a small greenhouse near by that was temporarily out of use. After I had been watching for some minutes a male-plumaged Black-throated Mango arrived at the nest and fed one of the chicks by regurgitation. It is highly unlikely that this bird was a different bird from the nesting ‘male’ bird of 1989 since true males are not known to feed the young in any hummingbird species. Over the next nine days I watched this bird feed the chicks and I took several photographs. On 23 February both the chicks left the nest, and | watched the ‘male’ bird feed both of them, the younger only once, the older several times. During this time a bird in female plumage attempted to feed the older fledgling three times, seemingly without success. The young bird seemed reluctant to open its bill, and each time the ‘male’ quickly appeared and chased off the female. After this I did not see the young ones again. Black-throated Mangoes use the same nest several times, but this nest had been damaged and would need repair before re-use. I kept watch to see if the ‘male’ would rebuild. On 16 March at 17.00 hours it was still unrepaired. At the same time the following day the nest was almost completely repaired. During 17 March the ‘male’ returned to V.C. Quesnel 26 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) the nest several times and engaged in building activity with movements identical to those I had seen females use. On 20 March there was one egg in the nest, which had been empty on the preceding day. As a rule hummingbirds lay the second egg two days after the first. I was determined to see the laying of the second egg on 22 March. The ‘male’ was on the nest the night before, as is usual in this species since incubation begins as soon as the first egg is laid. I got up early on 22 March and was in position watching the nest at 05.35 hours when it was still dark enough for seeing to be difficult. "The ‘male’ was on the nest. At exactly 06.00 hours the bird flew away and I immediately checked the nest. There was one egg. At 06.10 hours the bird returned, went to the nest for a few seconds, then after perching near by for two minutes returned to the nest and settled down. At about 06.16 hours I noticed that the bird appeared to be standing on the nest. It then thrust its bill into the nest three or four times and a minute later settled down again. I did not wait for the bird to leave but checked the nest again at 06.25 hours. There were two eggs in the nest. No bird in female plumage had visited the nest; the ‘male’ was a functional female. By 7 April both chicks had hatched, and by 1 May they had flown. '[wo more eggs were laid in the same nest, one on 12 May and the other on 14 May. One hatched on 29 May. Presumably the second hatched a day or two later but I have no more notes after that date. This bird came back again in 1991, when she completed four different nests and attempted two others. She abandoned the first completed nest only two days after laying the second egg, abandoned the second nest on the 18th day following the laying of the second egg (the eggs seemingly being infertile), and abandoned the third nest two days after the laying of the second egg. From the fourth nest she successfully reared two chicks. In 1992 she again raised two chicks and I saw her feeding the juveniles twice, on 27 February and again on 29 February, 14 and 16 days after the first chick had left the nest. After this, just when I decided that she would better serve science dead than alive and I resolved to capture her, she disappeared and never re-appeared. Discussion It is clear from the foregoing account that, despite the plumage, the bird was a functional female. Although hermaphrodites are known in some bird species (‘Terres 1982) the fact that female hummingbirds of both Anthracothorax prevostiu and Florisuga mellivora in male plumage have been identified as female by dissection (F. G. Stiles pers. comm.) makes it probable that my bird was also female and not hermaphrodite. Be this as it may, the observations raise a number of fascinating questions. How did a male bird overcome its natural aggression towards another ‘male’ in order to mate with this female? If mating is unlikely, could this bird have stored sperm from one successful mating for more than one laying? Have the young of this bird been imprinted with male plumage as female plumage? Will the female young inherit their mother’s male plumage? V.C. Quesnel Di Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) Clearly, there are no certain answers to these questions. Presumably the ‘male’s’ behaviour showed it to be female and overcame her mate’s aggression. Terres (1982) cites a paper by Welty that reported on domestic hens laying fertile eggs “several months after mating’’. I think it unlikely that sperm could be stored for years and believe that mating would have taken place at least once in each breeding season. The observations record some strange behaviour in 1991, when two nests were abandoned shortly after the laying of the second egg and another abandoned on the 18th day of incubation because the eggs were seemingly infertile. (My records for the same species in the same greenhouse show an incubation period of 16 or 17 days depending on how it is measured and for which of the two eggs. For the aberrant female the incubation period was again 16 or 17 days, except on one occasion when, measuring from the date of finding the nest with one egg, the period was 15 days. If the first egg had been laid one day earlier the period would have been 16 days.) Is there a suggestion here that the aberrant female had laid these eggs in 1991 without mating? To the third question the answer may be a tentative “‘yes’’. It may not be rare for female hummingbirds to feed young that are not their own. Skutch (1974) records that Helmut Wagner “‘saw strange females feed fledgling white-eared hummingbirds ... Once he saw a green violet-ear feed young white-ears. In Ruschi’s aviary a female planalto hermit adopted sixteen-day-old nestlings whose mother had died, attending them as though they were her own.”’ Yet, as noted above, the older of two fledglings of the aberrant female refused to be fed by a normal female. I suggest that the reason is that the chick had been imprinted with male plumage. To the fourth question my observations provide no answer, but an answer is not beyond obtaining in a similar case if the young could be placed in an aviary with their mother for a sufficiently long period. If the female young inherited male plumage they would face the same difficulties in mating as their mother presumably did. If, however, the female young were normally coloured but imprinted with male plumage a different problem would arise, for they might reject normal males and seek females as mates. Once again, I suppose, behaviour would override appearance and eventually bring the two sexes together for mating. Acknowledgement I thank Dr David Snow for reading the earlier drafts and making suggestions for the improvement of this paper. References: Terres, J. K. 1982. The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. Skutch, A. F. 1974. The Life of the Hummingbird. Octopus Books, London. Address: Dr Victor C. Quesnel, P.O. Box 47, Port of Spain, Trinidad. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 T. P. Ryan & M. Lentino R. 28 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) An additional record of the Pale-footed Swallow Notiochelidon flavipes from Venezuela by Thomas P. Ryan & Miguel Lentino R. Received 5 February 1994 The Pale-footed Swallow Notiochelidon flavipes is a poorly known South American hirundine species. It is thought to inhabit a narrow elevation range from 1550m to 3600 m in the Andes from northern Bolivia to Mérida, Venezuela (Meyer de Schauensee 1970, Parker & O’ Neill 1980, Parker et al. 1980, Lentino 1988, Turner 1989, S. Hilty pers comm. 1993). Despite its extensive range, it is currently known from few museum specimens and few field sightings. We report here the second specimen of the species from Venezuela. This specimen shows a northward extension of its current known range, and that this species has been present in Venezuela since at least 1951. ‘The specimen reported here is number EBRG-1656, in the Museo de la Estacion Biologica de Rancho Grande, Servicio Autonomo de Fauna del Ministerio del Ambiente, E] Limon, Aragua, Venezuela. It was collected in 1951 by Ernst Schafer at an elevation of 2300 m in Paramo La Cristalina 9km northwest of Bocono, Trujillo (9°19'N, 70°20'W), and was originally identified as an ‘‘extreme individual variant’ juvenile Blue-and-white Swallow N. cyanoleuca (Coleccion Ornitologica Phelps, Caracas, communication). We have re-identified it as a Pale-footed Swallow on the basis of plumage and size. ‘The specimen has: a large pale rufous-brown patch covering the entire throat, brown cheeks, brown sides of the body, white central breast and abdomen, dark brown under tail coverts, pale yellow feet. The crown, nape, side of the head (down to the eyes), and back are blue-black with several glossy blue feathers. Although the specimen is in excellent condition, it should be noted that this is an old specimen and some foxing may have occurred. A comparison of the body measurements of the two species shows the specimen to be smaller than the similar Blue-and-white Swallow. The measurements are as follows: length (bill to tail) 95 mm, wing length 83 mm, tail length 28 mm. The wings extend beyond the tail and the tail is very slightly forked. Typical body measurements for the Blue-and-white Swallow are: length 120 mm, wing 88-102 mm (mean 94.2), tail 42-55 mm (mean 49.7) (Turner 1989). With the same equipment used in measuring the Pale-footed Swallow, the average body length of seven Blue-and-white Swallows housed in the Rancho Grande Collection is 117 mm. This is only the second specimen to be taken in Venezuela and the 17th specimen in museums worldwide. The species was first observed in Venezuela in August 1985 in the city of Mérida in the state of Mérida, and the first specimen was obtained in December 1985 by Miguel Lentino R. in Betania, Paramo de Tama, Tachira (Lentino 1988). There has been much speculation that this species may have occurred in Venezuela previous to these records and was mis-identified A. G. White et al. 29 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) in the field as the more common Blue-and-white Swallow (Lentino 1988, Parker & O’Neill 1980, Turner 1989). The 1951 specimen confirms that possibility. It is the first to be collected in the state of Trujillo, and represents a northern extension of this species’ range of approximately 140 km. Both professional and amateur ornithologists should be alert to the possibility of this bird’s presence and look more closely at small blue and white swallows seen in open areas of primary forest above 1550 m (Lentino 1988, Parker & O’ Neill 1980). All additional observations are sure to significantly augment our meagre understanding of the distribution and ecology of this swallow. Acknowledgements We are grateful to the Government of Venezuela, and INPARQUES for permission to study in Venezuela; to Museo de la Estacion Biologica de Rancho Grande, of Servicio Autonomo de Fauna del Ministerio del Ambiente and Coleccién Ornitélogica Phelps, Caracas for providing access to their Collections; to Pomona Valley Audubon Society and the Frank M. Chapman Memorial Fund of the American Museum of Natural History for generous financial support; to Universidad Central de Venezuela, Maracay, Sociedad Cientifica Amigos del Parque Nacional Henri Pittier and Sociedad Conservacionista Audubon de Venezuela for their help and use of their facilities; to Dr. Ernesto Fernandez B., Dr. Alberto Fernandez B. and their families for their help and hospitality; to Steve Hilty for providing additional sight records and advice; and to Dr. Charles 'T. Collins for his helpful advice in preparing this manuscript. References: Lentino R., M. 1988. Notiochelidon flavipes; a swallow new to Venezuela. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 108: 70-71. Meyer de Schauensee, R. 1970. A Guide to the Birds of South America. Livingston Publishing Co. Wynwood, PA. Parker, T. A. III & O'Neill, J. P. 1980. Notes on little known birds of the upper Urubamba valley, Southern Peru. Auk 97: 167-176. Parker, T. A. III, Remsen, J. V. Jr. & Heindel, J. A. 1980. Seven bird species new to Bolivia. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 100: 160-182. Turner, A. K. & Rose, C. 1989. Swallows and Martins: An Identification Guide and Handbook. Christopher Helm, London, and Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston. Address: T. P. Ryan, Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, California 90840, U.S.A. M. Lentino R., Coleccién Ornitdélogica Phelps, Aptdo. 2009, Caracas 1010-A, Venezuela. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 Additional records of and notes on the Unicoloured Thrush Turdus haplochrous, a little known Bolivian endemic by Adam G. White, Robin C. Brace & Anthony 7. Payne Received 20 January 1994 The Unicoloured Thrush Turdus haplochrous is an enigmatic species, known previously from only six specimens and one sight record relating A. G. White et al. 30 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) to four localities in the lowlands of Bolivia, and is regarded consequently as an ICBP/IUCN Red Data Book species (Collar et al. 1992). The type locality is Palmarito (16°49'S, 62°37'W), Rio San Julian, Chiquitos province in Santa Cruz department, where a male and female (adults) were secured by Franz Steinbach in 1918 (Todd 1931, O’ Neill 1976). Steinbach collected two further birds (both male) in 1944, from along the Rio Mamoré, Marban Province, in Beni, some 250-275 km northwest of Palmarito (O’ Neill 1976). The remaining two specimens (male and female) were obtained in 1984 from open woodland 7 km southeast of Trinidad (also Beni) by C. G. Schmitt, who succeeded in recording calls (see Hardy & Parker 1985) of these or other individuals that were seen. The sight record refers to one bird observed and tape-recorded by T. A. Parker in September 1989 in semi-deciduous woodland near La Junta, located between Santa Rosa de la Roca and Florida just outside the Noell Kempff Mercado National Park (Santa Cruz) (J. M. Bates, pers. comm.). We report here on new records of this species, which was observed, and one individual trapped, during the course of survey work (White et al. 1993) in the Estacion Biologica del Beni (EBB), Beni (Miranda 1991), the headquarters of which lie 180 km to the west of Trinidad. All the records were obtained in a small area, no more than 2 X 1 km in extent, of seasonally flooded riverine forest (varzea) bordering the south bank of the Rio Manique, approximately 70 km northeast of San Borja (14°25'S, 66°15’W; c. 200 m altitude). The understory consisted of 5-7 m tall trees, but in places the forest was quite open and consequently the undergrowth well developed; there were few trees whose height exceeded 30m. T. haplochrous was observed in the uppermost branches of the youngest trees, but was trapped in dense undergrowth (3—4 m in height). On 7 September, three thrushes were watched chasing each other, one of which was identified conclusively as T. haplochrous. In the evening, 1.5 km away, one individual (sex not determined) was trapped; it was held overnight and then released. Further sightings were obtained on 10 and 16 September (one and two birds respectively). In the area where T. haplochrous was recorded, Hauxwell’s Thrush T. hauxwelli occurred also and was apparently more numerous, 10-20 individuals being seen in the upper branches of young trees and seven individuals trapped in mist-nets where the single T. haplochrous was taken. A third member of the genus, the Creamy-bellied Thrush T. amaurochalinus, which is widely distributed in Beni, was relatively abundant, but this species is sufficiently distinct in the field and thus presented no additional difficulties in species separation. Description highlighting differences from 'T. hauxwelli The following points were noted, serving to distinguish T. haplochrous from the rather similar and sympatric T. hauxwelli (Ridgely & Tudor 1989), whose song is similar (Hardy & Parker 1985). Upperparts olive-brown and underparts uniformly sandy-brown, both darker (especially the remiges and rectrices) than in T. hauxwelli, which is more rufescent above; an orange tint, however, was apparent on the A. G. White et al. 31 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) underwing coverts. The inner margins of the remiges exhibited no contrast; in 7. hauxwelli they are buffy-white (Todd 1931). The pale underparts of T. hauxwelli are given as a distinguishing feature by Ridgely & Tudor (1989), who comment, however, that the whitish lower belly and undertail coverts may occasionally be washed with buff. Indeed, several T. hauxwelli that we examined showed relatively little white below. The undertail coverts of T. haplochrous displayed narrow light brown margins; the feathers immediately surrounding the vent were cream-coloured. The sandy-brown streaking on the creamy throat was far less conspicuous than in T. hauxwelli. 'The eye was enclosed by a complete, but narrow, dull orange eye-ring and had a brownish-red iris. The bill was olive-yellow, with the base of the upper mandible darker and more manifestly olive in tone; the tarsi and toes were brown and the claws grey. By contrast, T. hauxwelli differed in having a more obviously demarcated pale throat, a dark brown bill, a bright red iris, and no noticeable eye-ring. Additionally, the head of that species appeared smaller and was obviously less rounded in_ outline. Consequently, little trouble was experienced with the separation of these two species in the hand, but positive field identification was less straightforward since bill colour and, especially, the existence of an eye-ring, were not easily discerned. Other species similar to T. haplochrous are the Cocoa Thrush T. fumigatus, which is generally more rufescent than JT. hauxwelli (Snow 1985, Ridgely & ‘Tudor 1989), occurs widely in Brazil and has been recorded questionably from Santa Cruz department, and the Clay-coloured Thrush 7. grayi of northern Colombia and central America, which is lighter in colour (personal examination of skins). The holotype of T. haplochrous, an adult female, held in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CM 80224), was described by Todd (1931) as having a brown iris and brownish-black bill. K. C. Parkes (pers. comm.) has informed us that the male (CM 119459), obtained by Steinbach at the same time as the holotype, displays identical hues. With regard to the two males (LSUMZ 36465 and 38084) collected by Steinbach in 1944, O’ Neill (1976) comments simply that they did not differ significantly from the aforementioned pair. These descriptions of skins give no hint of the bill of T. haplochrous exhibiting olive tones, but in agreement with our observations, notes provided by C. G. Schmitt (pers. comm.) indicate that the distal portions of both upper and lower mandibles of both the male and female obtained near Trinidad displayed a lime-green hue, which characterizes the bill of T. gray too. The base of the upper mandible of the female (held in the Louisiana State University Museum of Zoology; LSUMZ 124796) is described as brownish-olive, whilst that of the lower mandible is given as medium neutral grey in colour; the bill base of the male (LSUMZ 125992) is reported as being fuscous. In the light of these details, it is tempting to speculate that the individual which we trapped was a male, and that both birds acquired by Steinbach in 1918 were not fully mature. Schmitt’s notes indicate too that whilst the tarsi and toes of the female concerned were hair brown, those of the male were glaucous in colour. Obviously, it will be necessary to obtain additional information A. G. White et al. 32 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) on bare part colorations before definitive descriptions can be given. Nevertheless, if a Turdus sp. showing predominantly brownish upper- and underparts, and an olive-yellow bill, is seen in lowland Bolivia, it should be T. haplochrous, although it needs to be cautioned that Snow (1985) has reported that the bill tips of some dried skins of ‘hauxwelli-type’ thrushes appear greenish. Measurements (mm) and weight (g) of individual trapped Wing 124; tail 100; bill (tip to feathers) 17.4; skull 50.5 (to bill tip); tarsus 32. Lengths of primaries (all new) in relation to longest, numbered from inside: p 10 — 66 (+8 primary coverts); p9 —15; p 8 = 5p) 1'5;'p 6 wing ‘point;'p 3! '-"1 5 p42 7p 3 — 12 pa aor p 1 — 21. Emarginations (from tip): p 8 48; p 7 40; p 6 36; p 5 30. Slight notching on p 9, p 8 and p7. Weight 84. Range extension and conservation implications Despite there being two other known localities for T. haplochrous in Beni, the finding of this species in the EBB represents a range extension (to the north-west) of no less than 150 km. Since the species is fairly cryptic and easily confused with T. hauxwelli, it is likely that it has been overlooked previously and that further localities will be discovered in due course. Within the confines of the EBB there are no obvious threats posed to the varzea forest in which the species was found. It seems that other than the preservation of such riverine forest, which occurs widely in the lowlands of Bolivia, active conservation measures may not be required urgently at the present time. Further information is required, however, to determine the distribution and habitat requirements of this elusive species more fully. Acknowledgements These observations were made during the course of survey work undertaken by the ‘Nottingham University Bolivia Project 1992’ expeditionary team based at the EBB from July to October 1992, whose complement included also Giles E. Duffield, Alan J. Hesse and Steven Spick. We wish to thank especially BirdLife International for support through the auspices of their Conservation Awards Scheme, which was made possible by financial backing from British Petroleum, to whom we are most gratefully indebted. We acknowledge the logistical support and advice supplied by Gary Allport, Jonathon Eames, Martin Kelsey and other staff at BirdLife International. Financial support was secured also from the following bodies: Adrian Ashby-Smith Memorial Fund, British Museum of Natural History (Bird Exploration Fund), British Ecological Society, British Ornithologists’ Union, Conder Conservation Trust, Institute of Biology, Mirror Group Newspapers, People’s Trust for Endangered Species, Pneumatic Services Ltd. (London), Rayne Foundation, Royal Geographical Society, World Pheasant Association. We are very grateful for the constant help and encouragement given by the staff of the EBB, especially Carmen Miranda (Director) and Sabina Stab (Resident Scientific Coordi- nator). We acknowledge too advice provided by Stuart Strahl (New York Zoological Society), and help from Michael Walters and Peter Colston of the British Museum (Natural History), Tring, where skins of T. grayi were examined. C. Gregory Schmitt permitted us to peruse detailed descriptions relating to the sightings and specimens of T. haplochrous obtained near Trinidad, Kenneth C. Parkes provided us with comprehensive details and background information pertaining to the two CM specimens, John P. O’ Neill supplied information on the LSUMZ specimens trapped by Steinbach, and John M. Bates (American Museum of Natural History, New York) provided us with details of A.A. Macdonald 33 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) the sighting made by the late Theodore A. Parker III: we record our thanks to these people for their most helpful responses to our enquiries. References: Collar, N. J., Gonzaga, L. P., Krabbe, N., Madrono Nieto, A., Naranjo, L. G., Parker, T. A. & Wege, D. C. 1992. Threatened Birds of the Americas: The ICBP/IUCN Red Data Book. Smithsonian Institution Press. Hardy, J. W. & Parker, T. A. 1985. Voices of the New World Thrushes. ARA Records, Gainesville, Florida. Miranda, C. (ed.) 1991. Plan de Manejo de la Reserva de la Biosfera, Estacion Biologica del Beni, 1991. Artes Graficas Latina, A.N.C.B./E.B.B./LIDEMA, La Paz. O'Neill, J. P. 1976. Notes on two species of Bolivian birds. Wilson Bull. 88: 492-493. Ridgely, R. S. & Tudor, G. 1989. The Birds of South America. Vol. 1. The Oscine Passerines. Oxford Univ. Press. Snow, D. W. 1985. Systematics of the Turdus fumigatus/hauxwelli group of thrushes. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 105: 30-37. Todd, W. E. C. 1931. Critical notes on the Neotropical thrushes. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 44: 47-54. White, A: G., Brace, R. C., Duffield, G. E., Hesse, A. J., Payne, A. J. & Spick, S. 1993. Nottingham University Bolivia Project 1992: An Ornithological Survey of the Beni Station sponsored by BirdLife International. Pp.51. Report prepared for BirdLife International. Addresses: Robin Brace, Department of Life Science, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, U.K. Adam White, Westbrook, 47 Manor Way, Beckenham, Kent BR3 3LN, U.K. Anthony J. Payne, 39 Westwood Park, Forest Hill, London SE23 3QG, U.K. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 Distribution of Blue Crowned Pigeon Goura cristata on north Seram by Alastair A. Macdonald Received 24 Fanuary 1994 The Blue Crowned Pigeon Goura cristata recently reported from Seram by Kitchener et al. (1993) had been stumbled across in a village near the coast. [wo years later (August 1993) the author returned to the island to carry out a more systematic investigation of its distribution in the north-central part of Seram. It is pertinent to note that the author was returning to people in villages whom he knew and had visited during previous field trips in 1987, 1990 and 1991 (Edwards et al. 1993). Information concerning the wider distribution of Goura has recently been published by King & Nijboer (1994). Coloured photographic prints of the Blue Crowned Pigeon were shown to residents, shopkeepers, forestry guards (PHPA) and logging company personnel from the city of Ambon, and villages on the coast and in the interior of north-central Seram (Fig. 1). The respondents were asked if they recognised the bird, to indicate where they thought it came from, then asked if the bird was present on Seram and where it might be found on the island. A. A. Macdonald 34 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) ® Settlements or river crossing Alan mee 5 Pasahari 4 Mountain summits Melinanie - ew Wasa e Solea Wae Toluarang Wae Sapalewa__ Alcamat Wae Mual wis ONS 1h * : a CWAIGEO OS TRIAN JAYA ——s Wahai MISOO Ambon SERA Figure 1. Map of Manusela National Park indicating the rivers of the Mual plains and the location of the villages and the river crossing mentioned in the text. The insert places Seram in relation to Ambon and Irian Jaya. ‘Those who lived in the city of Ambon or who, like shopkeepers and fishermen, lived solely in villages on the north coast of Seram either failed to recognise the bird or used the non-specific name mambruk reported by Kitchener et al. (1993) and indicated that it came from Irian Jaya; several mentioned that it was sometimes received as a gift from relatives living in that region; it was not infrequently shipped to Ambon. One bird was reportedly seen being loaded onto a boat from Labuan Pulau Tujuh, a small island to the west of Seram. Forest guards reported that Bula island (east Seram) has many crowned pigeons. Villagers living in the interior of north-central Seram, particularly the hunters and forest guards from Alangalang, Melinani, Wasa, Roho, Kanikeh, Air Besar, Solea and Pasahari, recognised the birds as living in the forest. They were described as being seen sometimes in pairs or in two pairs and often being heard flying from the ground into the trees; hunters vocally mimicked the whu-whu-whu-whu sound of the wings beating which they said was loud, obvious and characteristic; the bird could be found throughout the lowland forest of the Mual plains, bordering the tributaries of the Wae (river) Sapalewa, Wai ‘Toluarang, Wae Mual and Wai Isal (Fig. 1). The people in this region called the Blue Crowned Pigeon lia nua or lia nue in the Nusaweli language. Hunters in Wasa reported that they could be found as far inland as the S.L. Olson 35 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) Wasa Mata crossing (c. 350 m). Villagers from Kanikeh concurred; they were not found in the higher countryside towards their village (c. 850m). Hunters from Solea indicated that they were found in the lowland forests around Kaloa and Hatuolo. The bird was referred to as ‘clever’ because they found it difficult to catch with local traps. It was therefore not actively hunted for food. It was recognised to be attractive, but only survived one or two weeks of captivity in the forest, in contrast to the longer survival times of lories (Kos bornea, E. semilarvata), lorikeets (Trichoglossus haematodus) and _ cockatoos (Cacatua moluccensis). The survey demonstrated a wide recognition of the presence of the bird throughout the low central part of Seram north of the mountain ridges of Gunung Kobipoto and Gunung Binaiya. Contrary to what is implied in our earlier paper (Kitchener et al. 1993), we now think it probable that, like the Cassowary Casuarius casuarius, the bird was brought to the island by man (White 1975), although it is not clear from this survey how long ago this first occurred. However, the discovery of the existence of a name for the bird in (at least) one of the languages of the island may argue in favour of its presence on the island for a considerable period. References: Edwards, I. D., Macdonald, A. A. & Proctor, J. 1993. Natural History of Seram, Maluku, Indonesia. Intercept, Andover. King, C. E. & Nijboer, J. 1994. Conservation considerations for crowned pigeons, genus Goura. Oryx 28: 22-30. Kitchener, A. C., Macdonald, A. A. & Howard, P. 1993. First record of the Blue Crowned Pigeon Goura cristata on Seram. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 113: 42-43. White, C. M. N. 1975. The problem of the Cassowary in Seram. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 95: 165-170. Address: Alastair A. Macdonald, Preclinical Veterinary Sciences, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of Edinburgh, Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1QH. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 The genera of owls in the Asioninae by Storrs L. Olson Received 11 March 1994 The cosmopolitan genus Aszo Brisson, 1760, contains six or seven species, with greatest diversity in the Old World. Three nominal monotypic genera are closely associated with Aszo and the four together have been regarded as constituting a subfamily Asioninae (e.g. Ford 1967). An additional character that unites all the asionine owls that was not mentioned by Ford is the very long, slender zygomatic process (Olson & James 1991—not ascertainable in Nesasio). S. L. Olson 36 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) The other genera in question are: Pseudoscops Kaup, 1848, of Jamaica; Rhinoptynx Kaup, 1851, of the Neotropics; and Nesasio Peters, 1937, of the Solomon Islands. Some authors merge Rhinoptynx with Aszo (e.g. A.O.U. 1983). Ford (1967) examined and described the cranial osteology of these owls reasonably accurately, although he had only X-radiographs of skin specimens for comparison of Nesasio. He suggested combining all asionine genera under Aso, but I believe that this is misleading and unnecessarily minimises the differences between Asio and Pseudoscops/Rhinoptynx. The species of Aszo have a very distinctive cranial morphology (A. otus, A. flammeus, and A. capensis examined) owing primarily to the large, semi-vertical, flattened surfaces of the cranium above and behind the orbits (Fig. 1C,D). In dorsal view this gives the skull a decidedly triangular appearance. ‘The flattened areas terminate posteriorly in a lateral prominence over the auditory bulla that lies well posterior to the origin of the postorbital process, which descends from the anterior margin of the flattened surface. In Pseudoscops and Rhinoptynx, the flattened areas are much smaller, so that the lateral prominence is more anteriad, with the postorbital process descending directly from it (Fig. 1A,B). The skulls in dorsal view in consequence have a more rounded than triangular appearance. The tympanic wing in Asio is enlarged relative to that in Pseudoscops/Rhinoptynx, so that in posterior view it appears more rounded, and in anterior view it extends much farther dorsally and laterally beyond the postorbital process. In lateral view the recess above the quadrate, between the postorbital process and the tympanic wing, is much wider and deeper in Aszo. There are minor differences between Pseudoscops and Rhinoptynx, mostly related to the smaller size of the flattened supraorbital surface, which makes the lateral prominence less expanded, so the skull appears narrower in Pseudoscops. Also, the supraorbital processes are smaller and blunter in Pseudoscops. Nesasio solomonensis was originally described in the genus Pseudoptynx, which is now considered a synonym of Bubo. Peters (1937) showed that the structure of its external ear was not bubonine, for which reason he created the genus Nesasio, which he regarded as related to Asio. I was able to study a skull and limb bones removed from a skin of Nesasio. Unfortunately, the skull was heavily damaged during the original preparation of the skin, but it still preserves some diagnostic features. Compared to a bubonine (Ketupa ketupu, Fig. 2), the skull is low and narrow, much more triangular, with the supraorbital flattened area present and well developed, giving the skull a triangular appearance. There is also a marked furrow between the cerebral hemispheres, such as may be developed in Asio and to a lesser extent in Pseudoscops and Rhinoptynx. The skull of Nesaszo is thus clearly asionine and is more like that of Aszo than are either Pseudoscops or Rhinoptynx. It differs from Asio, however, in having the postorbital process descending directly from the postorbital prominence, as in Pseudoscops/Rhinoptynx. Also, the recess above the quadrate does not appear to be as wide and S. L. Olson Bull, BsO:C.. 19951154) Figure 1. Lateral (above) and dorsal (below) view of skulls of asionine owls: A, Rhinoptynx clamator (LSU 86463), the beak still has the dark rhamphotheca adhering; B, Pseudoscops grammicus (USNM 559184); C, Aszo flammeus (USNM 610977); D, Aszo otus (USNM 610420). S.L. Olson 38 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) Figure 2. Lateral (left) and dorsal (right) views of skulls: A, Nesasio alee s (AMNH 631734); B, Ketupa Retupu (USNM 559828). deep as in Asio and would again be more similar to Pseudoscops/ Rhinoptynx. ‘The proportions of the foot differ greatly in Nesasio. Although the tarsometatarsus is scarcely longer than that in Rhinoptynx (Fig. 3), it is much more massive, so that Nesasio must be a much more powerful predator that feeds on relatively larger prey. Peters (1937:82) considered Nesasio to be “‘probably derived from an offshoot of Asio flammeus stock,’ whereas Pseudoscops he regarded as being “originally of A. asio stock.’ I do not think that this is an accurate reflection of the probable evolutionary history of this group of owls. By comparison with the remainder of the Strigidae, the characters of skull are most derived in Asio. Pseudoscops and Rhinoptynx are clearly more primitive than Aszo and are much more similar to one another than either is to Aszo. The differences in the skulls of these two are relatively minor and probably not of generic significance. I therefore consider the junior name Rhinoptynx to be a synonym of Pseudoscops, and its only contained species, the Striped Owl, should now be known as Pseudoscops clamator. Nesasio appears more derived in the extent of the supraorbital flattened surfaces and more triangular shape of the skull, but is less derived than Aszo in this respect and retains the primitive characters mentioned above, as well as having a more specialized tarsal morphology. Thus, rather than the insular forms Pseudoscops grammicus and Nesasio solomonensis being derived from Aszo, these species, along with P. clamator, can be viewed more as primitive forms, perhaps relicts of an earlier asionine radiation that has otherwise been replaced by species of the more derived genus Aszo in most parts of the world. S. L. Olson 39 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) Figure 3. Anterior views of the tarsometatarsus (left) and tibiotarsus (right) of: A, Nesasio solomonensis (AMNH 631734); B, Rhinoptynx clamator (LSU 86463). Acknowledgements I thank George Barrowclough (American Museum of Natural History, New York) for permitting bones to be removed from a study skin of Nesasio solomonensis, and J. P. Angle and F. V. Grady for undertaking this task. J. V. Remsen (Louisiana State University Museum of Natural History, Baton Rouge) kindly lent a skeleton of Rhinoptynx clamator. Other comparative material was from the collections of the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. The photographs are by Victor E. Krantz. References: A. O. U. 1983. Checklist of North American Birds. American Ornithologists’ Union. Ford, N. L. 1967. A systematic study of the owls based on comparative osteology. Ph.D. dissertation. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. University Microfilms 68-7595. Olson, S. L. & James, H. F. 1991. Descriptions of thirty-two new species of birds from the Hawaiian Islands. Part I. Non-passeriformes. Ornithol. Monog. 45:1-88. Peters, J. L. 1937. A new genus for Pseudoptynx solomonensis Hartert. 7. Washington Acad. Sci. 27:81-83. Address: Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560, U.S.A. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 R. Thorstrom et al. 40 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) Repeated sightings and first capture of a live Madagascar Serpent-eagle Eutriorchis astur by R. Thorstrom, R. T. Watson, B. Damary, F. Toto, M. Baba & V. Baba Received 5 April 1994 The Madagascar Serpent-eagle Eutriorchis astur is considered one of the rarest birds of prey in the world (Langrand & Meyburg 1984). Until recently it was known from only eleven museum specimens (Ferguson-Lees et al. in press), the last of which were collected in 1930 (Dee 1986). Raxworthy & Colston (1992) identified Eutriorchis astur from a skull and three primary feathers collected from a decomposed carcass found in Ambatovaky Reserve (16°51'S, 49°08’E). There have been several possible sight records in recent decades from Marojejy Reserve (14°21’S, 49°38’E), including a detailed account of a sighting made in 1988 by Sheldon & Duckworth (1990). The Peregrine Fund began ecological studies focused on raptors on Masoala Peninsula, Madagascar in August 1991 (Watson & Lewis in press). Studies have involved fourteen people in the field for about 140 person-months, as follows: two field seasons (September through February) studying the Madagascar Buzzard Buteo brachypterus (Berkelman 1993), two seasons testing raptor survey techniques (René de Roland & Watson 1993), two seasons of a nest reward program among local villagers (Borge 1993), one season of avian community studies (Watson & Strzalkowska 1993), and one season of peninsula- wide avian inventory (Thorstrom 1994) as well as winter season (approximately March through August) studies on other taxa. During a bird inventory of Masoala Peninsula conducted by RT from 1 September 1993 to 28 February 1994, RT and colleagues sighted Madagascar Serpent-eagles four times and captured the species once. On 2 November 1993, RT sighted a Madagascar Serpent-eagle for the first time on Masoala Peninsula at Sarahandrano/Ambanivony (15°17'S, 50°17’E) at 50 m elevation. The species was sighted again on 2 November by RT and BD, and on 11 November by VB at the same locality on the east side of the peninsula. Then on 14 January 1994, FT and MB captured a Madagascar Serpent-eagle in a mist-net on the west side of the peninsula, about 60 km from the November 1993 sightings. On 27 January 1994, DB flushed a Madagascar Serpent-eagle at Antafononona (15°43’S, 50°10’E) at 230 m elevation, 30 km east of the January capture site. Description of sightings on east side of peninsula At 05.40 h on 2 November RT heard an unfamiliar vocalization, a three-note coua-like (Coua caerulea or C. serriana) or frog-like call, a nasal waah—waah—waah that was repeated. RT observed a large raptor fly and perch in the vicinity of the unknown call. The bird was observed with 10 < binoculars at a distance of 30 m as it perched about R. Thorstrom et al. 41 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) 20 m above the ground. The first apparent characteristic was the bright yellow iris. Other observable characteristics included: large and long eagle-like head; bill dark grey/black, upper mandible large; no noticeable cere colour; white-edged feathering on darker crown and nape presenting a scalloped appearance; no distinct white supercilium (present in the Henst’s Goshawk Accipiter henstii); medium brown colour on back; underparts of breast and belly white with fairly broad dark brown bars that thinned out towards lower belly and flanks. Brown bars were fairly widely spaced and spacing increased toward belly and flanks. Upper tarsi were yellowish; tail long in proportion to body with, on dorsal side, broad dark-brown tail bands, narrow dark-brown terminal band, separated by lighter bands of approximately equal width. The bird was observed for 45 seconds moving its head and scanning the middle to lower canopy. It then walked 0.5 m along the limb and flew lethargically across a ravine disappearing into a large vine tangle approximately 40 m away. On the same day at 11.30h RT and DB flushed a large raptor that was perched along a trail, 25 m up slope from the previous sighting. The bird had the same characteristics as the above description. It flew down the trail flapping slowly and landed on a branch 15m above ground; then hopped 0.5 m onto an epiphytic plant attached to the side of a tree, and proceeded to walk and thrust a foot into the epiphytic plant, apparently trying to flush prey. After 20 seconds of walking and foot-thrusting, the bird hopped 1 m up to a branch, walked along the branch and then flew out of view. RT and BD relocated the serpent-eagle perched 30m away in clear view for a further 15 sec. The tarsus length and thickness were similar to a Henst’s Goshawk. The feathers on the nape were longer than other head feathers, giving an elongated appearance to the head. On 11 November 1993 at 16.00 h, while at camp, VB was alerted by alarm calls of Broad-billed Rollers Eurystomus glaucurus, a Madagascar Kestrel Falco newtoni, and Crested Drongos Dicrurus forficatus. They were mobbing a Madagascar Serpent-eagle, with the same characteris- tics as the earlier description, perched 25 m above ground in a large tree (Canarium sp.) situated on the edge of a rice paddy. The serpent-eagle remained motionless while being attacked by the smaller birds. It moved once to another branch during 30 minutes of observation; then flew, rolled over to defend itself against a stooping Madagascar Kestrel, and disappeared into the forest at canopy level. We returned to Sarahandrano/Ambanivony from 28 November to 17 December 1993, to capture for radio-tagging and begin studying this serpent-eagle. During this period tavy (slash-and-burn agriculture) activity had increased in the area where we had observed it. We searched, placed traps baited with chicken on the ground and in the trees at the serpent-eagle sighting sites, and asked local people if they knew of any nest locations of this bird. Two nests were reported to us which we identified as nests of a Henst’s Goshawk and a Bat Hawk Machaeramphus alcinus. The serpent-eagle was not relocated. On 27 January 1994 at 07.14h, BD flushed a Madagascar Serpent-eagle that was perched 1 m above the ground along a trail. It R. Thorstrom et al. 42 Bull. B.O.C..1995 115(1) flew to small tree 15 m away and was observed for 15 minutes. As it flew BD noticed that some tail feathers were worn and broken. The bird had the same characteristics as the previous descriptions; larger than the Madagascar Buzzard; brown colour; brilliant yellow iris; barring on breast and belly broader and separated more than Henst’s Goshawk. The bird flew again and perched 20 m above ground in a large tree where it was mobbed by a Crested Drongo, a Rufous Vanga Schetba rufa, and two Madagascar Bulbuls Hypsipetes madagascariensis. After perching for 10 minutes it called twice waa—waa-—waa-—waa-—wa- wa-wa, then flew out of sight. Description of capture on west side of peninsula A Madagascar Serpent-eagle was captured in a mist net on the west coast of Masoala Peninsula c. 250m east of ‘The Peregrine Fund’s Andranobe Field Station (AFS) (15°40’S, 49°50’E). AFS is about 6 km south of the village of Ambanizana on the creek known locally as Andranobe but marked on the map (FTM X-39/Ambanizana) as Lohatrozo. The Andranobe drainage supports minimally disturbed primary forest from sea level to 700 m. The trap site was at an elevation of 90 m, about 200 m from the sea and 10 minutes walk from AFS. The nearest tavy, 500 m east of the trap site, was used in 1992, but not active in 1993. The nearest active tavy was 700 m south. ‘The bird was captured at 07.42 h on 14 January 1994, in the bottom pocket of one of ten mist-nets. The nest (7 X 2m, mesh size 30 mm) had been set on that day since 04.30 h, at ground level, below the forest canopy. The locality was on a ridge within 200 m of Andranobe River. At the time of capture we had completed 35 days of mist-netting (2650 net-hours) between 04.30h and 17.00h since September 1993. The bird was removed from the net, measured, weighed, banded, and photographed; then released after attaching a radio-telemetry trans- mitter (weight 6 g, Holohil Inc., Ontario, Canada) to its back. Specimen description The bird was identified in the field by FT and MB as Eutriorchis astur (Fandrasalambo in the local Betsimisaraka language) using the Guide to the Birds of Madagascar (Langrand 1990) and photographs of Eutriorchis astur museum skins. The identity was later verified from photographs taken of the bird in the hand (Fig. 1). The following measurements were taken: weight 770g, bill length 30.9mm, wing length 430mm, tail length 296mm, body length 560 mm, tarsus length 79 mm, inside toe length 49 mm, inside talon length 21.5 mm. The iris was bright yellow, bill dark grey/black, legs and toes yellow, talons black. Diagnostic features included small (about 5 mm diameter), vertically elongated hexagonal multiple scalation on the tarsus (contrary to Henst’s Goshawk which has horizontally banded scalation on the tarsus); very long tail, with broad white bands on the under side between narrower brown bands; ‘heavy’ build to head, and bulging R. Thorstrom et al. 43 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) Figure 1. Madagascar Serpent-eagle captured 14 January 1994 on Masoala Peninsula, Madagascar. The bird was released after weighing, measuring and attaching a radio-tag. upper bill giving a ‘Roman nose’ look; and elongated feathers of nape. On release the bird was placed on the ground where it walked several steps then flew out of view. R. Thorstrom et al. 44 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) Discussion The Madagascar Serpent-eagle is evidently secretive and difficult to detect. Despite our focus on raptor studies and the considerable time and effort invested in the field by our biologists since we began studies on Masoala Peninsula, the first sighting was only made after about 100 person months of effort. The first capture was made accidentally, very close to our field station at the centre of much of our field work. Now for the first time we are in a position to learn about the behaviour and biology of the Madagascar Serpent-eagle. With a better understanding of its behaviour we may be able to detect the species more readily. With this ability we aim to begin studies of its distribution and abundance and factors affecting them. Preserving the Madagascar Serpent-eagle and its rain forest habitat remains one of the biggest challenges to conservationists working in Madagascar. ‘The most effective conservation measure must be to protect extensive areas of primary forest within its known range (between latitudes 14° and 19°S). Although much activity is centred on this aim, there remains significant concern that continued forest loss and habitat fragmentation will reduce available habitat to below the critical minimum. Understanding the species’ spatial requirements and the effects of forest fragmentation on nesting density will help us determine minimum areas required for viable populations of this species. All previous records of this species were in minimally disturbed primary forest. While the site of the eagle’s capture conforms to this pattern, the three sightings made in November 1993 (probably of the same bird) were in forest within 100m of tavy activity. The fourth sighting was in undisturbed primary forest 3 km from the last tavy up the Anoavandrano River drainage. Since inception of The Peregrine Fund’s studies on Masoala in 1991 we have had a policy of accommodating only authorized project participants in the study area and at the field station in order to minimize researcher impact on the undisturbed forest. This policy will continue. Acknowledgements We would like to thank the Direction des Eaux et Foréts, ANGAP and Tripartite Commission for their collaboration with The Peregrine Fund’s Project in Madagascar. ‘The Peregrine Fund cooperates with CARE and NYZS/Wildlife Conservation Society in the Masoala Integrated Conservation and Development Project (MICDP). This work was supported by grants from the Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation, Environment Now, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and United States Agency for International Development. We would like to thank O. Langrand and L. Wilmé for their continued help and support in Madagascar. Thanks also to in-country project manager Richard Lewis and Stefania Strzalkowska for significant training of personnel. References: Berkelman, J. 1993. The ecology of the Madagascar Buzzard Buteo brachypterus on Masoala Peninsula, Madagascar. Unpubl. MSc thesis. Boise State University, Boise. Borge, L. 1993. Development of a public awareness and a nest reward scheme for detecting rare species. In R. T’. Watson (ed.), Madagascar Project: Progress Report I, 1991 and 1992. The Peregrine Fund, Inc., Boise, U.S.A. 152 pp. A. Whittaker 45 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) Dee, T. J. 1986. The Endemic Birds of Madagascar. 1CBP, Cambridge. Ferguson-Lees, I. J., Franklin, K., Mead, D. & Burton, P. In Press. Birds of Prey: an identification guide to the raptors of the world. Houghton Mifflin. Langrand, O. & Meyburg, B. U. 1984. Birds of prey and owls in Madagascar: their distribution, status and conservation. In J. M. Mendelsohn & C.W. Sapsford (eds). Proc. 2nd Symp. African Predatory Birds. Natal Bird Club, Durban, South Africa. Langrand, O. 1990. Guide to the Birds of Madagascar. Yale Univ. Press. Raxworthy, C. J. & Colston, P. R. 1992. Conclusive evidence for the continuing existence of the Madagascar Serpent-eagle Eutriorchis astur. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 112: 108-111. René de Roland, L. A. & Watson, R. T. 1993. Tests of diurnal raptor survey techniques. In R. T. Watson (ed.), Madagascar Project: Progress Report I, 1991 and 1992. The Peregrine Fund, Inc., Boise, U.S.A. 152 pp. Sheldon, B. C. & Duckworth, J. W. 1990. Rediscovery of the Madagascar Serpent-eagle Eutriorchis astur. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 110: 126-130. Thorstrom, R. 1994. Avian inventory on Masoala Peninsula. Unpublished report. The Peregrine Fund, Inc., Boise, U.S.A. Watson, R. T. & Lewis, R. In press. Raptor studies in Madagascar’s rain forest. In R. D. Chancellor & B.-U. Meyburg (eds). Proc. 4th World Conference on Birds of Prey and Owls. World Working Group on Birds of Prey, Berlin. Watson, R. T. & Strzalkowska, S. 1993. Masoala Project: the next three years. In R. 'T. Watson (ed.), Madagascar Project: Progress Report I, 1991 and 1992. The Peregrine Fund, Inc., Boise, U.S.A. 152 pp. Address: The Peregrine Fund, Inc., 5666 West Flying Hawk Lane, Boise, ID 83709, U.S.A. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 Range extensions and nesting of the Glossy-backed Becard Pachyramphus surinamus in central Amazonian Brazil by Andrew Whittaker Received 7 April 1994 The Glossy-backed Becard P. surinamus inhabits the canopy and subcanopy of terra firme forest in central Amazonian Brazil, where pairs are found mostly accompanying large or small mixed-species flocks or occasionally as solitary pairs. Among the reasons for the species being so poorly known are its rather restricted range in South America and the fact that it spends most of the time in the canopy and subcanopy of the rainforest, where it is very easy to overlook unless one knows its voice. Distribution Meyer de Schauensee (1970) reported the range of P. surinamus as Surinam, French Guiana, and eastern Brazil north of the Amazon. The following two records represent extensions of the range over two important zoogeographic barriers. The first, a sight record on 28 September 1989, was of a pair constructing a nest at Alvarades (3°20'S, 64°53'’W), near Tefé. Alvardes is situated about 25 km west of Tefé on A. Whittaker 46 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) the south bank of the Rio Solimdes (Amazon River). This represents an extension of about 560 km due west from the nearest previously known site, the Reserva Ducke some 20 km east-northeast of Manaus (Willis 1977). ‘The second record was of birds observed in July 1993 on five separate days in the terra firme forest of the JaQ National Park, Amazonas, on the north bank of the Rio Jat on the Pataua stream (1°52'08"S, 61°46’ 45” W). The Jat National Park is on the west bank of the Rio Negro, about 100 km northwest of Novo Airao (Padua 1983). ‘This represents the first record for the species west of the Rio Negro, and extends its known range by about 240 km almost due west from the Projeto Dinamica Biologica de Fragmentos Florestais (PDBFF) site 80 km north of Manaus (Stotz & Bierregaard 1989). There has also been another recent record west of the Rio Negro, at Fazenda Sao Francisco near Manacaparu about 50 km west-southwest of Manaus (Mario Cohn-Haft pers. comm.). The range extension south of the Amazon follows the recent trend for ‘Guianan’ species (formerly known only from the northeastern corner of the Brazilian Basin) to be found first much further southwest in the Manaus area, and then even further southwest. Two species that followed this pattern were the Guianan Gnatcatcher Polioptila guianensis (Willis 1977) and the Crimson Fruitcrow Haematoderus militaris (Bierregaard et al. 1987, Stotz & Bierregaard 1989). These species were previously known only from the northeastern corner of the Brazilian Amazon, before being found near Manaus. Later P. guianensis was recorded from south of the Amazon River, from the upper Rio Urucu near 'Tefé (Peres & Whittaker 1991); and more recently still, both P. guianensis (D. Stotz pers. comm.) and H. militaris (Whittaker 1993) have been found another 1000km southwest in the state of Rondonia. ‘This must alert us to the possibility that P. surinamus may well be found to occur further south and west than the two new localities recorded here. Breeding records The first Glossy-backed Becard nests were recorded by Haverschmidt (1972) and Oniki & Willis (1982). I located a nest at the PDBFF reserves on 1 August 1988, while I was observing an active nest of the Ornate Hawk-eagle Spizaetus ornatus in an emergent leguminous tree. The area of the PDBFF reserves consists of a mosaic of terre firme forest and agricultural development (mostly cattle pasture) between 50 and 80km north of Manaus (Bierregaard & Lovejoy 1988, Lovejoy & Bierregaard 1990). I noted a female Glossy-backed Becard leaving a nest suspended in the outer branches, about 25 m above the ground and about 8 m above the eagle’s nest, which was in the second main fork off the tree trunk and contained two small young. The becard nest was globular with a side entrance, and made of what looked like small dark twigs. It seemed possible that the siting of the nest close to that of the eagle may have afforded protection against predators. I recorded a second nest, as already mentioned, on 28 September 1989 at Alvaraes, near Tefé. This nest was in the process of being built in a dead, isolated tree about 40m tall. Both male and A. Whittaker 47 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) female were bringing in small dead twigs to the ball-shaped nest with a side entrance. It was suspended on the end of a small branch about 30m high, and was about 7-8 m from an active wasp nest. The nest seemed to be made of dead moss, rootlets, and small twigs and woven onto the end of the branch. The isolated tree was located in a strip of land that had been deforested and then abandoned and was overgrown by secondary growth about 3—5 m tall. A small strip of terra firme forest remained intact some 50m away, offering a corridor to virgin terra firme forest, which was about 1 km away. Both Haverschmidt (1972) and Oniki & Willis (1982) recorded nesting associations of the Glossy-backed Becard with nests of social bees (Tvigona); two nests recorded by Haverschmidt were actually sited on top of large active Trigona bees’ nests. My observation of their nesting next to an active wasps’ nest is the first for the species, but this is well known in the Cinnamon Becard Pachyramphus cinnamomeus (Skutch 1989) and White-winged Becard Pachyramphus polychopterus (pers. obs.). These two records suggest that the main breeding season for P. surinamus may be at the height of the dry season, which in central Amazonia is August-September. This is in agreement with Oniki & Willis’s record for Manaus (20 August), and Haverschmidt’s (1972) evidence that P. surinamus breeds in Surinam from August to October, during the long dry season. Acknowledgements I would like to thank R. O. Bierregaard, Jr. for his help, advice and the opportunities given during the years of field work north of Manaus; the personnel at both the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments and the Fundacado Vitoria Amazénica, Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi; and, especially, all who made the often difficult logistics run so smoothly. The manuscript benefited from the comments and discussions of Mario Cohn-Haft, Claude Gascon and Jania Sanaiotti to whom I am very grateful. Financial support for field work was received from the World Wildlife Fund, the Smithsonian Institute, the Instituto National de Pesquisas da Amazénia (INPA), the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation (Chicago) and the Fundagao Vitoria Amazénica. Many thanks to Mark Baker of Ecotour Expedition Inc for his constant help and support in my scientific work. Finally special thanks to my wife Nadime A. Whittaker for her constant support. This represents publication (no. 118) in the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments technical series. References: Bierregaard, R. O. Jr., Stotz, D. F., Harper, L. H. & Powell, G. V. N. 1987. Observations on the occurrence and behavior of the Crimson Fruitcrow (Haematoderus militaris) in central Amazonia. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 107: 134-137. Bierregaard, R. O. Jr. & Lovejoy, T. E. 1988. Birds in Amazonian forest fragments: effects of insularization. Acta XIX Congr. Int. Orn. 2: 1564-1579. Haverschmidt, F. 1972. Pachyramphus surinamus nesting in Surinam. Ibis 114: 393-395. Lovejoy, T. E. & Bierregaard, R. O. Jr. 1990. Central Amazonian forests and the Minimum Critical Size of Ecosystem Project. Pp. 60-71 in A. H. Gentry (ed.), Four Neotropical Rainforests. Yale Univ. Press. Meyer de Schauensee, R. 1970. A Guide to the Birds of South America. Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Oniki, Y. & Willis, E. O. 1982. Breeding records of birds from Manaus, Brazil: Formicariidae to Pipridae. Rev. Bras. Biol. 42: 563-569. Padua, M. T. J. 1983. Os Parques Nacionais e Reservas Biolégicas do Brasil. IBDF. Editora Gr4fica Brasiliana, Brasilia. T. Londei 48 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) Peres, C. & Whittaker, A. 1991. Annoted checklist of the bird species of the upper Rio Urucu, Amazonas, Brazil. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 111: 156-171. Stiles, F. G. & Skutch, A. F. 1989. A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica. Cornell Univ. Press. Stotz, D. F. & Bierregaard R. O. Jr. 1989. ‘The birds of the Fazendas Porto Alegre, Esteio and Dimona north of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. Rev. Brasil. Biol. 49: 861-872. Whittaker, A. 1993. Notes on the behaviour of the Crimson Fruitcrow Haematoderus militaris near Manaus, Brazil, with the first nesting record for this species. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 113: 93-96. Willis, E. O. 1977. Lista preliminar das aves da parte noroeste e areas vizinhas da Reserva Ducke, Amazonas, Brazil. Rev. Brasil. Biol. 37: 585-601. Address: Andrew Whittaker, Projeto Dinamica Biol6gica de Fragmentos Florestais, INPA Ecologia, C.P. 478, Manaus 69011-970, Amazonas, Brazil. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 Field observations on the Azores Buzzard Buteo buteo rothschildi by Tiziano Londet Received 1 April 1994 The first human population settled the Azores in the 15th century and named the group “‘Acores’’ probably after the resident buzzard (“‘Acor’’ is the Portuguese word for Goshawk), the only resident diurnal raptor. Although this conspicuous bird is well-known in the Azores, there have been few published studies on it. The most comprehensive account is still that by Bannerman & Bannerman (1966), incorporating contributions by the Azorean ornithologist J. Agostinho. More information on taxonomy is offered by James (1984), who found this small-sized race of the Common Buzzard clearly distinct subspecifically on the basis of the statistical analysis of museum specimens. While in the Azores from 17 to 29 August 1992, I had many opportunities of seeing these very common birds in the field. I made most of the observations in Sao Miguel (eight days) and to a lesser extent Faial (two days) and Terceira (two days). I used 8 x 40 binoculars and took photographs using a 300-mm lens. Morphology As can be seen in Figures 1 and 2, rothschildi is rather similar to nominate buteo in general shape, but it looks less massive. In flight its tail looks proportionately longer, whereas it is proportionately shorter from calculations of the tail-wing ratio (James 1984). I believe that the tail appears longer due to the relative narrowness of the wing. A. H. James (in litt. 13 June 1993) stressed the resemblance in shape and size between rothschildi and vulpinus. However, while the skeletal T. Londei 49 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) Figure 1. Buteo buteo rothschildi near Sao Mateus, Terceira, 22 August 1992. proportion of the hand to the entire wing is considerably higher in vulpinus than nominate buteo (Eck 1991), my photographs of rothschildi show blunt wings, in which the above proportion is conceivably lower even than in nominate buteo. This consideration may be interesting in that James (1984) postulated that the Madeiran, Canary and Cape Verde Archipelagos were colonised by buzzards from continental Europe, where, nowadays, vulpinus is the typically migratory race of the Common Buzzard. But the Azores would be rarely influenced by buzzard immigration, as also suggested by the stable plumage pattern of the Azorean population (James 1984). I suggest that the particular wing shape of the Azores Buzzard may have evolved in the Azores, and the light builds of rothschildi and vulpinus may have resulted from separate adaptations to similar needs (e.g., to reducing the dependence on thermals). Behaviour It seemed from my observations that buzzards in the Azores, as they do elsewhere, preferred hunting when the weather was sunny and the ground dry. During three sunny days in Sao Miguel, from late morning to mid-afternoon, I recorded all the buzzards I saw while travelling by local buses across agricultural land (no route repeated). In this way, I counted a total of 137 birds in 55 km (2.5/km). T. Londei 50 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) A B Figure 2. Hovering sequences of an individual of Buteo b. rothschildi (A) and of nominate buteo (B), starting (top) from equivalent postures. Since these outlines are from equally (0.4.s) spaced frames, a difference in flapping rate is suggested. Also a difference in silhouette should be noted. I saw buzzards flying over all types of ground in the three islands I visited, from small towns to dense forests of the introduced coniferous tree Cryptomeria japonica. In the protected landscape zone of Monte da Guia, Faial, I saw a buzzard taking an unidentified prey from a coastal rocky surface sparsely covered with endemic Erica azorica and Myrica faya shrubs. Buzzard foraging, however, was most frequent on pasture land (20/38 observations), often in close proximity of grazing cattle (13/38 observations). In all habitats there was a marked tendency (30/38 observations) for foraging near stands of the reed Arundo donax, which is an introduced invasive species (Sjogren 1984). Cramp & Simmons (1979) mention hanging in the wind or (when the wind fails) hovering before dropping onto prey as an occasional foraging technique of the Common Buzzard. It was the only method that I recorded for rothschildi (38 observations). The search flight usually ended with the bird hanging or hovering at some 10 m from the ground; it then dived, often hung or hovered for some seconds at 5-10 m from the ground, then dropped with wings and tail raised, controlling for speed. Even if the prey was caught, the buzzard did not rest on the ground more than a few seconds. The only prey I was able to identify with certainty was a lizard and a large grasshopper, both taken from near reeds. Many other observed prey items looked like these. Furthermore, I often saw lizards taking cover amid the emerging rhizomes of the reeds, and I found some Locusta migratoria (form danica) adults resting near the reed tops. These grasshoppers were also present in the pasture grass, together with smaller species. Such insects are likely to hop away when cattle pass nearby, so that buzzards flying over cattle may locate their prey more easily. ‘Throughout my observations in the Azores, I never saw anything like a mammal or bird in the talons of a buzzard. I occasionally saw a buzzard skimming over reed tops, but never observed this as a successful hunting method. Although conditions and behaviour indicated locusts as a main prey, I never saw a buzzard T. Londet 51 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) walking on the ground, i.e. exploiting a feeding technique which is usual for the Common Buzzard elsewhere when locusts are abundant (Cramp & Simmons 1979). In flight, the wing-beat of the Azores Buzzard is noticeably faster than that of the nominate race. Using motor-driven photograph sequences, I calculated a flapping rate of 4.3/s for an individual, compared to 3.5/s for an individual of nominate buteo in northern Italy, both during level flapping flight. My photographs are insufficient in number to calculate the flapping rate of hovering, but suggest a difference between rothschildi and nominate buteo (Fig. 2). During my observations the birds were very vocal. After my presence alarmed a family in their presumed nest area (Lagoa do Congro, Sao Miguel), I could hear both adult calls and the shriller juvenile calls for some time. This confirmed what I had felt on previous occasions, 1.e. that the voice of rothschildi sounded different from that of nominate buteo, being less husky, rather fluty. The pee-yah call (Weir & Picozzi 1975) of rothschildi seemed to descend less in pitch, maybe because its yah component was fainter. This is also suggested by a close examination of sonagrams from the Azores Buzzard (Knecht & Scheer 1971), in which the final part of the call appears less marked than in the sonagram from a Swedish bird (Cramp & Simmons 1979). Racial differences in voice between rothschildi and nominate buteo have not previously been reported. General discussion On the basis of both morphological and behavioural characters, the Azores Buzzard appears to be a quite distinct form; but more information is needed on its ecology. Agostinho never saw the Azores Buzzard “attacking pigeons or other wild birds, only rats and rabbits’? (Bannerman & Bannerman 1966). Melo Medeiros (pers. comm.) found rabbit bones at buzzard nests. However, my observations that the buzzards were most active when the sun was at its highest support the doubts expressed by Bannerman & Bannerman (1966), that the Azores Buzzard does not generally rely on rabbits as a source of food. This also seems a valid inference for rats. Anyway, since all Azorean mammals except one bat species have been introduced (Agostinho), they cannot have formed any part of the diet of this raptor when it colonised the Azores, almost certainly long ago (James 1984). Due to seasonal uniformity in these oceanic islands, grasshoppers and lizards might suffice the Azores Buzzard’s needs all year round. De Vries’ opinion (in James 1984) that the reason for the lack of predatory species in the Azores is lack of prey species cannot be accepted without reservation, because, in addition to grasshoppers and lizards, there are many resident bird species that could be a reliable food source for a diversity of birds of prey, some of which have been recorded in the Azores (Le Grand 1983). However, if the alternative explanation were true, that the absence of other raptors is due to successful trophic competition by the Azores Buzzard, this raptor T. Londei by) Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) would have to feed on a wide diversity of prey. Literature and my observations fail to support this. It may be noted that most mid-oceanic islands worldwide tend to have only a single diurnal raptor species. From James’ (1984) values, rothschildi has proportionately larger bill and feet than nominate buteo (the latter is similar to vulpinus in these proportions). Large bill and feet also appear in other island races of the Common Buzzard; at least in the case of arrigoni (Sardinia), it is almost certainly a result of separate evolution from rothschildi. In a study of island passerines and their mainland counterparts, Grant (1965) found that the bill and tarsi are usually larger in the island forms, and he postulated that these differences are the result of the extension of activities related to a broader niche of the island populations. This explanation, however, does not seem to apply to the large-billed, large-footed Azores Buzzard, at least under the present conditions (nor to the analogous buzzard of Sardinia, which, in addition, must compete with several other raptors). Unlike Hartog & Lavaleye (1981), I found the density of the Azores Buzzard impressive. The only previous quantitative information is that of Moore (1975), who recorded 10 buzzards on transects totalling 4.73 km in Sao Miguel in March. The resulting average is 2.1/km, similar to what I recorded. The habitat components I found to be associated with the Azores Buzzard’s feeding activity, namely stands of reeds and cattle pastures, are the result of human settlement. A thorough study of this raptor’s diet might reveal pre-adaptations to the present environment as well as adaptive changes undergone in the last few centuries. Acknowledgements F. Melo Medeiros, University of the Azores, provided me with useful information when I was there. A. H. James sent me constructive criticisms and suggestions after reading an early draft of the manuscript. D. W. Snow suggested considerable improvements for the final version. References: Bannerman, D. A. & Bannerman, W. M. 1966. Birds of the Atlantic Islands. Vol. 3. A History of the Birds of the Azores. Oliver & Boyd. Cramp, S. & Simmons, K. E. L. (eds) 1979. The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. 2. Oxford Univ. Press. Eck, S. 1991. Die Zoogeographische Art der Adlerbussarde Buteo [lagopus] (Accipitridae). Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berl. 67 Suppl.: Ann. Orn. 15: 137-146. Grant, P. R. 1965. The adaptive significance of some size trends in island birds. Evolution 19: 355-365. Hartog, J. C. den & Lavaleye, M.S. S. 1981. Bird observations in the Azores (12 Sept.—1 Nov. 1979). Bocagiana Mus. Mun. Funchal 56: 1-19. James, A. H. 1984. Geographic variation in the Buzzard Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758): mid-Atlantic and West Mediterranean islands (Aves: Accipitridae). Beaufortia 34: 101-116. Knecht, S. & Scheer, U. 1971. Die Vogel der Azoren. Bonn. zool. Beitr. 22: 275-296. Le Grand, G. 1983. Check list of the birds of the Azores. Arquipélago Ser. Cienc. nat. 4: 49-58. Moore, N. W. 1975. The diurnal flight of the Azorean bat (Nyctalus azoreum) and the. avifauna of the Azores. 7. Zool. Lond. 177: 483-486. Sjogren, E. 1984. Acores/Azores/Acores/Azoren. Flores/Flowers/Fleurs/Pflanzen. Direccao Regional de Turismo, Horta Faial. P. Alstrém et al. 53 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) Weir, D. & Picozzi, N. 1975. Aspects of social behaviour in the Buzzard. Brit. Birds 68: 125-141. Address: Tiziano Londei, Dipartimento di Biologia—Sezione di Anatomia Comparata, Universita di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 Re-evaluation of the taxonomic status of Phylloscopus goodsoni Hartert by Per Alstrém, Urban Olsson & Peter R. Colston Received 26 November 1993 In 1903 Katsumata obtained two specimens of a Phylloscopus warbler on Hainan Island, south China, which were later named Phylloscopus goodsoni (Hartert 1910). Ticehurst (1938) did not recognize goodsoni as a distinct species, but treated it as a subspecies of P. ricketti (breeding in south-central China). This latter treatment was followed by, for example, Williamson (1967), Watson et al. (1986) and Howard & Moore (1991). Cheng (1987) treated both P. ricketti and goodsoni as subspecies of P. cantator (breeding in northeastern India and Burma). Both of the specimens of goodsoni available to Hartert are in the American Museum of Natural History, New York (AMNH) (male collected at Lei Muimon on 12 January 1993, AMNH No. 450282 [type], and male collected on south Hainan on 22 December 1903, AMNH No. 450283). There is also one specimen in the Natural History Museum, Tring (BMNH), which shows the characters of goodsoni and is accepted as such in this paper. It was collected by J. Delacour and P. Jabouille at Konang Tcheou Wan in southwestern Guangdong Province, just north of Hainan Island, on 17 March 1933 (BMNH Reg. No. 1935.10.23.577) and labelled as P. reguloides fokiensis. Description of goodsoni Lateral crown-stripes olive-grey, darker posteriorly than anteriorly. Pale median crown-stripe more olive-tinged and less well defined on the anterior than on the posterior part. Upperparts uniformly green. Double pale yellow wing-bars, the one on the greater coverts relatively broad, the one on the median coverts narrower. Underside yellow, deepest on throat and breast, becoming paler towards the rear. White margin on inner web of outermost tail-feather <1, 0.5 and 1mm, respectively, in the three specimens. Lower mandible all pale. In the three specimens P9, counted descendently, falls between P4/P3, P2/P1 and P3/P2, respectively, and P8 between P6/P5,~P5 and P6/P5, respectively. P5—P8 are emarginated. Measurements of wing, tail and bill are given in Table 1. All three specimens are labelled as males, but the short wing and tail of one individual indicate that it may actually be a female, as suggested by Hartert (1910). P. Alstrém et al. wal 4 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) TABLE 1 Measurements of wing (maximum length; Svensson 1992) and tail of males of all races of Phylloscopus hainanus, P. davisoni, P. reguloides and P. ricketti. The measurements were taken on specimens in the American Museum of Natural History and the Natural History Museum, ‘Tring, and on live individuals Wing Tail n range mean _ s.d. n range mean _ s.d. P. hainanus 8 49.5-56.0 53.4 1.98 7 35.5-41.0 38.9 1.99 P. d. davisoni 11 51.0-57.0 54.5 oS ns witli B55 40.4 1.59 P. d. disturbans 6 55.5-58.0 56.3 0.88 6 39.0-40.0 39.8 0.41 P. d. ogilviegranti 5 53.5-56.0 54.6 1.08 4 37.0-39.5 38.1 1.03 P. d. Rlossi 10 51.0-57.5 54.6 1.74 10 38.5-44.5 41.0 2.42 P.r. kashmiriensis 4 58.0-60.0 59.3 0.96 4 40.0-45.0 43.3 2.36 P. r. reguloides 8 58.0-64.5 60.5 2.36 8 38.5-47.5 43.1 2.85 P. r. assamensis 26 54.0-63.0 58.5 2.47 26 38.0-48.0 42.6 2.86 P. r. claudiae 7 58.5-65.5 62.8 2.40 7 41.5-46.5 44.7 1.78 P. r. fokiensis 14 58.5-64.5 61.0 1.53 14 39.5-46.5 43.0 1.69 P. yr. ticehursti 6 57.5-61.5 60.2 1.47 6 44.0-50.0 46.8 2.25 P. r. goodsoni 3 54.5-61.0 58.0 3.28 3. 38.0-41.0 40.0 1.73 P. ricketti 15 54.0-59.0 56.2 1.42 15 35.0-38.0 36.7 1.18 Comparisons of goodsoni to similar taxa The crown pattern of goodsoni matches that of P. reguloides (Fig. 1) and P. davisom. It is less striking than in P. ricketti, in which the lateral crown-stripes are contrastingly blackish throughout their lengths and the median crown-stripe is pale yellow and well marked throughout its length. The crown pattern of goodsoni is less distinct than in P. cantator, which shows darker and more uniformly coloured lateral crown-stripes, approaching P. ricketti. The crown pattern of goodsoni is also clearly different from that of P. hainanus in which the lateral crown-stripes are paler (only slightly darker than the mantle) and the median crown-stripe more distinct anteriorly (see plate 1 of Olsson et al. 1993). The colour of the underparts of goodsoni is intermediate between P. ricketti and the yellowest subspecies of P. reguloides and P. davisont. They are paler yellow in goodsoni than in P. hainanus, and clearly different from P. cantator, which shows clear yellow throat, breast and undertail-coverts, contrasting with white belly and flanks. In goodsonz, as well as in P. ricketti, P. cantator and most subspecies of P. regulozdes, the outer rectrices show narrow pale margins to the inner webs. In contrast, in P. hainanus the two outermost pairs are largely white, and in all subspecies of P. davisoni except ogilviegranti the outermost pair is extensively white. The wing formula of goodsoni is similar to that of P. reguloides fokiensis and differs only slightly from P. ricketti. It differs from both P. Alstrém et al. 55 Bull. B.O:C31995,A05(1) Figure 1. From left to right: Phylloscopus reguloides es (AMNH No. 450258, type specimen), P. ricketti goodsoni (AMNH No. 450283), P. ricketti goodsont (AMNH No. 450282, type specimen) and two individuals of P. r. rickettz. (Photo: Per Alstrém). P. hainanus and P. davisoni in that there is no emargination on P4. Judging from the available measurements of males (Table 1), goodsoni is slightly smaller than P. reguloides. However, the wide range in wing-length of the three specimens of goodsoni suggests that the smallest one may be wrongly sexed, in which case the measurements may be even more similar to P. reguloides. Compared to P. ricketti, both the average wing- and tail-length of goodsoni are larger, a difference that would be further enhanced if the smallest goodsoni is a female. On the other hand, the average bill-length of ricketti exceeds that of goodsoni (Table 2). In all races of P. davisoni, the wing-lengths are on average shorter than in goodson. P. davisoni further differs from goodsoni by its (on average) shorter bill (Table 2). Discussion It is difficult to decide the taxonomic position of goodsoni on the basis of a sample of only three specimens. The specimens are, however, distinctive enough to warrant such an attempt. They differ significantly and consistently from all other taxa, and as all three specimens come from the same geographical area, goodsoni should be retained as a distinct taxon. However, we do not agree with earlier authors that it should be treated as a subspecies of P. ricketti. Hartert considered the species to stand between P. ricketti and P. trochiloides (reference to P. trochiloides in this context certainly refers to P. reguloides, which in those days was included in P. trochiloides). In our opinion, the pattern of the crown shows that goodsoni is more closely related to P. reguloides and P. davisoni than to P. ricketti. This character is not subject to any significant intraspecific variation in P. reguloides and P. davisoni, unlike wn P. Alstrém et al. 6 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) TABLE 2 Measurements of bill (measured to skull) of males of all races of Phylloscopus hainanus, P. davisoni, P. reguloides and P. ricketti. The measurements were taken on specimens in the American Museum of Natural History and the Natural History Museum, Tring and on live individuals n range mean s.d. P. hainanus 8 12.2-12.4 1225) 0.24 P. d. davisoni 11 11.1-12.3 ale7 0.36 P. d. disturbans 6 11.0-12.1 11.6 0.48 P. d. ogilviegranti 5 11.3-12.5 12.0 0.52 P.. d. Rlossi 17 11.0-12.8 11.8 0.58 P.r. kashmiriensis 4 12.1-13.3 12.6 0.51 P. r. reguloides 6 11.6-13.0 12.5 0.48 P. r. assamensis 20 11.4-13.1 12.3 0.49 P. r. claudiae 7 12.3-13.9 13.1 0.57 P. +. fokiensis 11 12.3-13.4 12.9 0.41 P.r. ticehursti 6 11.9-13.1 12.5 0.53 P. r. goodsoni 3 12.7-13.1 12.8 0.23 P. ricketti 15 13.0-14.0 13.4 0.26 the colour of the underparts, size and wing formula, which are all very variable features. The size, wing formula and tail pattern, which beside general colouration are the main morphological differences between P. reguloides and P. davisoni, indicate that goodsont belongs with P. reguloides. On present knowledge, we suggest goodsoni be treated as a subspecies of P. reguloides. It is not known where goodsoni breeds. Since the two specimens of goodsoni from Hainan were collected in midwinter, they may have been only wintering there. We have not seen any goodsoni on any of three spring visits to Hainan, and we are not aware of any sightings by others. However, until quite recently the situation was obscured by the fact that P. hainanus, breeding on Hainan (Olsson et al. 1993), was believed to be synonymous with goodsom. Neither Etchécopar & Hue (1983), nor Meyer de Schauensee (1984) nor Cheng (1987) list P. reguloides from Hainan. The specimen of goodsoni from the mainland just north of Hainan on 17 March may have been a bird on the breeding grounds, although it cannot be ruled out that it was on migration. Summary The taxonomic status of Phylloscopus goodsoni Hartert is evaluated. The most accepted treatment up to now has been to place it with P. ricketti. This paper presents evidence that it is better treated as a subspecies of P. reguloides, which it closely resembles except for being more yellow on the underparts than any other subspecies. Acknowledgements We are most grateful to the American Museum of Natural History, and in particular to Mary LeCroy, for much assistance during P.A.’s visit there, and to R. A. Sloss for S.N. G. Howell & S. Webb 57 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) sending one specimen of goodsoni on loan to PRC at Tring. Dr. Per Sundberg and Dr. R. Prv¥s-Jones read earlier drafts and made many useful and constructive comments. References: Cheng, T.-h. 1987. A Synopsis of the Avifauna of China. Paul Parey, Berlin. Etchécopar, R. D. & Hie, F. 1982. Les Oiseaux de Chine, de Mongolie et de Corée: Passereaux. Editions du Pacifique, Papeete, Tahiti. Hartert, E. 1910. The birds of Hainan. Novit. Zool. 17: 189-254. Howard, R. & Moore, A. 1991. A Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. 2nd edn. Academic Press. Meyer de Schauensee, R. 1984. The Birds of China. Smithsonian Institution Press. Olsson, U., Alstrém, P. & Colston, P. R. 1993. A new species of Phylloscopus warbler from Hainan Island, China. [bis 135: 3-7. Svensson, L. 1992. Identification Guide to European Passerines. 4th edn. Lars Svensson, Stockholm. Ticehurst, C. B. 1938. A Systematic Review of the Genus Phylloscopus. Trustees of the British Museum, London. Watson, G. E., Traylor, M. A., Jr. & Mayr, E. 1986. In E. Mayr. & G. E. Cottrell (eds), Checklist of Birds of the World. Vol. 11. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard. Williamson, K. 1967. Identification for Ringers 2. The genus Phylloscopus. 2nd edn. British Trust for Ornithology, Tring. Addresses: Per Alstr6m, Kungsgatan 3, 462 33 Vanersborg, Sweden. Urban Olsson, University of Géteborg, Department of Zoology, Section of Morphology and Systematics, Medicinaregatan 18, 413 90 Goteborg, Sweden, Peter R. Colston, Bird Group, The Natural History Museum, Akeman St., Tring, Herts HP23 6AP, U.K. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 Noteworthy bird observations from Chile by Steve N. G. Howell & Sophie Webb Received 19 April 1994 Like other South American countries, much remains to be learned about the avifauna of Chile, particularly with respect to local distribution of resident species and the status of non-breeding migrants. Hellmayr (1932) first summarised the general distribution of Chilean birds, and the excellent works by Goodall et al. (1946, 1951) and Johnson (1965, 1967, 1972) filled in more details, particularly concerning natural history. Araya & Millie (1986) incompletely summarise the distributional information of these earlier works. A number of recent authors have added observations on the status and distribution of Chilean birds, e.g. Howell (1975), Rasmussen & Lopez (1988), Marin et al. (1989), Sallaberry et al. (1992), and Vuilleumier et al. (1993). We visited Chile for ten weeks in the austral spring and early summer, from 8 November to 11 December 1992 and 31 October to 6 December 1993, and Howell visited Chile for a further five weeks, 24 October to 26 November, and 18 December 1994. During these visits we travelled through virtually the entire country observing birds. We here report new information concerning 36 species, including data kindly contributed by R. S. Ridgely (RSR in following text). S. N. G. Howell & S. Webb 58 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) NORTHERN GIANT PETREL Macroneetes halli SNGH « studied at least two Northern Giant Petrels 5 km S of Cape Horn, 18 December 1994. The brownish-red tip to the bill was seen clearly, in contrast to the greenish tip of numerous Southern Giant Petrels MW. giganteus present for comparison; SNGH had seen hundreds of both species in the preceding two weeks, both at sea and on land. The only prior records we are aware of from Chile are four beached carcasses “‘picked up on the Chilean coasts” (Johnson 1972). It seems probable that small numbers occur regularly in Chilean waters although specific records are lacking. WESTLAND PETREL Procellaria westlandica We observed one bird at sea approximately 15 km W of Valparaiso, Valparaiso province, 2 December 1993, and SNGH saw and photographed two in the same area, 8 November 1994. The birds on the latter date showed heavy moult of flight feathers (inner and middle primaries and tail), and one showed a pale, moult-induced bar on the upper wing coverts; this was in contrast to 75 White-chinned Petrels P. aequinoctialis seen on that date, only two of which had commenced wing moult, with one or two inner primaries dropped. In addition, SNGH saw three Westland Petrels in Argentine waters, east of the mouth of the Beagle Channel, on 3 December 1994: single birds at 55°04’S 66°02’W, 55°00’S 65°15’W, and 54°24'S 64°28’W. Two of the three showed obvious moult of middle to outer primaries; the third showed no signs of active moult. On all occasions, the similar White-chinned Petrel was also seen, and the relatively shorter and thicker, black-tipped bill of the Westland Petrel was observed clearly. Apparently there have been only two prior records of. this little-known petrel from Chile, and one from Argentina (Pearman 1994), although the increasing body of records points to the species being a regular non-breeding visitor to waters of southern Chile and adjacent Argentina. Presumably it has been overlooked because of its similarity to the common White-chinned Petrel. GREAT SHEARWATER Puffinus gravis On 18 December 1994 SNGH observed three Great Shearwaters at close range, in loose association with 10,000+ Sooty Shearwaters P. griseus 2-5 km E of Cape Horn. The only previous record we are aware of from Chilean waters is “‘small numbers”? seen in the Straits of Magellan in January 1966 (Johnson 1972, Arraya & Millie 1986). Probably this shearwater, like the following species, is a regular visitor to Chile’s southern waters. MANX SHEARWATER Puffinus puffinus We watched at least 150 Manx Shearwaters milling at the eastern entrance to the Straits of Magellan, Punta Dungeness, Magallanes province, 28 November 1992, and SNGH saw two birds there on 24 November 1994 and one 5km E of Cape Horn, 18 December 1994. Although there appear to be only two previous records from Chile S.N. G. Howell & S. Webb 59 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) (Arraya & Millie 1986), it seems probable that this species is a regular visitor to Chilean waters during the austral summer. LITTLE BLUE HERON Egretta caerulea An adult at San Pedro de Atacama, El Loa province, 22 November 1993, and a moulting immature photographed at La Ligua estuary, Petorca province, 29 November 1993, represent the southernmost records of this species. The Little Blue Heron 1s a vagrant in Chile, and previous records (the first in November 1971) are all from the vicinity of Arica, Arica province, in the extreme north (Johnson 1972, Arraya & Millie 1986, R. S. Ridgely pers. comm.), 370 km N of San Pedro and 1450 km N of La Ligua. The southernmost site where this species nests on the Pacific coast is the Mejia lagoons of Arequipa, Peru. RUDDY-HEADED GOOSE Chloephaga rubidiceps On northern Isla Grande, Tierra del Fuego province, we saw 10 birds (including 3 pairs) between Porvenir and Punta Percy on 26 November 1992, and 5 (including 2 pairs) between Punta Percy and Bahia Azul, 27 November 1992. On the mainland in southern Magallanes province we found a pair with 7 small downy young at Km 135.5 along Hwy 255, on 27-28 November 1992. In 1994, SNGH saw 2 pairs N of Porvenir on 1 November and at least 21 adults, including 8 pairs, along Highway 255 from Km post 111 to Punta Dungeness, 23-24 November. RSR saw 6 pairs (including one with 8 young) along Hwy 255 between San Gregorio and Tehuelche, 23 November 1989, and 3 pairs N of Porvenir, 24 November 1989. Concerning Isla Grande, Jehl & Rumboll (1976) noted ‘“‘this species is clearly on the verge of extirpation’’, although it appears to be persisting in small numbers. Even thirty years ago Johnson (1965) considered Ruddy- headed Geese very rare on the Chilean mainland and we know of no other recent nesting records there. WHITE-CHEEKED PINTAIL Anas bahamensis We observed 5 birds (apparently 2 pairs and 1 imm Q) at La Ligua estuary, Petorca province, 29 November 1993, in association with 600 Yellow-billed Pintails A. georgica. Considered an irregular and uncommon to rare visitor which may go unrecorded for a number of years (Johnson 1965). WHITE-TAILED KITE Elanus leucurus One on 6 December 1993 at Mar Brava, on the NW corner of Isla Chiloe, c. 20km W of Ancud, Chiloe province, appears to be the first island record of this species whose southern range limit in Chile otherwise is the adjacent mainland province of Llanquihue (Johnson 1965, Araya & Millie 1986). RUFOUS-TAILED HAWK Buteo ventralis We watched a juvenile circling over the Laguna de Maule road at Km post 60, Talca province, on 2 November 1993. The bird was flying over pasture land between forested hillsides, and resembled a light S.N. G. Howell & S. Webb 60 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) morph juvenile Red-tailed Hawk B. jamaicensis from the western U.S., although the wing coverts, both below and above, appeared darker, without a noticeable band of pale mottling across the upperwing coverts. SNGH observed another juvenile hunting over open moorland adjacent to forest patches, 5km W of Punta Arenas, Magallanes province, 25 November 1994. RSR noted a pair soaring near Antillanca, Parque Nacional Puyehue, Osorno province, 8 December 1986, and one bird there on 10 November 1987. Clark (1986) summarised information available on this poorly known species; we report these observations to supplement the meagre record. CALIFORNIA QUAIL Callipepla californica This non-native species was common and conspicuous at San Pedro de Atacama, El] Loa province, 22—26 November 1993, and presumably is a fairly recent introduction there. The species is otherwise recorded only in central Chile, N to the Huasco Valley, 680 km to the S of San Pedro (Johnson 1965, Araya & Millie 1986). BLACK CRAKE (RAIL) Laterallus jamaicensis SNGH found the desiccated remains, including both wings in good condition, of a Black Crake on a levee through Spartina saltmarsh at La Ligua estuary, 29 October 1994. Potential avian predators nesting at this marsh included Cinereous Harrier Circus cinereus and Short-eared Asio flammeus and Burrowing Athene noctua owls. Little information exists concerning the occurrence of this highly secretive bird in Chile. ‘The few prior records are from the central provinces, with apparently none reported in the past 25 years. Despite looking for it ‘“‘within and beyond its known range’’ Johnson (1965) found the species only in a stretch of marshy land on the outskirts of Santiago. As in California, it seems probable that this crake occurs in both salt and fresh water marshes, and future searches should take into account this possibility. COMMON MOORHEN Gallinula chloropus On 26 November 1993 we saw two adults at Chacance, the confluence of the Loa and San Salvador rivers, 'Tocopilla province (c. 1200 m_ elevation). The slate-coloured upperparts of the birds suggested that the puna race garmani, rather than pauxilla of coastal Peru, was involved (see under Puna Snipe). SNGH also saw 20 adults and one immature at a reservoir in the Azapa Valley, Arica Province, 16 November 1994. In Chile this species is otherwise reported only from the puna zone (above 3500m) of the high Andes, 200km N of Chacance (Johnson 1965, Fjeldsa & Krabbe 1990), and from the mouth of the Lluta river, Arica province, where one was seen in May 1970 (Johnson 1972). HORNED COOT Fulica cornuta This large coot is listed as a threatened species by ICBP (1992) who noted that a “large group’’ was seen in February 1989 at “‘Laguna Menique (untraced but near Salar de Atacama)’. We visited Laguna S.N. G. Howell & S. Webb 61 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) Menique (elevation c. 4250 m; 23° 45'S, 67° 48’W), which lies in the bleak puna grassland 100km SSE of San Pedro de Atacama, on 23 November 1993, and counted 180—200 Horned Coots and 70-80 nests, with 30-40 birds (but no nesting) on adjacent L. Miscanti. Most birds were still completing nests, some were incubating eggs, and at least two pairs had small chicks. PERUVIAN THICK-KNEE Burhinus superciliaris On 7 December 1992 we found a group of 21 birds, including a pair with two juveniles and a pair with an immature, in the Azapa Valley, Arica province. Although Araya & Millie (1986) reported only two Chilean records of this species (1851 and 1971), Sallaberry et al. (1992) found a pair of thick-knees nesting in the Azapa Valley in January 1990, and in February 1990 found groups up to ten individuals. Sallaberry (pers. comm.) subsequently found the species in the nearby Lluta Valley where we saw 3 birds on 6 December 1992 and SNGH found a pair with a nest and two eggs, 12 November 1994, and another pair with a half-grown chick, 16 November 1994. Apparently the species 1s a fairly common but overlooked, mainly nocturnal resident in these oasis valleys. DIADEMED SANDPIPER-PLOVER Phegornis mitchellit The biology of this enigmatic species is poorly known (cf. Johnson 1965, 1972, Fjeldsa & Krabbe 1990). On 4 December 1993, at El Yeso, Santiago province, we saw one pair with two medium-large chicks and, at a nearby site, a second pair with a dependent(?) juvenile and two small chicks. On our initial approach the adults of this second pair ran off, leading the chicks to cover. Later, one adult occasionally pecked at one of the chicks and stood over it in a dominant manner. At the same time, this second pair associated closely with the juvenile, running to it in response to whistled calls it gave, and showed no aggression toward it. We saw no other adults in the vicinity and, although not certain, it appeared that the chicks and juvenile belonged to the same pair, suggesting that Diademed Sandpiper-plovers may, at least occasionally, be double-brooded. The close pair bonds of adults with chicks further suggest the species is monogynous. The chicks and juvenile all had bright yellow-orange legs like those of the adult, not “‘greenish-yellow”’ as suggested by Hayman et al. (1986). Also, this species’ vocabulary is more extensive than suggested by Hayman et al. (1986) or Fjeldsa & Krabbe (1990): adults gave a clipped pic or bic, and pic-pic call while foraging and in flight; members of a pair greeted one another with a quiet, bickering chatter; a plaintive, slightly drawn-out wheehu, a less plaintive, fairly sharp whee-u!, and a surprisingly loud screamed whistle, whEEHU! seemed to be given as alarm calls. WILLET Catoptrophorus semipalmatus We noted one at Las Cruces, San Antonio province, 6 December 1993. Willets seem to be genuinely rare along the central coast, whence there are two other reports prior to the Las Cruces bird (Araya & Millie S. N. G. Howell & S. Webb 62 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) 1986), although they are common in the extreme north of Chile (Johnson 1972, pers. obs., Sallaberry pers. comm.). MARBLED GODWIT Limosa fedoa We observed and photographed a single bird at La Ligua estuary, 29 November 1993. Its large size and, especially, its very long bill suggested it was a female. There are only two prior Chilean records, one from Arica, the other from central Chile (Johnson 1965, Araya & Millie 1986). ‘The latter report and our sighting are the southernmost reports of this species which is rare even in Peru and Ecuador (R. S. Ridgely pers. comm.). PUNA SNIPE Gallinago andina We saw one at El Tatio, El Loa province, on 25 November 1993, on a tributary of the Loa river (c. 4000 m elevation). In Chile this species is known elsewhere from the high Andes to the north (nearest site 250 km from El Tatio), and from the lower reaches of the Loa river, 150 km W of El Tatio. Our record fills a gap in the distribution of this species which, like Gallinula chloropus (see above), appears to occur in the limited areas of suitable habitat at both high and middle elevations in northern Chile. PERUVIAN DOVE Zenaida meloda We found this dove common at San Pedro de Atacama, 22-26 November 1993, and saw 6 at Toconao, an oasis 38km SE of San Pedro, on 23 November 1993. We also saw 1 near Vallenar, in the Huasco Valley, Huasco province, on 28 November 1993. These records are all away from the range previously ascribed to the species: S to Quillagua (200 km NW of San Pedro) and disjunctly in the Copiapo Valley (135km N of Vallenar). Peruvian Doves thus appear to be expanding their range in northern Chile. Traditionally this form has been considered conspecific with the White-winged Dove Z. asiatica of North and Middle America. However, meloda is now generally recognized as a separate species, based on its strikingly distinct song, in combination with morphological characters (R. S. Ridgely pers. comm.). BLACK-WINGED GROUND-DOVE Metriopelia melanoptera We noted one at El Barquito (near sea level), on the south side of Chanaral, Chanaral province, on 27 November 1993. In Chile this is known only as a bird of the mountains (900-4800 m) where it engages in seasonal movements (Johnson 1965); it has been recorded accidentally to near sea level in Peru (Fjeldsa & Krabbe 1990). SPARKLING VIOLET-EAR Colibri coruscans We found one singing in Eucalyptus trees at Putre, Parinacota province, 2—6 December 1992. There are three previous records from Chile, in July 1985 (Marin et al. 1985) and November 1988 and January 1989 (Sallaberry et al. 1992), all from the high northern Andes. S.N. G. Howell & S. Webb 63 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) PERUVIAN SHEARTAIL Thaumastura cora We observed 1 ¢ and | imm 4, the latter singing, in the Azapa Valley, Arica province, 30 November-1 December 1992. Johnson (1972) reported the first record of this species for Chile, 2 gd seen in the Azapa Valley, November 1971, and Araya & Millie (1986) noted this still as the only record for Chile. WRENLIKE RUSHBIRD Phieocryptes melanops We recorded 10-15 birds, including some completing their nests, at Chacance on 26 November 1993. This population, described as a distinct subspecies (loaensis) by Philippi & Goodall (1946), was reported as still common at Chacance in December 1968 (Howell 1975). Despite continued use of Chacance as a popular recreation area (as noted by Howell 1975), combined with habitat modification (e.g., less extensive and lower rushes judging from comparison with a photo in Johnson 1965, p. 278), it is pleasing to report that both rushbirds and the endemic subspecies of Many-coloured Rush-tyrant Tachuris rubrigastra loaensis remain common. (We noted 20-25 of the latter, including juveniles.) BAND-TAILED EARTHCREEPER Evemobius phoenicurus On 24 November 1994 SNGH found two Band-tailed Earthcreepers at km post 10 (1.e. 10 km SE of Kimiri Aike) on the side road to the Punta Delgada ferry crossing of the Straits of Magellan, Magallanes province. The birds behaved as an agitated pair and were collecting and carrying food in their bills, presumably to feed young in a nest. The habitat was open, flat, coarse sandy ground with low tussock grass (to 15 cm) and a few scattered low bushes (to 1.5 m) atop which at least one bird sang on several occasions. Vuilleumier et al. (1993) discussed the one prior Chilean a record of this distinctive earthcreeper, a bird collected in November 1988 only a few km from the 1994 site. It seems probable that the species has been overlooked as a local breeding bird in Chile as it is common in adjacent Argentina. AUSTRAL CANASTERO Asthenes anthoides This species is considered threatened by ICBP (1992). In November 1992 we found it fairly common but local on northern Isla Grande and on the adjacent mainland: 3, including a pair, at Km 105.5 N of Porvenir, 27 November; 1 singing and 4—5 heard near Pta. Delgada, 27 November; 8-10 at Pta. Dungeness, 27-28 November; 3—4 heard along highways 255 and 9 between Pta. Delgada and the junction for Seno Otway, 28 November; 2 seen and 3-4 heard on the road to Rio Verde (30-50km N of Punta Arenas), 29 November. In November 1994 SNGH found Austral Canasteros sufficiently common in these same areas that he did not record specific observations (‘‘fairly common, recorded in suitable habitat, of which there is plenty’’), and we suggest that this species’ status of “threatened”? be reconsidered. The birds were in rolling to level grassy plains with scattered to fairly concentrated areas of low scrubby bushes and patches of bunch grass. S.N. G. Howell & S. Webb 64 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) They foraged on the ground and low in bushes, and sang from atop bushes and on fences. RSR also noted small numbers of Austral Canasteros in these same areas, 1986-1989. SHARP-BILLED (LESSER) CANASTERO Asthenes pyrrholeuca SNGH found two birds singing from atop bushes at Km 8 on the Punta Dungeness road, Magallanes province, 24 November 1994. The birds were in an area of fairly dense bushes (to 2.5m high) about 200 x 300 m in area, a habitat rare in this part of Chile, and too dense for the Austral Canastero (which was present in nearby, more open habitats). SNGH is very familiar with the Sharp-billed Canastero and its song from central Chile, where it occurs south to Aysen province (Johnson 1967, Ridgely & ‘Tudor 1994, Howell pers. obs.), some 500 km to the north of this observation. GREY-BELLIED SHRIKE-TYRANT A griornis microptera This species appeared to be fairly common in and around San Pedro de Atacama, 22—26 November 1993, where we saw a pair with 1-2 juveniles, another apparent pair, and two single birds. First found in Chile in the high Andes of T'arapaca province (Johnson 1965), and subsequently reported from other localities, including oases near San Pedro, by Marin et al. (1989). The records of Marin et al. (1989) all were during July-August, and our observations support their surmise that this species is resident in the vicinity of San Pedro. WHITE-TAILED SHRIKE-TYRANT A. andicola We observed one on a rocky slope overlooking a bog, 2km SE of Parinacota, Parinacota province (c. 4350 m), on 4 December 1992. We suspect the bird was a juvenile since it was in extremely fresh plumage and showed dusky streaking on the chest as do juveniles of the other three Chilean species of shrike-tyrants (pers. obs.). ICBP (1992) consider this little-known bird a threatened species and list the few recent records from Chile. BANK SWALLOW (SAND MARTIN) Riparia riparia We noted one Bank Swallow with other swallows in the Azapa Valley, 7 December 1992, 6-7 at San Pedro de Atacama, 22 November 1993, and 7-8 at Chacance, 26 November 1993. This species is generally considered rare in Chile where it was first recorded in 1968 (Howell 1975). There have been a few subsequent reports from north and central Chile (Johnson 1972, Ridgely & Tudor 1989), and a recent specimen from Magallanes (Vuilleumier et al. 1993). CLIFF SWALLOW Hirundo pyrrhonota We saw single Cliff Swallows in the Lluta Valley on 1 and 6 December 1992, in the Azapa Valley on 7 December 1992, and at Chacance, 26 November 1993, and 30-40 with 40-50 Barn Swallows H. rustica at San Pedro de Atacama, 22 November 1993. SNGH also saw four in the Lluta Valley, 15 November 1994. Araya & Millie (1986) reported only two Chilean records, but we suspect that both Cliff S.N. G. Howell & S. Webb 65 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) Swallow and Bank Swallow are regular but often overlooked migrants in northern Chile. GIANT CONEBILL Oreomanes fraseri We observed and photographed one feeding in a grove of Polylepis trees, 14km by road SW of Putre, at c. 3300m elevation, on 1 December 1992. The only previous report from Chile is that of three birds seen at nearby Zapahuira in December 1991 (Sallaberry et al. 1992). GOLDEN-BILLED SALTATOR Saltator aurantiirostris We saw one at Putre on 2 December 1992, and SNGH saw at least five birds there, including one collecting food and one singing, 13-15 November 1994. Although Araya & Millie (1986) noted only one Chilean record, Sallaberry et al. (1992) reported sightings of this species from Putre in the months of November and February, between 1988 and 1991. Apparently the Golden-billed Saltator is a local breeding resident in extreme northern Chile. SLENDER-BILLED FINCH Xenospingus concolor We found two adults (apparently a pair), one of them singing, at Chacance on 26 November 1993. This is a range extension of 28 km south along the Loa river from the previous southernmost occurrence at Quillagua (Johnson 1965). The recent planting of ornamental shade trees at Chacance may have helped this species reach the site, since it was not recorded there in 1968 by Howell (1975). BLACK-THROATED FLOWERPIERCER Diglossa brunneiventris We observed up to 12 birds per day in and around Putre during 2-6 December 1992, and SNGH saw at least six birds there, 13 November 1994. Most birds were singing strongly and we noted possible courtship chasing by apparent pairs, suggesting the species was nesting. The only previous records from Chile are also from Putre, in February 1948 (Johnson 1965), February 1989 (Sallaberry et al. 1992), and December 1989 (RSR) but, like Golden-billed Saltator, the Black-throated Flowerpiercer appears to be a local breeding resident in extreme northern Chile. SHINY COWBIRD Molothrus bonariensis We noted up to five birds in both the Azapa and Lluta valleys, 30 November—1 December 1992, and SNGH saw small numbers there in November 1994. Marin et al. (1989), in documenting the spread of this species in Chile, had records north only to Quebrada de Camarones (65km S of Azapa) where cowbirds were first noted in 1986. The species appears to be continuing to expand its range in Chile. Acknowledgements We thank Will Russell and WINGS Inc. for partially sponsoring our visits to Chile, Michel Sallaberry for his hospitality and for communicating some of his extensive In Brief 66 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) knowledge of Chilean bird distribution, and Robert S. Ridgely for commenting on a draft of this note. This is contribution number 642 of the Point Reyes Bird Observatory. References: Araya, M. B. & Millie, G. M. 1986. Guia de Campo de las Aves de Chile. Editorial Universitaria. Santiago, Chile. Clark, W. S. 1986. What is Buteo ventralis? Birds of Prey Bull. No. 3: 115-118. Fjeldsa, J. & Krabbe, N. 1990. Birds of the High Andes. Zool. Mus., Univ. of Copenhagen. Goodall, J. D., Johnson, A. W. & Philippi, R. A. 1946 & 1951. Las Aves de Chile. Vols 1 & 2. Platt, Buenos Aires. Hayman, P., Marchant, J. & Prater, T. 1986. Shorebirds. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston. Hellmayr, C. E. 1932. The birds of Chile. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Zool. Ser. 19. Howell, T. R. 1975. Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia), Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), and other birds at a desert reservoir in Chile. Condor 77: 105-106. ICBP (1992). Threatened Birds of the Americas, 3rd ed., part 2. ICBP, Cambridge. Jehl, J. R. & Rumboll, M. A. E. 1976. Notes on the avifauna of Isla Grande and Patagonia, Argentina. Trans. San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist. 18: 145-154. Johnson, A. W. 1965 & 1967. The Birds of Chile and Adjacent Regions of Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru. Vols. 1 & 2. Platt, Buenos Aires. Johnson, A. W. 1972. Supplement to The Birds of Chile and Adjacent Regions of Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru. Platt, Buenos Aires. Marin A., M., Kiff, L. F. & Pena G., L. 1989. Notes on Chilean birds, with descriptions of two new subspecies. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 109: 66-82. Pearman, M. 1994. Neotropical Notebook (Chile, Argentina). Cotinga 1: 26-29. Philippi, R. A. & Goodall, J. D. 1946. Las Aves de Chile. Vol. 1. Platt, Buenos Aires. Rasmussen, P. C. & Lopez H., N. 1988. Notes on some birds of Region X, Chile. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 108: 154-159. Ridgely, R. S. & Tudor, G. 1989, 1994. The Birds of South America. Vols 1, 2. Univ. ‘Texas Press, Austin. Sallaberry, M., Aguirre, J. & Yanez, J. 1992. Adiciones a la lista de aves de Chile: descripcion de especies nuevas para el pais y otros datos ornitologicos. Not. Mens. Jul. 1992. Mus. Nac. de Hist. Nat. Santiago, Chile. Vuilleumier, F., Caparella, A. P. & Lazo, I. 1993. Two notable bird records from Chilean Patagonia. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 113: 85-87. Address: Steve N. G. Howell and Sophie Webb, Point Reyes Bird Observatory, 4990 Shoreline Highway, Stinson Beach, California 94970, U.S.A. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 IN BRIEF FIRST RECORD OF KEMP’S LONGBILL MACROSPHENUS KEMPI IN CAMEROON Kemp’s Longbill Macrosphenus kRempi is known to occur locally in forest from Sierra Leone, southeastern Guinea and Liberia to the Niger River in southeastern Nigeria (Hall & Moreau 1970, Keith in prep.). On 30 May 1992, one was seen in the northern part of Korup National Park, Southwest Province, Cameroon (5°16’N, 9°11’E). It was distinguished from the other two Macrosphenus found in this region, flavicans and concolor, by its entirely dark brown upperparts, grey throat, breast and centre of belly, and prominent reddish-chestnut flanks which are characteristic of the subspecies flammeus of In Brief 67 Bull BrOr Ee; V99Sr ils (A) southeastern Nigeria (Marchant 1950). Also noted were a pale-coloured eye and a distinctive song which was a series of about eight clear whistles, rising slightly in pitch. An imitation of the song lured the bird to within 8m. The bird was found in dense undergrowth of lowland primary forest. S. Keen subsequently observed two individuals including an apparent juvenile (dull plumage) in the same area on 25 November 1992, and CGRB saw one there on 12 March 1994. PGR had a probable sighting of the species about 2 km away on 12 June £991 These observations are the first records of the species for Cameroon, and extend its range c. 240 km eastwards. The presence of M. kempi in Korup National Park is of particular interest because it is apparently the only site where M. kempi and the Yellow Longbill M. flavicans are sympatric. These two forms have been considered conspecific by some authors (Serle & Morel 1977, Elgood 1982), but most authors now consider them separate species (Hall & Moreau 1970, Mackworth- Praed & Grant 1973, Collar & Stuart 1985, Sibley & Monroe 1990, Keith in prep.). In addition to their sympatry, with no evidence of intergradation (WM. flavicans is fairly common in Korup), it is noteworthy that the song we heard was quite different from that of M. flavicans that we know from this part of Cameroon, which is a series of whistles descending in pitch, similar to that of Brown-chested Alethe Alethe poliocephala (Chappius 1979), whilst the song of MW. kempi rose slightly in pitch and seemed slower in delivery. It should be noted, however, that Keith (in prep.) mentions another song of M. kempi which is quite similar to that of MW. flavicans. 'There seems no doubt that M. kempi and M. flavicans are specifically distinct. We are grateful to S. Keith for allowing us access to the draft accounts of Birds of Africa Volume 5, to S. Keen for details of his observations and to E. M. Bowden for assistance in the field. References: Chappuis, C. 1979. Illustration sonore de problémes bioacoustiques posés par les oiseaux de la zone Ethiopienne. Alauda 47: 195-212. Collar, N. J. & Stuart, S. N. 1985. Threatened Birds of Africa and Related Islands: the ICBP/IUCN Red Data Book. Cambridge: International Council for Bird Preservation and International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Elgood, J. H. 1982. The birds of Nigeria. British Ornithologists’ Union Check-list no. 4. Hall, B. P. & Moreau, R. E. 1970. An Atlas of Speciation in African Passerine Birds. British Museum (Natural History). Keith, S. in prep. in Urban, E. K., Fry, C. H. and Keith, S. in prep. The Birds of Africa. Volume 5. Academic Press. Mackworth-Praed, C. W. & Grant, C. H. B. 1973. Birds of West Central and Western Africa. Volume 2. Longman. Marchant, S. 1950. A new race of honeyguide, a new race of Macrosphenus from Nigeria and a note on I/ladopsis. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 70: 25-28. Rodewald, P., Dejaifve, P. A. & Green, A. in press. An annotated checklist of the Birds of Korup National Park and the Korup project area. Bird Conservation International. Serle, W. & Morel, G. J. 1977. The Collins Field Guide to the Birds of West Africa. Collins. Sibley, C. G. & Monroe, B. L., Jr. 1990. Distribution and Taxonomy of the Birds of the World. Yale Univ. Press. In Brief 68 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) NYZS/The Wildlife Conservation Society, PAUL G. RODEWALD Bronx, New York, NY 10460-1099, U.S.A. BirdLife International, CHRISTOPHER G. R. BOWDEN Wellbrook Court, Girton Road, Cambridge CB3 ONA, U.K. 28 December 1993 GREAT BLUE HERONS ARDEA HERODIAS AND MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRDS FREGATA MAGNIFICENS FEEDING ON YOUNG TURTLES On 25 June 1990, on a sandy beach on the north coast of Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, two Great Blue Herons Ardea herodias were watched feeding on young Pacific Green Turtles Chelodia mydas. A number of these turtles had evidently laid eggs in nests situated in the low sand dune ridge at the back of the beach, and these eggs were in the process of hatching, with young turtles approximately 5 cm in length emerging from the sand and immediately heading for the sea. ‘The two herons were some 50m apart and both spent the period from 14.30 to 18.00 hours feeding on the young turtles. One of the herons was watched continuously for an hour and during this period it rested for a total of 11 minutes, and caught and ate a total of 9 young turtles. Casual observation of the second heron showed a similar pattern of activity. Assuming a fairly consistent feeding pattern this works out at one turtle for every 5.4 minutes of feeding activity, so the total number of turtles taken by these two birds during the afternoon must have been considerable (approximately 100). It was of interest to see that 6 of the turtles caught within the one-hour period were taken before they had emerged onto the surface of the sand, but it was not possible to ascertain whether they were first detected by sound or by the slight movement of sand grains on the surface of the dune. The prey were usually caught cross-wise in the bill and then tossed in the air until they could be swallowed head first. The taking of turtles by this species is not mentioned specifically by Bent (1926, Life Histories of North American Marsh Birds), Palmer (1962, Handbook of North American Birds, vol.1) or Hancock & Kushlan (1984, The Herons Handbook). At 1730 hours two Magnificent Frigatebirds Fregata magnificens arrived and spent 15 minutes hovering low over the sand and picking off young turtles that had escaped the attentions of the herons. Frigatebirds are known to catch significant numbers of newly hatched turtles on beaches. Waveney House, BRYAN SAGE Waveney Close, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk NR23 1HU, U.K. 27 January 1994 In Brief 69 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) FEEDING HABITS OF THE GREEN HERON IN MAURITIUS This note records observations on hunting methods, success and feeding rates of the Green Heron Butorides striatus, in Mauritius, Indian Ocean, between 15 and 25 October 1993. Most observations were made at Grand Gaube on the north coast, where the shore is mainly lava rocks and sand interspersed, at low tide, with shallow pools; some stretches were simply sand beaches with no rocks. Additional observations were made at the Terre Rouge estuary on the west coast. This consisted of mud flats and banks, much disturbed at low tide by people digging for worms. Much of the water was shallow enough for the herons to wade in; one favoured section was covered by algae or weed. I watched herons hunting, as opportunity offered, and recorded the methods used, the number of strikes for food made in timed periods and their success rates. I estimated the size of captured prey by reference to the bill length of the herons. At Grand Gaube I watched herons down to about 30 m, but at Terre Rouge they were not so accessible and I watched them through a telescope at ranges of up to about 150 m. At Grand Gaube the herons hunted solitarily and did not appear to defend feeding areas. I only once saw a case of aggression when one flew at and drove off another. At Terre Rouge, many hunted solitarily, but I saw a group of three no more than 10 m apart from one another on a rock and another group of five, similarly close to one another, hunting in water. Some individuals flew upwards of km from one feeding spot to another. Feeding was observed throughout daylight hours with a tendency for greater activity at low tide, as reported in the Seychelles by Hancock & Elliott (1978, Herons of the World). Two principal hunting methods were observed and these were consistent with those described by Meyerriecks (1960, Publ. Nuttall Orn. Cl. 2: 1-158). At Terre Rouge the herons adopted the stand and wait method, standing for long periods in shallow water waiting for prey to approach. At Grand Gaube the usual method was to walk through shallow pools at the edge of the shore actively searching for prey. Both Meyerriecks and Hancock & Elliott refer only to slow walking, but some herons were remarkably active, rushing from one spot to another as they hunted. In a variant of the stand and wait method (also described by Meyerriecks) seen occasionally at Grand Gaube, a heron would walk or fly from rock to rock and briefly stand and wait for prey to come within reach in the surrounding water. The only prey seen was fish. At Grand Gaube shoals of small fish up to about 40 mm long were extremely abundant, frequently coming so close to the water’s edge as to be in danger of stranding. These were the principal prey. I was unable to see what was caught at Terre Rouge. Table 1 summarises data on strikes for food and reveals that, whatever hunting method was used, about half the strikes were successful. Strike rates differed considerably according to the method of hunting adopted. The two most successful ‘stalkers’ made six successful strikes in two minutes and 19 in five minutes respectively In Brief 70 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) TABLE 1 Hunting methods and strike rates of Green Herons Butorides striatus, Mauritius, October 1993 Locality Grand Gaube Terre Rouge Method stalking standing on rocks _ standing in water No. of birds observed 8 3 5 Total time of observations (mins.) 85 58 42 No. of strikes 94 5 2 Outcome of strikes successful 50 2 1 unknown 5 1 —_ unsuccessful 39 2 1 Mins. per strike 0.9 11.6 21 Mins. per successful strike 1.7 29 42 whereas a group of five ‘standing and waiting’ at Terre Rouge made, between them, only one successful strike in 42 bird/minutes. Given the great abundance of prey at Grand Gaube, the high rate of capture is not unexpected. The much lower strike rate at ‘Terre Rouge is surprising as the concentration of hunting herons suggested this was a favoured area. The size of 47 prey items was recorded; 40 of these were estimated to be less than one quarter of the heron’s bill length, five less than half the bill length, one greater than half and one about one and a half times the bill length. Brown et al. (1982, Birds of Africa, vol. 1) give the range of bill length for this species as 55-65 mm, and Cramp & Simmons (1977, Birds of the Western Palearctic, vol. 1) give a mean length of 60.7 mm for the African race atricapillus. These suggest that the bulk of the fish caught were less than 15 mm long and the largest about 90 mm. Most small prey was swallowed immediately but larger items usually mandibulated for a few seconds before being swallowed. The largest fish seen to be captured was carried away from the water as soon as it was caught and, although apparently dead within a few minutes of capture, was mandibulated constantly for 14 minutes before being swallowed. I have not traced any references to size of prey or rates of hunting with which to compare these observations, but the sharply differing hunting rates seem worthy of note, as does the concentration of hunting birds at Terre Rouge in a species widely reported to hunt solitarily (e.g. Hancock & Elliott). Capture of prey large enough to take time to swallow may not be unusual as I have seen Grey Herons Ardea cinerea in Europe capture proportionately large prey which took some time to kill and swallow. I am grateful to Linda Birch of the Alexander library, Oxford, for help with references and to James Hancock for commenting on a draft of this note The Briar Patch, P. J. OLIVER Limpsfield Chart, Oxted, Surrey RH8 OTL, U.K. 28 February 1994 In Brief 71 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) FIRST RECORD OF CAPE GANNET SULA CAPENSIS FOR ARGENTINA From September 1992 to May 1993, I studied Nearctic waders along the coast of San Antonio, Rio Negro, Argentina, and also collected data on seabirds and waterfowl. On 7 November, at Banco Reparo, an extensive sandflat situated in the north of Patagonia (40°47’S, 64°57’W), I noticed a gannet which came flying over the sea from the south, at a distance of 200m. Having had previous experience with Northern Gannets Sula bassana and Australian Gannets S. serrator, I readily recognised it as one of the larger Sula species. A second look with the aid of a telescope revealed that the bird had a black tail, black secondaries and yellowish head. I therefore identified the bird as an adult Cape Gannet S. capensis. When the gannet approached close to the shore, a group of roosting South American Terns Sterna hirundinacea was disturbed several times. After 30 minutes if flew in a southwesterly direction along the coast. Five days later, I again discovered an adult Cape Gannet (possibly the same bird) at a high-tide roost among c. 30 Kelp Gulls Larus dominicanus on the beach of Los Alamos, c. 10 km southwest of Banco Reparo. It was preening and did not give the impression of being exhausted. The Cape Gannet breeds on islands off southwest Africa. Outside the breeding season it migrates in the South Atlantic as far north as the Gulf of Guinea and in the Indian Ocean north to Mozambique (Crawford et al. 1983, S. Afr. 7. Mar. Sci. 1: 153-174). Possibly small numbers reach the North Atlantic, although there is disagreement whether sightings of adults off European coasts are of Cape Gannets or abnormally plumaged Northern Gannets (Paterson & Riddiford 1990, Br. Birds 83: 519-526). This appears to be the first confirmed record of Cape Gannet for Argentina, as well as for S. America as a whole. So far, there were only two records of unidentified S. serrator/capensis off Brazil (Sick 1993, Birds in Brazil: a natural history). Furthermore, vagrant Cape Gannets have been recorded off Australia (Venn 1982, Victorian Nat. 99: 56-58). I wish to thank C. J. Hazevoet for commenting on an earlier draft of this note. Institute of Systematics and PATRICK Y. BERGKAMP Population Biology, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94766 1090 GT Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 18 March 1994 MOTTLED PETREL PTERODROMA INEXPECTATA OFF TIERRA DEL FUEGO The Mottled Petrel apparently occurred regularly off Tierra del Fuego prior to the heavy decline during the last centuries. Harrison (1985, Seabirds, an identification guide) states that no records are available from these waters since 1848, but that non-breeding immatures are likely still to occur occasionally. In Brief 72 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(1) That this was a reasonable assumption was confirmed by an observation of one individual at c. 55°45’S, 65°30'W, i.e. c. 130 nautical miles SSE of Cape Horn, on 18 December 1993. The bird stayed for a few minutes together with the Cape Petrels Daption capense flying around M/S Academic Sergey Vavilov, bound for Antarctica. The diagnostic black diagonal underwing and overwing stripes, dark face patterns and dark grey belly patch were evident. The only other recent record of this species in the easternmost Pacific was of “‘several’’ individuals off Valparaiso de Chile on 18 and 19 September 1964 (Szijj 1967, Auk 84: 366-378). However, the fact that these birds were observed ‘‘almost in sight of the Chilean coast’’, more than 1000 nautical miles from any other record of Pterodroma inexpectata and in the early austral spring, suggests that they may have been misidentified individuals of locally breeding Stejneger’s Petrels Pterodroma longirostris or White-necked Petrels Pterodroma externa. Zoological Museum, HANS MELTOFTE Universitetsparken 15, CLAUS HORNEMAN DK-2100 Copenhagen QO, Denmark. 13 April 1994 BOOKS RECEIVED Cramp, S. & Perrins, C. M. 1994. The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Vols. 8 & 9. Pp. 899 & 488, 61 & 34 colour plates, distribution maps and text-figs. ISBN 0-19-854679-3 & 0-19-854843-5. Oxford University Press. £95.00 & £85.00. The completion of this vast work marks a milestone in ornithological publication 1n this country. The earlier volumes are so well known that it is unnecessary to say more than that these last two maintain the same standard, especially in the completeness of their coverage of the literature, which grows at such a rate that what was originally planned as a single final volume had to be split into two. The quality of the plates is also outstanding, especially those of the finches by Hilary Burns and Chris Rose in volume 8 and of the buntings by Trevor Boyer and Ian Lewington in volume 9. It seems to have been accepted that complete and fully updated new editions will never be practicable in the years to come. Instead, the Oxford University Press plans to publish a quarterly journal, The BWP Journal, probably starting in 1996, which will act as a kind of supplement to BWP, reporting new research on the status, ecology, behaviour etc. of west Palearctic birds. 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Treasurer. Single issues may be obtained as back numbers. BACK NUMBERS OF THE BULLETIN Available on application to the Hon. Treasurer. PAYMENTS TO HON. TREASURER Payments should be sent to the Hon. Treasurer, S. J. Farnsworth, Hammerkop, Frogmill, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berks SL65NL, U.K., or credited direct to the Club’s bank account—No. 10211540, Sort Code 20 00 87, at Barclays Prime Account, Dale House, Wavertree Boulevard, Liverpool L7 9PQ, U.K., with confirmation to the Hon. Treasurer. All payments are net and should be in Sterling if possible. Payment in other currencies must include a further £4 for U.K. Bank Charges (except for annual rates in U.S. Dollars which are inclusive). CORRESPONDENCE Correspondence about Club Meetings and on all other matters should go to the Hon. Secretary, Mrs A. M. Moore, 1 Uppingham Road, Oakham, Rutland LE15 6JB, U.K. CONTENTS Page CLUB NOTICES Report of the Committee, Annual General Meeting, Meetings . . 1 FURNESS, A. W. & MONTEIRO, L.R. Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus in the Azores: first breeding record for Europe......................... 6 MONTEIRO, L. R. & FURNESS, R. W. Fea’s Petrel Pterodroma feae in the Azores. . . 9 CARDOSO DA SILVA, J. M. Seasonal distribution of the Lined Seedeater Sporophila lineola Nas ee ud he wl: Soe alas eee tee OR eae ee ee 14 BOURNE, W.R. P. ‘The origin and affinities of Berthelot’s Pipit Anthus bertheloti . 22 QUESNEL, V.c. ‘The case history of an aberrant Black-throated Mango Humming- birdvAmthracothoraxnmionicollis-a as ee ee eee 25 RYAN, T. P. & LENTINO R., M. An additional record of the Pale-footed Swallow INotiochelidonjlauzpesstrom™eVienezuelay ae) in eee 28 WHITE, A. G., BRACE, R. C. & PAYNE, A. J. Additional records of and notes on the Unicoloured Thrush Turdus haplochrous, a little known Bolivian endemic . 29 MACDONALD, A. A. Distribution of Blue Crowned Pigeon Goura cristata on north SO rary sain NG a een barat a A Heats Hip Bt ee a 33 OLSON, S. L. The genera of owls in the Asioninae...................-.- 35 THORSTROM, R., WATSON, R. T., DAMARY, B., TOTO, F., BABA, M. & BABA, V. Repeated sightings and first capture of a live Madagascar Serpent-eagle Eutriorchis ST IE Gee ee ma usin ee au MUIEHC Maen Ai tne SAN RN UE Oy gig 40 WHITTAKER, A. Range extensions and nesting of the Glossy-backed Becard Pachyramphus surinamus in central Amazonian Brazil............5.... 45 LONDEI, T. Field observations on the Azores Buzzard Buteo buteo rothschildi .. . 48 ALSTROM, P., OLSSON, U. & COLSTON, P. R. Re-evaluation of the taxonomic status of Phylloscopusisoodsoniplantentey ire oi ee eee 53 HOWELL, S. N. G. & WEBB, S. Noteworthy bird observations from Chile....... 57 In Brief RODEWALD, P. G. & BOWDEN, C. G. R. First record of Kemp’s Longbill Macrosphenus kempi in Cameroon ............--.-+--++++++- 66 SAGE, B. Great Blue Herons Ardea herodias and Magnificant Frigatebirds Fregata magnificens feeding on young turtles....... 68 OLIVER, P. J. Feeding habits of the Green Heron in Mauritius...... 69 BERGKAMP, P. Y. First record of Cape Gannet Sula capensis for PNigeXei Lah ov: Mee Mee OAM a ean Meena Ce RDA Ee MME Rai Ge oe" 0 0 0 71 MELTOFTE, H. & HORNEMAN, Cc. Mottled Petrel Pterodroma inexpectata oft: Mierravdel' Puegon Vo oicive Green males noon: eee iee ee eee nee 71 BOOKS (RECEIVED © 3340s wnat alice = seals me eam aes ler ane ey EMER E ne UConn ea 72 The Bulletin is despatched from the printers on publication and is sent by Surface Saver Postal Services to all European destinations outside the U.K. and by Air Saver Postal Services to destinations outside Europe. Those whose subscriptions have not been received by the beginning of a month of publication will have their copies despatched by surface mail, after their current subscription has been paid. COMMITTEE D. Griffin (Chairman) (1993) Revd T. W. Gladwin (Vice-Chairman) oe Dr D. W. Snow (Editor) (1991) S. J. Farnsworth (Treasurer) (1990) Mrs A. M. Moore (Hon. Secretary) (1989) Miss H. Baker (1994) Dr J. F. Monk (1991) Dr. R. A. Cheke (1991) R. E. F. Peal (1993) : Printed on acid-free paper. ‘ i Published by the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB and printed by Henry Ling Ltd., at the Dorset Press, Dorchester, Dorset Ao > 7 | ‘en ISSN 0007-1595 BIKY Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club Edited by Dr D.W. SNOW Volume 115 No. 2 June 1995 FORTHCOMING MEETINGS Tuesday, 18 July 1995. Mr David Fisher will speak on “Birds of Mongolia”. David Fisher will be well known to members; he has led ornithological tours to many countries of the world and has a wide knowledge of the birds of all five continents. Those wishing to attend are asked to notify the Hon. Treasurer by Tuesday, 4 fuly 1995*. Tuesday 19 September 1995. Mr Robert Medland will present an overview of the birds of Malawi. Until last year Mr Medland lived in Malawi, where he was a surveyor. During his 10 years in that country he was a very active ornithologist doing research into bird distribution and migration and also a programme of bird ringing for 4 years. He was Chairman of the Wildlife Society there and Records Editor of Nyala. Those wishing to attend are asked to notify the Hon. Treasurer by Tuesday, 5 September 1995*. Tuesday, 14 November 1995. Dr T. J. Roberts will speak on “‘The birds of the Himalaya’’. Tuesday, 12 December 1995. Mr Rod Martins will speak on “The birds of Socotra’’. *Late acceptances and cancellations can usually be taken up to the Thursday preceding a meeting. Meetings are held in the Sherfield Building of Imperial College, South Kensington, London at 6.15 p.m. for 7 p.m. A map showing Imperial College will be sent to members on request. Overseas Members visiting Britain are particularly welcome at meetings. Details can be obtained from the Hon. Secretary, 1 Uppingham Road, Oakham, Rutland LE156JB. Telephone (01572) 722788. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 Apart from single copies made for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under UK law, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, except with prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the Editor; for address see inside back cover. 73 Bull. B.O:€. 1995,1415(2) Bulletin of the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Vol. 115 No. 2 Published 30 June 1995 The eight hundred and forty-seventh meeting of the Club was held in the Ante-room of the Sherfield Building at Imperial College on Tuesday 17 January 1995, at 6.15 p.m. 29 members and 10 guests attended. Members attending were: D. GrIFFIN (Chairman), M. A. Apcock, Miss H. Baker, P. J. Betman, I. R. Bishop, Mrs D. BrapLey, Dr K. B. Briccs, D. R. Caper, Professor R. J. CHANDLER, Dr R. A. CHEKE, Dr L. CORNWALLIs, S. J. FARNSWORTH, A. GiBBs, ‘The Reverend T. W. GLapwin, C. A. R. Hem, Ms R-M. Jones, R. H. Ketrye, Dr C. F. Mann, D. J. Montier, Mrs A. M. Moore, R. G. Morcan, S. Parry, R. E. F. Peat, Dr R. PryYs-JONES, P. Sacaman, R. G. Scott, P. J. SELLAR, N. H. F. Stone, M. P. WALTERS. Guests attending were: Dr D. T. ParkInN (Speaker) Mrs G. BonHam, Mrs F. FARNSWORTH, Mrs B. Gisss, Mrs J. GLapwin, Mrs M. Montirr, P. J. Moore, Miss C. PARKIN, Mrs B. PEAL, Dr D. RUSSELL. After supper Dr David Parkin spoke on “‘Recent Developments in the Forensic Investigation of Birds of Prey’’. He has sent the following abstract of his talk. Every year, the eggs of many protected species of birds of prey are illegally taken from the wild and laundered through false claims of captive breeding. In order to prevent this trade, an accurate test of parentage is required. The success of DNA fingerprinting and profiling in humans prompted the development of a genetic profiling system for the forensic identification of parentage in birds of prey. A number of highly variable minisatellite loci have been cloned from raptors which, in combination, can be used to produce an individual specific genetic profile. The very high degree of polymorphism which is revealed ensures that only the true biological parents will possess the appropriate combination of alleles to reconstruct the profile of a young bird of suspect origin. DNA profiling evidence was presented in court for the first time in a wildlife case to prove that a number of Peregrines and Goshawks were unrelated to the captive adults that were alleged to be their parents. It was shown that the number of mutations necessary for the observed profiles to conform with the claimed relationships was improbably large. The evidence was not contested and resulted in the imposition of a heavy fine. DNA profiling of birds of prey is capable of detecting false claims of parentage with a very high degree of certainty, and will play a major role in deterring the theft of such birds from the wild. It could also form the basis of a ‘molecular registration scheme’ that could eliminate much of the illegal traffic in birds of prey. Future developments are planned that could extend this scheme to the use of individual feathers rather than blood samples. This would eliminate the need for a trained veterinarian when the tissue samples were taken, and could permit the confirmation of parentage and identity from wild birds without the need to trap the adults. The eight hundred and forty-eighth meeting of the Club was held in the Senior Common Room of the Sherfield Building at Imperial College on Tuesday 21 March 1995, at 6.15 p.m. 34 Members and 22 Guests attended. Members attending were: D. GRIFFIN (Chairman), M. A. Apcock, Miss H. Baker, P. J. Be-man, K. Betton, I. R. Bisuop, Dr K. B. Bricos, P. J. Butt, D. R. CaLper, Cdr M. B. Casement RN, Dr R. A. Cuexe, Dr R. A. Cox, S. J. FarNswortu, A. Gisps, The Reverend T. W. GLapwin, C. A. R. Heto, R. H. Kerrie, I. T. Lewis, Dr C. F. Mann, Dr J. F. Monk, D. J. Montier, Mrs A. M. Moore, R. G. Morcan, Mrs M. Mutter, P. J. Oxiver, R. E. F. Pear, R. C. Price, Dr R. Pr¢s-Jones, Dr C. RYALL, P. J. SELLAR, Dr D. W. Snow, N. H. F. Stone, C. WHEELER, Sir WILLIAM WILKINSON. Guests attending were: Professor IAN NewrTon, F.R.S. (Speaker), R. ALLEN, Mrs S. Baker, Mrs G. Bonuam, Mrs J. Butt, Mrs J. Calder, Vice-Admiral Sir Davin Dosson, RN, M. P. Etiis, Mrs F. Farnswortu, Dr D. Fosxett, Mrs B. Gisss, Mrs J. GLADWIN, G. A. James, Mrs S. Lewis, Dr H. Liversipcr, B. Marsy, Mrs M. Monrtier, P. J. Moorg, B. O’Brien, M. Parinc, N. Peace, Mrs H. Price, D. Tayer, J. WILSON. Meetings 74 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) After supper Professor Ian Newton spoke on “‘Lifetime Reproduction in Sparrowhawks’’. A summary of his talk is published below. As a result of a long-term study of marked individuals, lifetime fledgling productions were recorded for more than 200 Sparrowhawks Accipiter nisus, which made at least one nesting attempt. These females were representative, in their respective lifespans, of the female breeding population as a whole. They produced between 0 and 24 young during their lives, depending on age of first breeding, lifespan and the success of individual breeding attempts. Both reproductive success and survival chances changed during the lifespan of individual Sparrowhawks, first rising as birds gained in experience and status, and then declining as senescence took hold. In each generation of Sparrowhawks, about 72% of individuals died before they could breed, another 6% bred unsuccessfully, and only 22% produced young, but in greatly varying numbers. About 5% of the most productive individuals in one generation produced half the young in the next, a pattern which was repeated in each successive generation. Similar patterns occur in other bird species and result inevitably from life history features, including patterns of reproduction and mortality. Measures of lifetime reproductive success are useful in life history theory because (1) they combine the two key measures of individual performance (survival and success at individual breeding attempts) into a single overall measure of performance, and because (2) only lifetime measures can reveal the full extent of individual variation in reproductive success. H. Shirthai et al. IS Bull BOLE 995-410'5 (2) A new species of Puffinus shearwater from the western Indian Ocean by Hadoram Shirthai, Ian Sinclair & Peter R. Colston Received 3 February 1995 A small Puffinus shearwater that was found alive on a beach at Durban on the east coast of South Africa on 20 January 1987, but died shortly after, was considered to be indeterminate 1n certain characters (Berruti 1990). This specimen was presented to the Durban Museum where it was also examined in detail by IS. In September 1994 it was sent on loan to The Natural History Museum, formerly the British Museum (Natural History) (BM (NH)), Tring, where PRC and HS were able to compare it with a wide range of specimens of both Audubon’s Shearwater P. lherminieri and Little Shearwater P. assimilis. While doing so, we located a further specimen in the BM (NH) skin collection (see below) which visual and x-ray study showed closely to match the Durban specimen in plumage and structure as well as differing from all other specimens. Besides the two specimens mentioned above, IS took photographs of an apparent adult of this form captured on Durban beach in August 1981 (but prematurely released without measurements), and HS had good views and took photographs of another individual at Eilat, Israel, between 18 and 21 June 1992. There is also an earlier observation by IS of a similar bird watched close inshore for an extended period at Richard’s Bay, South Africa (28°47'S, 32°05’E) on 20 February 1976 (Shirihai & Sinclair 1994). We are convinced that we are not dealing with aberrant individuals since what is apparently this form has been found to be locally abundant in the western Indian Ocean (Shirihai & Sinclair 1994). Between January 1990 and January 1993, IS observed many such individuals seemingly identical to the above mentioned specimens. These birds occurred both south and north of the Comoro Islands, west and south of Aldabra (Seychelles), in the Mozambique Channel (including around the Bassas da India atoll), and east of Maputo, Mozambique (see Table 1). In these areas, they were easily recognised at sea by their larger size (compared with Little Shearwater), and very black-and-white appearance with white undertail coverts, reminiscent of Manx Shearwater P. puffinus, but smaller and with much quicker wing-beats. We appreciate that the taxonomy of the small and medium-sized shearwaters is still full of uncertainties; but this distinctive form cannot, on present evidence, be assigned to and treated as a subspecies of any known form. We therefore consider that it should be treated as a new species, for which we propose the name Puffinus atrodorsalis sp. nov. _ Holotype. Adult, unsexed, found alive on the beach, Durban, South | Africa (29°53’S, 31°00’E), 20 January 1987 (died shortly after). A. Shirthai et al. 76 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) Figure 1. Puffinus atrodorsalis sp. nov. Durban, South Africa, August 1981. (Photograph: Ian Sinclair.) Freeze-dried specimen lodged in the Durban Natural Science Museum, DNSM No. 36093. Diagnosis. Medium-sized shearwater with characteristic black-and- white plumage and distinctive, hooded appearance of head. Relatively long wings and tail, as well as bill, approaching P. puffinus in proportions, but in length distinctly smaller (i.e. overall size c. 15% smaller), and in this respect closer to the assimilis/lherminiert complex (c. 5% larger). Similar bare part colouration to asszmilis (see below), but differs in its larger size, longer wing, tail, and bill (see Appendix), and lack of predominantly white remiges below and variable whitish or pale extensions around the eye. Differs from Jlherminieri in lacking a predominantly brown hue to the upperparts and undertail coverts; also lacks that species’ well-developed nasal tubes and maxillary unguis, and has bluish-grey, not fleshy-pink, legs. In view of the considerable size difference, we consider that there is no further need to discuss P. puffinus and its closely related forms (auricularis, gavia, huttoni, nativitatis, opisthomelas, yelkouan). Description of type. Uniformly saturated blackish dorsally; black crown extends to just below the eye and is sharply demarcated. A small, indistinct diffuse area (greyish-white mottling) mainly on lower ear-coverts and indistinctly behind, also some whitish feathering on upper eye crescent and a conspicuous black loral patch. Within the otherwise uniformly black upperparts (head to rectrices, also entire upper wing), there are only some narrow, indistinct, diffuse (fresh) whitish tips to the greater coverts. Otherwise, the obvious demarcation nnn 30 40 50 60 70 80 SO 7) | mm 10 26 zy iL Plate 1. Top, Puffinus atrodorsalis holotype; DNSM no. 36093, adult, Durban, South Africa, 20 January 1987. Middle, P. atrodorsalis,; BMNH no. 1866.7.21.10, juvenile, Réunion. Bottom, P. lherminieri bailloni; BMINH no. 1969.5.1, adult, Réunion. Note heavier bill and darker, more extensive pectoral patches than in atrodorsalis. H. Shirthai et al. 77 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) TABLE 1 Sight records corresponding to Puffinus atrodorsalis in the western Indian Ocean, made by I.S. Position Co-ordinates Date No. of birds 1990 80 km NW of Nosy Be, Madagascar 12.50'S, 47.40'E 2 Jan 10 90 km NE of Mayotte, Comoro Is. 12.00'S, 45.50’E 4 Jan 14 5 km S. of Aldabra Is. (Seychelles) 9.22'S, 46.28'E 5 Jan 4 180 km NE of Aldabra Is. (Seychelles) 8.10’'S, 47.30’E 7 Jan 3 1991 80 km NE of Vohimarina, Madagascar 13.22'S, 50.00'E 12 May 8-10 40 km NE of Antseranana [Diego-Suarez], Madagascar 12.19'S, 49.17°E 14 May 4 150 km NE of Nosey Bé, Madagascar 12.30’S, 47.10'E 18 May 12 50 km S of Grand Comoro 12.25’S, 43.30’E 20 May 40-50 60 km W of Grand Comoro 11.45’S, 42.52°E 22 May 6 90 km E of Mombasa, Kenya 4.04'S, 40.30'E 29 May 2 500 km E of Mombasa, Kenya 4.04'S, 44.15’E 2 Jun 6-10 120 km NE of Aldabra Is. (Seychelles) 8.50'S, 47.10’E 9 Jun 30-40 50 km SW of Aldabra Is. (Seychelles) 9.22’S, 46.28’E 11 Jun 15-20 100 km NE of Mayotte. Comoro Is. 12.00’S, 46.00’E 10 Jun 20-30 20 km S of Grand Comoro 12.10'S, 43.45’E 14 Jun 3 190 km NE of Tolanaro [Fort Dauphin], Madagascar 24.00'S, 48.12’E 28 Aug 5 330 km NE of Madagascar 9.45'S, 51.15’E 29 Aug 9 180 km NE of Durban, South Africa 29110153230 Binns) Dec 2 Bassas da India Atoll, Mozambique Channel DUA StS: 3945s ivi Dec 4 100 km SW of Nosy Bé, Madagascar 13.40'S, 47.20’'E 8 Dec 3 200 km SW of Mauritius 21.45'S, 55.50’E 22 Dec 4 150 km SE of Réunion Is. 22.15'S, 56.50’E 27 Dec 10 1992 80 km NE of Maputo, Mozambique 25.40'S, 33.25’E 18 Dec 2 100 km E of Maputo, Mozambique 25.58’S, 33.10’E 20 Dec 4 1993 100 km ENE of Maputo, Mozambique 25.40'S, 33.40’E 20 Jan 3 between the black upperparts and white underparts is only broken by a small amount of blackish-brown mottling to the sides of the neck/breast. The foreneck, throat, breast and flanks are unmarked white, separated from the white undertail coverts by a partial blackish-brown divide, formed by a lateral extension or notch of dark feathering which extends narrowly down from the rump and on to the thigh. Also, the white undertail coverts show some inconspicuous, diffuse greyish mottling (c. 2-3.5 mm wide) on the outer webs of the longest outer coverts (in the field undertail coverts appear wholly white). The underwing coverts are unmarked pure white, narrowly framed with blackish-brown on the leading edge of the wing; the remiges are mostly dusky-grey to blackish, with indistinctly lighter or H. Shirihai et al. 78 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) whiter shades to the basal outer webs of the outer primaries; axillaries white. Bare parts. Bill proportionally relatively long (1.e. relatively longer than assimilis) and typically slender with poorly developed nasal tubes and maxillary unguis, bluish-grey with blackish shade on culmen ridge. Legs (colours recorded when alive): inner tarsus, two inner toes and webs bluish-grey (top half of outer tarsus on specimen appears similarly pale), remainder of legs and feet black. Measurements of holotype (mm). Wing 204.5 (maximum chord); tail 78; bill 28 (culmen from feathers), 34 (from skull), 20.5 (from anterior nostril to bill tip); tarsus 40. Measurements of other individuals (mm). Juvenile at point of fledging, male, undated, L’ile de la Reunion, BM (NH) reg. no. 1866. 7. 21. 10, purchased from Maison Verreaux. Wing 162 (visible primaries 7-10 growing), tail 74 (very abraded), bill 28.5 (culmen from feathers), 35 (from skull), tarsus 39. Resembles holotype (including similar shape/pattern of dark and light areas of bill/legs), but upperparts differ in duller blackish-brown appearance. The advanced stage of juvenile plumage suggests collection on or near the breeding area. English name. We suggest Mascarene Shearwater, after the oceanic Mascarene ridge which may form part of the breeding range. Additional characters (from similar, live birds). Although Audubon’s and Little Shearwaters are superficially rather similar to our new species in plumage, there are also important differences in structure, proportions and movement. On the water and in flight, atrodorsalis appears intermediate between Manx (but obviously distinctly smaller) and Little (races assimilis, baroli, tunneyi, but obviously larger than these). In size, it may approach the Southern Oceans race elegans of the Little Shearwater, but its general appearance is slimmer (ce. proportionally more slender-billed, longer-winged and longer-tailed), and it has the more black and white appearance of the Manx Shearwater. The flight action is also intermediate: in calm weather it flies with rapid, almost whirring shallow wing-beats (although not as fast as Little), interspersed with frequent glides and shears, fairly close to the surface (even in a wind-force of 2—4); in stronger winds it arches higher, but its travelling flight is rarely as powerful or sustained as Manx. Individual variation. The few specimens that we have been able to examine in the hand or observe closely in the field show that there is a small amount of individual variation; e.g. the pectoral patches (the dark feathers running down the neck sides) are moderately developed and rather distinct in the Eilat bird and the Réunion specimen, but are smaller in the bird captured in Durban in 1981 and poorly developed in the Durban specimens of 1987. The demarcation of the hood below the eye also varies; it is clear cut in the 1987 Durban individual, moderately so in the 1981 individual and the Réunion specimen, and somewhat ill-defined in the Eilat individual. The lack of sharpness in the latter was discussed in Shirihai & Sinclair (1994) and attributed to the bird’s active body moult. H. Shirthai et al. 79 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) Relationships and recognition (see also Appendix). Atrodorsalis differs markedly from the North Atlantic race baroli of Little Shearwater (also Australasian races: nominate assimuilis and tunneyz) in being larger with relatively longer and more slender bill, dorsally blacker and lacking prominent white extensions over the eye (most noticeable in barolz). It more closely resembles the large races of Little including elegans (widespread in Southern Oceans), haurakiensis (islets off east coast of North Island, New Zealand), and kermadecensis (Kermadec group), but differs in having a proportionally longer, more slender bill and in lacking extensive pale feather tips and/or darker subterminal markings to its predominantly black (rather than greyish-black) upperparts. These larger races of asszmilis also show a diffuse, whitish or pale area around the eye and ear-coverts and lack the distinctive black-hooded appearance typically shown by atrodorsalis. All the above mentioned races of assimilis (as well as race myrtae, Rapa Is.) have diagnostically white instead of dusky-grey undersides to their remiges (at least on much of the inner webs) and usually show more pronounced white-tipped greater coverts. Atrodorsalis also differs from the controversial boydi of Cape Verde Is., which different authorities refer to P. assimilis (Cramp & Simmons 1977) or to P. lherminieri (Murphy 1927, Jouanin & Mougin 1979). Although boydi shares similarly coloured greyish-blue legs/feet and dusky-grey remiges, it differs from atrodorsalis in having mainly dull brown undertail coverts (instead of white), slightly more blackish-brown upperparts, paler or whitish mottling around the eye and upper ear-coverts, and partially white lores (nearer assimilis), as well as smaller size, and a shorter bill like most small/medium-sized races of Little Shearwater (see below). Proportionally, atrodorsalis resembles some races of Audubon’s rather than Little by its longer-billed appearance, and longer and more pointed wings/tail, but it differs from mnicolae, the most widely distributed race of Aubudon’s in the Indian Ocean, in lacking the brown upperparts, brown undertail coverts and prominent pectoral patches as well as in its slightly larger size (see Appendix); nicolae also has a broader bill with strongly developed nasal tubes and maxillary unguis, and flesh-pink legs. With baillom (Mascarene Is.), atrodorsalis shares white undertail covers, but otherwise differs as described above for nicolae. Furthermore, atrodorsalis is distinctly different from all races of Audubon’s found in the Western Atlantic (nominate lherminiert, loyemilleri) and Pacific (bannermani, dichrous, polynesiae, gunax, heinrothi, subalaris), in lacking their distinctly browner upperparts, variably brown undertail covers, longer and stronger bill, flesh-pink legs, and more variegated underwing coverts (more widely framed by brown, with varying amount of brownish-grey on underwing coverts and axillaries). The single known individual of the recently described temptator, from Moheli, Comoro Islands (Louette & Herremans 1985), which we have not examined, differs strikingly in its more obvious dusky underwing and appears similar to other Audubon’s races. All other allied forms of smallish/medium-sized shearwaters, including Persian Shearwater P. (l.) persicus (sometimes considered H. Shirthai et al. 80 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) separate from Audubon’s), were considered, but none resembled atrodorsalis. BM (NH) specimens examined: Puffinus assimilis: baroli (22), boydi (18), assimilis (13), tunneyi (6), kermadecensis (7), haurakiensis (1), elegans (9), myrtae (type only). Puffinus lherminieri: lherminieri (12), loyemilleri (1), subalaris (9), dichrous (4), polynesiae (9), gunax (1), heinrothi (none), bannermani (1), ballon (2), nicolae (17), persicus (5, including type), temptator (none). Larger Puffinus spp.: puffinus (60), yvelkouan (50), gavia (13), huttoni (2). Cautionary and taxonomic note Sorting out the taxonomy of the Puffinus assimilis/lherminieri complex is one of the most challenging problems in avian taxonomy. Following the guidelines of LeCroy & Vuilleumier (1992), the recognition of the new species, P. atrodorsalis, first required a thorough examination of this complex in museum skins and in the literature, e.g. Murphy (1927), Bourne (1959), Palmer (1962), Vaurie (1965), Jouanin (1970), Harrison (1983), Louette & Herremans (1985) and Marchant & Higgins (1990). Our resulting tentative assessment of the relationships between the taxa revealed an obvious requirement for a thorough revision of these smaller shearwaters, almost certainly involving some lumping and splitting both specifically and subspecifically. We consider treatments of the complex thus far to have been largely a matter of intuition by various authors, with the 18 or so forms seemingly being divided arbitrarily between the two species. Most authors use the following criteria for specific separation: Little Shearwater P. assimilis—blackish or greyish-black upperparts, white undertail coverts, relatively shorter wings and shorter tail, largely white inner webs to the primaries and blue-grey legs. Audubon’s Shearwater P. lherminieri—brownish upperparts, usually dark undertail coverts, longer wings and longer tail, darker inner webs to the primaries, flesh-pink legs, and lack of paler/more diffuse or whiter areas around the eye (common in P. asszmilis). The above characters hold for the most representative forms of each species but there is more variability than might be expected. For example, the Indian Ocean race bailloni (usually included in Audubon’s) has extensive white undertail coverts instead of brown, while boydi (usually placed in Little) has brown undertail coverts. ‘The latter’s relationship with the race baroli (Madeiran Little) is probably as remote as between the various (but variable) populations of assimilis and lherminiert (Murphy 1927), as boydi also has dark grey remiges similar to Audubon’s, but structurally and in the rest of its plumage and bare part colouration it is essentially a Little (see below). The same applies to the upper surface colouration of some so-called Audubon’s forms that have more blackish-brown upperparts (e.g. gunax) and some of the southern representative races of Little which have rather more bluish-grey upperparts instead of black (e.g. elegans). From our studies of the specimens available at The Natural History Museum, Tring, we conclude that a taxonomy solely based on the limited morphological characters (e.g. plumage colouration, wing A. Shirthai et al. 81 Bull! BOLE S199 5305 (2) formula and the usual biometrics of wing, tail etc.) used at present, is inadequate and that additional external characters should be considered, e.g. bill structure (i.e. degree of development/volume/shape of nasal tubes and maxillary unguis and perhaps other characters), body/wing/tail proportions, etc. Attention should also be given to internal anatomy, differences in marine biotope, eco-biology and phenology. However, the easiest route at present in helping to solve the problem may be through DNA studies. According to the specimens that we have examined thus far, the complex is apparently best divided into about 8 species: P. atrodorsalis. The breeding grounds of the species seem likely to be in the southwest Indian Ocean, possibly around the Comoro Is. where numbers have been found in the season when other petrels have been reported breeding; the occurrence of a fledged juvenile from Réunion may also be relevant. Characters as detailed above. P. assimilis. Three groups: northeast Atlantic (baroli, boydz); southwest Pacific/New Zealand/Southern Ocean (elegans, kRermadecen- sis, haurakiensis, myrtae); Australia, Lord Howe & Norfolk Is. (tunneyz, assimilis). General characters as detailed above. These three groups are distinct from one another morphologically and/or geographically and merit further investigation into their status and relationships; boydi perhaps should be treated on its own. P. lherminiert. West-central Atlantic (lherminiert, loyemilleri) and across central Pacific Ocean (subalaris, dichrous, polynesiae). General characters as detailed above. P. (1.) nicolae. West Indian Ocean (nicolae, bailloni). Characterised by darker/warm sooty-brown upperparts, large conspicuous pectoral patches, whiter underwing coverts, and markedly robust bill with well developed nasal tubes and maxillary unguis. P. (l.) gunax. Locally in west-central Pacific (New Hebrides), monotypic. Characterised by large size, deep sooty-black upperparts (often lightly edged pale, more so on greater coverts forming distinct wing-bar), light area around ear-coverts and distinctly long, slender bill. This population is distinctive but little material is available. P. bannermani. Locally in northwest Pacific (Bonin & Volcano Is.), monotypic. Characterised by distinctive greyish collar; otherwise reminiscent of gunax, and may be conspecific. P. heinrothi. New Britain (west Pacific Ocean), monotypic. Characterised by wholly dark appearance, and has been recorded as having blue-grey eyes. P. persicus. Northern Indian Ocean, monotypic. Characterised by predominantly ight brown upperparts, variegated underwing coverts and axillaries, large size and slender bill. Vaurie (1965) proposed bannermani and Harrison (1983) suggested heinrothi as full species, and these two taxa together with persicus are separated by Sibley & Monroe (1990) and Hoyo (1992). The form temptator (Comoro Is., Indian Ocean), known only from the type specimen, is apparently rather distinct but strongly resembles Audubon’s of the Pacific and west-central Atlantic Oceans (so may indicate worldwide distribution of Audubon’s), although somewhat H. Shirthai et al. 82 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) agreeing with persicus in plumage (pending further study). Palmer (1962) and Jouanin & Mougin (1979) suggest that the status of birds from Ascension Is. and probably the Gulf of Guinea (C. and E. Atlantic Ocean), also Amsterdam and St. Paul Is. (S. Indian Ocean), is uncertain and that they may contain undescribed taxa; but other recent South Atlantic records may suggest differently (see below). Other subtle forms (e.g. munda, kempi), already synonymised by various recent authors (e.g. Jouanin & Mougin 1979), are not treated here because we agree with their decisions. Presumed breeding birds from the southeast Pacific (e.g. Chiloe Is., Juan Fernandez Is.) are invariably assigned to Little, possibly closely related to the Australian and/or New Zealand groups, but there is a paucity of information on these (Fleming & Serventy 1943, Jehl 1973, Harrison 1983). ‘The above polytypic species listed above all share several characters that vary within the group involved, perhaps because of common ancestry, primarily the colour of the undertail coverts, under remiges, and upperparts. Thus in P. (l.) nicolae, most populations have brown undertail coverts whereas bailloni has white, and vice versa in P. assimilis with regard to boydi. However, all the species proposed, monotypic or polytypic, have developed their own distinctive features of body/wing/tail proportions, bill structure, plumage colouration (upperparts and underwing coverts) and bare parts. For excample, P. bannermani has a distinctive ash-grey collar and contrasting blackish- brown mantle. In this welter of forms, we consider that P. atrodorsalis clearly stands out as a distinct species due to its unique Manx-like plumage (including head pattern) and body/wing/tail proportions (but not overall size), and in having a combination of other characters (dark remiges, white undertail coverts, long and slender bill) that is not shared by, and on present evidence prevents it from being linked with, any other form. Additional information Another indeterminate shearwater described by Berruti (1990) was a specimen from ‘Transvaal Museum, ‘TM 74351, which had been collected on 15 September 1988 in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. It was sent on loan to the BM (NH) and we determined it to be a Little Shearwater of the race boydi, apparently the first of this subspecies to reach southern Africa (Sinclair et al. 1982). It is small in size (wing 181; tail 74; bill 25.3 (exposed culmen), 34.3 mm (to skull), 19.1 mm (anterior nostril to bill tip); tarsus 37 mm), and its plumage characters are as follows: slaty-blackish above, diffuse white area around the eye, bluish-grey bare parts as Little but having dark undertail coverts. Another apparent boyd, also recorded far south of its breeding range (Cape Verde Is.), was measured and released on St Helena in the South Atlantic in February 1975 (Bourne & Loveridge 1978). These boydi records, and the single record of P. l. bailloni from East London, South Africa (Courtenay-Latimer 1953), show that these small shearwaters are capable of long-distance vagrancy, caused presumably by an individual becoming lost or disorientated and then H. Shirthai et al. 83 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) becoming involved with movements of other migrant species of shearwaters (Harrison 1983). Acknowledgements The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance given to them by the staff of the BM (NH), Tring: Mark Adams, Dr Robert Prys-Jones, Michael Walters and Mrs F. E. Warr, also Dr A. G. Knox and Dr D. W. Snow for advice and encouragement. We are indebted to the staff of both the Durban and Transvaal Museums for promptly sending us a loan of the two specimens. We should also like to thank Richard Brooke, Miguel McMinn Grivé, Christian Jouanin, Jon King, Terry Oatley, Storrs Olson, Carl Vernon, Cyril Walker, and Graham Wragg for their opinions and help. Oliver Crimmen (BM (NH), London) was instrumental in producing x-rays of various skin and spirit specimens for which we are exceedingly grateful. Peter Hayman was exceedingly helpful in preparing scale drawings of the new species of shearwater, also scale drawings (from skin/spirit specimens) of Audubon’s, Little and Persian Shearwaters which were invaluable in our discussions. HS particularly thanks Rehovot Tours, the International Birding Centre Eilat, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, Amir Ben-Dov, Ehud Dovrat and Eli Shirihai who have sponsored various aspects of this study, most especially the cost of travelling from Israel to the U.K. and other expenses. Finally HS acknowledges considerable help from John Morgan, starting with their joint observation of the Eilat bird, through subsequent discussion and publication, and finally for word-processing and editing the manuscript in its earlier stages. References: Berruti, A. 1990. On two indeterminate shearwaters from South African waters. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 110: 66-70. Bourne, W. R. P. 1959. A new Little Shearwater from the Tubaui Islands: Puffinus assimilis myrtae subsp. nov. Emn 59: 212-214. Bourne, W. R. P. & Loveridge, A. 1978. Small shearwaters from Ascension and St Helena, South Atlantic Ocean. [bis 120: 65-66. Courtenay-Latimer, M. 1953. Sea bird migrants. Ostrich 24: 50-51. Cramp, S. & Simmons, K. E. L. (eds). 1977. The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. 1. Oxford Univ. Press. Fleming, C. A. & Serventy, D. L. 1943. The races of Puffinus assimilis in Australia and New Zealand. Emu 43: 113-125. Harrison, P. 1983. Seabirds: an identification guide. Croom Helm. Hoyo, J. del, Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. (eds). 1992. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 1. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Jehl, J. R., Jr. 1973. The distribution of marine birds in Chilean waters in winter. Auk 90: 114-135. Jouanin, C. 1970. Note taxonomique sur les petits puffins Puffinus lherminieri de ? Océan Indien occidental. Ozseau 40: 303-306. Jouanin, C. & Mougin, J-L. 1979. Order Procellariiformes. In E. Mayr & G. W. Cottrell (eds), Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 1 (2nd edn.). Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard. LeCroy, M. & Vuilleumier, F. 1992. Guidelines for the description of new species in ornithology. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 112a: 191-198. Louette, M. & Herremans, M. 1985. A new race of Audubon’s Shearwater Puffinus lherminieri breeding at Moheli, Comoro Islands. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 105: 42-49. Marchant, S. & Higgins, P. J. (eds) 1990. Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Vol. 1. (Pt. A.). Oxford Univ. Press. Murphy, R. C. 1927. On certain forms of Puffinus assimilis and its allies. Am. Mus. Novit. 276. Murphy, R. C. 1928. Birds collected during the Whitney South Sea Expedition IV. Am Mus. Novit. 322. Palmer, R. S. 1962. Handbook of North American Birds. Vol. 1. Yale Univ. Press. Sibley, C. G. & Monroe, B. L., Jr. 1990. Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World. Yale Univ. Press. H1. Shirthai et al. 84 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) Shirihai, H. & Sinclair, I. 1994. An unidentified shearwater at Eilat. Birding World 7: 274-278. Sinclair, J. C., Brooke, R. K. & Randall, R. M. 1982. Races and records of the Little Shearwater Puffinus assimilis in South African waters. Cormorant 10: 19-26. Vaurie, C. 1965. The Birds of the Palearctic fauna (non-Passerines). Witherby, London. Svensson, L. 1992. Identification Guide to European Passerines. ‘The Author, Stockholm. Wetmore, A. 1959. Description of a race of the shearwater Puffinus lherminieri from Panama. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 72: 19-22. Addresses: Hadoram Shirihai, P.O. Box 4168, Eilat, Israel. Ian Sinclair, 20 Pleasant Place, Pinelands, Cape Town, 7405 South Africa. Peter R. Colston, Bird Group, Dept. of Zoology, The Natural History Museum, Tring, Hertfordshire HP23 6AP, UK: © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) 85 H.. Shirthai et al. panurquod N (ZI ‘S'Or) 7 7t-7'6E (8=%) (6°0 ‘1'O+) 14-6 OF (O'L “6'O+) €+-O+F (SL'0 ‘7'8£) 6€-LE (S71 ‘+F'0F) V'7+-9'6E (40° ‘7'O+) 9 TH-1'6E (LI ‘S°9€) 6€-SE (SS°L “b LE) 6E-SE CHAT SOS EseLe=Se (8h 1 ‘7'9€) SEE (80'L ‘L°9€) 98-8" FE (L5°0 ‘S°LE) P8E-8'9E (FI ‘S°9€) SE-SE (11 ‘7’ LE) 6£-9€ ce (680 ‘S°ZE) S*EE-TE le (CSAS S08) sCoa6e (S'1 ‘O'1L€) €€-S'67Z (+$°0 ‘9°0£) L€-0€ (S80 “I L€) CE-0€ (€8°0 ‘S'0£) 1€-6 la (€8°0 ‘8°67) 1€-67 (¢ (GEV ayAn MS) et oh Stam 5 S¢ (S80 ‘S*bZ) 97-9' £7 (L=¥) (S°0 ‘9°SZ) 97-S7Z ‘(99 ‘sy sapodyuy pure 97 (Stl ‘b°97Z) 67-£7 (€6'0 ‘8°SZ) L7-SZ (S8°0 ‘0°9Z) €°L7-@'SZ (1S°0 ‘9°S7Z) +: 97-SZ (€1°0 ‘O'SZ) $9747 (L7'1 ‘0'Z) S7-7Z (€O'L ‘6'4Z) 97-S EZ (SZ°0 “Z°€%) S77 (+80 ‘S°€Z) 9'F7-6' IZ (6L'0 ‘L'€7) §7-9' 7 (+8°0 ‘0°S7) 97-47 (S'L “b'97) §*87-SZ (FS°€ ‘6'99) TZ-19 (S=¥) (8S'7 ‘0 (save “e (+67 “€ (19'0 ‘0'0 (99'1 ‘0'0L) §'7Z-S°89 (LT “€ (€°2 ‘0 (9°% ‘0 (SI'r ‘8° 18 961 iL A (adAjo]oF{) (sq edey) avzadi sipruasso snuyfng (ZE'E “O'S8T) TOI-Z8T 9 O 99) OL-£9 (9¢'S ‘6° L81) 861-481 L O ‘ST WuvyeYyD UO ® oNURIIY ‘S SpURISI Spso1g) suvsaja samuissd snuyfng tL lol I A 69) TL-€9 (18'S ‘1°Z61) OOZ-I81 9] O (purjeaz MAN AN) sisuaryvanvy sapiusso snufng $9) 89-79 (SL°9 ‘S 981) S6I-SLI 9 O L) 1L-S'69 (Fh E “E'06T) S'F6I-S8T + a (6¢'7 ‘8°Z61) S61-681 1 W (S] DAPRULIOY]) SesuavapvULAaY SYtUIssD snuLyyNT 99) 89-+9 (FS ‘SL°OL1) ZT8I-OLI + O 69) €L-L9 (€°L ‘O'9LT) S8I-ILI S A ‘89) 1Z-S9 (S'S ‘8°ZZT) SLI-S9T + IN CST YJOJAON ® IMOFZ psO’T) Sepeuassy sypruisso snuyfng "L9) SL-S9 (S9°L ‘8°69T) T8I-€91 9 O $9) 89-79 (84:7 ‘9° FLT) OLI-ILI 8 a ‘L9) OL-S9 (91% ‘L:LL1) 781-921 9 IN (VIPRAISNW AAS) iMauunz sipauissy snuy{ng 1Z) LL-L9 (97'S ‘8'9Z1) ZT8I-891 S | '69) 1C£-99 (Sb OTST) LZ81-921 s nN (8€°% °Z (spuvjsy Arvury ‘vsropeyl ‘sa10zy) Woivg syiuisso snuyng dANOG snsie], [[P2x{S GAo.y uawyno pasodxa Te SUI u X9G x ‘Aou'ds sypssoposyo *g pur “ddsqns taimiusay) “gq pure syiuissy snuiffng Jo (va ut) syudWwoa.nsvayAy XIGNUddV Bull. 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P. Gonzaga & 7. F. Pacheco 88 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) A new species of Phylloscartes (Tyrannidae) from the mountains of southern Bahia, Brazil by Luiz Pedreira Gonzaga S José Fernando Pacheco Received 24 May 1994 Following an indication of D. Willis (verbally 1992) of recent discoveries by himself and other birdwatchers in the vicinity of Boa Nova, southern Bahia (see Forrester 1993), we took advantage of a planned trip to this locality to look for and survey remaining patches of Atlantic forest. Our surveys were undertaken between 30 August and 6 September 1992 and from 24 to 28 August 1993 (Gonzaga et al. in press). What we found confirmed out initial suspicion that a very important area existed there that had gone virtually unnoticed by earlier workers: tiny remnants of a formerly extensive montane forest that occurred in this portion of Bahia, delineating at once the westernmost and the highest (1000-1100 m) elevational limits of the Atlantic forest domain in the region, known as the Serra da Ouricana. The humid Atlantic forest on the seaward slopes of this ridge gives way just a few kilometres to the west to the mata-de-cipo (semi-deciduous forest), best known to ornithologists for its endemic genus Rhopornis (see Collar et al. 1992: 679). Among the 220 species recorded in this neglected habitat, 27 represent range extensions of several hundred kilometres, and several others were preceded only by single or a few old, disputed records from Bahia. In addition, a spinetail Synallaxis sp. and a_ tyrannulet Phylloscartes sp. that we tape-recorded and collected near Boa Nova proved to be undescribed taxa. The spinetail forms a clear link in both morphological and vocal characters between Rufous-capped Spinetail S. ruficapilla from the serras of the southeast and Plain Spinetail S. infuscata from the northeast (Gonzaga & Pacheco in prep.). The tyrannulet belongs in a group that includes the Mottle-cheeked Tyrannulet P. v. ventralis from the southeast and Long-tailed Tyrannulet P. ceciliae from the northeast. Here we describe this new Phylloscartes, as follows: Phylloscartes beckeri sp. nov. Holotype. Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo (MZUSP) no. 73.706; male (skull not fully pneumatized, testes 6-7 mm) from 7km southeast of Boa Nova, Bahia, eastern Brazil (14°23'20"S, 40°08'46"W), elevation 1000 m; collected 6 September 1992 by J.F.P., prepared as a skin by L.P.G.; no moult, plumage fresh. Paratypes. MZUSP no. 73.707; female (skull not fully pneumatized, ovary 6mm, with the ova and the oviduct minute), same location, date, and collectors; paired with the holotype; no moult, plumage fresh. L. P. Gonzaga & 7. F. Pacheco 89 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) MZUSP no. 73.708; male (skull not fully pneumatized, testes 6 mm), same location, date, and collectors; no moult, plumage fresh. MZUSP no. 73.709; male (skull not fully pneumatized, testes 3—5 mm), same location; collected 3 September 1992 and skinned by L.P.G.; no moult, plumage fresh. Diagnosis—morphology. ‘The placement of this new taxon in Phylloscartes is difficult to justify objectively, since the definition of this genus as it stands (e.g. Traylor 1979) is clearly unsatisfactory, as Graves (1988) has pointed out, and even the species that have been attributed to Phylloscartes sensu stricto may actually comprise a polyphyletic assemblage. No synapomorphy has so far been indicated to define this genus, which has been recognised by a combination of rather vague morphological and, especially in the past decade or so, behavioural characters instead. This notwithstanding, by its pattern of plumage colouration, proportions, and behaviour, P. beckeri clearly belongs in a group of species that includes P. ventralis, the type of Phylloscartes Cabanis and Heine. From P. ventralis and the recently described Restinga Tyrannulet P. kronei, P. beckeri differs in colouration by having buff supraloral stripes and eye rings, rather than whitish or yellowish superciliary lines. Crown and nape in P. beckeri are distinctly darker, greyish-green, blending into a brighter green back, rather than nearly concolour with back as in those species. P. krone is described (Willis & Oniki 1992) as having black tarsi and feet in life, while fresh specimens of P. beckeri had these parts pale grey, becoming brownish in dried skins. The wing markings (coverts, secondaries) are more pronounced in P. beckeri than in P. ventralis, owing to the darker background of the former’s feathers. P. becker is further distinguished from P. ventralis by having the breast less olivaceous and the belly paler yellow. P. beckeri is distinguished at once from P. ceciliae (Teixeira 1987a) by yellowish as opposed to whitish underparts, greyish crown, and lack of whitish superciliary stripes. Diagnosis—woice. All these species (P. beckeri, P. ventralis, P. kronet and P. ceciliae) also differ from each other by vocal characters (see Vocalisations, below). The main feature of the song of P. beckeri is its variety of relativ ely weak notes, as compared to the songs of P. ventralis and P. ceciliae, which are simpler. more level-pitched sequences of repeated, louder notes. Distribution. Known only from montane forest fragments around the type-locality. This is almost 700 km away from the nearest patches of montane Atlantic forest (in serras of eastern Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo) to the south, the nearest area where P. ventralis has been recorded, and half-way between these and forests in Alagoas to the northeast, where P. ceciliae occurs (Fig. 1). Description of holotype. Upperparts Olive-Green (colour 47; capitalized colour names with numbers refer to closest colours in Smithe [1975, 1981]), crown feathers grey in centre. Base of upperparts feathers Dark Neutral Gray (colour 83). Narrow eye-rings and supraloral stripes Buff (colour 124). Short postocular superciliary lines Cream Color (colour 54). Narrow dusky lines through eyes. Auriculars L. P. Gonzaga & F. F. Pacheco 90 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) BRAZIL Boa Nova A Figure 1. Map of eastern Brazil showing the type-localities of Phylloscartes beckeri sp. nov. (Boa Nova, Bahia), P. ceciliae (Murici, Alagoas), P. roquettei (Januaria, Minas Gerais) and northernmost record of P. v. ventralis (Caparaé, Minas Gerais/Espirito Santo). Sd dark yellow with brownish tips, forming narrow dusky facial crescents. Chin whitish. Throat and breast dirty white flecked with Sulphur Yellow (colour 57). Centre of belly and crissum pale Sulfur Yellow (colour 157). Sides of breast and flanks tinged olive. Base of underparts feathers Blackish Neutral Gray (colour 82). Remiges Sepia (colour 119), fringed narrowly on distal webs with Olive-Yellow (colour 52) and broadly on the proximal webs with whitish; distal webs of secondaries, especially innermost, with broad whitish apical spots. Lesser upper wing coverts black with Olive-Green borders; alula, median and greater upper coverts of primaries black fringed with Olive-Green on distal webs; the other median and greater upper wing coverts black fringed with Olive-Green, the median on proximal webs and the greater on distal webs, and with broad pale Sulphur Yellow (colour 57) tips, forming two wing bars; bend of wing and under wing coverts pale Sulphur Yellow (colour 57). Rectrices Vandyke Brown (colour 221), narrowly fringed on outer webs with Yellowish Olive-Green (colour 50), tips whitish. Soft part colours: irides brown; bill brown except basal two-thirds of the mandible, which are pearl-coloured; tongue and gape orange; feet pale bluish-grey (brownish in dried specimen). Wing formula: p7 and p8, of nearly equal length, are the longest primaries, p6 and p9 slightly shorter; p10 6 mm shorter than p9 and nearly equal to pl; p5 slightly shorter than p6, p4 slightly shorter than p5, p3 slightly shorter than p4, p2 slightly shorter than p3 and slightly longer than pl. L. P. Gonzaga & }. F. Pacheco 91 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) TABLE 1 Measurements (mm) and mass (g) of the type specimens of Phylloscartes beckeri sp. n. compared to mean values of P. ventralis (Willis & Oniki 1992) and P. ceciliae (calculated from data in Teixeira 1987a) Specimen sex wing® tail culmen tarsus total length mass MZUSP 73706 3 54/53 52 THD? 18 120 8.5 MZUSP 73708 et 55/54 Syl 7/12 19 120 8.5 MZUSP 73709 S 54/52 51 7/12 19 120 9.0 MZUSP 73707 Q 50/48 46 7/12 18 115 7.9 mean SGT 54.3 /S3inistSile3 7/12 18.7 120.0 8.7 s.d. 0.58/1 0.58 0/0 0.58 0 0.29 P.. ventralis mean $3 —/54.1 52.7 —/13.9° 19.4 — — s.d —/2.3 2.4 —/0.6 0.8 _ —_ n —/29 30 —/30 30 — — mean 22 —/49.9 48.8 —/13.5 18.4 — oo s.d. —/1.7 242 —/0.5 0.7 — — n —/19 18 —/17 19 — — P. ceciliae mean 5S 57.2/— 57.0 —/10:6° 17a UPA ha) 8.4 s.d. 1.1/— 0.9 —/0.1 0.6 5.0 0 n 2/— 2 —/2 2 2 2 mean 22 50.9/— 50.8 —/9.4 16.4 117.0 7.0 s.d. 0.5/— 0.9 —/0.5 0.4 3.0 0.3 n 2/— 2 —/2 2 2 2 *flat/chord; from anterior edge of nostril; “from skull; 4exposed culmen. Description of female (paratype). Like holotype but yellow more saturated on breast and throat; crown and nape less greyish; mandible with a pre-apical (instead of apical) dusky mark. Variation among male paratypes. No appreciable variation was found. Measurements. As in P. ceciliae (‘Veixeira 1987a), P. krone: and P. ventralis (Willis & Oniki 1992), P. oustaleti and P. paulistus (Gonzaga unpub. data), males of P. beckeri seem to be slightly larger than females, which is indicated by the mass, total length, wing and tail measurements of its type specimens (Table 1). No significant difference (two-tailed t-tests) in measurements was found between these males and those of a larger series of P. ventralis (cf. Willis & Oniki 1992), except that the culmen was slightly but significantly shorter (P<0.01) in P. beckeri (which also has weaker rictal bristles). The tails of two adult males of P. ceciliae (cf. Teixeira 1987a) are significantly longer (P<0.01) than those of males of either P. beckeri or P. ventralis. Specimens examined (all from MZUSP). P. ventralis and P. kronei—same as in Willis & Oniki (1992), except types of the latter not examined. P. oustaleti—Bahia: Boa Nova 14; Espirito Santo: Chaves (Santa Leopoldina) 33, 12; Rio de Janeiro: Teresopolis 23, 29; Sao Paulo: 1 sex? (2 by measurements); Sales6polis (Boracéia) 39, 19; Alto da Serra L. P. Gonzaga & F. F. Pacheco 92 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) 1g; Caraguatatuba 2¢; Tamandua (rio Ipiranga) 14; Estacao Engenheiro Ferraz 52, 3 sex? (one being ¢ and the others 2 by measurements); Iporanga 24; Iguape 1. sex? (j$ by measurements); Ribeirao Fundo 1°. P. paulistus—Espirito Santo: Chaves (Santa Leopoldina) 13; Sao Paulo: Estacdo Engenheiro Ferraz 14; Victoria (=Botucatu) 19; Assis (Corredeira das Flores) 12; Poco Grande (rio Juquia) 19. P. difficilia—Sao Paulo: Serra da Bocaina | sex?; Alto da Serra 19. Etymology. We are pleased to name this species after our good friend, the Bahian entomologist Johann Becker of the Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro, in recognition of his long-standing interest in several fields of natural history. He has influenced and aided many students and young biologists who have had the opportunity to be in contact with him, as we have had over the years; all have benefitted from his vast knowledge and tireless willingness to help. English name. We propose Bahia 'Tyrannulet as the English name of this new taxon because it is the only species of Phylloscartes known to be endemic to this area. Habitat and behaviour All of the individuals we found of this new taxon were in only three forest fragments, all dissected by mountain streams. One (the type-locality) was a highly disturbed, possibly old secondary, patch of Atlantic forest near the summit of the mountain (900-1100 m), crossed by a trail which led directly down to the main road c. 8 km southeast of Boa Nova. The second is a tract of forest reaching lower levels (750-1000 m) in the same range c. 13 km east of Boa Nova by the same road, and crossed by an equally good trail (see Forrester 1993) along which P. beckeri was found at elevations above 900m. Another and more extensive patch (c. 300 ha?) of similar habitat in much better condition in the vicinity of the latter was found during our expedition in 1993, but owing to difficulties of access only a preliminary survey could be undertaken. ‘This site was revisited by J.F.P. and B. M. Whitney in November 1993. Due to our concern about the evident plight of these forests and their birds, and given the immediately apparent distinctness of the plumage and voice of P. beckeri, we made no further attempts to enlarge our type series. Not many (approximately ten?) other pairs were recorded, either at the type-locality or in the other forests surveyed. Individuals of P. beckeri were observed foraging primarily in the upper one-third or one-quarter of trees both at the forest edge and in the interior of forest, ranging from about 6 to 12 m above ground. Birds foraged in pairs or small, possibly family groups (maximum of four together), and almost always travelled with mixed-species flocks of insectivores which sometimes included some frugivores. Search movements were primarily short hops and flutters during which the wings were sometimes drooped slightly and frequently flicked shallowly (B. M. Whitney), and the tail was cocked above the horizontal, like other species of Phylloscartes (e.g. Teixeira 1987a, Willis & Oniki 1991, 1992; pers. obs.). This tail-cocking motion was L. P. Gonzaga & 7. F. Pacheco 93 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) often accomplished in a series of 3 to 5 shallow, rapid, upward flicks in a period of about one second, sometimes elevating the tail nearly to the vertical (B. M. Whitney). Short flights were often accompanied by a noisy Hutter of wings, as in P. ventralis and P. kronei (Willis & Oniki 1992; pers. obs.), and perhaps some other Phylloscartes species. Individuals occasionally remained still on a perch for up to about 20 seconds, apparently scanning visible leaf surfaces both in front and overhead (B. M. Whitney). Most foraging manoeuvres (nomenclature following Remsen & Robinson 1990) were laterally and slghtly upward-directed, semi- circular sally-hovers of less than 0.5 m range; the birds also performed short forward reaches, flutter-chases and, least often, sally-strikes and stalls in which the wings were mostly closed (B. M. Whitney). Most foraging was done at or near the peripheral leaves and twigs of the trees, with relatively little time spent in the interior half of tree crowns. Arthropod prey included very small insects. On one occasion an insect about 2 cm long was obtained in a sally-hover to a leaf on the outer edge of a tree, and was held in the bill and briefly beaten against a limb before being swallowed (B. M. Whitney). The stomachs of four specimens (the type series) collected in the morning contained remains of Coleoptera (75% of all identifiable food items and 100% of stomachs) including Curculionidae, also Diptera Brachycera (imago and larva), Lepidoptera, Hemiptera and Dermaptera. Occasionally among the flock associates of P. beckeri was Oustalet’s Tyrannulet P. oustaleti (which we tape-recorded and collected at the type-locality of P. beckeri, documenting a significant range extension; see also Gonzaga et al. in press), which parallels this latter species’s sympatry with P. ventralis in certain localities in the Serra do Mar further south (Willis & Oniki 1981a; pers. obs.). Vocalisations Members of a pair often uttered tzk contact notes (Fig. 3d,e) which were very inconspicuous; we also recorded an equally faint twittery song (Fig. 2a,b) given apparently in response to playback usually some time after it or from time to time spontaneously by paired foraging birds (see also Fig. 3a). Neither this song nor the contact call elicited response from one pair of P. ventralis at the Itatiaia massif, Rio de Janeiro, in January 1994; foraging pairs of P. beckeri that were presented with playback of P. ventralis’s voices (Fig. 2c,d, Fig. 3b,c,f) in August 1993 did not respond either. However, birds reacted immediately to the playback of their own species’ voices, calling back, stopping foraging and approaching the observer in search for the sound source. Birds of both species thus tested descended from higher levels of vegetation to a few metres above ground, where they remained silently while taped voices were played again. No voice of P. ceciliae (Fig. 2e, Fig. 3g) was tested against either P. beckeri or P. ventralis. As the sonagrams (produced by B. M. Whitney on a Macintosh IIsi computer using Canary 1.1 software; FFT frame length 128 points, filter bandwidth 706 Hz) illustrate, songs and calls of these three L. P. Gonzaga & }. F. Pacheco 94 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) KHz 8 B P. beckeri As la badp bt tety ts 6 Pbel. be | \\' a udsaiaddanaas jiish . P. ventralis 0) | MBAR GUA PALAU RTP Edy epee ‘ : D P. Ae a | si 0 6 sean : | 4 A f pf f f | a f . E P. ceciliae ras 0) Figure 2. Sound spectrograms of voices of Phylloscartes spp.: P. beckeri sp. nov.—(A,B) songs of one individual (holotype), J. F. Pacheco, 6/9/92, Boa Nova, BA; P. ventralis—(C) song, P. S. Fonseca, 18/1/88, Teresépolis, RJ; (D) song, J. F. P., 5/4/92, Teresopolis, RJ: P. ceciliae—(E) probable song, B. M. Whitney, 20/10/90, Murici, AL. L. P. Gonzaga & }. F. Pacheco 95 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) A P.beckeri | | |. ff eee a ee cee iq KHz _),,P. ventralis. idee LA ty 1H. ist ia god FR: P. ventralis P. ceciliae 0.5 Ss Figure 3. P. beckeri sp. nov.—(A) song and wing flutters (tall verticals 0.2-6 kHz) of interacting members of a pair, L. P. Gonzaga, 24/8/93, Boa Nova, BA; (D,E) contact calls, probably one individual (paratype), J. F. P., 6/9/92, Boa Nova, BA; P. ventralis—_(B) variation of song, same individual as in Fig. 2D, J.F.P., 5/4/92, Teresopolis, RJ; (C) short ‘song’, P. S. F. 15/2/88, Itatiaia Nat. Park, RJ; (F) contact call, P.S. F., 20/2/88, Teresopolis, RJ; P. ceciliae—(G) single-note call and two-note call, B. M. W., 20/10/90, Murici, AL. species differ markedly from each other in rhythm, harmonic structure and modulation of individual notes. We did not hear from P. beckeri anything like the feesee call of P. kronei (sonagram in Willis & Oniki L. P. Gonzaga & F. F. Pacheco 96 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) 1992), and the song of the Minas Gerais T'yrannulet P. roquettez (sonagram in Willis & Oniki 1991) is jatcily also very different from that of P. beckeri. Copies of recordings are or will be deposited; in the Arquivo Sonoro Prof. Elias Coelho (ASEC) of the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Arquivo Sonoro Neotropical (ASN) of the Universidade Estadual de Campinas, and Library of Natural Sounds (LSN) of Cornell University. Conservation Atlantic forest has virtually disappeared from the mountain tops and lower slopes of the Serra da Ouricana around Boa Nova owing to the expansion of pastureland and cultivation. All the sites we visited were privately owned and under pressure from clearance and fire spreading from neighbouring cleared areas. This situation and the very limited size of these fragments give cause for special concern, since they were almost certainly the only remnants of Atlantic forest in the region, as we could judge from observations made from high look-out points, interviews with local people, and exploration in random search of other forest patches. Searching for a suitable area for creation, of a conservation unit of this habitat and its birds at equivalent altitudes along the Serra da Ouricana is, therefore, an urgent need, and probably the only hope for the continued survival of P. beckert. It is unfortunate that since the Slender Antbird Rhopornis ardesiaca was rediscovered near Boa Nova (Naumburg 1934), most subsequent efforts of ornithologists at this locality have apparently been directed exclusively or mainly to locating and studying this bird in the mata-de-cipo (e.g. Willis & Oniki 1981b, Teixeira 1987b), and the existence of Atlantic forest a few kilometres to the east has thus remained unnoticed for so long. Eight threatened species included in Collar et al. (1992) have been recorded in the study area: Golden-capped Parakeet Avatinga auricapilla, Blue-chested Parakeet Pyrrhura cruentata, Golden-tailed Parrotlet Tout surda, Striated Soft-tail Thripophaga macroura, Black-headed Berryeater Carpornis melanocephalus, Buft-throated Purpletuft [odopleura pipra, Cinnamon-vented Piha Lipaugus lanioides, and Fork-tailed Pygmy-tyrant Hemuitriccus furcatus. P. beckeri and the still undescribed Synallaxis, found too late to have been considered for inclusion in the Red Data Book, are clearly threatened species that should be added to this list. In addition, many near-threatened species (sensu Collar et al. 1992) also have been recorded there. The above figures alone indicate the magnitude of conservation concern that the Serra da Ouricana deserves. Its plight can be paralleled in the Atlantic forest region perhaps only by that of highland forests in Alagoas where, however, some conservation measures are at least now incipient (see Collar et al. 1992: 602, 630), well before those forests have been subjected to the dire circumstances surrounding the continued existence of the montane forests of southern Bahia. Considered together with the adjoining and also highly endangered mata-de-cip6 which harbours a distinctly different avifauna that L. P. Gonzaga & 3. F. Pacheco 97 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) includes several endemic and threatened birds (Collar et al. 1992: 680), forest habitats in the Boa Nova area are probably the most neglected habitats in Brazil with regard to bird conservation, and their endemic birds are among the most endangered on earth. Acknowledgements We are deeply indebted to Bret Whitney for his continuous help, critical reading of the manuscript and invaluable contributions to it. Gloria D. A. Castiglioni and Claudia Bauer assisted in preparation of skins and examining museum specimens. Paulo Sergio Fonseca also joined field parties. We are grateful also to Douglas F. Stotz and Helio F. A. Camargo for help while in charge of the ornithological collection of MZUSP, and to Dave Willis and Paul Gadd for calling our attention to the Boa Nova area. Support to ASEC came from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnolégico and the Fundacao Universitaria José Bonifacio. References: Collar, N. J., Gonzaga, L. P., Krabbe, N., Madrono Nieto, A., Naranjo, L. G., Parker, T. A. IIL & W egewi): 1992. Threatened birds of the Americas: the ICBP/IUCN Red Data Book. Cambridge, U.K.: International Council for Bird Preservation. Forrester, B. C. 1993. Birding Brazil: a check-list and site guide. John Geddes, Irvine. Gonzaga, L. P., Pacheco, J. F., Bauer, C. & Castiglioni, G. D. A. in press. An avifaunal survey of the vanishing montane Atlantic forest of southern Bahia, Brazil. Bird Conservation International. Graves, G. R. 1988. Phylloscartes lanyoni, a new species of bristle-tyrant (Tyrannidae) from the lower Cauca valley of Colombia. Wilson Bull. 100: 529-534. Naumburg, E. M. B. 1934. Rediscovery of Rhopornis ardesiaca (Wied). Auk 51: 493-496. Remsen, J. V. Jr. & Robinson, S. K. 1990. A classification scheme for foraging behavior of birds in terrestrial habitats. Studies in Avian Biology no. 13: 144-160. Smithe, F. B. 1975, 1981. Naturalist’s Color Guide. American Museum of Natural History, New York. Teixeira, D. M. 1987a. A new tyrannulet (Phylloscartes) from northeastern Brazil. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 107: 37-41. Teixeira, D. M. 1987b. Notas sobre 0 “gravatazeiro’’, Rhopornis ardesiaca (Wied, 1831). Revta Bras. Biol. 47: 409-414. Traylor, M. A. (ed.) 1979. Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 8. Museum of Comparative Lovlogy, Harvard. Willis, E. O. & Oniki, 198la. Levantamento preliminar de aves em treze areas do estado de Sao ae Revta Bras. Biol. 41: 121-135. Willis, E. O. & Oniki, Y. 1981b. Notes on the Slender Antbird. Wilson Bull. 93: 103-107. Willis, E. O. & Oniki, Y. 1991. Avifaunal transects across the open zones of northern Minas Gerais, Brazil. Ararajuba 2: 41-58. Willis, E. O. & Oniki, Y. 1992. A new Phylloscartes (Tyrannidae) from southeastern Brazil. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 112: 158-165. Address: Luiz Pedreira Gonzaga and José Fernando Pacheco, Depto. Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, C.P. 68033, 21944-970 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 A. R. Phillips 98 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) The northern races of [cterus pustulatus (Icteridae), Scarlet-headed or Streaked-backed Oriole by Allan R. Phillips Received 20 July 1993 The pustulatus group of American orioles was long recognized as comprising three species (Ridgway 1902): the Central American I. sclatert, with broad black centres to the back feathers; the more narrowly streaked J. pustulatus (supposedly) of the Mexican mainland; and the big-billed, orange-yellow backed I. graysonii of the Tres Marias Islands off western Mexico. All are chiefly from the Pacific slope. In 1927 van Rossem expressed his ‘“‘strong impression”’ that sclateri and pustulatus were conspecific, and they are now so considered generally. In adult sclateri he found individual variation the most important factor in the amount of black on the back; and the characters of I. s. alticola Miller and Griscom, 1925 he found unstable. But he attributed colour variation in El Salvador partly to migration; this is unlikely and is denied by Thurber et al. (1987). Griscom (1930) nevertheless recognized as many as six named Central American forms, examining more than 80 skins. But though the statistics may sound impressive, surely few were unworn specimens of the same age/sex class; and his different series were not seasonally comparable, fide R. W. Dickerman. Hellmayr (1937) considered most of Griscom’s and van Rossem’s races to be based on individual variation and intergradation. Blake’s (1968) supposedly authoritative synonymies simply omitted all races not recognized by Hellmayr. I lack material to revise the Central American race(s). But on my first trip south of Sonora, in 1952, I was impressed by the differences between supposed mucrostictus of coastal Nayarit and Sonoran microstictus. So I gathered Mexican material of taxonomic value: unworn specimens with full data, carefully dissected. Species limits No biological or vocal differences are yet known in this group. The only hindrance to rating them as subspecies is their supposed geographic overlap in southern Mexico. Here Ridgway (1902) reported sclateri north to central Oaxaca (Ciudad Oaxaca) and even Cuicatlan, not far south of southeastern Puebla; while pustulatus ranged south and east to coastal Chiapas (Tonala). But I find no such overlap in comparable material; and Binford (1989) considers all southwestern Oaxaca birds to be intergrades. No English name appropriate for the entire species is apparent. Eisenmann (1955) proposed to change them all, with J. sclatert becoming ‘“‘Streak-backed”’ Oriole. This was adopted for the entire species by A.O.U. (1983). But besides the fact that “‘Streak-backed’’ A. R. Phillips 99 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) might seem to imply a single streak (as through the eye), graysonii is plain-backed. “‘Scarlet-headed Oriole’’, even when not exact, is at least mildly suggestive of some males of all races; but none could possibly imagine any graysoni as “‘Streak-backed’”’. Thus ‘“‘Scarlet-headed Oriole”, already in use by A.O.U. (1957), is at least more appropriate than “‘Streak-backed Oriole’ for the species; it does not directly contradict the pattern of any race. Why this strange passion to change established names and thus outdate and confuse the literature and archives (in the name of avoiding confusion! A.O.U. 1983: xxii)? See especially Griscom (1947), also Phillips (1986: xlix-lii). Mexican subspecies Variation in mainland Mexico is largely clinal. The least conspicuously streaked populations are in the northwest, the broadest black streaks in the southeast. This pattern is modified, however, by small size and bright colours along the central Pacific coast, as explained below. Samples from various outlying and insular populations are too small for definite classification. Besides comparing specimens within correct age/sex classes, in useful plumage, we must beware the occasional unusual moult pattern. (Normally, the first basic plumage lasts a full year.) Present material permits formal recognition of only six races in Mexico: Icterus pustulatus microstictus Griscom 1934, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. 75: 408 (Guaymas, Sonora). Diagnosis. The dullest race. Median streaks of interscapulars black only in ¢ adult, where narrower than in central and southern Mexican 33. Dusky streaks least blackish (palest) in Sonoran 929, which look uniformly greyish above in unworn plumage, due to broad tips of feathers from crown to upper tail-coverts; their tails are also less blackish than in other races. Immature ¢ also dullest, greyest. 'Tertials usually less black-and-white, showing somewhat less internal contrast. Middle wing-coverts white. In Sonora, bill rather long and heavy; ¢ adult wing (chord), here and nearby, (94.2) 96.5-101.7 (105.2); tail, unless frayed, (87.9 [+?]) 89.2—96.7 (99). (Figures in parentheses represent single, apparently exceptional, specimens measured; plus signs indicate wear.) Distribution. Resident (largely) from north-central Sonora south: coastally to southern Sinaloa, to at least 24°N (Elota) and probably the Mazatlan area; farther inland probably to Jalisco (and northern Michoacan?). Winters occasionally north to Tucson, Arizona (casually farther); possibly also southward (see below). Notes. North of about 28°N in Sonora, many seem to leave in October and return in March (G. Monson). These may be more post-breeding than long-distance movements; the (recent) Tucson dates (31 July, specimen; 27 September to 22 March; Monson & Phillips 1981) correspond to its scarcity in northern Sonora. Note also the situation near epic, Nayarit (discussed below). Individual variation in colour is impressive, and I find no convincing evidence of long-distance migrations. I especially doubt the occurrence of A.R. Phillips 100 TABLE 1 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) Measurements of adult ¢ Mexican Icterus pustulatus Area n Tres Marias Is. 6 (mostly ex Ridgway) Sonora (and Tucson, 6 Arizona) Coastal Nayarit (San 4 Blas south to Las Varas) Nayarit (insular) 2 Southwestern Jalisco 1 Central to central- 10 eastern Colima Volcan de Colima 1 (north slope, migrant?) East-central Guerrero 21 (southeast of Chilpancingo) Coastal Guerrero 11 (Acapulco) Western Oaxaca (Putla) Central coastal Oaxaca (Puerto Angel) Coastal Oaxaca (west 6 of Tehuantepec) Southeasternmost 4 Oaxaca (foothills of Sierra Madre de Chiapas) Southeasternmost Oaxaca (south shore of Mar Muerto) Central Chiapas U (Tuxtla Gutiérrez) and southeast meh iS) Wing chord 102.9-106 942. DOV SOU MOS 2 90.5,'93'2—=94!5 91, 94.7 92.5 (ca. 94—99.7) (ca. 99-100) 93155094 9101 :5 90.5=95 97.8, 98.7 96.4 105.3-108.7 maximum 103.7 106.5, 107.5 LOSES OS =h0925 n orn 21 11 Tail 90.2-94.3[ +] 87.9[+(2)], 89.2-96.7, 99 81.2[ +(?)]-86.5 80.3, 83.7[+ 22] 79.8 80, 82-87.7 91 80, 83.4-89, 91.1 77.7[ +2], 80.3[ + ?]-82.8[+?] 83.8[+(?)], 85.5[+(@)] 81.3[+] 88.5—94.5 maximum 88.7 90.8, 96 89, 90.3-94.3 Note. Plus signs indicate wear at the tips of the longest flight-feathers. Figures set off by commas are thought to be probably exceptional. microstictus in Guerrero after March (‘‘not breeding, November-May, O-d [=specimens in Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California]’’), claimed by Miller et al. (1957). Field guide descriptions of all J. pustulatus as having ‘“‘back and scapulars boldly striped with black’’, etc. (Blake 1953, Peterson & Chalif 1973) obviously do not describe most mucrostictus—nor any graysoni! The northern 2 or immature is best portrayed in Edwards (1972). Icterus pustulatus graysoniu Cassin 1867, Proc. Philadelphia 19:48 (Tres Marias Islands, Mexico). Diagnosis. Back orangeish yellow (3) or light yellowish olive (2 and immature, Ridgway), unstreaked or with a few fine black streaks. Acad. Nat. Sct. A.R. Phillips 101 Bull. B.O.C.1995 115(2) Middle wing-coverts (3) pale yellow to yellowish-white. Bill longest: exposed culmen ¢ 24.9-26.7, 2 22.9-24.9 (Ridgway 1902). Distribution. Resident on Tres Marias Islands, off Nayarit. Note. An occasional 3 from the mainland coast (A. R. P. original no. 10,737, Singaita, near San Blas, 3 May 1973) has plain yellowish interscapulars, with hardly perceptible black streaking. But the middle wing-coverts are richer, and bill shorter, than graysoniiz. Icterus pustulatus yaegeri subsp. nov. Diagnosis. Smaller and brighter than microstictus. ¢ immature more yellowish olive (greener, less greyish or drab) on crown and back. 9 also brighter above, and juvenile relatively bright above and below. Middle wing-coverts of 3 adult usually (orangeish) yellow, and wing (chord) 90.5-—94.7 (n=5), tail 80.3(+?)-86.5 mm; bill smaller than mzicrostictus. Dark streaks of mid-back, in 2 adult, not over 2.0 mm wide, usually decidedly less. Distribution. Resident (presumably) in coastal lowlands from southernmost Sinaloa south to southern Nayarit. Inland it apparently approaches Tepic and the valley south of Compostela; but most specimens from the eastern, inland foot of the mountain just south of Tepic are dull like microstictus (see below), and the apparent approach may be seasonal dispersal. Type. § immature, A. R. P. original no. 4443, 8 km north of crossing of Rio San Pedro at Penitas, northwestern Nayarit, 16 December 1956. Length (extreme, in flesh) 211 mm; extent (wingspan) 302; wing (chord) 92; tail 79 [+; some wear]; streaks on mid-back 1.8 mm wide. Etymology. ‘To my compadre Lewis D. Yaeger, who introduced me to Nayarit and vicinity, collected much of the Nayarit material, and has aided me greatly in my work. Notes. Adequate series (few of which exist) will probably adjust my distributions. In the absence of mountain, water, or forest barriers, we must expect intergradation and intermediate populations. Racial limits will not be sharp lines. Many specimens in the considerable March series from the eastern foot of the mountain south of Tepic are practically indistinguishable from my few Sonora birds, but have somewhat smaller bills. They may represent short-distance dispersal, attracted to the ranch where Yaeger raised flowers—which evidently drew coast orioles also. Icterus pustulatus dickermani subsp. nov. Diagnosis. Like yaegeri, but still brighter in all plumages; the brightest known race with limited black above. Black streaks on mid-back c. 1.7—2.3 mm wide in adult 9, whose crown is deep and bright, usually reddish-orange (sometimes orangeish-olive), and back deep (orangeish-tinged) olive—less olive- or greyish-washed than yaegerl. 3 immature similarly less tinged, paler (clearer) yellow above. 3 adult with streaks c. 1.4-2.8 mm wide, wing (chord) 90.5—95 (98.8), and tail (77.7[+7?]) 80(+?)-83.5 (84.1) mm. A. R. Phillips 102 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) Distribution. Resident (presumably) in Pacific lowlands from southwesternmost Jalisco (intermediate?) and coastal Colima east to at least southern Guerrero, where north to the Tierra Colorada area. Type. 2 (adult?), Santos Farfan B. no. 27, Joluchuca, 17°213’N 101°122/W, southeast of Petatlan, southwestern Guerrero, 18 December 1968. Wing (chord) 91.5, tail 81.4, culmen from base 20.5; back streaks 1.5 mm wide. In my collection. Etymology. ‘To Dr. Robert W. Dickerman, expert ornithologist and steadfast friend, who for many years has aided greatly in my work, including our explorations in Guerrero. Note. May extend, narrowly along the coast, into Oaxaca. A ¢ adult from as far east as Puerto Angel (LSU) has wing 96.4, tail 81.3 [+], but is broadly streaked like pustulatus. Farther west, specimens from Putla (Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris) also appear intermediate. Icterus pustulatus interior subsp. nov. Diagnosis. Intermediate between mucrostictus and true pustulatus (infra). Moderately bright; 2 and immature duller above than yaegeri or dickermani, but brighter than mucrostictus. ¢ adult with scapulars greyish- edged externally and back streaks usually c. 1.7—2.5 mm wide, as in preceding races, but wing usually 95-101.5, tail 83.4-91 mm. Distribution. Resident (presumably) in southern and central Mexico away from the coast; from central Colima (intermediates?) and southern Michoacan (Rio Balsas valley north of coastal mountains) east probably to western Oaxaca, and north at least to Morelos. Type. 2 adult, A. R. P. original no. 10,650, Canon de Lobos 20 km east of Cuernavaca, Morelos, 4 November 1972; prepared by Santos Farfan B. Wing 92.5, tail 86.7, back streaks c. 1.5 mm wide. Weight 34.8 g, little fat. Etymology. ‘The name refers to the fact that it is found only away from the coastal low-lands. Notes. This is most of I. p. pustulatus auct. nec Wagler (see below). From its range I exclude Veracruz and the state of México, where occurrence is unconfirmed; also provisionally most northern popu- lations: southernmost Zacatecas, Puebla and vicinity, and especially Cuicatlan, Oaxaca. Available material does not warrant naming these now. (Coastal Jalisco birds are also best left unnamed, not forced into either yaegert or dickermani.) Occurrence in the state of México rests on an ‘“‘Atlisco, México” report; this presumably refers to Atlixco, Puebla, east of northern Morelos. Icterus pustulatus pustulatus (Wagler) 1829, Isis von Oken 22, col. 727 (Mexico). (?) Icterus formosus Lawrence 1872, Annals Lyc. Nat. Hist. New York X: 184 (Juchitan, southeastern Oaxaca). Diagnosis. The most extensively black Mexican race. Scapulars of adults practically wholly black externally; black streaks in middle of A.R. Phillips 103 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) back usually 3—-+ mm wide in @ adult, c. 3-5 mm in 3, whose middle wing-coverts are usually partly yellow or orangeish. Generally bright and large; bill large as in microstictus and wing, in most areas, long. West of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, where size seems about average, adults have wing (chord) 105.3-108.7 (73), 98-101.5 (39); tail 88.5—94.5 (73), (81.2) 86.5, 88.8 [+(2)] (39). Distribution. Resident (presumably) from southeastern Oaxaca (west at least to 95°35’W='Tequisistlan area) east through Chiapas to (based on | dull 2° imm.) adjacent Guatemala, if not far beyond. Birds like pustulatus, west to near the Valley of Oaxaca (southeast of Matatlan, LSU), apparently indicate populations intermediate toward interior. Notes. Stresemann (1954) showed that the type or lectotype of pustulatus was taken by Deppe at “‘San Matteo’? (=San Mateo del Mar), Oaxaca. Blake (1968) hesitated to transfer the name to what he called formosus because (1) Stresemann had not stated how or by whom the lectotype was selected, and (2) ‘“‘because of the profusion of villages bearing the name San Mateo and the possibility that the provenance of the lectotype was not coastal’. But if Wagler saw specimen(s) from other place(s), none is now known to exist. In case Stresemann’s designation is not considered definite, I formally designate Berlin Museum 7556 as the lectotype of Psarocolius pustulatus Wagler, 1829. The type is labelled ““San Matteo, Nov. 1825, Deppe’”’ and ‘‘Mas’’; but it is evidently an adult female still in moult. The outer primaries are still sheathed (p9 is missing 1n one wing); p5 1s longest but p6 subequal. The right wing (chord) measures 100 mm, the left more but apparently artificially; bones seem broken. ‘Tail 91.5; black streaks on medial feathers 2.0 (on one 2.4), maximum on lateral feathers (at rear) 2.7mm. The tail is black with extensive whitish corners; wing- markings white. The body, in 1966, was quite dull—much duller than cheeks; the upperparts were much overlaid with brownish. I saw no reason to question its coastal origin. Not only is the type more narrowly streaked than is usual in southeastern Oaxaca, but the pale feather-edgings are naturally at their widest when freshly moulted. Thus it would appear rather narrowly streaked if examined without knowledge of annual cycles. Such examination may account for the supposed overlap of races in Oaxaca and Chiapas, where I find none. As treated here, pustulatus is variable geographically. Birds from two points near the coast, in southeastern Oaxaca, are quite yellow, decidedly less orangeish than those from points not far north. The latter, locally at least, are also decidedly smaller: adult 3 (MEXU, RTM) wing under 94, tail under 89mm. Birds of surrounding populations are larger: central and central-eastern Chiapas; near to west of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca (but 1¢ adult to north measures 103.8, 84.8). But a valid subspecies should be recognizable without referring to the labels in sedentary birds, in at least the great majority of taxonomically useful specimens; and it should occupy geographically contiguous areas. Probably very few if any Central American A. R. Phillips 104 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) populations of J. pustulatus would satisfy these criteria if adequate useful material were available. In southeastern Mexico what at first seemed good subspecies now seem to show mosaic, rather than orderly or clinal, geographic distributions. But the large central Guatemalan race alticola Miller and Griscom may be recognizable (see however van Rossem 1927). But though disorderly, geographic variation within J. p. pustulatus exists, as above. Monroe gives no details in claiming (1968) that “variation in color in populations south of Oaxaca seems to be entirely individual in nature” and that size variation in Honduras and Central America 1s great but not geographic nor altitudinal. His measurements (‘wing: 3f, 103.1-117.9, mean 110.7; 2, 101.9-115.5, mean 105.7’’) evidently reflect failure to consider the factors involved: age classes, wear, moult, and correct determination of sex and species. I find no such wide variation (c. 13%) in properly segregated specimens. A contributing factor was evidently misidentification. In 1976 I found AMNH 748590 (2, Comayagtiela, Honduras) identified as J. pustulatus flammulatus; it was really I. pectoralis, as originally identified, with the throat still in juvenal plumage. (‘The feet, for one thing, were too heavy for I. pustulatus.) Monroe includes AMNH in his lists of specimens examined, but only 1 of his 78 pectoralis was imm. (a $) and none juvenile; whereas 4 imm. °° pustulatus were listed. Acknowledgements Specimens and/or aid in the field were provided by A. Contreras B., R. W. Dickerman, the late S. Farfan B., R. Phillips F., A. Ramirez V., S. Romero H., and L. D. Yaeger. Specimens were lent by the following persons and museums (acronyms as in Phillips 1986: vi-x and usually the Index Internationalis Herbariorum): California Academy of Sciences, through J. D. Webster; C. Sanchez-Mejorada; Cornell University, through R. W. Dickerman; Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México (MEXU); Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leén; Bell Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota; Moore Laboratory of Zoology, Occidental College (RTM); Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo; and Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology. Additional specimens were examined in the collections of the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH); Berlin Museum, Dickey Collection, University of California, Los Angeles; Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Sciences (LSU); Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris; and (at the time) in the collection of W. J. Schaldach, Jr. I am indebted to all these persons and the authorities of these museums for their help and cooperation. For copies of references not now available here, I thank M. R. Browning, R. S. Crossin, R. R. Johnson, M. LeCroy, and J. T. Marshall. References: A.O.U. (American Ornithologists’ Union). 1957. Check-list of North American Birds, 5th edn. A.O.U., Baltimore, Maryland. A.O.U. 1983. Idem, 6th edition. A.O.U., Washington, D.C. Binford, L. C. 1989. A distributional survey of the birds of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Orn. Monogr. no. 43. Blake, E. R. 1953. Birds of Mexico: A Guide for Field Identification. Univ. Chicago Press. Blake, E. R. 1968. Family Icteridae, American Orioles and Blackbirds. Pp. 138-202 in R. A. Paynter, Jr. (ed.), Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 14. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard. Edwards, E. P. 1972. A Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico. Ernest P. Edwards, Sweet Briar, Virginia. G. A. Bencke 105 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) Eisenmann, E. 1955. The Species of Middle American Birds. Trans. Linn. Soc. New York VII. Griscom, L. 1930. Studies from the Dwight collection of Guatemala birds. II]. dm. Mus. Novit. 438. Griscom, L. 1947. Common sense in common names. Wilson Bull. 59: 131-138. Hellmayr, C. E. 1937. Catalogue of birds of the Americas and the adjacent islands. Part X. Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Zool. Ser. 13, part 10. Miller, A. H., Friedmann, H., Griscom, L. & Moore, R. T. 1957. Distributional check-list of the birds of Mexico. Part II. Pac. Coast Avifauna No. 33. Monroe, B. L., Jr. 1968. A distributional survey of the birds of Honduras. Orn. Monogr. no. 7. Monson, G. & Phillips, A. R. 1981. Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Arizona. 2nd edn, revised and expanded. Univ. Arizona Press. Peterson, R. T. & Chalif, E. L. 1973. A Field Guide to Mexican Birds. Houghton Mifflin Co. Phillips, A. R. 1986. The Known Birds of North and Middle America/Distributions and Variation, Migrations, Changes, Hybrids, etc. Part I. Allan R. Phillips, Denver, Colorado. Ridgway, R. 1902. The Birds of North and Middle America. Part 2. Bull. U. S. Natl Mus. 50, Pt. 2. Stresemann, E. 1954. Ferdinand Deppe’s travels in Mexico, 1824-1829. Condor 56: 86-92. Thurber, W. A., Serrano, J. F., Sermeno, A. & Benitez, M. 1987. Status of uncommon and previously unreported birds of El Salvador. Proc. West. Foundation Vert. Zool. 3: 109-293. van Rossem, A. J. 1927. A new race of Sclater Oriole. Condor 29: 75-76. Address: Allan R. Phillips, c/o Dept. of Zoology, Denver Museum of Natural History, City Park, Denver, Colorado 80205, U.S.A. Present address: Reforma 825-A, Col. Chapultepec, San Nicolas de los Garza 66450, Nuevo Leon, México. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 The nest of the Grey-headed Flycatcher Mionectes rufiventris by Glayson Ariel Bencke Received 11 May 1994 Although nests of most species presently assigned to the Neotropical genus Mionectes are already known, that of the Grey-headed Flycatcher Mionectes rufiventris of southeastern South America seems to be undescribed. The only reports on its nesting are from Argentina. Pena (1979) gives the measurements of two eggs of M. rufiventris apparently from Misiones without mentioning the nest. Castelino & Saibene (1989) report on a Grey-headed occupying a nest of the Sepia-capped Flycatcher Leptopogon amaurocephalus from the previous year and a pair carrying nest material to a round, hanging structure of moss with side entrance also in Misiones. These nests held clutches of three white eggs in September and early October. In February 1990, during field work at Monte Alverne (29°33’S, 52°20’W), Santa Cruz do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul State, southern Brazil, I discovered two nests of the Grey-headed Flycatcher. The first G. A. Bencke 106 was found on 16 February (collected on 29 May) and contained three white eggs. It was an elongate, moss- covered pyriform structure 85 cm high and 18 cm wide suspended from a Commelinaceae vine about 0.7m above a small stream inside primary forest. On 18, 22 and 27 February, incubation continued. I captured the presumed female on the 18th. She was moulting on the head and showed a noticeable olive-green colour on the crown. Measurements taken were (in mm): bill (from base to tip) 11.9; wing chord! 672 Mesgs 29196 15 Shand HOPS oC daa 2 The second nest, hanging over an- other small stream in secondary forest about 1.3 km east of the first site, was empty on 17 February. It was similar to the first, including measurements, and was hanging from a pendent vine 1.8 m above the water. As this nest still appeared to be unoccupied on the 26th, I collected it for studies. ‘The nests consisted of an elongated, cone-shaped ‘roof’ and a round nest chamber, completely enclosed and supported by the former. The roof was almost entirely of living moss, with a few slender twigs and dead leaves in- terspersed. Blackish fibres (probably fungal rhizomorphs) attached the moss to the supporting vine. In nest 1 the fine roots of the vine continued to grow inside the moss, increasing the attachment of the moss to the support. ‘The latter ran inside the roof for al- most all its length, emerging from it only behind the nest chamber (Fig. 1). Inspection of the nest chamber’s structure showed it to be unexpect- edly complex. I could identify as many as 7 layers of material in the Figure 1. Nest of Grey-headed Flycatcher Mionectes rufiventris from Monte Alverne, southern Brazil. Outer cover is mostly of fresh moss. 15¢m Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) G. A. Bencke 107 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) chamber of nest 1, and at least 4 in nest 2. The external layer was mostly of fresh moss (dry moss in nest 2). Just beneath it there was a discontinuous net of entangled small rootlets and rhizomorphs followed by another thin layer of fresh moss (these 2 layers not clearly distinct in nest 2). The next layers (i.e., inner ones) were progressively less extensive and did not cover the chamber’s wall for its whole extent. The first of them was composed of a dry, soft straw of uncertain origin. Under the magnifying glass it appeared to be mostly the main veins of decomposed leaves of some kind of grass. This material was present in two distinct layers in nest 1, appearing mingled with rootlets and rhizomorphs in the innermost one. The lining consisted of a thin saucer of blackish fibres covered by a slender layer of soft straw (this absent from nest 2). The upper rim of the chamber projected somewhat above the entrance. Even when observed under the magnifying glass, nest materials were normally unidentifiable without comparison with other sources. The blackish fibres may have a double origin, part almost certainly being fungal rhizomorphs, the remainder probably central strands of leaves of Tillandsia bromeliads. Slight dissimilarities in nest structure may reflect differences between the builders, in nest material availability, or else distinct local weather conditions. At both sites, moss was abundant over trunks and stones nearby. The blackish fibres were also present (though uncommon) on decomposing wood. The dead, rather than fresh, moss found in the chamber of nest 2 might be due to drier conditions before or after placement in the nest. Especially in nest 2, the limits between some layers may have been obscured by moss growth after nest building. During observations at nest 1, I did not record any lek activities nearby though a few individuals were feeding on small fruits in mixed flocks at the forest edge. However, in late December 1991, there were lek displays within 50m of nest 1 of the previous year. On that occasion, a few males (2 or 3 seen) sang persistently until late in the morning from perches 2—4 m and c. 30 m apart (hence, within earshot of one another). They uttered series of weak, nasal notes, daao-daao-daao-dao-daodaodaodaodao-dao(-dao), and once one was seen performing short lateral jumps accompanied by wing flicks while he sang. This bird also hovered once. Mionectes species are rather homogeneous with regard to nesting behaviour. So far as known, they are lekking birds that display at dispersed groups in the forest understory. Their nests are similar in being pendent ball- or pear- -shaped structures suspended from hanging vines, aerial roots or slender twigs, usually over a stream in forest interior, and clutch-size is near 3 (Pinto 1953, Skutch 1960, Wetmore 1972, Willis et al. 1978, Snow & Snow 1979, Oniki & Willis 1983, Sick 1985, Skutch 1985). Moss is cited as the main material used in nest construction except for macconnelli (Pinto 1953, Willis et al. 1978, Oniki & Willis 1983), which is regarded as the closest relative of rufiventris (Willis et al. 1978, Willis 1992). However, the site of all but one nest described for macconnelli is a somewhat dry Amazonian forest G. A. Bencke 108 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) (Reserva Ducke, Manaus) where moss is scarce (E. O. Willis pers. comm.), and hence the general absence of moss in these nests probably resulted from local environmental conditions affecting nest material availability rather than divergent nesting behaviour of this species. Even nests of other Mionectes species are likely to lack moss coverage undér particular conditions (Skutch 1960). At Monte Alverne, breeding activities of M. rufiventris seem to occur late in the season as compared with the records cited above from Misiones (just 2—3° to the north) and with other birds in the Monte Alverne study area (most nests with eggs or young were concentrated from December through February; G. Bencke, in prep.). This is indicated by the facts that in nest 1 eggs were still unhatched as late as 27 February and lek activities at this site were in progress even in late December of the following year. Perhaps breeding is adjusted so as to match the ripening time of some fruits in these deciduous broad-leaved forests, or the species may make more than one nesting attempt per year. Acknowledgements I thank E. O. Willis and Y. Oniki for reviewing the English text. J. Larocca assisted in the identification of nest materials. References: Castelino, M. A. & Saibene, C. A. 1989. Nidificacion de aves en Misiones. Nuestras Aves 6: 7-9. Oniki, Y. & Willis, E. O. 1983. Breeding records of birds from Manaus, Brazil: IV. Tyrrannidae to Vireonidae. Rev. Brasil. Biol. 43: 45-54. Pena, M. R. de la. 1979. Enciclopedia de las Aves Argentinas. Fasc. VI. Editorial Colmegna, Santa Fé. Pinto, O. M. O. 1953. Sdébre a colecdo Carlos Estevao de peles, ninhos e ovos de aves de Belém (Para). Pap. Avuls. Dept. Zool. S. Paulo 11: 113-224. Sick, H. 1985. Ornitologia Brasileira, uma introducdo. Universidade de Brasilia, Brasilia. Skutch, A. F. 1960. Life histories of Central American birds II. Pacific Coast Avifauna no. 34. Skutch, A. F. 1985. Clutch size, nesting success, and predation on nests of Neotropical birds, reviewed. Pp. 575-594 in P. A. Buckley, M. S. Foster, E. S. Morton, R. S. Ridgely & F. G. Buckley (eds), Neotropical Ornithology. Orn. Monogr. no. 36. Snow, B. K. & Snow, D. W. 1979. The Ochre-bellied Flycatcher and the evolution of lek behavior. Condor 81: 286-292. Wetmore, A. 1972. The birds of the Republic of Panama, part 3. Smithson. Misc. Coll. 150. Willis, E. O., Weschler, D. & Oniki, Y. 1978. On behavior and nesting of McConnell’sFlycatcher (Pipromorpha macconnelli): does female rejection lead to male promiscuity? Awk 95: 1-8. Willis, E. O. 1992. Zoogeographical origins of eastern Brazilian birds. Ornitologia Neotropical 3: 1-15. Address: Depto de Zoologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, C. P. 199, 13506-900, Rio Claro (SP), Brazil. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 C. B. Frith et al. 109 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) The taxonomic status of populations of Archbold’s Bowerbird Archboldia papuensis in New Guinea by Clifford B. Frith, David Gibbs & Keith Turner Received 11 Fuly 1994 This contribution reports only two brief new field observations of Archbold’s Bowerbird Archboldia papuensis, but they are of consider- able systematic significance in the lght of past literature. This literature must therefore be reviewed and the new observations placed in context. Introductory review Archbold’s Bowerbird was the last of the 19 bowerbird species to be discovered (Rand 1940). It is patchily distributed on the central ranges of the vast island of New Guinea in coniferous and mixed beech forests at 1800-2900 m asl (Beehler et al. 1986, Coates 1990; see Fig. 1). It is considered geographically restricted, rare and elusive (Collar 1986). The species remained little-known except for the appearance of bowers accumulated by males and a single report of a male display until recent studies of its nesting biology, courtship displays and mating at the bower (Frith & Frith 1988, 1991, 1994, Frith et al. in press). Adult males of the eastern population, in Papua New Guinea, wear an elongate bright yellow crest (unknown in western birds) and form a unique ‘mat’ bower of accumulated fern fronds laid onto the forest floor and decorated with snail shells, beetle elytra, fruits, fungus, tree resin, feathers and other objects (Gilliard 1969, Frith & Frith 1990, 1991). Branches invariably above this decorated ‘mat’ are draped with numerous stems of epiphytic orchids (Gilliard 1969, Frith et al. in press). Bowers of subadult males may, however, consist of little more than a small and undecorated ‘mat’ of fern fronds and no, or only a few, orchid stems on branches above (Frith et al. in press). No bower of this kind has been found in the western population. The monotypic genus Archboldia was erected by Austin L. Rand (1940) for a population of large blackish and apparently crestless bowerbirds he discovered with R. Archbold and W. Richardson in alpine forest at 2200 m asl near Lake Habbema in the Snow Mountains of then Dutch New Guinea, now Irian Jaya, Indonesia, during 11 October to 4 December 1938. He based his description on 3 male and 4 female birds collected, and stated that the species was then only known from between Mt. Wilhelmina and the Idenburg River (Fig. 1, 1), between 2100 and 2800m asl. An eighth unsexed specimen was subsequently obtained by the Archbold Expeditions in this area and details of it, together with those of a male collected on 14 October 1938 at “‘Bobare near Wisselmeren, W. Nw. Guinea’”’ at c. 1800 m asl (Fig. 1, 2), found in the Zoologisch Museum, Buitenzorg at Leiden, Netherlands, appear in Rand (1942). C. B. Frith et al. 110 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) Figure 1. Outline map of mainland New Guinea showing some localities mentioned in literature on Archbold’s Bowerbird Archboldia papuensis: 1=Bele River (type locality); 2=Wissel Lakes, or Wisselmeren, area; 3=Mt. Hagen; 4=Mt. Giluwe; 5=Telefolmin, from which Gilliard searched in vain for Archboldia on the Victor Emanuel and Hindenberg Mountains; 6=Ilaga Valley; 7='Tari Gap. In 1950 E. Thomas Gilliard obtained 11 Archboldia specimens (7 adult males, 1 subadult male, 2 females and 1 unsexed) on Mount Hagen in central eastern New Guinea (Fig. 1, 3), which differed drastically from Rand’s western birds in that males were entirely jet black with an elongate brilliant yellow crest streaked with black. ‘This population of Archboldia was described from four specimens (3 males, 1 female) as a subspecies of the western population found by Rand and was named Archboldia papuensis sanfordi by Mayr & Gilliard (1950), who pointed out that both sexes of their eastern birds were generally larger and had a significantly longer tail than those of the west. Mayr & Gilliard considered it possible that the three males collected by Rand were in fact subadults, which would account for their lack of a crest, and this is why they described the Mt. Hagen birds as a subspecies rather than a distinct species. In 1951 Fred Shaw-Mayer discovered more A. p. sanfordi bowerbirds on Mt. Giluwe (Fig. 1, 4), c. 45 km to the south of Mt. Hagen (Sims 1956). In 1954 Gilliard surveyed the Hindenburg and Victor Emanuel Mountains (Fig. 1, 5), and his negative results and information obtained from local people convinced him that no Archboldia bowerbirds existed there (Gillard & LeCroy 1961). None have been subsequently found there. Thus, the eastern and western populations of Archboldia appear to be geographically widely isolated. In view of this, differences in male crests, the apparent size differences, and observations on speciation in closely related gardener bowerbirds of the genus Amblyornis, Gilliard decided to elevate the eastern populations of Mt. Hagen and Mt. Giluwe to a full species A. sanfordi (Gilliard 1959, 1969). It should be stressed here, however, that at this point the relative measurements of males were strongly biased by the lack of larger, adult males in the western samples (see below). @. Bs Frith et al: 111 Bulla BrOsER1995 Vis (2) Gilliard discovered the bower of Archboldia on Mt. Hagen in 1950 and described it as a ‘mat’ of ferns placed on the ground and decorated with snail shells, beetle elytra and fruits. He published photographs of the bower (in Mayr & Gilliard 1954, Gilliard 1959). Subsequent studies have shown that the bower mat decorations may also include tree resin, feathers and beer bottle glass, and that numerous overhead branches are draped with myriad stems of epiphytic orchids (Gilliard 1959, 1969, Frith & Frith 1991, Frith et al. in press). During a study of birds of the Ilaga Valley area of western New Guinea (Fig. 1, 6) S. Dillon Ripley (1964) collected two male Archboldia at 2865 and 3658 m, in all-black plumage except that they both had “‘traces of the deep golden yellow feathers coming in in two areas, the forehead, where the tuft of feathers occur as shown in Sutton’s frontispiece plate in Mayr & Gilliard (1954), and the posterior crest which consists of narrow, depressed feathers’’. Ripley pointed out that this clearly indicated that, contrary to all previous Archboldia specimens from western New Guinea, A. p. papuensis males do indeed acquire yellow crest feathers but that a fully crested male remained to be obtained or reported. The latter remained true until now (see below). Ripley went on to record that his field assistant Jacob, whom he had asked to particularly look out for bowers, reported that one of the male Archboldia he obtained attended a bower consisting of “‘two walls of intertwined twigs about two feet six inches apart and eighteen inches high. At each end there was a small collection of pieces of charcoal and blackish fruit. The center space was bare earth. There were no shell or other ornaments. There were no ferns nor vines as described by Gilliard (1959). The whole space was approximately three feet square. This bower fits much more the description of the avenue-builders and suggests that the species may be closer to Chlamydera than to the Amblyornis assemblage.” The taxonomic status of the eastern New Guinea population of Archboldia has been unstable because whilst Mayr & Gilliard (1950) originally described it as a subspecies (A. p. sanford) of the western population Gilliard subsequently (1951, 1958, 1959) dealt with it as a full species and then reverted to treating it as a subspecies (Rand & Gilliard 1967, Gilliard 1969). In the latter work Gilliard did note, however, that if it were confirmed that the Ilaga Valley population has a stick-walled bower, “I will have no hesitation whatever in elevating my Mt Hagen birds to specific rank’’. This inconclusive state of affairs is reflected by contrary treatments of Archboldia taxa in subsequent literature. Peckover (1972) admitted a single Archboldia species with two subspecies, but Peckover & Filewood (1976) then treated eastern Archboldia as a full species, the Tomba Bowerbird A. sanfordi, and the western as Archbold’s Bowerbird A. papuensis; citing a lesser crest and different bower type for the latter taxon. Collar (1986) also used Tomba Bowerbird and A. sanfordi to indicate specific rank for the eastern population. Cooper & Forshaw (1977), Beehler & Finch (1985), Diamond (1986) and Beehler et al. (1986) considered there to be a C. B. Frith et al. 112 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) single Archboldia species with two subspecies, a treatment consistently used by CBF (Frith & Frith 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993a,b, 1994, Frith et al. in press). Coates (1990) also recognised a single species and expressed the view that “‘overlap in measurements and wing-tail ratios of adult females from Mt. Hagen and the Snow mountains suggest (contra Gilliard 1969) that this race [A. p. sanfordi] may not be separable from papuensis of western New Guinea’’. Sibley & Monroe (1990), however, again recognised two species, A. papuensis and A. sanfordi, stating “differences and distribution suggest allospecies status’. ‘Thus, the debate over the systematic status of Archboldia populations 1s very much a contemporary one. From the above it is clear that the lack of a record of a fully crested male from western New Guinea and the suggestion that birds there may have a distinctly different bower to that of eastern birds are the main cause of controversy. Measurements of specimens are at this time not appropriate for comparative purposes given the lack of fully (crested) plumaged adult males from the west (see below) and the overlap of those of females from the east and west (Coates 1990). In 1982 Robert Campbell first reported Archboldia in the Tari Gap of Papua New Guinea (Fig. 1, 7) where many bowers and nests have subsequently been found and studied (Frith & Frith 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993a,b, 1994). New information and its significance On 14 February 1991 DG found an Archboldia bower attended by a fully yellow crested presumed adult male at c. 3000/m asl in stunted moss forest at Wamena, close to Lake Habbema in the Baliem Valley of Irian Jaya, just south of the type locality (Fig. 1, 1). The bower consisted of a mat of ferns and Selaginella fronds, the branches above it being untidily draped with fern-like plants, possibly orchids, to a height of c. 2m above the mat. Black pieces of charcoal and possibly of fungus were placed upon a horizontal branch about one metre above the bower mat. Having subsequently examined six colour photographs of Archboldia bowers taken at Mt. Hagen and Tari Gap (Coates 1990) DG feels the Wamena bower was similar in all respects to those of eastern New Guinea. During 26 and 27 December 1991 K’'T visited and photographed what he believes to have been the same bower examined by DG. He saw a fully crested and presumed adult male bird close to the bower on both days. ‘The bower consisted of an area of about one square metre of dead fern fronds laid on the ground and apparently flattened. ‘To one side of this was a moss-covered crook in a tree c. 1 m above ground on which were placed six pieces of charcoal. A photograph obtained, whilst slightly out of focus, clearly shows a bower mat typical of those of male Archboldia in Papua New Guinea. This bower involved nothing remotely like an avenue of two walls of intertwined twigs as described to Ripley (1964). Both DG and KT considered the fully crested bird they saw at the Wamena bower to be inseparable from the adult male A. p. sanford: illustrated in Beehler et al. (1986) and Coates (1990). C. B. Frith et al. 113 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) The above observations establish for the first time that (what we assume to be) adult male Archboldia in the Baliem Valley of Irian Jaya do develop a full and extensive yellow crest (contrary to Plate 54 in Beehler et al. 1986) as do males in Papua New Guinea, and that a single bower seen by two independent observers was typical of those of eastern birds. It would seem likely, therefore, that Ripley’s informant gave a misleading or incorrect bower description. ‘This was also the experience of Frith & Frith (1991) in the Tari Gap, Papua New Guinea, where local people initially repeatedly told them that Archboldia (having been shown the bird, with which they were previously unfamiliar) builds a stick bower like that of Macgregor’s Bowerbird Amblyornis macgregoriae (a bird they were familiar with). Notwithstanding the present apparently wide gap between the ranges of the eastern and western New Guinea populations of Archboldia (see Fig. 1) there now appears to be no justification for treating them as any more than at most poorly-defined subspecies of a single species, A. papuensis, that Coates (1990) thought could in fact prove to be monotypic. Acknowledgement We thank Brian Coates for providing constructive comment on a draft of this contribution. References: Beehler, B. M. & Finch, B. W. 1985. Species-checklst of the Birds of New Guinea. Australasian Orn. Monogr. 1: 1-126. Beehler,. B. M., Pratt, T. K. & Zimmerman, D. A. 1986. Birds of New Guinea. Princeton Univ. Press. Coates, B. J. 1990. The Birds of Papua New Guinea. Vol. 2. Dove, Alderley. Collar, N. J. 1986. Red data bird, the Tomba Bowerbird. World Birdwatch 8: 5. Cooper, W. T. & Forshaw, J. M. 1977. The Birds of Paradise and Bower Birds. Collins. Diamond, J. M. 1986. Biology of birds of paradise and bowerbirds. Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 17: 17-37. Frith, C. B. & Frith, D. W. 1988. Discovery of nests and the egg of Archbold’s Bowerbird Archboldia papuensis (Ptilonorhynchidae). Australian Bird Watcher 12: 251-257. Frith, C. B. & Frith, D. W. 1990. Archbold’s Bowerbird Archboldia papuensis (Ptilonorhynchidae) uses plumes from King of Saxony Bird of Paradise Pteridophora alberti (Paradisaeidae) as bower decoration. Emu 90: 136-137. Frith, C. B. & Frith, D. W. 1992. Annotated list of the birds of western Tari Gap, Southern Highlands, Papua New Guinea, with some nidification notes. Australian Bird Watcher 14: 262-276. Frith, C. B. & Frith, D. W. 1993a. Results of a preliminary highland bird banding study at Tari Gap, Southern Highlands, Papua New Guinea. Corella 17: 5-21. Frith, C. B. & Frith, D. W. 1994. The nesting biology of Archbold’s Bowerbird Archboldia papuensis and a review of that of other bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchidae). Ibis 136: 153-160. Frith, C. B., Borgia, G. & Frith, D. W. (in press). Bowers and courtship behaviour of Archbold’s Bowerbird Archboldia papuensis (Ptilonorhynchidae) in Papua New Guinea. [bis. Frith, D. & Frith, C. 1991. Say it with bowers. Wildlife Conservation 94: 74-83. Gilliard, E. T. 1951. New Guinea’s paradise of birds. Nat. Geog. Mag. 100: 661-688. Gilliard, E. T. 1958. Living Birds of the World. Hamish Hamilton, London. Gilliard, E. T. 1959. The courtship behavior of Sanford’s Bowerbird (Archboldia sanfordi). Am Mus. Novit. 1935. N. Bahr 114 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) Gilliard, E. 'T. 1969. Birds of Paradise and Bower Birds, Weidenfeld & Nicolson. Gilliard, E. T. & LeCroy, M. 1961. Birds of the Victor Emanuel and Hindenburg Mountains, New Guinea. Results of the American Museum of Natural History Expedition to New Guinea in 1954. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 123: 1-86. Mayr, E. & Gilliard, E. T. 1950. A new bower bird (Archboldia) from Mount Hagen, New Guinea. Am. Mus. Novit. 1473. Mayr, E. & Gilliard, E. T. 1954. Birds of Central New Guinea. Results of the American Museum of Natural History Expeditions to New Guinea in 1950 and 1952. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 102: 315-374. Peckover, W. S. 1972. Behavioural similarities of birds of paradise and bowerbirds to lyrebirds and scrub-birds. Papua and New Guinea Scientific Society 24: 10-20. Peckover, W. S. & Filewood, L. W. C. 1976. Birds of New Guinea and Tropical Australia. Reed, Sydney. Rand, A. L. 1940. Results of the Archbold Expeditions. No. 25. New birds from the 1938-1939 expedition. Am. Mus. Novit. 1072. Rand, A. L. 1942. Results of the Archbold Expeditions. No. 43. Birds of the 1938-1939 New Guinea Expedition. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 79: 425-516. Ripley, 5S. D. 1964. A systematic and ecological study of birds of New Guinea. Bull. Peabody Mus. Nat. Hist. 19: 1-85. Sibley, C. G. & Monroe, B. L. 1990. Distribution of Taxonomy of Birds of the World. Yale Univ. Press. Sims, R. W. 1956. Birds collected by Mr F. Shaw-Mayer in the central highlands of New Guinea 1950-1951. Bull. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), Zoology 3: 389-438. Addresses: C. B. Frith, P.O. Box 581, Malanda, Qld 4885, Australia. D. Gibbs, 28 Blackamoor Lane, Maidenhead, Berks SL6 8RD, U.K. K. Turner, 85 Lincoln Road, Fratton, Portsmouth PO1 5BQ, U.K. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 Additions to the list of new species of birds described from 1981 to 1990 by Norbert Bahr Received 23 Fuly 1994 In the centenary volume of this journal, Vuilleumier et al. (1992) reviewed the new species of birds described in the decade from 1981 to 1990 in continuation of earlier lists compiled by Zimmer & Mayr (1943), Mayr (1957, 1971), Mayr & Vuilleumier (1983), and Vuilleumier & Mayr (1987). As descriptions of novelties have been published in more than 70 different journals, books and occasionally appearing publications since 1950 alone, such compilations are of interest for most ornithologists occupied with avian taxonomy and give a welcome overview for persons engaged in other disciplines. Due to the publication of some descriptions in obscure journals and the inaccessibility of them even to reviewers working with extensive libraries, most of these lists were incomplete, and supplements had to be published in subsequent issues of the series for completion. To avoid such cases in future, LeCroy & Vuilleumier (1992) gave recommendations for the publication of species descriptions with which ornithologists will agree on the whole. In the latest list of Vuilleumier et al. (1992), however, no less than four new species were overlooked, N. Bahr 115 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) at least three of them described in journals relatively easy of access. As some time may elapse until the next instalment appears with corrections and supplements to the 1992 list, it may be useful to add some information on the omitted taxa. The following text is set out in the same way as 1n Vuilleumier et al. (1992), with the same abbreviations for the probable categories of the new forms: Ac=allospecies (member of a superspecies); Ba=species inquirendae. Columbidae Ducula constans Bruce 1989, Riv. Ital. Orn. 59: 219. 15°28'S, 125°40’E=near The Loop, Prince Regent River, Kimberley Division, Western Australia. =Ducula [bicolor] constans (Ac) According to the original description by Bruce (1989), Ducula constans is a not uncommon bird endemic to the Kimberley Division in northwestern Western Australia. It is an inhabitant of semi-deciduous vine forest, mangroves and waterside vegetation, and is subject to seasonal movements within the region. The name highlights the constancy of some plumage characters, especially the grey head, found in the series of 15 birds on which its separation as a new species 1s based. Strigidae Glaucidium hardyi Vielliard 1989, Rev. Bras. Zool. 6: 692. 20 km SW Presidente Médici, Rondonia, Brazil. =Glaucidium [passerinum] hardyi (Ac) ‘This species has been confused with Glaucidium minutissimum until recently. It seems to be an inhabitant of the canopy region of Amazonian forests, locally sympatric with G. brasilianum, which prefers lower strata. There are records of G. hardyi from Brazil (Rondonia; Para), Peru (Cordillera Vilcabamba; Depto. Ucayali), and Venezuela (Vielliard 1989, K6nig 1991). In the field, G. hardy: is best told from G. minutissimum by its voice, a decreasing trill of 10-20 notes (Konig 1991). The closest relatives of the new pygmy owl, according to Konig (1991), are G. jardinii and the recently described G. bolivianum. Vielliard (1989) thought that there may be several as yet undescribed subspecies of hardyi from Amazonian Brazil and possibly Central America. Trochilidae Amazilia rondoniae Ruschi 1982, Bol. Mus. Biol. Prof. ‘Mello Leitado”’ Santa Teresa, Sér. Zool. 100: 1. Porto Velho, Rondonia, Brazil. =Amazilia (versicolor) rondoniae (Ba) This new hummingbird is based on two specimens (male and female) collected in September 1981 at the Rio Madeira. The male is depicted in Grantsau (1988), who treated rondoniae as a subspecies of Amazilia versicolor. Clearly, further information is needed to evaluate the taxonomic status of A. rondoniae correctly. N. Bahr 116 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) Formicariidae Myrmotherula fluminensis Gonzaga 1988, Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 108: 132. 4km southeast Santo Aleixo, Majé, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. =Myrmotherula fluminensis (Ba) The present knowledge of this novelty, known from the unique type-specimen only, has been summarized by Collar et al. (1992). There is a remarkable similarity to a Peruvian form, considered as belonging to Myrmotherula theringi, but more likely an undescribed taxon (Gonzaga 1988, Collar et al. 1992). Acknowledgements I wish to thank Rolf Grantsau and Dr Christoph Hinkelmann for the provision of literature, and Dr Giinther Schleussner for examining the English draft of this paper. References: Bruce, M. D. 1989. A reappraisal of species limits in the Pied Imperial Pigeon Ducula bicolor (Scopoli, 1786) superspecies. Riv. Ital. Orn. 59: 218-222. Collar, N. J., Gonzaga, L. P., Krabbe, N., Madrono Nieto, A., Naranjo, L. G., Parker, T. A., II] & Wege, D. C. 1992. Threatened Birds of the Americas. The ICBP/IUCN Red Data Book. 3rd edn, Part 2. [CBP and Smithsonian Inst. Press. Gonzaga, L. P. 1988. A new antwren (Myrmotherula) from southeastern Brazil. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 108: 132-135. i Grantsau, R. 1988. Os Beija-flores do Brasil. Expressao e Cultura. Rio de Janeiro. Konig, C. 1991. Zur 'Taxonomie und Okologie der Sperlingskaéuze (Glaucidium spp.) des Andenraumes. Okol. Végel 13: 15-76. LeCroy, M. & Vuilleumier, F. 1992. Guidelines for the description of new species in ornithology. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 112A: 191-198. Mayr, E. 1957. New species of birds described from 1941 to 1955. %. Orn. 98: 22-35. Mayr, E. 1971. New species of birds described from 1956 to 1965. 7. Orn. 112: 302-316. Mayr, E. & Vuilleumier, F. 1983. New species of birds described from 1966 to 1975. JF. Orn. 124: 217-232. Ruschi, A. 1982. Uma nova espécie de Beija-flor do Brasil: Amazilia rondoniae n. sp. e a chave para determinar as espécies de Amazilia que ocorrem no Brasil. Bol. Mus. Biol. Prof. ““Mello Leitado”’ Santa Teresa, Sér. Zool. 100: 1-2. Sibley, C. G. & Monroe, B. L., Jr. 1993. A Supplement to Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World. Yale Univ. Press. Vielliard, J. 1989. Uma nova espécie de Glaucidium (Aves, Strigidae) da Amazonia. Rev. Bras. Zool. 6: 685-693. Vuilleumier, F., LeCroy, M. & Mayr, E. 1992. New species of birds described from 1981 to 1990. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 112A: 267-309. Vuilleumier, F. & Mayr, E. 1987. New species of birds described from 1976 to 1980. JF. Orn. 128: 137-150. Zimmer, J. T. & Mayr, E. 1943. New species of birds described from 1938 to 1941. Auk 60: 249-262. Address: Norbert Bahr, Verdener Str. 32, D 29664 Walsrode, Germany © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 F. Olmos et al. 117 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) The sea-birds of Sao Paulo, southeastern Brazil by F. Olmos, P. Martuscelli, R. Silva e Silva & T. S. Neves Received 29 March 1994 Although it is one of the best studied regions of Brazil, there is little published information on the sea-birds that occur along the 350 km of the coast of Sao Paulo, most referring only to new or unusual records (Willis & Oniki 1985, 1993), although there is some information on the ecology of a few species (Rezende 1987). In this paper we present an annotated check-list of the 35 species of sea-birds known to occur along the Sao Paulo coast, and present new information on them, based mostly on records gathered from 1989 to 1994. English names and sequence follow Meyer de Schauensee (1970). Specimens are housed in the Museu de Zoologia de Sao Paulo (MZUSP) and Colecéo Werner Bokerman (WCB). Systematic list MAGELLANIC PENGUIN Spheniscus magellanicus A common winter visitor, penguins are known to appear every year, sometimes in numbers. This species has been recorded on almost every beach in the state, being represented mainly by immature birds, probably stragglers from the wintering areas off southernmost Brazil and Uruguay (M. Sander pers. comm.). Many beached penguins are sent to Sao Paulo Zoo. Records from August 1983 to November 1988 show 8 penguins received in July, 14 in August, 16 in September, 10 in October, 3 in November and 2 in December. WANDERING ALBATROSS Diomedea exulans A regular winter visitor to southern Brazil (Vooren & Chiaglia 1990, Sick 1993), apparently there is only one published record of the species in Sao Paulo, referring to a beach-washed individual found at Praia Grande (W illis & Oniki 1985). On 16 March 1993, we observed an adult individual (snowy plumage of Harrison 1985) about 30 miles off the coast near Alcatrazes archipelago (c. 24°05’S, 45°40'W). ROYAL ALBATROSS Diomedea epomophora Apart from the specimen cited by Pinto (1938), caught off Alcatrazes (MZUSP 16098), there is no further record of the species from Sao Paulo. BLACK-BROWED ALBATROSS Diomedea melanophrys The commonest albatross in the region; up to a few tens may be found dead or dying along the state’s coast in a given year. Unlike the F. Olmos et al. 118 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) Yellow-nosed Albatross, most recorded individuals are immature, but adults are occasionally found. ‘The Black-browed Albatross seems to perform the same northward movement to the Rio de Janeiro upwelling area off Cabo Frio as the Yellow-nosed Albatross (Sick 1993). The lack of more museum records seem to reflect merely the absence of collecting. Specimens recorded: five specimens at the MZUSP collected from 1931 to 1964 between Santos and Peruibe, all were beach-washed, between July and September; Ilha do Cardoso, 3—4 Sep 1991 (skeleton at MZUSP); Praia Grande (near 24°05’S, 46°30'W), 11 Sept 1993, immature male (WCB); Itanhaem (near 24°15'S, 46°50'W), 18 Aug 1993, immature (MZUSP, cranium only); Praia do Juliao, Ilhabela, 4 Oct 1993, immature (MZUSP, cranium only); Ilha Comprida, 9 Sep 1993, immature; 6 Jun 1992 (WCB); Santos (near 23°50'S, 46°15’W), early Jul 1993, adult (mounted at the Museu de Pesca de Santos). YELLOW-NOSED ALBATROSS Diomedea chlororhynchus Although there are few museum specimens or published records, dead albatrosses of this species are regularly found on the beach, and it seems to be a fairly common winter visitor, perhaps en route to and from the upwelling area off Rio de Janeiro, where Sick (1993) observed several individuals together with Black-browed Albatrosses. Neverthe- less, both species are seen regularly off northeastern Brazil during the winter (M.C. Sousa pers. comm.), so movements to areas farther north than Rio do occur. A majority of records at the end of the winter may reflect a higher mortality during the southward migration. New records: Ilha do Cardoso (c. 25°03'S, 47°53’W), 3 Sep 1991, adult, dead on beach; 5 Sep 1991, cranium found on beach; 9 Sep 1991, immature male (MZUSP 70633, skin); Ilha Comprida (c. 24°50'S, 47°45'W), 11 Sep 1993 (WCB); Praia do Engenho d’Agua, Ilha de Sao Sebastido (better known as Ilhabela; near 23°50’S, 45°20’W), 4 Sep 1993, adult male (MZUSP, cranium only); Praia do Itaguassu, Ilhabela, 4 Sep 1993, immature (MZUSP, cranium only); specimen has a deformed, shortened and sideways bent upper bill, as seen in some pesticide-contaminated seabirds (M. Sander pers. comm.); Praia do Perequé, Ilhabela, 25 May 1993, immature (not collected); Sao Vicente, 10 Jul 1994, an adult found resting on the beach, banded and successfully released. GREY-HEADED ALBATROSS Diomedea chrysostoma The only records for the Brazilian coast are those of Sick (1993), off Sao Paulo and Santa Catarina, and of Teixeira et al. (1985), from Rio de Janeiro. In fact, the species seems to be rarely found north of Argentina (see Vooren & Fernandes 1989, Narosky & Yzurieta 1987). On 23 Sep 1993 a starving immature male (MZUSP 73513) was found beached at the mouth of Sao Vicente Bay (near 23°50'S, 46°25'W). Its plumage agrees with the description given by Harrison (1985) for first-year birds. This is the second collected specimen from Brazil (see ‘Teixeira et al. 1985). F. Olmos et al. 119 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) SOOTY ALBATROSS Phoebetria fusca Apart from a controversial bird collected in August at Bertioga beach (Willis & Oniki 1993), there is no other record of the species from Brazil. SOUTHERN GIANT PETREL Macronectes giganteus There is only one published record of the species from Sao Paulo, an immature collected at Peruibe (near 24°20’S, 46°50'W; Pinto 1964). An adult (white-feathered) bird was observed on 4 Dec 1993 at the same locality. Although rarely recorded in Sao Paulo, it is a fairly common winter visitor just to the south, off Parana (Moraes & Krul 1993). SOUTHERN FULMAR Fulmarus glacialoides A bird from the sub-antarctic seas, recorded off southern Brazil only as a passage migrant (Vooren & Fernandes 1989). Willis & Oniki (1985) mention a bird from Ilha da Moela (24°03’S, 46°16’W). Two specimens were collected at Ilha do Cardoso, one in March (Martuscelli 1990), another on 18 Aug 1991 (skeleton at MZUSP). Another adult bird was observed fishing at the channel between Ilha do Cardoso and Ilha Comprida on 2 Jan 1991. CAPE PETREL Daption capensis A winter visitor recorded more frequently from the southern part of the coast. The MZUSP has one specimen from Iguape (near 24°41'S, 47°25'W; MZUSP 5321) and one from Peruibe (dead on beach, 31 Aug 1934; MZUSP 37145). There is also a specimen from Maruja, Ilha do Cardoso, 4 Sep 1993 (WCB). HOODED or ATLANTIC PETREL Pterodroma incerta This species breeds in ‘Tristan da Cunha and Gough, being occasionally recorded in eastern South America north to 1°31'S (Bourne 1992). Two specimens were collected at Ilha do Cardoso in early September. DOVE PRION Pachyptila desolata There are only three records of this south polar species from Sao Paulo. It seems to be less common than P. belcheri. Specimens recorded: Santos, 4 Aug 1904, male (MZUSP 4730); Santos, 15 Jul 1910, sex? (MZUSP 8105); Ilha do Cardoso, 20 Jul 1991, female (MZUSP 70636). SLENDER-BILLED PRION Pachyptila belcheri Rarely seen on the sea, this species is known to suffer mass mortalities. A series of 10 individuals, all male, in the MZUSP, was collected at Praia Grande on 15 Aug 1954 after one such incident. It would be interesting to know the reason for such sex-biased mortality. The species has also been recorded from Iguape (no data, several specimens at the MZUSP), Guaruja (beach-washed, 7 Aug 1925, MZUSP 11119), Sao Sebastiao (beach-washed, 15 Aug 1984), and Alcatrazes archipelago (seen alive at sea, 16 Mar 1993). A partial F.. Olmos et al. 120 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) specimen (wings and tail only, MZUSP) collected in Santos on 18 Aug 1992 may also be referable to this species. All the specimens examined differ from the plate in Harrison (1985, p. 62) in having no white along the sides of the tail. WHITE-CHINNED PETREL Procellaria aequinoctialis Considered to be an abundant southern migrant off Brazil (Sick 1993). The MZUSP has several individuals found on the beach between Praia Grande and Iguape in June and July, and there are some later records. All belong to the nominate form, except for the Grajauna bird, which represents a 2000 km northward extension for the range of P. a. conspicillata in coastal Brazil. New records: Ilha do Cardoso, 8 Aug 1990 and Jun 1991; 29 Jul 1991, 4 Sep 1991, all adults (skeletons at MZUSP); 5 Sep 1991, adult; 13 Jan 1991, adult; Ilha Comprida, 4 Sep 1993, four adults dead on the beach; Grajatina beach, Peruibe, early May 1994, an adult bird caught alive on the beach, photographed and released. CORY’S SHEARWATER Calonectris diomedea This palearctic migrant is found off Brazil while migrating to and from the Mar del Plata area off Uruguay and Argentina (Vooren & Fernandes 1989, Sick 1993), but there are few published records, probably due to a lack of observers rather than to its scarcity. The only previous records are from Peruibe and Ilha do Cardoso collected in April-May. Judging from wing-length and bill colour, specimens from Sao Paulo are referable to C. d. borealis. New records: 20 miles off Guaratuba beach (near 24°00’S, 46°00'’W), 27 Apr 1993, male, found dead on the sea, probably starved as weight only 560 g (MZUSP 73514); Perequé beach, Ilhabela, 27 May 1993, female, dead on beach, probably starved (MZUSP, skull only); many dead specimens, all adult, on beaches of Ilhabela between 28 May and 1 Jun 1994, including 21 along 1-km long Engenho d’ Agua beach (3 skins at the "MZUSP): Ilha do Cardoso, 9 Jun 1991, cranium only; Ilha Comprida, 16 May 1994, five dead adult specimens along 7 km of beach; Una Beach, Peruibe, 29 May 1994, four dead specimens along a 2-km stretch; Ilha Comprida, 21 Jun 1994, 18 old dead birds along 40 km of beach. GREAT SHEARWATER Puffinus gravis A southern Atlantic visitor, there are many recent records of this species from Sao Paulo: Ilha do Cardoso, in December, May and June; Peruibe, in May (Martuscelli & Antonelli-Filho 1990). New records: Ilha Comprida, 13 Oct 1991, two crania (MZUSP); Ilha do Cardoso, Dec 1989, adult male (skin at MZUSP); Una Beach, Reruibes, 29 May 1994, three dead specimens along a 2 km stretch: Engenho d’ Agua beach, Ilhabela, 28 May 1994, adult male (skin at. MZUSP), another dead specimen in 1 Jun 1994; Vila beach, 29 May 1994, adult, apparently mutilated by a shark; 15 miles SW of Alcatrazes archipelago, 10 Jun 1994, an adult bird seen circling the research boat; Ilha Comprida, 21 Jun 1994, two old dead birds along 40 km of beach. F. Olmos et al. 121 Bull BrOsE 1995 105 (2) SOOTY SHEARWATER Puffinus griseus Considered to be an infrequent southern migrant by Sick (1993), the MZUSP has two specimens from Guaruja (near 24°00'S, 46°15’W) and Sado Sebastido (near 23°45'S, 45°25’W) collected in August and July, respectively. New records: Ilha do Cardoso, 3 Mar 1991, 29 Jul 1991, and 21 Aug 1991, adults (skeletons at MZUSP). MANX SHEARWATER Puffinus puffinus A palearctic migrant fairly commonly recorded as a casualty on the beach, e.g., five at Ilha Comprida on 11 Sep 1993, another one at the same locality on 8 Oct 1993, all in adult plumage. Collecting dates of specimens at the MZUSP are September (one bird), and October (three individuals). New records: Ilha do Cardoso, 3 Mar 1991 adult (skeleton at MZUSP); 4 Oct 1992, adult; 2 Jan 1991, another adult, both banded in the U.K. Itaguassu beach, Ilhabela, 29 Sep 1993, adult, banded in Bardsey Island, Wales, in July 1979. Santos, 26 Sep 1993, two starving adult males still alive at the beach (MZUSP 73702 and 73703). WILSON’S STORM-PETREL Oceanites oceanicus Mainly a winter visitor from the southern seas (Sick 1993), the MZUSP has specimens collected in May and July. On 27 Apr 1993 nine individuals, alone or in pairs, were sighted between Santos and Alcatrazes on a cruise about 20 miles off the coast, another two along the same transect two days later. During a journey to the same islands, Luederwaldt & Fonseca (1923) also saw several birds in early October. Six birds were seen in the strait between Cardoso and Comprida islands on 17 May 1994, an area dominated by mangrove swamps. Vooren & Fernandes (1989) report the species as occurring off Rio Grande do Sul between April and September, alone or in small groups, which agrees with the observation above, and Sick (1993) observed groups of them in the upwelling area off Rio de Janeiro in May. It is possible this is another species that migrates to upwelling areas during the winter, like the albatrosses. BROWN BOoBy Sula leucogaster A common resident, this species is known to breed at several islands: the Alcatrazes archipelago, Laje de Santos (24°14'S, 46°16’W), Queimada Grande (24°30’S, 43°24’W), Guarat (24°22’S, 46°50’W), Castilho (25°20'S, 47°50’W), Cabras (23°44’S, 45°02’W), Sumitica (23°50’S, 45°09’W) and, formerly, at Bom Abrigo (25°08'S, 47°48’W), where it was recently wiped out by introduced domestic cats. There are about 1000 breeding pairs at Alcatrazes, 300 at Laje de Santos, and 500 at Castilho, while the other islands remain to be censused. We believe there are c. 2000 breeding pairs of boobies along the state’s coast. Breeding occurs year-round, peaking in September- November. F. Olmos et al. 122 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) Birds banded at Castilho have been recovered between 21°10’S, 40°09'W and 27°35'S, 48°25'W, an 1800km stretch. Those that dispersed farther were juveniles; adult birds tended to remain near the colony. This seems to be an accident-prone species, as broken-winged individuals are often found along the beaches of the southern coast after storms. MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD Fregata magnificens One of the most common sea-birds in the state, this resident is known to breed at Alcatrazes (about 6000 birds) and Ilha do Castilho (3000 birds). It is interesting to note that in the 1920s there were only about 1000 birds at Alcatrazes (Luederwaldt & Fonseca 1923), the subsequent increase being probably due to the large food resources represented by the many shrimp trawlers that discard unwanted fish near the island. Breeding occurs year-round, with a peak from November to February. SOUTH POLAR SKUA Catharacta maccormicki Luederwaldt & Fonseca (1923) reported seeing an unidentified skua while cruising to Alcatrazes archipelago in early October. The only documented record of this antarctic visitor was a bird reported by Willis & Oniki (1985, 1993). On 11 Aug 1993 a starving female was found at Embaré beach, Santos (MZUSP 73519). This bird seems an intermediate between the dark and light morphs of the species. A dark-morph bird was observed at the southern tip of Ilha Comprida on 8 Oct 1993 while robbing fish from a Cayenne ‘Tern. On 15 May 1994, at Cananéia Bay (close to Ilha do Cardoso) another dark-morph bird was observed sitting on the water. ‘wo days later, 70 km south, at Paranagua Bay, lone birds were seen killing and eating a Cayenne ‘Tern, and attacking but not killing a Brown Booby, which escaped because the observers’ presence disturbed the skua. PARASITIC JAEGER Stercorarius parasiticus Pinto (1964) reported a record of this species from Peruibe. Apparently, this is the only record from Sao Paulo. KELP GULL Larus dominicanus Common all over the coast and a commensal at sea-ports and fish-landing points, this species is known to breed at Alcatrazes and Castilho, and probably at other islands. Breeding takes place between August and December. Its numbers decrease markedly during the winter. Flocks usually rest on the least disturbed beaches, and can number up to 150 individuals. BROWN-HOODED GULL Larus maculipennis Occasional in Sao Paulo, this is mainly a southern species (Sick 1993). On 14 Jun 1991, an adult was seen feeding on the beach with 36 F. Olmos et al. 123 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) Kelp Gulls at Ilha Comprida, and one was sighted again at the same place in January 1992. LARGE-BILLED TERN Phaetusa simplex This tern is recorded in southeastern Brazil only outside the breeding season (Sick 1993). All records from the southern coast (Ilha do Cardoso and Ilha Comprida) between 1991 and 1993 were from July to November; they were common during this period, usually associated with mixed flocks of Sterna spp., Kelp Gulls and Black Skimmers. Also, on + May 1994 two non-breeding adults were observed resting together at the Cubatéo mangroves. Pinto (1964) also records specimens from around Santos, Sao Sebastiao and Iguape, all being immature birds (specimens at MZUSP). GULL-BILLED TERN Gelochelidon nilotica The only record of this species is the one reported by Pinto (1964), a first-winter female collected at Peruibe in early April (MZUSP 35357). SOUTH AMERICAN TERN Sterna hirundinacea Absent from the northern coast (Ilhabela) only during the summer, this species is greatly outnumbered by Cayenne and Royal Terns south of Santos, where it usually comprises only 10% of the thousand-strong mixed-species tern flocks found there. On 4 Sep 1993 a breeding colony of about 100 pairs was located on a small islet just 200 m from a beach to the west of Ilhabela. Nests with eggs, some just pipping, were noted. A month later several well grown chicks could be found, as well as immature flying birds. By late November the birds gather in large flocks at the northern mouth of the channel between Ilhabela and the mainland, disappearing by early December. According to the local people, the birds start breeding around June, which agrees well with the presence of adults in breeding plumage from early May, but birds in breeding plumage may be seen until at least November, so breeding may be protracted or not so synchronous. In 1994 the colony moved to Ilhote do Cod6 (23°55'S, 45°18'W), a 0.6 ha islet just south of Ilhabela. More than 250 birds were nesting there in July. The species breeds regularly only around I|habela; it is an infrequent breeder at Ilha do Castilho, with 30 pairs nesting during August 1988 and 1990. The seasonal disappearance of this species from Sao Paulo agrees with the presence of large flocks along the Patagonian coast, from Chubut to Tierra del Fuego (pers. obs.). Birds seen in Argentina were mainly in breeding plumage, but there is no known breeding colony there, and birds are absent after summer. In the MZUSP collection, there are seven breeding-plumage birds collected in early to late September, all between Iguape and Praia Grande. COMMON TERN Sterna hirundo This northern-hemisphere breeder has apparently been recorded only by Willis & Oniki (1985). On 27 Apr 1993 two individuals in F. Olmos et al. 124 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) non-breeding plumage were seen together in a large flock of Cayenne ‘Terns resting on the sea just off Guaruja. We have also observed this species as a member of the mixed-species tern flocks at Ilha Comprida and Ilha do Cardoso between May and August, where it comprises about 3% of all individuals. Despite the previous scarcity of records, this species is a regular visitor, being recorded every year. ARCTIC TERN Sterna paradisaea Pinto (1964) reported the species as being recorded at Itanhaem, but apparently no specimen has ever been collected in the state. SNOWY-CROWNED TERN Sterna trudeaut Although recorded from the northern coast between October and December (Pinto 1937; two non-breeding adults from Ilhabela and Sao Sebastiao at the MZUSP), this species seems uncommon there. wo specimens in breeding plumage were seen following a boat just off Guaruja on 27 Apr 1993; another, in non-breeding plumage, was with a flock of Cayenne and Royal Terns at Praia Grande in late August. On the southern coast it is a regular winter visitor, being recorded in small numbers (39 o of all terns observed) only during July, associating with other species of terns. ‘These flocks comprise up to 1000 terns of several species, in breeding plumage. YELLOW-BILLED TERN Sterna superciliaris All records of this species are associated with muddy banks and beaches: a lone non-breeding adult at the mangroves of Cubataéo on 27 Apr 1993, also 4 May 1994; another at Ilha do Cardoso on 16 Aug 1991, an immature at Ilha Comprida on 14 Jun 1991, and an adult at the same locality in 12 Dec 1993, together with Royal and Cayenne Terns. On 25 Feb 1994 an adult was observed resting on the beach at Picinguaba (23°15'S, 44°50’W). Our data agree with the three MZUSP specimens, all collected in mangrove areas. One breeding male was collected in September at Cubatao (MZUSP 7927), and a female from the same area, starting to moult into breeding plumage, was collected in late June (MZUSP 7928). ROYAL TERN Sterna maxima Previously known to breed in the northern hemisphere, Guyana and Argentina, and also west Africa (Escalante 1985, Harrison 1985), we have recorded adults in breeding plumage at Praia Grande (August), Ilha do Cardoso and Ilha Comprida (September and October), together with non-breeding individuals. The species has been observed year-round at Ilha do Cardoso and Ilha Comprida, being a common component of mixed flocks of terns, gulls and skimmers, comprising 20% of all terns. On 24 Oct 1993, a breeding colony of Royal Terns was found at Laje de Santos, the first one to be discovered in Brazil (see Escalante 1985). Although common on the south coast, this tern is rare around Ilhabela, with the sighting of lone birds in May-July; but in late F. Olmos et al. 125 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) February 1994, a mixed flock of 16 Royal (12 in post-breeding plumage, + immatures) and 9 Cayenne Terns (all immatures) was observed further north on Picinguaba beach. The MZUSP has several specimens in moult from eclipse to breeding plumage collected in July-August, most from Peruibe and Praia Grande. CAYENNE TERN Sterna eurygnatha A common species along the Brazilian coast (Sick 1993), its reproduction has been poorly documented. We have observed a few (10% of all birds) adults in breeding plumage at Praia Grande on late August; their proportion had increased to 80-100% of all individuals at Ilha Comprida in September-October. The only known breeding colony in the state is located at Ilha do Castilho, with about 40 pairs reproducing between July and August. It is uncommon around Ilhabela, with the brief appearance of immature birds in the area in late April-early September, usually alone but congregating around fishing boats. Nevertheless, there is a breeding female from Sao Sebastiao in the MZUSP (2195), collected in early August, and flocks of around 30 non-breeding birds have been observed on coastal islets 10 miles north of Ilhabela in April. This seems to be the most common tern south of Santos, groups of which, often with Royal, Snowy-crowned and South American Terns, are a daily sight at some little disturbed sandy beaches. The only records we have from Ilhabela are of a few adult (breeding plumage) and immature birds sighted only after late September, mainly on the east coast. BLACK SKIMMER Rhynchops nigra Said to be mainly a freshwater bird that occurs along the coast only during migration (Sick 1993), we have found this species at the Cubatéo mangroves in late April and in early May, in flocks of a few hundreds, and also fishing during the night at nearby Sao Vicente bay in April and May. At Ilha Comprida and Ilha do Cardoso the Black Skimmer has been recorded from February to October, in small flocks of up 30 individuals associated with terns and gulls. Discussion The greatest diversity of sea-birds is recorded during the end of the winter and beginning of spring (August-September), when most northern hemisphere and sub-antarctic birds occur off Sao Paulo. Some northern-hemisphere birds seem to be present only as passage migrants en route to wintering areas off southern Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina (e.g. Cory’s and Manx Shearwaters), but some of these, like the Common Tern, together with sub-antarctic birds such as the albatrosses, storm petrels and probably the prions, may be wintering off Sao Paulo. Also, most sea-birds that breed in the area gather at their colonies during the winter, further increasing both species diversity and number of birds during the winter. F.. Olmos et al. 126 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) The records of southern visitors, and also Sick (1993), suggest that most sub-antarctic birds are regular, not accidental, visitors, and a regular northward movement of those species occurs during the winter, perhaps directed towards upwelling areas rich in food, as those off Cabo Frio, Rio de Janeiro, or other high-productivity areas like those of southern Sao Paulo. Records made by boats travelling offshore show antarctic and subantarctic species to be far more common off eastern South America than can be judged from beach-washed birds (Bourne & Curtis 1985). The productivity of the southern and central coast of Sao Paulo is linked to the great mangroves of Iguape-Cananéia-Ilha Comprida and Santos-Cubatao-Bertioga, and it is no surprise that most records come from these areas, mainly of coastal species. ‘The waters of the northern coast have their productivity linked to the penetration of cold, nutrient-rich waters, a seasonal phenomenon that occurs during the winter, also noticed on the southern coast. The occurrence of both northern-hemisphere and sub-antarctic migrants in northeastern Brazil, in waters that receive the input of nutrients from the Sao Francisco river, strengthens the idea that associated mainland environments have an important effect on the wintering areas of pelagic birds, especially in dystrophic seas (Azevedo-Junior 1992, Sousa 1993), the presence of wintering birds being probably related to the occurrence of nutrient-enriching factors like extensive mangroves or large estuaries. ‘This may explain the apparently anomalous presence of skuas and Hooded Petrels at Maranhao and near the Amazon estuary (Tucurui) (M. Sander pers. comm., Teixeira et al. 1986). A factor probably responsible for the prevalence of beach-washed records around September in southeastern Brazil, and for the seasonal occurrence of mass mortalities of sea-birds elsewhere (see Azevedo- Junior 1991, Souza 1993), are the strong winds associated with cold fronts which travel north from the Antarctic. These winds, in southeastern Brazil, tend to be stronger during September-October, when the temperature difference between the Antarctic front and the tropical, warm air over the area is greatest. Strong winds up to 80 km/h occur during this period, but they are unpredictable and of short duration, lasting 15-30 minutes. Sea-birds caught by such sudden winds may be thrown into the water and drowned, especially Procellariiformes soaring with wings locked open. The finding of dead birds with broken wings, and the fact that mortalities of sea-birds happen earlier to the north, strengthen the hypothesis. All breeding colonies of sea-birds in Sao Paulo are located on islands, but most suffer human disturbance. The Alcatrazes archipelago, which harbours the largest colonies of boobies and_ frigatebirds in southeastern Brazil, is a bombing-practice ground for the Brazilian Navy. Fishermen and Navy personnel disturb the birds at Laje de Santos, although it is an officially protected area. Egg-robbing is common at Ilha do Castilho and Laje de Santos, despite its protected status. Uncontrolled tourism is doing no good to all those areas, and also many others. F. Olmos et al. 127 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) Conservation of the off-lying islands, where a minimum of 35 endemic plant and animal taxa occur, of the mangroves, and also of the few sand beaches where the birds do not yet have to compete for space with people, is a conservation priority for the sea-birds of Sao Paulo, and concerted efforts must be made to assure their survival. Acknowledgements We wish to thank Fausto Pires de Campos for the opportunity of participating in several cruises to Alcatrazes; Dr. Werner Bokerman for access to the penguin data; to the staff of Museu de Pesca de Santos, for giving us some of the specimens; to Dr. W. R. P. Bourne for making useful comments and providing information on some birds; and to Dr. Helio Camargo, for allowing access to the MZUSP collection. Special thanks to Dr. Rubens J. Villela, for explaining the wind dynamics in southeastern Brazil, and to Octavio and Rosana (DPRN-Cananéia) for their friendship and help during fieldwork. References: Azevedo-Junior, S. M. 1991. Mortandades de aves oceadnicas no _ nordeste brasileiro—maio e junho de 1991. Reswmos I Congresso Brasileiro de Ornitologia, Belem PA. 41. Bourne, W. R. P. 1992. Atlantic petrels in the western palearctic. Dutch Birding 14: 100-101. Bourne, W. R. P. & Curtis, W. F. 1985. South Atlantic seabirds. Sea Swallow 34: 18-28. Escalante, R. 1985. Taxonomy and conservation of austral-breeding Royal Terns. Pp. 935-942 in P. A. Buckley, M. S., Foster, E. S. Morton, R. S. Ridgely & F. G. Buckley (eds), Neotropical Ornithology. American Ornithologists’ Union. Harrison, P. 1985. Seabirds: an identification guide. C. Helm, London. Luederwaldt, H. & Fonseca, J. P. 1923. A ilha dos Alcatrazes. Rev. Mus. Paulista 13: 441-512. Martuscelli, P. 1990. Notas sobre aves pouco conhecidas do estado de Sao Paulo. Anais VI Encontro Nacional de Anilhadores de Aves ENAV: 82-83. Martuscelli, P. & Antonelli-Filho, P. 1990. Novas adendas a avifauna de Sao Paulo. Anais VI Encontro Nacional de Anilhadores de Aves ENAV: 82. Meyer de Schauensee, R. 1970. A Guide to the Birds of South America. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia. Moraes, V. S. & Krul, R. 1993. Programa de recuperagao de aves marinhas debilitadas. Anais III Congresso Brasileiro de Ornitologia. Pinto, O. M. O. 1938. Catalogo das aves do Brazil, primeira parte. Rev. Mus. Paulista 22: 1-566. Pinto, O. M. O. 1964. Ornitologia Brasiliense. Vol. I. Depto. de Zoologia, Secret. Agricultura de Sao Paulo. Rezende, M. 1987. Comportamento associativo de Fregata magnificens e Sula leucogaster no litoral centro-norte do estado de Sao Paulo. Bol. Inst. Oceanogr. 35: 1-5. Sick, H. 1993. Birds in Brazil: a Natural History. Princeton Univ. Press. Souza, M. C. 1993. Sobre aves marinhas no litoral do estado de Sergipe e Alagoas. Resumes do III Congresso Brasileiro de Ornitologia. Teixeira, D. M., Nacinovic, J. B. & Novelli, R. 1985. Notes on some Brazilian seabirds. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 105: 49-51. Teixeira, D. M., Oren, D. & Best, R. C. 1986. Notes on Brazilian seabirds 2. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 106: 74-77. Vooren, C. M. & Fernandes, A. C. 1989. Guia de Albatrozes e Petréis do Sul do Brazil. Sagra Editora, Porto Alegre. Willis, E. O. & Oniki, Y. 1985. Bird specimens new for the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Rev. Brasil. Biol. 45: 105-108. Willis, E. O. & Oniki, Y. 1993. New and reconfirmed birds from the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, with notes on disappearing species. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 113: 23-34. P. Passerin d’Entréves et al. 128 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) Addresses: Fabio Olmos, Instituto Florestal de Sao Paulo—Parque Estadual de Ilhabela, r. Morro da Cruz 608, Ilhabela, SP, 11630-000, Brazil. Paulo Martuscelli. Instituto Florestal de Sao Paulo—Estacao Ecologica Juréia-Itatins, Caixa Postal 194, Peruibe, SP, 11750-970, Brazil. Robson Silva e Silva. Depto. de Biologia, Universidade Santa Cecilia dos Bandeirantes, Santos, SP, 11100, Brazil. Tatiana da Silva Neves. Instituto Florestal de Sao Paulo, Caixa Postal 1322, Sao Paulo, SP, 01059-970, Brazil. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 The Himalayan bird collection of the Marquis Paolo Solaroli, ““Prince of Sirdanah’’, and the type locality of Oedicnemus indicus Salvadori, 1865 by P. Passerin d’Entréves, C. G. Violant & A. Rolando Received 19 May 1994 The Zoological Museum of ‘Turin University owns a small but fairly complete collection of Himalayan birds, known as the “‘Solaroli Collection”, which was entered in 1841 as a gift from “‘the Prince Solaroli of Sirdanah’’ (Salvadori 1915). Paolo Solarol (Novara, 8.XIJ.1797—Turin, 1878), when he came of age, travelled in Italy and part of Europe with the final intention of reaching America. Having entered the service of the pasha of Egypt, he remained in the Egyptian army for some years, later visiting Bombay and Calcutta. Here he found a job in a factory for the production of indigo, and in the following years he became superintendent of numerous factories. He married one of the daughters of the Begoum of Sirdanah, a rajate at the foot of the Himalayas, and became Commander of the local Body Guards, Colonel and Chief Justice with important appointments at the Court. When Solaroli finally returned to Italy, he was created Baron by the King of Sardinia Carlo Alberto, and took part in the First Italian Independence War in 1848, earning various decorations for military valour. He was also aide-de-camp of King Victor Emmanuel II during the historic meeting in Teano with General Giuseppe Garibaldi (26.X.1860), was elected deputy in several legislatures and was finally created Marquis of Briona. From a letter now preserved in the Turin State Archives, dated ‘“‘Mussorie nelle Himalaye”’ 13 February 1841 and addressed to the then Ministry for Foreign Affairs, we are aware of the shipping of 444 bird skins belonging to 226 species, labelled with English and Indian names by Solaroli himself, as a gift to King Carlo Alberto. The collection was entrusted to the Zoological Museum of the University of Turin, at that time directed by Giuseppe Gené. His cataloguing of Indian birds was subsequently revised by Tommaso Salvadori with updated scientific names. Today the “‘Solaroli Collection’’ (Section E of P. Passerin d’Entréves et al. 129 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) the Ornithological Department) includes 369 specimens. Those now missing were exchanged with other museums or were disposed of, as they were irreparably damaged by insects (Elter 1986). The Solaroli Collection has never been the object of a monographic study, and only two specimens from it (nos. 4086, 4087) were used as syntypes for the description of a new species, namely Oecedicnemus indicus Salvadori, 1865, Att: Soc. Ital. Sct. Nat. 8: 375, from “‘India’’. Other material was designated as pertaining to a new taxon by Giuseppe Gené, but this was never published validly: ‘‘Oriolus decipiens’ Gené Ms. [=Onriolus oriolus kundoo Sykes (Salvadori 1864)]. It has now been possible to restrict, at least in part, the type locality of the Indian Stone Curlew O6cdicnemus indicus Salvadori [now Burhinus oedicnemus indicus (Salvadori)] to: the surroundings of Mussoorie, in Uttar Pradesh in “‘the Great Himalayas starting from their origin [=“‘il gierme”’ in Solaroli’s letter] up to 17,000 feet above sea level’ (obviously in the former rajate of Sirdanah). The two unsexed syntypes, still preserved in the Zoological Museum of Turin University, are both labelled as from ‘“‘Jmalajas’’ and are inscribed ‘““Typus!” in Salvadori’s handwriting. They are in fairly good condition and their measurements (in mm) are, respectively: UCC-E58-4086 (culmen from feathers 40, from skull 42; flattened wing 205; tarsus 84; tail 109); UCC-E175-4087 (culmen from feathers 39, from skull 44; flattened wing 215; tarsus 86; tail 119). Acknowledgements We are greatly indebted to Marquis Carlo Alberto Solaroli di Briona for providing us with biographical information concerning the Solaroli Family, and to Dr Nigel J. Collar for kindly revising an earlier draft of this paper. References: Elter, O. 1986. La Collezione Ornitologica del Museo di Zoologia dell’ Universita di Torino. Cataloghi Museo Regionale Scienze Naturali, Torino. Salvadori, T. 1864. Intorno ad alcune specie nuove, 0 poco conosciute di Uccelli del Museo di Torino. Atti Soc. Ital. Sct. Nat., Milano, Riunione Straordinaria a Biella 7: 149-162. Salvadori, T. 1865. Descrizione di altre nuove specie di Uccelli esistenti nel Museo di Torino. Atti Soc. Ital. Sci. Nat., Milano 8: 375-389. Salvadori, T. 1915. Notizie storiche intorno alla collezione ornitologica del Museo di Torino. Mem. Acc. Sci. Torino (2)65(5): 1-49. Addresses: Pietro Passerin d’Entréves & Antonio Rolando, Dipartimento di Biologia Animale, Universita di Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 17, 10123 Torino, Italy. Carlo G. Violani, Dipartimento di Biologia Animale, Universita di Pavia, Piazza Botta 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 S. M. Goodman 130 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) The third known specimen of the Red-tailed Newtonia Newtonia fanovanae (Family Sylviidae), a Malagasy endemic by Steven M. Goodman Received 4 July 1994 In 1933 Gyldenstolpe named a new species, Newtonia fanovanae, on the basis of a single specimen taken in the Fanovana Forest (18°55’S, 48°34’'E), east-central Madagascar. The forest near Fanovana has been subsequently cleared, and until recently there was no other record of this species on the island. N. fanovanae was found at two widely separated rainforest sites: (1) southeast portion of the Eastern Humid Forest, parcel | of the Réserve Naturelle Intégrale d’Andohahela (24°34'S, 46°49’E), where one specimen was collected and several individuals observed in late 1989 between 300 and 1300 m elevation (Goodman & Schulenberg 1991); and (2) in the northeastern part of the Eastern Humid Forest, Réserve Spéciale d’Ambatovaky (16°51’S, 49°08'E), where it was observed twice in February 1990 between 650 and 700 m elevation (Evans 1991). Further, this species has recently been reported at several other sites in the Réserve Naturelle Intégrale d’Andohahela (Goodman, Pidgeon & O’Connor pers. obs., Langrand & Sinclair 1994), and at Hiaraka (15°30’S, 49°56’E) on the Masoala Peninsula, southeast of Maroantsetra, at 250m altitude (Langrand & Sinclair 1994). Recently while examining Malagasy bird specimens in the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), New York, I found a specimen of Newtonia fanovanae that had been mis-identified as a Red-tailed Vanga Calicalicus madagascariensis. 'Vhe specimen (AMNH 413023), an adult female, was taken at ‘“‘Maroantsetra, 40 km NW” on 22 May 1930 during the Mission Zoologique Franco-Anglo-Américaine. N. fanovanae had not been previously listed as a species collected during the mission (Delacour 1932, Rand 1936). This specimen represents the third known example of N. fanovanae in museum collections. ‘The general plumage colouration and external measure- ments of this bird fit those of the other two known specimens (Goodman & Schulenberg 1991, Table 1). In the mission’s itinerary, Rand (1936, p. 183) states, “On May 5... we stopped at Bevato (forty kilometers northwest of Maroantsetra), a little village [along the Vohemar River] .., [and] collected until 26 May.” The village of Bevato is close to sea-level and was near the edge of a tall humid forest with abundant epiphytic growth. The group collected birds near the village and up to 500m altitude. The coordinates given by Dee (1986) for Bevato, 45km NW of Maroantsetra, up Vohemar River, are in error and are for another village of the same name several hundred km further south. Jenkins (1987) listed the coordinates for the Bevato “40km NW _ of Maroantsetra”’ as 15°19’S, 49°32’E. Both MacPhee (1987) and Carleton S. M. Goodman 131 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) TABLE 1 Some measurements (mm) of the three known specimens of Newtonia fanovanae Fanovana Andohahela SW Maroantsetra type, SMNH FMNH 345890 AMNH 413023 wing length 60 60 57 tail length 43 43 40 bill length from skull 1a) 14.8 IWS)! length of exposed culmen 10.7 Del 11.2 bill length from anterior edge of nostril 7.9 9.0 8.0 width of bill at anterior edge of nostril 3.0 2.8 isl tarsus length 16.3 16.9 17.4 Notes. SMNH—Swedish Museum of Natural History; FMNH—Field Museum of Natural History; AMNH—American Museum of Natural History. & Schmidt (1990) have accepted the site of ““40 km NW Maroantsetra’”’ as near Hiaraka, and the latter authors have provided the coordinates of 15°10’S, 40°30’E. (This is a different Hiaraka from that mentioned by Langrand & Sinclair 1994.) The discovery of this previously mis-identified specimen extends the range of Newtonia fanovanae further north, and it is now known from nearly the complete length of the island’s east side. To date all records of this species are from Eastern Humid Forest and below 1300 m altitude. Acknowledgements I am grateful to G. Barrowclough and M. LeCroy, American Museum of Natural History, and C. Edelstam and. E. Ahlander, Swedish Museum of Natural History, for access to the specimens under their care. References: Carleton, M. D. & Schmidt, D. F. 1990. Systematic studies of Madagascar’s endemic rodents (Muroidea: Nesomyinae): an annotated gazetteer of collecting localities of known forms. Am. Mus. Novit. 2987. Dee, T. J. 1986. The Endemic Birds of Madagascar. ICBP. Delacour, J. 1932. Les oiseaux de la Mission Zoologique Franco-Anglo-Américaine a Madagascar. Oiseau 2: 1-96. Evans, M. I. 1991. The Red-tailed Newtonia Newtonia fanovanae in the Ambatovaky Reserve, north-east Madagascar. Bird Conserv. Inter. 1: 47-52. Goodman, S. M. & Schulenberg, T. S. 1991. The rediscovery of the Red-tailed Newtonia Newtonia fanovanae in south-eastern Madagascar with notes on the natural history of the genus Newtonia. Bird Conserv. Inter. 1: 33-45. Gyldenstolpe, N. 1933. A remarkable new flycatcher from Madagascar. Arkiv Zool. 25B(2): 1-3. Jenkins, P. D. 1987. Catalogue of primates in the British Museum (Natural History) and elsewhere in the British Isles. Part IV: Suborder Strepsirrhini, including the subfossil Madagascan lemurs and Family Tarsiidae. British Museum (Natural History). Langrand, O. & Sinclair, J. C. (in press). Additions and supplements to the Madagascar avifauna. Ostrich 65: 302-310. MacPhee, R. D. E. 1987. The shrew tenrecs of Madagascar: systematic revision and Holocene distribution of Microgale (Tenrecidae, Insectivora). Am. Mus. Novit. 2889. H. Gomez de Silva G. 132 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) Rand, A. L. 1936. The distribution and habits of Madagascar birds. A summary of the field notes of the Mission Zoologique Franco-Anglo-Américaine a Madagascar. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 72: 143-499. Address: Steven M. Goodman, Field Museum of Natural History, Roosevelt Road at Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60605, U.S.A. and WWF, Aires Protégées, B.P. 738, Antananarivo (101), Madagascar. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 Canyon Wren Catherpes mexicanus in humid lowlands of Mexico, with notes on near sympatry with other rock-loving wrens by Héctor Gomez de Silva Garza Received 7 Fuly 1994 ‘The Canyon Wren Catherpes mexicanus is found from southern Canada to southern Mexico. In the latter country, it 1s usually considered to be absent from the humid, forested lowlands of the Atlantic (Gulf) slope. AOU (1983) mentions that this species occurs “‘usually in arid regions in the Mexican higlands to ... central Chiapas and western Veracruz’ but not in the lowlands of these states. Peterson & Chalif (1973) state more explicitly “not on Gulf coastal slope’? and Phillips (1986) notes “absent from coastal lowlands’ (except extreme northwest). Edwards (1989) lists the Atlantic lowlands of Nuevo Leon and ‘Tamaulipas, but not farther south, in this species’ range. Alcantara (1993: 193) notes one Veracruz record of the species from 100 m above sea level (asl) or lower, all other records from that state being above 1100 m. The Canyon Wren is usually common to abundant where found, and has a loud and often-repeated song. It is therefore unusual that there should be a gap of 1000 m in its altitudinal range in the state of Veracruz. More likely, the species is very localized and has been under-recorded in that state and perhaps elsewhere in the Atlantic lowlands of Mexico. In recent travels to different parts of Mexico, I have recorded this species in the Atlantic lowlands of Chiapas and at two localities in the lowlands of Veracruz. In central Veracruz, southeast of Jalapa, the Canyon Wren is common at approximately 800 m asl near the bottom of the Barranca de los Jiménez (19°26'N, 96°48’W) and at approximately 450 m asl in the Barranca de Zinacatla (19°20'N, 96°47'W). The other birds seen in these andesitic canyons are typical of the humid lowlands of Mexico’s Atlantic slope, such as Little Hermit Phaethornis longuemareus, Sulphur-breasted Toucan Ramphastos sulphuratus and Giant Cowbird Scaphidura oryzivora. In Chiapas, the Canyon Wren is found at 200 m asl in the limestone canyon of the lower Rio La Venta (c. 17°2'N, 93°48’W) (Alvarez del H.. Gomez de Silva G. 133 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) Toro 1985; pers. obs.). This canyon winds through tropical rainforest which contains such Atlantic lowland species as Great and Slaty-breasted Tinamous Tinamus major and Crypturellus boucardt, Slaty-tailed Trogon Trogon massena and Rufous Mourner Rhytipterna holerythra. Thus, in the southern part of Mexico, the Canyon Wren 1s indeed found on the Atlantic slope, in humid regions. However, it is absent from the humid forests on karstic terrain where the similar Hylorchilus wrens are found, though in Chiapas it approaches, to within 1 km, the range of Nava’s Wren Hylorchilus (sumichrasti) navai in the lower Rio La Venta canyon. In semi-arid regions, the Canyon Wren’s range also closely approaches that of the Rock Wren Salpinctes obsoletus. In eastern Querétaro, the Canyon Wren is found in and around the cliffs at Cerro La Tembladera (21°5’N, 99°40’W), whereas the Rock Wren is found farther from the cliffs and talus in desert scrub with scattered rocks. In the central valley of Oaxaca, the Canyon Wren is found on and near the cliffs at Yagul (16°59’N, 96°30'W), whereas the Rock Wren is found at Monte Alban (17°2’N, 96°44’W), where there are no cliffs. Acknowledgements I am grateful to my companions in the field trips to the above-mentioned localities, particularly Sergio Aguilar, Fernando Gonzalez, Adam Kent, Ignacio March, Claudia Moreno, Ernesto Ruelas and Don Antonio of Jalcomulco; and to Dr _ Ismael Ferrusquia-Villafranca for identifying rock specimens from the localities. This is contribution number 7 of New Distributional Information on Mexican Birds. References: Alcantara, J. L. 1993. Evaluacion avifaunistica de Veracruz: un analisis de la distribucién espacial para la conservacion. MSc. Thesis. Facultad de Ciencias, UNAM, Mexico, IDI Be Alvarez del Toro, M. 1985. ;Ast era Chiapas! UACH, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, Mexico. AOU (American Ornithologists’ Union). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds. 6th edn. A.O.U., Washington, D.C. Edwards, E.P. 1989. A Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico. E. P. Edwards, Sweet Briar, Virginia. Peterson, R. T. & Chalif, E. L. 1973. A Field Guide to Mexican Birds. Houghton Miffiin, Boston. Phillips, A. R. 1986. The Known Birds of North and Middle America. Part I. Denver, Colorado. Address: Héctor Gomez de Silva G., Xola 314-E, 03100—Mexico, D.F., México. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 A. Moore 134 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) More anecdotal evidence of the type-locality of Chalcomitra rubescens stangerit by Amberley Moore Received 2 August 1994 Amadon (1953) proposed that Shelley’s assumption that Chalcomitra rubescens stangeru Jardine was collected by ‘Thomson on Fernando Po [Bioko] should be accepted, and that the implication in Jardine’s description (Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 1842, p. 187) that it was collected on the Niger should be disregarded. Anecdotal evidence of the collection of the type of C. r. stangerii on Fernando Po 1s given in the account of the Niger Expedition written by Allen & Thomson (1848). Thomas R. H. ‘Thomson, MD, RN, was appointed Assistant Surgeon of HMS Wilberforce and was a corresponding member of the Zoological Society of London. Places and dates in the narrative are corroborated by entries in the Captain’s log of the expedition’s ships, the Wilberforce and the Albert (P.R.O.Adm.51, 3706, 3549). The second volume of the Narrative contains a list of 46 birds collected during the expedition, 6 of which were collected by ‘Thomson, including ‘Nectarinia Stangerv. The list contains several errors and it would be unsafe to rely on it entirely, but the account of the collection of N. r. stangerii is particularly detailed. “Habitat. Fernando Po, West Africa, ... when the papaw (Papaya carica) [Carica papaya] is in flower, its sweet juice is the favourite food of these and other Cinnyridae. The specimen from which Sir W. Jardine figured the C. Stangeri, was shot by Dr. Thomson, who presented it to Dr. Stanger, as also others to the British Museum.” DMhere*is also an’) account in the:itext /(Vol:/2)'p""°222) of ayicollectimg expedition in April 1842 by Thomson and C. G. Roscher to Jamieson’s settlement at Shark River “near Bassa-pu’’, not far from Clarence [Malabo] in the north of the island. Here, ‘Cinnyris Stangeriv’ is noted as ‘very abundant’ and most of the sunbirds collected there were from the vicinity of a single Carica papaya, a species not indigenous to West Africa, suggesting that it was in a well settled, cultivated, locality. ‘Thomson refers here to sending N.r. stangerti to England by Dr William Stanger (not, as Shelley, Dr Strange) who was geologist to the expedition and in whose honour Jardine was to name the bird. It is tempting to think that this is a description of the collection of the type but it is unlikely, Stanger had already returned to England by this time. It seems most likely that the bird was collected near Basupt (3°43'N, 8°41'E) on the northwest coast of Fernando Po between 20 October 1841 when Thomson went ashore there and 22 November 1841 when Stanger left the island. Other species collected by Thomson during the expedition and presented to the British Museum, notably Porphyrio alleni and Hirundo nigrita, are in the collection of that Museum at Tring, but, as Amadon A. Moore 135 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) reported, the type of Chalcomitra rubescens stangerii does not seem to be held there. George Waterhouse gave a small collection brought back by Stanger to Jardine for examination and it is suggested that Jardine subsequently returned it directly to Stanger (letter Waterhouse to Jardine, 10 August 1842). N. 7. stangerit is not listed in the register of acquisitions of the British Museum for 1842 (although Stanger and Thomson’s visit there on 22 September 1842 is recorded), nor is it listed in the Jardine sale catalogue. Almost directly after returning to England from West Africa Stanger took up an appointment as Surveyor General of Natal, where he died in 1854. After his death his collections were purchased by public subscription in his home town of Wisbech and presented to the museum there, but there is no record of bird skins in this collection, nor has it been possible to find any of Stanger’s notes or papers relating to the Niger Expedition. Acknowledgements I am most grateful to Dr Carlo Violani and Mrs F. E. Warr for many helpful suggestions and to Dr Richard Liversidge who made extensive enquiries in South Africa for any material relating to William Stanger. References: Allen, W. & Thomson, T. R. H. 1848. A Narrative of the Expedition to the River Niger in 1841. Richard Bentley, London. Amadon, D. 1953. Avian systematics. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 100: 429-430. Address: Mrs A. M. Moore, 1 Uppingham Road, Oakham, Rutland LE15 6JB, U.K. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 Books Received 136 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(2) BOOKS RECEIVED Denton, M. L. 1995. Birds in the Yorkshire Museum. Pp. vit216. Yorkshire Museum. ISBN 0-905807-10-3. £7.50. (Order from The Yorkshire Museum, Museum Gardens, York YOI 2DR, adding £1.50 for p. & p.; cheques payable to North Yorkshire County Council.) The bird collections in the Yorkshire Museum are among the more important of the collections in provincial museums. This catalogue—from Bill Oddie’s Foreword ““‘believed to be the first of its type from a non-national UK museum’’—gives a summary, in systematic order, of all species represented, as skins, mounted specimens, skeletons or eggs. Dates and localities are given, and any other information of interest. The data for the extensive, almost entirely British, egg collection are rather limited, as also for the small skeleton collection. Among the surprising ‘discoveries’ in the skin collection are an American Kestrel, collected in Yorkshire in May 1882 and apparently the first European record, and what is probably the first French record of a White-crowned Black Wheatear, collected in 1884, both at present under consideration by the respective national records committees. This publication greatly increases the value of the Yorkshire Museum collection by making knowledge of it accessible to a wide public. Winkler, H., Christie, D. A. & Nurney, D. 1995. Woodpeckers. Pp. 406, 64 colour plates, distribution maps. Pica Press (Helm Information Ltd). ISBN 1-873403-25-9. £30.00. Another outstanding addition to the growing number of guides to bird families. It follows the now well-tried layout: introductory sections covering family characters and relationships, taxonomy, morphology, behaviour etc.; plates in a block, with main identifying characters and range summaries on the facing pages; main text under standard headings accompanied by a small but adequate distribution map for each species and some text-figures, mostly showing distinctive flight patterns. The plates, sensibly showing birds in strictly standardised side view with extra heads and other details as necessary, are excellent, beautifully drawn and painted and faithfully reproduced. The debt owed to Lester Short’s 1982 monograph is fully acknowledged. Nothing like the same detail is attempted in the present work, which will certainly reach a much wider readership among non-specialists, though it is hard to imagine a woodpecker specialist who will not also acquire it. NOTICE TO CONTRIBUTORS Papers, from Club Members or non-members, should be sent to the Editor, Dr D. W. Snow, The Old Forge, Wingrave, Aylesbury, Bucks HP22 4PD, U.K.., and must be offered solely to the Bulletin. They should be typed on one side of the paper, with treble-spacing and a wide margin, and submitted in duplicate. The style and lay-out should conform with usage in this or recent issues of the Bulletin. A contributor is entitled to 10 free offprints (16 if 2 or more authors) of the pages of the Bulletin in which his contribution, if one page or more in length, appears. Additional offprints or offprints of contributions of less than one page may be ordered when the manuscript is submitted and will be charged for. Authors may be charged for proof corrections for which they are responsible. MEMBERSHIP Only Members of the British Ornithologists’ Union are eligible to join the Club; applications should be sent to the Hon. Treasurer, as below, together with the annual subscription (£8.50 or, if preferred, U.S. $22 for 1995, postage and index free). Changes of address and any correspondence concerning membership should be addressed to the Hon. Treasurer. SUBSCRIPTION TO THE BULLETIN The Bulletin (Vol. 115 onwards) may be purchased by non-members on payment of the annual subscription (£20 or, if preferred, U.S. $40 for 1995, postage and index free). Applications should be sent to the Hon. Treasurer. Single issues may be obtained as back numbers. BACK NUMBERS OF THE BULLETIN Available on application to the Hon. Treasurer. PAYMENTS TO HON. TREASURER Payments should be sent to the Hon. Treasurer, S. J. Farnsworth, Hammerkop, Frogmill, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berks SL65NL, U.K., or credited direct to the Club’s bank account—No. 10211540, Sort Code 20 00 87, at Barclays Prime Account, Dale House, Wavertree Boulevard, Liverpool L7 9PQ, U.K., with confirmation to the Hon. Treasurer. All payments are net and should be in Sterling if possible. Payment in other currencies must include a further £4 for U.K. Bank Charges (except for annual rates in U.S. Dollars which are inclusive). CORRESPONDENCE Correspondence about Club Meetings and on all other matters should go to the Hon. Secretary, Mrs A. M. Moore, 1 Uppingham Road, Oakham, Rutland E15 6JB, U.K. CONTENTS Page CUUB NOTICES sc. a. sce ope sore SNe Re oe eee) a nc USL nr 73 SHIRIHAI, H., SINCLAIR, I. & COLSTON, P. R. A new species of Puffinus shearwater from) the) western) Indian’ Ocean, 44 oe se ele eee 75 GONZAGA, L. P. & PACHECO, J. F. A new species of Phylloscartes (Tyrannidae) from the mountains of southern Bahia, Brazil ....................-+:... 88 PHILLIPS, A. R. ‘The northern races of Icterus pustulatus (Icteridae), Scarlet- headedior Streak-backed! Oriole 4.4) 4 ee eee 98 BENCKE, G. A. ‘The nest of the Grey-headed Flycatcher Mionectes rufiventris .. . 105 FRITH, C. B., GIBBS, D. & TURNER, K. ‘The taxonomic status of populations of Archbold’s Bowerbird Archboldia papuensis in New Guinea............ 109 BAHR, N. Additions to the list of new species of birds described from 1981 to Oe Ore ee tulen mndien Sineraine ei i AMR AA uae nem Terie a Ne aol cg 869 0 0 < 114 OLMOS, F., MARTUSCELLI, P., SILVA E SILVA, R. & NEVES, T. S. The sea-birds of Sao Paulo;southeastern) Brazile say oe eee se nee 117 PASSERIN D’ENTREVES, P., VIOLANI, C. G. & ROLANDO, A. ‘The Himalayan bird collection of the Marquis Paolo Solaroli, “Prince of Sirdanah’’, and the type locality of Oedicnemus indicus Salvadori, 1865 ..................... 128 GOODMAN, Ss. M. The third known specimen of the Red-tailed Newtonia Newtonia fanovanae (Family Sylviidae), a Malagasy endemic.................. 130 GOMEZ DE SILVA G., H. Canyon Wren Catherpes mexicanus in humid lowlands of Mexico, with notes on near sympatry with other rock-loving wrens...... 132 MOORE, A. More anecdotal evidence of the type-locality of Chalcomitra rubescens SEANGOT UI Sy Oe ERS Oa roe EN EE 2 CO ea oO rr 134 BOOKS! RECEIVED hc veh na) ghee a a ne aos ate ERO SORES EC es aL ee ee 136 The Bulletin is despatched from the printers on publication and is sent by Surface Saver Postal Services to all European destinations outside the U.K. and by Air Saver Postal Services to destinations outside Europe. Those whose subscriptions have not been received by the beginning of a month of publication will have their copies despatched by surface mail, after their current subscription has been paid. COMMITTEE D. Griffin (Chairman) (1993) Revd T. W. Gladwin ( Vice-Chairman) (1993) Dr D. W. Snow (Editor) (1991) S. J. Farnsworth (Treasurer) (1990) Mrs A. M. Moore (Hon. Secretary) (1989) R.E. F. Peal (1993) Miss H. Baker (1994) Dr R. Prys-Jones (1995) N. H. F. Stone (1995) Printed on acid-free paper. Published by the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB and printed by Henry Ling Ltd., at the Dorset Press, Dorchester, Dorset AL 2g) Bee ISSN 0007-1595 BIRD Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club Edited by Dr D.W. SNOW ZEN HSONIAyy oct 3.0 1995 LIBRARIES Volume 115 No. 3 September 1995 FORTHCOMING MEETINGS Please note that because of the national rail strike the Annual General Meeting which had been adjourned until 18 July 1995 had to be postponed and will now be held on Tuesday 19 September 1995 at 6 p.m. Tuesday, 14 November 1995. Dr T. J. Roberts will speak on “The Birds of the Himalaya”. Dr Roberts is the author of the much-acclaimed The Birds of Pakistan and his talk to the Club in 1990 was of very great interest. Those wishing to attend are asked to notify the Hon. Treasurer by Tuesday, 31 October 1995*. Tuesday, 12 December 1995. Mr R. P. Martins will speak on ‘‘The Birds of Socotra’. Mr Martins, a Council Member of OSME, has made the birds of the Gulf of Aden his particular study. Those wishing to attend are asked to notify the Hon. Treasurer by Tuesday, 28 November 1995*. Tuesday, 23 January 1996. Ms Rachel-Mai Jones will speak on “Ringing and Ornithological Research in Latvia’’. Those wishing to attend are asked to notify the Hon. Treasurer by Tuesday, 9 January 1996.* Tuesday, 20 February 1996. James A. Jobling will speak on his researches for his Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. *For late acceptances and cancellations, which can usually be taken up to the Thursday preceding a meeting, telephone the Hon. Treasurer (0162) 8824214. Meetings are held in the Sherfield Building of Imperial College, South Kensington, London at 6.15 p.m. for 7 p.m. A map showing Imperial College will be sent to members on request. Overseas Members visiting Britain are particularly welcome at meetings. Details can be obtained from the Hon. Secretary, 1 Uppingham Road, Oakham, Rutland LE15 6JB. Telephone (01572) 722788. ONE DAY MEETING JOINT MEETING WITH THE LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON Saturday 23 March 1996 The Club and the Linnean Society of London have arranged a whole-day meeting to be held at the Society at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London “Avian Taxonomy from Linnaeus to DNA” For details of this meeting please see the enclosed leaflet or apply to the Hon. Secretary (address above). © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 Apart from single copies made for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under UK law, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, except with prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the Editor; for address see inside back cover. 137 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) Bulletin of the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Vol. 115 No. 3 Published 29 September 1995 The eight hundred and forty-ninth meeting of the Club was held in the Senior Common Room of the Sherfield Building at Imperial College on Tuesday 25 April 1995, at 6.15 p.m. 38 Members and 20 Guests attended. Members attending were: D. GRIFFIN (Chairman), D. A. TURNER (Speaker), M. A. Apcock, Miss H. Baker, B. H. Beck, P. J. BELMAaN, Mrs D. M. BrapLey, P. J. BULL, D. R. Caper, Dr M . CarsweLi, Cdr M. B. CasEMENT RN, Dr R. A. CHEKE, 5. J. FARNSWORTH, D. J. FisHer, A. Gipss, The Revd T. W. GLapwin, G. GreEEN, Dr L. G. Grimes, C. A. R. HeLtm, Ms R-M. Jones, R. H. Ketrie, Dr P. Lack, N. S. Matcoim, Dr C. F. Mann, Dr J. F. Monk, Mrs A. M. Moors, R. G. Morcan, Mrs M. MuLLeEr, R. E. F. Peat, N. Repman, Dr C. RYALL, P. J. SELLAR, S. A. H. StatHam, N. H. F. STONE, Dr J. F. Watsu, Professor W. E. Waters, Sir WILLIAM WILKINSON, M. W. Woopcock. Guests attending were: Mrs S. Baker, Mrs J. BuLL, Mrs J. CALDER, P. ERRINGTON, S. ErRINGTON, Mrs F. FarNswortuH, Mrs B. Gisss, R. GrtBpy, Mrs J. GLaDWwIn, Mrs S. GrifFIn, Mrs J. Grimes, B. MarsH, Dr A. MELLAND, P. J. Moore, R. Ranrt, Dr B. Rocers, S. Rooke, Mrs S. STONE, R. WEBB, Mrs B. Woopcock. After supper Mr Turner spoke on “‘Ornithology in East Africa looking back over the last thirty years and into the 21st century’. He has sent the following summary of his talk. East Africa is the richest and most diverse avifaunal region in Africa, comprising almost 1500 species (75% of the Afrotropical avifauna), and as a result over the years has attracted numerous professional and private expeditions. Ornithology in the region has always been closely associated with the East Africa Natural History Society, which, founded in 1909, remains Africa’s oldest scientific society. Over the years many individuals have contributed much to both the Society as well as the region’s ornithology: Sir F. Jackson, V. G. L. van Someren, R. E. Moreau, A. Loveridge, C. F. Belcher, C. Pitman, C. W. Mackworth-Praed, M. North, H . Elliott and many others. Today the National Museum in Nairobi houses both the Society and the Dept. of Ornithology, while the relationship between the Museum and Society remains strong and close, with both still sharing a library and a journal. Ornithological activities in the region include: the production of a regional journal SCOPUS (now in its 19th year); the East African ringing scheme; the East African nest record scheme; the Uganda Forest Biodiversity Programme; the ongoing surveys of the Eastern Arc Montane Forests in Tanzania; the Tanzania and Uganda atlas schemes, together with the periodic updating of the Kenya Atlas. Recently BirdLife International chose the East African Natural History Society as its regional partner with BirdLife (Kenya) acting as the society’s conservation sub-committee handling all matters relating to the conservation of birds and their habitats, as well as raising funds for various research activities. Major ornithological findings in the last 30 years are undoubtedly the discovery of four species new to science (Sokoke Scops Owl, Rufous-winged Sunbird, Kilombero Weaver and the Udzungwa Forest Partridge). East Africa today still harbours the greatest wildlife spectacle left on this earth, both in terms of birds and mammals, and for that reason alone it deserves the highest conservation consideration. The challenges ahead are many, and the conservation of threatened habitats (notably forests, wetlands and grasslands) will take priority in the years ahead, as sadly few are in protected areas. Tourism continues to play a major role in helping many conservation activities, while numerous international bodies offer both financial and educational assistance to all East African countries. As we look towards the 21st century, ornithology in East Africa will very much be linked to conservation and the identification of important bird areas (IBA) throughout the region. Africa has not (in recent times) lost a bird species, and while several in East Africa are either endangered or face growing threats, every effort must be made to safeguard their habitats so that future African generations may enjoy and appreciate their rich national heritage. Meetings 138 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) The eight hundred and fiftieth meeting of the Club was held in the Ante-room of the Sherfield Building at Imperial College on Tuesday 23 May 1995, at 6.15 p.m. 30 Members and 8 Guests attended. Members attending were: D. GRIFFIN (Chairman), Dr D. H. THomas (Speaker), M. A. Apvcock, Miss H. Baker, P. J. BELMAN, Mrs D. BrapLey, Dr K. B. Briccs, D. R. CaLpeEr, Cdr M. B. CasEMENT RN, Professor R. J. CHANDLER, Dr R. A. CHEKE, The Revd T. W. Giapwin, C. A. R. HELM, M. JENNINGS, Ms R-M. Jones, R. Ketryie, Dr C. F. Mann, D. J. Montier, Mrs A. M. Moors, R. G. Morcan, Mrs M. Mutter, J. G. Parker, C. Patrick, Dr R. Prys-Jongs, R. E. F. Peat, Dr C. Ryaui, Dr R. E. SELF, P. J. SeELLar, Dr D. W. Snow, N. H. F. STONE. Guests attending were: Mrs J. B. CALDER, Mrs J. M. GLapwin, Ms K. Horr, Mrs M. Montiter, P. J. Moore, Ms C. QurrreH, Br M. SpiITTLe, C. STOREY. Dr David Thomas spoke after supper. His subject was ‘“‘Cool Birds in Hot Deserts’’. The following is a summary of his talk. Sandgrouse (Pteroclididae) are a monophyletic family of dove-sized birds distributed principally within the arid and semi-arid zones of subtropical Africa, the Middle East and central Asia. Being ground-feeding seedeaters, they have a low dietary intake of preformed water and their water needs are exacerbated by potential exposure to large heat loads and wide daily and seasonal temperature extremes. Energy-shortage consequent on low primary production is a further challenge in such habitats. The two Syrrhaptes species inhabit the cold-winter central Asian deserts for which their adaptations are apparently largely unstudied. Of the 14 Pterocles species, no more than 5 occur in any region, within which some species are evidently better adapted than others for more arid conditions. Comparison among such species groups provides an ideal basis for studying the ecophysiological traits which enable animals to live in such harsh conditions: the five Moroccan Pterocles species ranked by increasing occupation of desert habitats showed parallel rankings in the degree of several functions which could be interpreted as facilitating survival under desert conditions. Overall success of Pterocles species under extreme conditions appears to be due to summation of a multiplicity of adaptations. For example: behavioural mechanisms exploit subtleties of microclimate to facilitate loss of excess heat loads (e.g. use of shade-edge to exploit blue sky as a radiant heat sink) or to minimise heat losses (e.g. shading from clear night skies). Daily activity patterns vary with prevailing conditions, in general minimising metabolic heat production when heat is hard to lose and/or water is scarce. Feather erection and huddling with conspecifics are used to increase insulation against adverse heat gains (when ambient temperatures exceed body temperatures) as well as losses (when this temperature difference is reversed). Relative tolerance of fluctuating body temperatures saves either energy for thermogenesis in the cold or water for evaporative heat dispersal under hot conditions. As with many other arid-zone birds and mammals, P. alchata and P. bicinctus have low rates of metabolism and low thermal conductances relative to body size (both facilitating energy conservation) but, paradoxically, P. orientalis shows neither of these adaptations and evidently attains its success (large populations and wide geographic range) by other compensatory mechanisms. The eight hundred and fifty-first meeting of the Club was held in the same place on Tuesday 20 June 1995, at 6.15 p.m. 25 Members and 11 Guests attended. D. GRIFFIN (Chairman), Dr C. G. VIOLANI (Speaker), M. A. Apcock, Dr J. AsH, Miss H. Baker, P. J. Betman, I. Bishop, Mrs D. BraDLey, Professor R. C. CHANDLER, Dr R. A. CHEKE, S. J. FaRNSworTH, Dr C. FIisHer, D. J. FisHer, C. A. R. HELM, Ms R-M. Jongs, N. Matcoim, Dr C. F. Mann, J. MiskeLtt, Mrs A. M. Moore, R. G. Morcan, Dr R. Prys-Jonges, N. REpMAN, Dr R. C. SELF, M. P. Waters, Mrs F. E. Warr. Guests attending were: T. APPLETON, Mrs J. AsH, Mrs G. Bonuam, Dr N. CoLiar, M. Davisgs, Mrs F. M. FarNswortu, E. FULLER, Ms K. Horr, P. J. Moore, M. RmppeE Lt, A. J. Warr. After supper Dr Carlo Violani spoke on the life and ornithological world of Tommaso Salvadori, who was a founder member of this Club. During his talk Dr Violani showed the skin of the 3 syntype of Cochoa beccarii Salvadori (of which only 4 specimens are known in world collections) and also, for comparison, skins of C. purpurea, C. viridis, C. azurea and Chlamydochaera jefferyi. Dr Nigel Collar reported an extremely rare sighting in 1994 of a single g and 9 Cochoa beccarii in Western Sumatra. Dr Violani has sent the following summary of his talk. Meetings 139 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) Tommaso Adlard Salvadori was born in Porto San Giorgio (Marche, C. Italy) on 30 September 1835 from Count Luigi, of Albanian descent, and from an English lady of Lincoln, Ethelin Welby. At 10 years of age he began building up a personal collection of stuffed Italian birds, prepared by himself, which he continued to gather until the 1910s; this is the first nucleus of the Salvadori Collection, mentioned in his classic paper “‘Fauna of Italy—Birds”’ (1872) and now preserved in the Natural History Museum of Fermo. He obtained his degree in Medicine and Surgery at the University of Pisa, where the famous naturalist Paolo Savi was one of his teachers, but he was soon attracted by the study of ornithology and decided to become a specialist in this field. In June 1860 he followed Garibaldi’s army in Sicily during the wars for the independence of Italy, and three years later visited Sardinia with Orazio Antinori in order to collect bird specimens and make field observations on the then scarcely known Sardinian avifauna. His paper “Birds of Sardinia’ was favourably reviewed by the editor of The Ibis: ‘‘We hail the appearance of Count Salvadori’s ‘‘Catalogue of the Birds of Sardinia’? as a real and most valuable acquisition to our knowledge of European Ornithology. The writer is evidently not only well posted-up in his subject generally, but appears to be a most accurate field naturalist, and—we should imagine—also a good sportsman. In conclusion, we can only say that we hope each country in Europe may at no distant time possess an ornithologist so conscientious as the one whose work we are noticing.’ In 1864 Salvadori moved to Turin, hoping to enter the University as a teacher, but he obtained only the honorary position of Assistant at the Zoological Museum under Professor Filippo de Filippi. At the same time Salvadori decided to marry his first cousin Bertha King, against the will of his parents; in spite of the birth of 3 children the marriage later broke up. In Turin, working at the University Museum, he started increasing the ornithological collections with exchanges and acquisitions; after 50 years of continuous activity the Museum became one of the most important institutions of its kind in Italy. Unfortunately, for health reasons (he frequently suffered from neuritis), he had to give up taking part in the first Italian expedition round the world on board the Corvette Magenta. The scientific leader of the voyage, Prof. de Filippi, then appointed the younger Enrico Giglioli as assistant naturalist in charge of the zoological collections. During the navigation of the Magenta de Filippi died in Hong Kong of “‘yellow fever” (probably hepatitis) and his place was taken by Giglioli who continued to look after the scientific collections and observations. The Magenta returned to Naples in 1868; the huge quantity of scientific material gathered was sent to Turin Museum, where Giglioli was temporarily engaged to sort it out and to entrust the different specimens to specialists for study. Giglioli and Salvadori eventually started a joint study of the birds collected by the Magenta Expedition, but only a few papers were published; among them, the descriptions of 5 new species of Procellariidae (including the famous Taiko of Chatham Island, Pterodroma magentae, rediscovered alive only a few years ago). In 1877 Salvadori undertook a prolonged series of visits to several foreign museums (Paris, London, Leiden, Berlin, Dresden, Vienna) in order to collect material for a major work on the ornithology of New Guinea and the Moluccas: it was the beginning of his masterly work in three fat volumes, the Ornitologia della Papuasia e delle Molucche, plus 3 supplements: “‘a monument of learning’’, according to W. Sclater. The large Papuan collections made by O. Beccari, L. M. D’Albertis, A. A. Brujin and L. Loria were the basis for this impressive scientific achievement. Other major papers by Salvadori deal with studies of birds collected in Borneo by G. Doria and O. Beccari; in Java, Sumatra and Celebes by Beccari; Ethiopia and Somalia by E. Ruspoli; Shoa by O. Antinori and Ragazzi; the Juba region by Bottego; Ruwenzori by the Duke of Abruzzi; Congo by Ribotti; Sumatra and the islands of Nias, Engano and Mentawei by E. Modigliani; Cape Verde, Portuguese Guinea, the islands of Principe and Annobon, and Burma by L. Fea; and different regions of S. America by E. Festa, Borelli and Bove; and many others. Altogether, Salvadori published about 350 papers in Italian and English (his second mother tongue) and described some hundreds of new taxa (220 for the Papuan subregion alone). In 1890—and subsequent years—the Trustees of the British Museum asked Salvadori to compile 3 of the Bird Catalogues, those dealing with the Parrots, the Doves and Ducks, Tinamous and Ratites, probably on the suggestion and advice of his good friend R. B. Sharpe. We know that the remuneration offered by the Museum was “£4 every 100 specimens catalogued’’. This task took some time to be completed, but finally the volumes written by the Italian author were among the most accurate ones of the series. R. Restall 140 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) Proposed additions to the genus Lonchura (Estrildinae) by Robin Restall Received 19 Fuly 1994; revised 20 April 1995 For about nine years, I have been collecting material on the genus Lonchura with the aim of producing a simple book of reference for the genus. My primary aim was to produce an accurate, full-colour reference illustration of every adult of every species and subspecies, every adult female where distinct from the male, and every juvenile where distinct from other juveniles. In pursuit of this objective, I have visited most of the countries in the Asia Pacific region where I have made observations of munias in the field, made contacts with various ornithologists, visited museums, met many traders in birds—mostly in Indonesia and Singapore—and visited many bird markets. During my work with live birds, I have come across several forms that appear to be subspecies, mostly hitherto undescribed. A few have been described previously, but subsequently regarded as synonymous with other races. It is the object of this paper to list each of these cases, and in doing so propose several subspecific additions to the genus. I have followed the guidelines for descriptions proposed by LeCroy & Vuilleumier (1992). Numbered colours refer to Smithe (1981) SCALY-BREASTED MUNIA Lonchura punctulata (Linnaeus) Linnaeus (1758, p.173) originally described the Scaly-breasted Munia as coming from Asia. The natural range of the species is from northern Pakistan to Taiwan, and across all of southeast Asia to Sulawesi and T'animbar. Twelve subspecies are recognised in Peters’ Check-list (Paynter & Storer 1970). Looking at the map and shading in the countries where the species occurs throws up the apparent anomaly that this ubiquitous and highly adaptable species has not been described on the island of Borneo. Neither Smythies (1981) nor Goodwin (1982) recognise the species as occurring in Borneo. Goodwin (pers. comm.) had overlooked the mention of the species in Harvey & Holmes (1976). A further sighting was recorded by Holmes & Burton (1987), and it is mentioned by MacKinnon & Phillipps (1993) as “a presumably feral population’’. A good friend in Jakarta received some munias in 1992, from west Kalimantan. These birds had been caught by her brother who lives in Pontianak, and sent to Jakarta specifically for my study. Over half of the birds were Scaly-breasted Munias. Some months later I visited a known dealer in wild birds, in Jakarta, to inspect a small shipment of munias he had received from Bandjarmarsin, south Kalimantan. There were some 40 Scaly-breasted Munias, which were identical to the birds received from Pontianak. These birds are clearly distinct from any of the geographically nearby races and are described below. R. Restall 141 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) Lonchura punctulata holmesi subsp. nov. Syntypes. Specimens no. 831281, 831282 and 831283, AMNH. Col- lected by C. Choa, from Semitau, west Kalimantan (0°30'N, 111°59’E). Description. The adult male is 105-115 mm long. The wing is 49-52 mm, the culmen 11 mm, and the tarsus 11-12 mm. It is dark cinnamon-brown above with the edges of the wing-coverts broadly bordered with light cinnamon-brown (Smithe 33). From nape to lower back and the wings, but not the paler edgings, it is finely barred with darker wavy lines similar to that on the African Silverbill L. cantans. The lower back is olive-brown, graduating to brownish olive-grey on the uppertail-coverts and tail. These latter are barred and edged with very pale straw. The visual effect of the rump to tail is of a much greyer coloration than on any other race. The face is dark reddish-amber, becoming hazel on the outer ear-coverts and sides of the neck where there are a few pinky-white dots. The breast and sides of the breast and flanks are white with the characteristic scale-markings 1n dark amber. The thighs are amber, spotted and barred with off-white. The underwing-coverts are pale cinnamon with some darker centres to the feathers, and there is some dark edging. The centre of the belly is pale cream. This graduates to very pale straw on the undertail-coverts. There is a variable amount, but always very little, brownish ticking on the undertail-coverts. The bill is bluish-grey, tending to black on the upper mandible. The irides are dark ruby. The legs and feet are dark grey. The adult female is 103-108 mm long; wing 48-50 mm, culmen 10-11 mm, tarsus 10-11 mm. In coloration the sexes appear to be alike. Males have longer tails, invariably c. 5mm longer. There were no juveniles in either of the two batches of birds. I was able to record the moult of both male and female from what was presumably first-year adult plumage into definitive adult plumage. The only substantial change was a darkening of the upper mandible, while the lower became a more clear pale blue-grey. Compared to L. punctulata baweana, from the island of Bawean, the nearest subspecies geographically, the new subspecies is darker above, more clearly defined on the breast and flanks, and significantly much paler on the uppertail-coverts and edgings to the tail. Compared to L. punctulata nisoria from Java, it is overall lighter, particularly on the uppertail-coverts and tail edgings. Compared to both, the new bird has more distinctively-marked upper parts, with fine barring, and the pale quill striations more noticeable. Etymology. | have proposed the name Lonchura punctulata holmesi in recognition of the help and support of Derek Holmes of Jakarta, who first recorded the Scaly-breasted Munia in Kalimantan. WHITE-RUMPED MUNIA Lonchura striata (Linnaeus) The White-rumped Munia is also an extremely widespread species, ranging from western India across Asia to eastern China. Its southerly limit is Sumatra. Goodwin (1982) follows Paynter & Storer in recognising six distinct subspecies, but makes the gesture of dividing them into two groups: the dark-brown-and-white Indian forms striata, R. Restall 142 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) semistriata and fumigata; and the more _ diffuse-brown-and-white eastern forms acuticauda, subsquamicollis and swinhoet. According to Paynter & Storer, L. striata subsquamicollis ranges from southeastern Burma and southern peninsular Thailand through Indochina and the Malay peninsula to Sumatra. It is a race that varies from the northern part of its range to the south. Northern birds have the patch on the sides of the neck plain orange-brown. In south Malaysian birds this patch has white spots on the lower half. The rump of the northern bird is clear, unmarked cream while that of the southern bird is streaked with brown. The undertail-coverts of northern birds are plain cinnamon, while on southern birds they are cinnamon ticked with dark brown. ‘These observations were recorded by myself in colour drawings made from live birds taken in the northernmost part of the Malaysian peninsula and_ peninsular ‘Thailand, and birds taken south of Kuala Lumpur. In the collection at Tring is a single specimen in very poor condition, tail-less, labelled L. striata explita from Sumatra. Paynter & Storer say that L. striata explita Delacour, 1947 is obviously a lapsus and nomen nudum, and considered it synonymous with L. striata subsquamicollis. At the time, I disregarded the specimen, despite its looking somewhat different from subsquamicollis, being ‘dirtier’ on the breast. A year later I was visiting the zoology department of the University of Singapore, formerly the Rafes Museum, where I found six good specimens from Sumatra. labelled “L. 5. stviata. These represent, a -quite” distinet extension to the cline within L. striata subsquamicollis, being sufficiently distinct to justify recognition. Chasen & Hoogerwerf (1941) first recognised the form as L. striata sumatrensis (a name that has been ignored in most subsequent literature), and I propose reinstating it as such. The birds in Singapore have been relabelled and incorrectly named L. s. striata. For clarity of reference I propose taking one of these as the type specimen. Lonchura striata sumatrensis Chasen & Hoogerwerf Type. Specimen no. ZRC.3.3500 Nat. Univ. Singapore, male, collected by Robinson and Chasen at ‘Tanjong Kassan, Sumatra, 12 February 1939. Description. 'This form differs from L. striata subsquamicollis, the nearest race geographically, by being richer brown above, with a noticeable grey to the belly and flanks that is more heavily streaked. ‘The ear-coverts are paler, and the breast is a brighter brown. Range. The island of Sumatra. Reports of its distribution vary, giving the impression that it is found all over the island, but it is sporadic and only locally common. FIVE-COLOURED MUNIA Lonchura quinticolor (Vieillot) This species occurs throughout the Lesser Sundas in Indonesia, from Lombok in the west to Tepa in the east. Goodwin recognises only the nominate form, but admits (pers. comm.) to having overlooked the race wallacii. White & Bruce (1986) treat wallacii as a synonym of R. Restall 143 Bull. B:O:C. 1995115 (3), guinticolor. As Goodwin and White & Bruce both point out, the species is variable, but I believe there is a pattern in the distribution of the variations. I have not only studied specimens at Tring and the AMNH, but have examined live birds from many locations in the lesser Sundas, made field observations, and kept many birds in captivity for detailed study. There is an uneven distribution of body size from east to west. Eastern birds are up to 125 mm long, while western populations do not exceed 115 mm in length. In between, some populations average 105 mm in length, others, exceptionally, 120 mm. I realise that length is not usually recorded, being so unreliable in museum specimens. ‘The measurements I quote are of live birds and have value for comparative purposes. L. q. quinticolor has the lores, forehead and forecrown chestnut, the rear crown to nape chestnut with blue-grey sub-terminal lines on either side of the quill forming rows of V-markings (with the tip of the V missing). This patterning extends irregularly onto the mantle, which is cinnamon-brown. The superciliary and ear-coverts are cinnamon with whitish-pinkish striations caused by pale feather quills. "The chin and throat are reddish-maroon. The wing-coverts and lower back are cinnamon like the back, the wings and tail being a darker brown. The rump, uppertail-coverts and edges to the tail are orange-yellow to straw-yellow. This lightens with age, and is more bright yellow in birds 2—4 years old than in first-year adults. The breast, belly, ventral area and flanks are pure white with a silky texture to the tips of the feathers that gives a shiny, scaly appearance in some lights. The underwing- coverts are creamy-white. The thighs and undertail-coverts are black. The irides are reddish-brown. The bill is blue-grey, tending to lilac at the base. The legs and feet are grey. The distribution of this race is from Alor, through Wetar, Kisar, Sermatta and Babar to Tepa. In contrast, L. quinticolor wallaci has the entire head burnt umber, paler to cinnamon on the ear-coverts, and blackish on the chin and throat. The quill striations on the superciliary and ear-coverts are white, not pink. The mantle and wing-coverts are maroon-chestnut, the wings chestnut, and the tail dark brown. There are faint broken- V- markings on the nape of freshly-moulted birds, but these tend to abrade, leaving solid colour. The rump and uppertail-coverts are maroon or reddish-maroon on the edges of the tail. In other respects it follows the nominate race, but I have never seen the silk effect on the breast of L. quinticolor wallaci. The distribution of this race is Lombok and Sumbawa only. In between these two extremes is a near perfect bridge. That there is some gradation is certain, and I have difficulty in defining the range limitations of each, but there is a distinct third race that I describe below. Lonchura quinticolor sumbae subsp. nov. Type. Specimen no. 1898.12.5.60, Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), Tring. Collected by A. H. Everett at Waingapo, Sumba, in 1898. R. Restall 144 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) => H if} an 9 -*" quinticolor .' 6224, quinticolor ( ge a wallacil - 7 *s.¢ ° aloe Bok nen er A pC? Racca” Figure 1. Distribution of the Five-coloured Munia Lonchura quinticolor. Description. ‘The adult is about 120 mm long. The entire head is maroon with pink quill striations on the superciliary and ear-coverts. ‘There are broken-V-markings on the nape, which often extend from crown to upper mantle. he rump, uppertail-coverts and edging to the tail feathers are all chrome-orange. In other respects it resembles L. q. quinticolor, but in a large percentage of the birds of this race that I have seen, the underparts have been washed with cinnamon. ‘These are almost certainly first-year adults because those I have kept for prolonged periods have moulted paler on the breast, and in some cases to white. My map (Fig. 1) attempts to delineate the three races. The yellow-rumped quinticolor is restricted to the eastern end of the range, from East ‘Timor to Sermatta and Tepa. At the western end, the maroon-rumped_ wallacit occurs on Lombok and Sumbawa. The orange-rumped sumbae occurs on west and central Flores, Sumba, Sawu, Roti and west Timor. I have no record of descriptions of birds from eastern Flores, Adonara, Lomblen and Bantar. Etymology. The proposed name is taken from the name of the island where the type specimen was collected. ALPINE MUNIA Lonchura monticola (De Vis) This is a high altitude grassland species of southwestern Papua New Guinea, normally found between 2800 and 3900 m in the Wharton and Owen Stanley Ranges. There is much anecdotal evidence to suggest the species falls into two distinct types, e.g. Coates (1990), Hicks (1987; pers. comm.) A close examination of the skins in the AMNH shows this division to be subtle, but a real and geographically distinct one, one form occurring in the Wharton Range and the other in the Owen Stanley Range. The nominate adult from the southwest slopes of Mt. Edward Albert, in the Wharton Range, has the entire front of the head, to the R. Restall 145 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) rear crown, ear-coverts and bib dusky-brown to blackish. The nape is clay-coloured, forming a complete collar that covers the upper breast, and which may be scalloped or streaked with cinnamon. ‘The mantle is dark earth-brown with the basal part of the feathers darker, giving the effect that the back is lightly scalloped with cinnamon. The wings are tawny with darker centres to the feathers. The rump, uppertail-coverts and edges of the blackish tail are straw-coloured. The upper breast 1s white with slight brown suffusions. A bar of white-scalloped black runs across the lower breast and continues down the flanks. The thighs and undertail-coverts are black. The belly is pale yellowish-buffy. The male and female are alike. Lonchura monticola myolae subsp. nov. Syntypes. AMINH specimens no. 421471 from Mt. Scratchley and no. 421469 from Mt. Knotsford in the Owen Stanley Range, Papua New Guinea. Description. "The adult is similar to L. m. monticola but differs in having the back clear chestnut, without any mottling or scaling. The belly is the same clear and even white as the upper breast patch. The yellow of the uppertail-coverts is slightly richer than in L. m. monticola (noticeably, according to Coates 1990, based on the appearance of live birds in the hand). There is no difference between the sexes. Etymology. The proposed name L. monticola myolae is derived from a place called Myola, in the Owen Stanley Range. A description of the birds there by Roger Hicks (pers. comm.) first drew my attention to the possibility of a different form from the nominate. THICK-BILLED MUNIA Lonchura melaena (Sclater) This species has only been described from the island of New Britain, PNG. The adult is about 120 mm long. The wing is 54mm and the culmen 13mm. The bill is larger and deeper than that of most munias, being some 12 mm deep, and this causes the head to be proportionally larger. The entire head, bib to breast, flanks, thighs, ventral area and undertail-coverts are all black. From the crown to the lower back it is dark olive-brown, while the wings are dark brown. The rump, uppertail-coverts and edges of the tail are chrome-orange. The belly and underwing-coverts are pale cinnamon- rufous to salmon. The black of the flanks forms a series of irregular bars. The irides are brown. The bill is black with pale blue at the base of the lower mandible. The legs and feet are dark grey to blackish. The sexes appear to be similar. A small hitherto undescribed population has been observed on the island of Buka, north of Bougainville, by Don Hadden (1981), with whom I exchanged correspondence on the subject. ‘Two specimens in excellent condition are in the collection of the museum in Port Moresby, and one mummified and slightly faded specimen is in the AMNH, but this is not catalogued. This form is quite distinct, and I propose recognising it as a new subspecies, as follows. R. Restall 146 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) Figure 2. Comparison between the wing-coverts, rump and uppertail-coverts of the four subspecies of the Streak-headed Mannikin Lonchura tristissima. Left to right: L. t. tristissima, L. t. hypomelaena, L. t. calaminoros, L. t. calaminoros from Karkar Island, L. t. bigilalae. Lonchura melaena bukaensis subsp. nov. Syntypes. Specimens no. 24361 and 24359 in the collection of the National Museum and Art Gallery, Port Moresby. These birds were taken at Buka airfield (5°15’S, 154°35’E); date and collector not recorded. Description. Adult about 120mm long. The wing is 54mm, the culmen 12-13 mm. This race differs from L. m. melaena in being much darker above. The black extends over the entire head and washes over the dark olive-brown back. The wings are dark brown. The rump, uppertail-coverts and edges of the tail are dark scarlet to chestnut (described by Hadden as cinnamon-rufous, but in the specimens I examined they were definitely darker and redder than this). The black on the breast is much more extensive than in L. m. melaena. The belly is buffy-salmon. Etymology. The proposed name derives from the location of origin of the syntypes. STREAK-HEADED MANNIKIN Lonchura tristissima (Wallace) Coates (1990) refers to ‘‘a stable hybrid population” of L. tristissima X L. leucosticta along the coastal area of the central province of PNG. I looked into this during a visit to the area, and was able to make a close examination of the Lonchura specimens in the NMAG, all of which were in excellent condition. I concluded that the supposed hybrids are a perfectly valid and distinct, hitherto undescribed subspecies of L. tristissima. In further studying the species at Tring and the AMNH later, I concluded also that the four races of L. tristissima recognised by Paynter & Storer can be clearly separated and the confusion about them reduced significantly. The following descriptions are, to the best of my judgement, based on adult males in second-year plumage. I have stressed the key discriminators. Measurements are given only for the nominate form; the other subspecies do not differ noticeably in size. Figure 2 shows the critical parts of the plumage of the different forms, and Figure 3 their distribution. R. Restall 147 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) tristissima oe & a hypomelaena*¥" 7" =. : A 4 calaminoros A v Karkar Island ¢) ees i) b| f . f s Figure 3. Distribution of the Streak-headed Mannikin Lonchura tristissima. Lonchura tristissima tristissima (Wallace) The adult is 105-110 mm long, the wing 52—55 mm, and the culmen 10-11 mm. It is burnt umber above, from forehead to lower back, wings and tail. There are whitish lines on the feather shafts on forehead, crown, superciliaries, lores and ear-coverts. ‘There are faint streaks on the mantle and scapulars. There are whitish terminal spots on the median and greater wing-coverts, and pairs of sub-terminal spots on the tertiaries. In most of the birds that I examined in the AMNH, the edges of the median and greater wing-coverts were broadly marked with Mars brown (Smithe 223A). The rump is mainly brown, with a narrow bar of black immediately adjoining the uppertail-coverts. "The short uppertail-coverts are straw yellow, the long uppertail-coverts are black. The tail is fuscous. From chin to belly and flanks it is sepia, which becomes black on the thighs, ventral region and undertail-coverts. ‘The underwing-coverts are creamy salmon. The bill is steel blue or violaceous grey. The irides are dark brown. The legs and feet are grey. Lonchura tristissima hypomelaena (Sresemann & Paludan) ‘The adult has the face blackish, the rest of the head and upperparts are hair brown. The lower rump forms a broad black bar. The short uppertail-coverts are bright straw yellow. Below, it is much darker than L. t. tristissima, tending to dark greyish-brown becoming black. Males are blacker below than females: Pallid streaks on the sides of the upper breast are more noticeable in the female, and may form a slight barring pattern (Rand & Gilliard 1967). The edges of the median and greater wing-coverts are black, forming two dark bars. There may be pairs of pale sub-terminal spots on the tertiaries, which also have dark edges. Lonchura tristissima calaminoros (Reichenow) This race differs by having the head and back Prout’s brown (Smithe 121A), the wings tending to fuscous. While there are typical whitish R. Restall 148 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) streaks from the forehead to the nape and the outermost ear-coverts, there are none on the mantle or scapulars: There are buffish spots on the lesser and median wing-coverts. The edges of the greater wing-coverts are white or creamy (as distinct from the Mars brown of L. t. tristissima, or the black edges of L. t. hypomelaena), forming a pale bar across the w ing. Birds I examined from Dampier Island had extremely sharply defined, clear white wing bars, and this population merits further study. There is no black on the lower rump. There are no pale spots on the tertiaries. The short uppertail-coverts are pale straw. Lonchura tristissima bigilalae subsp. nov. Syntypes. Specimens no. 24984 and 24989, National Museum and Art Gallery, Port Moresby. Collector and date of collection not recorded, but the birds were taken in the general area around Port Moresby. Description. The adult has the entire body Mars brown, darker on the primaries and tail, ventral region and undertail-coverts. ‘The white streaks run from the forecrown over the head to become faint and buffish on the nape, mantle, scapulars and lesser wing-coverts. The white streaks are noticeably brighter on the hind ear-coverts, sides of neck and sides of the upper breast. The buffish spots on the median wing-coverts become brighter on the greater wing-coverts, forming a distinct bar. ‘There are buffish edges to the tertiaries. The overall appearance is of a more profusely spotted bird than any other race. The centres of the feathers of the sides of the breast and upper flanks are amber. The rump is slightly darker than the mantle and has no black bar at all. The short uppertail-coverts are trogon yellow, the long uppertail-coverts being fuscous, and not black as in the other races. As in the other races the females are not easy to distinguish, but tend to be not so brightly spotted and have the yellow of the short uppertail-coverts a little duller. Etymology. | name this race after Iliah Bigilale, the curator of birds at the NMAG in Port Moresby, who was extremely helpful to me in my work with Lonchura during my visit to PNG, and who lent me the entire collection of Lonchura specimens for detailed study and making coloured paintings in air conditioned comfort. Lonchura tristissima undescribed population There is a population of L. tristissima reported (Roger Hicks in Itt.) from the Kiunga area in the central Western Province of PNG, not far from the border with Irian Jaya, near the Lake Murray region. No details of plumage are known. WHITE-SPOTTED MANNIKIN Lonchura_ leucosticta (d’Albertis and Salvadori) This closely-related species is similar to the Streak-headed Mannkin but is easy to separate with its more boldly marked and pronounced white streaks and terminal spots on the head and wings. The adult male R. Restall 149 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) is about 105 mm long, with the wing 45-50 mm, culmen 11-12 mm and tarsus 16-17 mm. It has a very pale cinnamon to white chin, is tawny on the breast, belly and flanks, with white terminal spots, often in an arrowhead shape, that cover the chin, throat, upper breast, sides of breast and upper flanks. The underwing-coverts are salmon to pale buff. The thighs, ventral area and undertail-coverts are black. The female’s measurements are similar but the culmen is 10-11 mm. She is more readily distinguished than the female L. tristisstma by being pale cinnamon on the chin, having brown thighs, and dark brown vent and undertail-coverts. The breast is a less rich tawny. Some females lack white terminal spots on the tertiaries. Juveniles are similar to the adult L. tristissima but are distinguished by having a pale chin, which L. tristissima never has. The juvenile lacks the straw and_ black uppertail-coverts. There is a single specimen in the collection of the NMAG in Port Moresby that was taken locally. The geographic origin separates it by some 500 km from the rest of the range of the species (Fly River to Noord River), and the bird is marginally but significantly different in plumage. It is labelled ‘male’ by the person who prepared the skin, perfectly competently. It is in excellent condition, and is not a hybrid. Although based on a single specimen, I consider the description of a new subspecies is warranted. Lonchura leucosticta moresbyae subsp. nov. Type. Specimen no. 24744, NMAG, Port Moresby. The bird was taken locally, presumably within the environs of the city; the collector is not recorded. Description. The bird is an adult male; wing length 47 mm, culmen 9mm, tarsus 14 mm. Above it is similar to L. 1. leucosticta. Below, the chin is creamy-white, radiating in whitish spots onto the throat, sides of breast and upper flanks. The spots have dark brown sub-terminal marks, and there are also dark brown edges to the feathers on either side of each whitish spot so that each spot is thrown into sharp relief. The underwing coverts are salmon. The tawny of the underparts tends to cinnamon and is more like the colouring of the female L. J. leucosticta. The thighs, vent and undertail are dark greyish-brown. Compared to the nominate race (Fig. 4), this bird has less extensive spotting on the breast and more extensive yellow on the rump. It has a distinctive greyish-brown vent and undertail-coverts. It appears to be marginally smaller, but with only one specimen to compare this is uncertain. Etymology. The proposed name derives from the locality where the specimen was collected. WHITE-HEADED MUNIA Lonchura maja (Linnaeus) The White-headed Munia is locally common from southern peninsular Thailand down the Malaysian archipelago to Bali. It is a somewhat variable species, and subspecific divisions have been suggested in the past, e.g. Munia maja zapercna and M. m. simuralensis, R. Restall 150 Bull. B:O-€. 1995 115G) a : wo . Figure 4. Comparison between Lonchura I. leucosticta (left) and L. 1. moresbyae (right). both Oberholser 1926. But the variations in colouring are not dramatic and tend to be within a given population rather than exclusive to a defined geographic region. Lonchura maja is regarded by Paynter & Storer as being monotypic. It is widely known in the bird trade in Singapore and Taipei that the White-headed Munia can be obtained from Vietnam. Small numbers of the species are often included in shipments of munias from Ho Chi Minh City, especially if large numbers of Chestnut Munias L. atricapilla are involved. I have made several trips to Vietnam in order to verify that these L. maja do originate there and are not the result of admixtures of birds from Indonesia. I found the species in two locations. The Vietnamese birds are located in an area quite separated from the main range of the species (Fig. 5). They are also quite distinct, and I propose that they be recognised as a new subspecies. The adult male of nominate maja is up to 120 mm long. The wing is 55-59 mm, the culmen 12-13 mm, and the tarsus 13 mm. The entire head of the first-year adult is off-white with a buffy tinge on the nape. The off-white becomes whiter with successive moults. The buffy nape is also variable with age, and is usually drab (Smithe 119D) in a first-year bird. The breast is a cinnamon-drab or sayal brown (Smithe 223C). The underwing-coverts are dark pinkish-buff. The back is burnt umber, becoming deep reddish-maroon on the lower rump, lower flanks and uppertail-coverts. The upper flanks are a slightly more vinous version of this. From the centre of the lower breast to the undertail-coverts is black. The legs and feet are dark grey, blackish on the large scales. The adult female is similar but usually sufficiently different to be distinguished. The length is closer to 115 mm, the wing 54-57 mm, the culmen 11-12 mm, and the tarsus 12-13 mm. The buff of the nape is more extensive, reaching the crown and tingeing the bib, which is fawn R. Restall 151 Bull, BLOVE. 19951153) Wp May 3 sa pee eee ee - ’ [Pannen Zte2eont a2 oa Figure 5. Distribution of the White-headed Munia Lonchura maja. colour (Smithe 25). The breast patch is cinnamon-brown (Smithe 33). The breast merges into the upper flanks, which usually join in a soft bar across the lower breast, separating it from the dull black of the belly and undertail-coverts. Lonchura maja vietnamensis subsp. nov. Type. Adult male, female and juvenile collected by Charuvarn Vanasin and Dr Atichart Suntharos near Da Lat, 11°56’N by 108°25’E, in January 1995. Other similar birds were collected near the Cambodian border by Tay Ninh, 11°18’N, 106°05’E, in November 1994. These specimens are in my possession at the time of writing; they will be deposited in the AMNH collection in due course. Description. The adult male is 106-110 mm long, wing 52-56 mm, culmen 12 mm, tarsus 14mm. From the forehead to nape it is sayal brown (Smithe 223C). The chin and ear-coverts are beige, the superciliaries, lores and the forepart of beneath the eye off-white. The back and wings are Natal brown (Smithe 219A). The rump to tail is rich maroon-red with some crimson glistening on the long uppertail-coverts and central tail feathers. The breast is cinnamon- brown (Smithe 33). The flanks are chestnut (Smithe 32), almost burnt sienna, which joins the uppertail-coverts at the lower flanks. The underwing-coverts are light cinnamon. The thighs are black. From the centre of the lower breast to the undertail-coverts is jet black.. The bill is blue-grey with white cutting edges. The irides are very dark brown, the legs and feet are mid violaceous-grey. The adult female is 104-106 mm long; the wing 52-54 mm, culmen 12 mm, tarsus 12 mm. It is whitish on the front forehead and around the eyes and sides of face, tinted with pale cinnamon brown. The rear forehead is light drab (Smithe 119C) to dark drab (Smithe 119B) on the R. Restall 152 Bull. B:O.E. 19O95Smiais Gi) nape. ‘The back and wings are burnt umber. The lower rump is very dark reddish-maroon. The tail is dark brown with mahogany edging to the feathers. From throat to breast it is dark fawn, almost olive-brown. The flanks are chestnut. ‘The underwing-coverts are warm buff with dark brown edges or tips. From the centre of the breast to the undertail-coverts it is dull black. The irides, bill, legs and feet are as for the male. ‘The juvenile before moulting is 104 mm long. From forehead to back it is hght cinnamon-brown to rufous, lightest on the top of the head, darkest on the back and wings. The flights and greater wing-coverts are dark brown, edged with rufous. The lower rump and uppertail-coverts are raw sienna. It is buffish on the throat, around the eyes and ear-coverts, becoming pale clay on the rest of the underparts. The flanks become sayal brown under the wings. The underwing coverts are chamois. ‘The irides, bill, legs and feet are as for the adult. Compared to nominate maja the Vietnamese adult birds are overall darker, especially noticeable on the head where the white is restricted to the area around the eyes and front of face. There is no white on the bib or throat, although the bib of the older male is near white. Put another wav, the male and female L. maja vietnamensis resemble a dark- and a very dark-headed pair of L. m. maja. Etymology. 1 have named the Vietnam population of the White-headed Munia L. maja vietnamensis from the country of origin. Lonchura malacca (Linnaeus) and L. atricapilla (Vieillot) Delacour (1943) united three forms of munia usually regarded as three separate species. These were Lonchura malacca, L. atricapilla and L. ferruginosa. He called the species Lonchura ferruginosa, overlooking the fact that Loxia malacca (Linnaeus 1766) pre-dated Loxia ferruginosa (Sparrman 1789). Since then several writers have queried the wisdom of this. Wolters (1979) regarded L. ferruginosa as a good species and Goodwin (1982) and Sibley & Monroe (1990) follow him. Goodwin separated L. malacca into two groups, malacca types and atricapilla types, but retained the concept of a single species. I propose to regard them as distinct and separate species, though they are obviously genetically very close (Kakizawa & Watada 1985). My reasoning is based on both morphological characteristics and behaviour. L. malacca occupies a clearly demarcated range in southern India, separate from that of L. atricapilla to the east, and there are no intergrades nor hybrids recorded (Ali & Ripley 1987). The 250 km of geography that lie between the two distributions appear to do a good job of keeping them apart. Within L. malacca there are five distinct morphs. By far the most common is the familiar black-headed, chestnut-backed, white breast and flanks, black-bellied bird known as the Tri-coloured Munia. The four variants are: (1) a noticeably irregular zig-zagging division between the white of the flanks and the black of the belly. In pronounced cases this almost takes on the nature of barring. (2) A fine wavy black barring over the white feathers reminiscent of the fine barring on the African Silverbill L. cantans. (3) Cinnamon edging to the white feathers giving R. Restall 153 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) Figure 6. Palate markings of nestlings of Lonchura malacca (left), L. a. atricapilla (centre) and L. a. jagori (right). a scaled appearance. There is some slight variation within this morph. In some birds the scaling may be bolder than in others. In some birds there may be a wash or light suffusion of cinnamon to the white ground colour. (4) The white is completely suffused with light cinnamon. This also is variable, with some birds having the cinnamon close to the belly colour of the Pallid Munia L. pallida. This morph does not look like the Chestnut Munia L. atricapilla, the tone of cinnamon never looking like the rich orange-brown of that species. L. atricapilla has an extensive sprawling range, within which there are some confusing and inconsistent clines (Parkes 1958), some abrupt contrasts, and even some overlap (Andrew & Holmes 1990), where two quite distinct races retain their own integrity, thus raising some very interesting questions. There is considerable variation within L. atricapilla, none of which occurs in L. malacca. The head ranges from black to pale grey, brown, or even creamy-grey on the nape. The chestnut of both upper and lower surfaces varies from an orange-cinnamon-rufous to deep, dark chestnut. The lower rump and uppertail-coverts range from deep maroon to yellow. The belly is jet black in some races, chestnut in others, and a full range in between in others. Taking Parkes’ (1958) map showing plumage discriminators for some races, and extending it to cover the entire natural range of the species, it is clear there is no trend nor cline, but a haphazard pattern. Significantly, there is no white on any subspecies of L. atricapilla, nor as a variant morph within a population. Although I have not been able to hold live nestlings side by side for comparison, it appears that the palate markings of nestling L. malacca are different from those of L. atricapilla. (Fig. 6). The similarity of nestling palate markings of L. a. atricapilla and L. a. jagori, two widely separated races, suggests a homogeneity of the species that supports my thesis. In behavioural terms, when placed together in captivity or in the wild where one has been introduced into the other’s territories, e.g. Hong R. Restall 154 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) Kong, or where both have been introduced, e.g. Honshu, they self-select for partners and pair bonding. The voices are similar, but the calls of L. malacca have a vibrato quality lacking in L. atricapilla. Both species occur in the Mai Po marshes in Hong Kong, where the Chestnut Munia is a migrant summer visitor, and the introduced ‘Tri-coloured Munia is a resident. Mixed breeding pairs have not been recorded. Viney et al. (1994) refer to intermediates occurring in the Mai Po marshes, where both species breed. This conclusion was drawn from sightings of individual adults of both species flying to the same reed bank, carrying nest-material (C. Viney pers. comm.). Since it is invariably the male that carries nest-material to the nest site, where the female constructs the nest, the sightings could only have been of male birds, and the reasonable inference would be that both species were breeding in the same reed bed, not that the two species were inter-breeding. I propose that the ‘Tri-coloured Munia L. malacca and the Chestnut Munia L. atricapilla be accepted as two distinct species, and these notes are written on this basis. ‘Two Chestnut Munias were included in a collection from south Borneo by Ernst Mayr (1938). These two specimens were collected at Parit; they are referred to by Mayr as Lonchura atricipalla minuta (Meyen), and were deposited in the collection at the AMNH. In his paper, he writes “‘. .. the two birds are darker on the back than even the darkest specimen of a series of nine birds from north Borneo and the Natuna Islands’’. I had cause to look at these birds in the AMNH subsequently, when I realised that two birds I had painted from southern Borneo fitted his description. It turned out that the two AMNH specimens are now only marginally darker than specimens from northern Borneo, and have probably foxed. This is often the case, for when live birds or fresh specimens of certain colours are compared with older museum specimens there may be a significant difference in colour density and tone. In July 1991, during a visit to the Jakarta bird market, I found a cage containing 35 or 40 Chestnut Munias. The dealer was known to me as a man who regularly received birds from Kalimantan. He said that these particular birds came from Sampit in Kalimantan Tengah (2°32'S, 112°54’'E). This is not far from Parit (3°10’S, 113°43’E), and in any case is not necessarily precisely where the birds were trapped. All the birds were very dark, including the juveniles, certainly darker than any Chestnut Munias I had ever seen before, or since. I believe that Mayr’s birds did represent a previously undescribed form. The name that he used, minuta, was given by Meyen to a bird from the variable, but distinct, Philippine population. ‘Two specimens were selected from the Sampit shipment, for which I propose the name Lonchura atricapilla obscura subsp. nov. Holotype. Details will appear in a later issue, as logistic problems arising from the author’s travels in the Pacific region have prevented the completion of this section—ED. R. Restall 155 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) Description. The adult is c. 105mm long; wing 52mm, culmen 12 mm, tarsus 12 mm. The head is entirely black, tending to a very rich deep chocolate on the nape. The back, sides of breast, which barely join across the breast, and flanks are deep, dark chestnut-maroon, wrapping round on the sides of the body to merge into the chestnut of the lower flanks. The wings are deep chestnut, with sepia flights edged with chestnut, the tertiaries being edged with paler chestnut. The tail is sepia, edged slightly with maroon. ‘The underwing-coverts are flesh-ochre. The centre of the lower breast, belly, thighs and undertail-coverts are black. The bill is pale bluish-grey. The irides are chestnut. The legs and feet are grey. Compared to L. atricapilla jagori from northern Borneo (the form is consistent in colouration in northern Borneo, unlike the populations in the Philippines where it is quite variable), the adult is noticeably darker brown above and below, and completely lacks any orange on the uppertail-coverts or edges of the tail feathers. The juvenile is about 100 mm long. The wing is 50 mm, culmen 11 mm, tarsus 12 mm. The forehead and crown to the lower back are cinnamon-brown, the wings darkening to Prout’s brown (Smithe 121A), the median, greater wing-coverts and flights are edged with umber. The chin and throat are pale warm drab to beige. The rest of the underparts are salmon (Smithe 6), the underwing-coverts being particularly richly coloured. I have not been able to compare it directly to juvenile L. a. jagori but it is significantly darker and more richly coloured below than the juvenile L. a. sinensis. In May 1990, my friend Linda Santosa in Jakarta received a small private shipment of 8 Chestnut Munias from Pontianak in western Kalimantan. They had been caught in marshland at Selimbau, not far from Semitau, by a relative specially for me to study. I found them to differ from L. atricapilla jagori from northern Borneo by having no orange on the uppertail-coverts, only a slightly variable orange edging on the tail. The rump, normally maroon, is a rich red. A second lot of birds arrived in October, and these were identical to the first lot except for the underwing-coverts which were paler, with brown edges. I have treated them as the same in the notes below. I believe this population is sufficiently distinct to justify subspecific status and I name it Lonchura atricapilla selimbaue subsp. nov. Type. AMNH specimen no. 831285, collected by C. Choa from Selimbau, Kalimantan Barut, 0°37'N, 112°08’E. Description. The adult male is 105-110mm long, wing 52 mm, culmen 11 mm, tarsus 12 mm. It has the entire head and upper breast black. The wings are chestnut, the lower rump and uppertail-coverts are brick red (Smithe 132A). The tail is a deep orange-maroon with a silky orange edging. A narrow bar across the breast and flanks is brick red, slightly darker than the chestnut back. The underwing-coverts are buffy-yellow, or pale buffy-yellow with brown edges. The axillaries are buffy yellow with chestnut centres. The belly, thighs, ventral area and undertail-coverts are black. The line where the black of the belly meets R. Restall 156 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) the brick red of the flanks is irregular as in L. atricapilla jagori. The bill is pale bluish-grey. The legs and feet are dark grey. The female is 98-105 mm long, wing 51-53 mm, culmen 10-11 mm, tarsus 11-12mm. The entire head is black, but may be dark greyish-brown on the nape. ‘The bar across the breast, the flanks and the upper parts are uniform chestnut. ‘The uppertail-coverts are between brick red and maroon, and the tail is edged with orange. The bill, legs and feet are as in the male. Etymology. ‘The proposed name is taken from the place of origin of the type specimen. Acknowledgements I am deeply grateful to Dr Mary LeCroy of the American Museum of Natural History, Mr Ilatah Bigilale of the National Museum and Art Gallery in Port Moresby, Mr Graham Cowles formerly of the Natural History Museum at Tring, and Dr Yang Chan Man of the Zoological Section of the National University of Singapore, all for graciously and unconditionally allowing me access to study the collections of specimens in their care. I am most grateful to Dr LeCroy, Dr Luis Bapitista, D. Miguel Lentino, Dr Rene Dekker, Dr David Snow and my friend Derek Goodwin for reading drafts of these notes, and offering comments and advice. This does not mean they agree with my conclusions, and the content and conclusions presented here are totally my own responsibility. References: Ali, S. & Ripley, D. 1987. Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan. Oliver and Boyd, London. Andrew, P. & Holmes, D. A. 1990. Sulawesi Bird Report. Kukila 5: 4-26. Chasen, F. N. & Hoogerwerf, A. 1941. The Birds of the Netherlands Indian Mt. Leuser Expedition 1937 to North Sumatra. With a general survey, an itinerary, and field notes by A. Hoogerwerf. Treubia 18, Suppl.: 1-125. Christidis, L. 1987. Biochemical systematics within paleotropic finches. Auk 104: 380-391. Coates, B. J. 1990. The Birds of Papua New Guinea. Vol. 2. Dove, Brisbane. Delacour, J. 1943. A revision of the sub-family Estrildinae of the family Ploceidae. Zoologica 28: 69-86. Goodwin , D. 1982. Estrildid Finches of the World. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), London. Hadden, D. 1981. Birds of the North Solomons. Wau Ecology Institute, Handbook no. 8., PNG. Harvey, W. G. & Holmes, D. A. 1976. Additions to the avifaunas of Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 96: 90-92. Hicks, R. 1987. An extension of altitude range for two mannikin species. Muruk 2: 60. Holmes, D. A. & Burton, K. 1987. Recent notes on the avifauna of Kalimantan. Kukila 3: 2-37. Kakizawa, R. & Watada, R. 1985. The evolutionary genetics of the Estrildidae. f. Yamashina Inst. Orn. 17: 143-158. LeCroy, M. & Vuilleumier, F. 1992. Guidelines for the description of new species in ornithology. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 112A: 191-198. MacKinnon, J. & Phillipps, K. 1993. The Birds of Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Balt. Oxford Univ. Press. Mayr, E. 1938. Birds from South Borneo. Bull. Raffles Mus. 14: 45. Oberholser, H. C. 1926. New East Indian Passerine Birds. 7. Washington Acad. Sci. 16: SDL Parkes, K. C. 1958. Taxonomy and nomenclature of three species of Lonchura (Aves: Estrildinae). Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 108: 279-293. Paynter, R. A., Jr. & Storer, R. W. 1970. Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 14. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard. Rand, A. L. & Gilliard, E. T. 1967. Handbook of New Guinea Birds. Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London. F. F. Pacheco S B. M. Whitney 157 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) Sibley, C. G. & Monroe, B. L., Jr. 1990. Distribution and Taxonomy of the Birds of the World. Yale Univ. Press. Smithe, F. B. 1981. Naturalist’s Color Guide (with supplements). AMNH, New York. Smythies, B. 1981. The Birds of Borneo. Sabah Society, Kuala Lumpur. Viney, C., Phillipps, K. & Lam, C. Y. 1994. Birds of Hong Kong and South China. Govt. Publs., Hong Kong. White, C. M. N. & Bruce, M. D. 1986. The Birds of Wallacea. B.O.U. Check-list no. 7. Wolters, H. E. 1979. Die Vogelarten der Erde. Paul Parey, Hamburg & Berlin. Address: Robin Restall, c/o J. Walter Thompson, Shui On Centre 3/F, 6-8 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong. From 15 December: c/o Aerocav No. 1330, P.O. Box 025304, Miami, FL 33102-5304, U.S.A. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 Range extensions for some birds in northeastern Brazil by Fosé Fernando Pacheco & Bret M. Whitney Received 7 November 1994 Northeastern Brazil from northern Ceara south to the vicinity of Salvador, Bahia is, from the standpoint of the distributions of birds, among the mostly incompletely documented regions in eastern South America. Range delimitations in this region are, however, particularly important to determine as accurately as possible not only to describe the present geographic limits of birds but also to allow well-informed interpretation of the history of events that have resulted in the present picture here and in eastern Amazonia and southeastern Brazil. This part of Brazil was the first to be colonized by Europeans, and has suffered catastrophic loss of its natural habitat cover (Prado 1956, Andrade 1973). Today, as the dry woodlands, caatingas, and relictual humid forests (including the northernmost vestiges of the Atlantic Forest) of northeastern Brazil are being rapidly destroyed or severely altered by man, it becomes ever more difficult to separate the natural distributions of birds from the artificial state that is an inevitable result of such prolonged and concentrated human presence. During the course of six field expeditions to northeastern Brazil between September and February 1988-1993, we documented with tape recordings the distributions and behaviours of several species of birds threatened with extinction (Collar et al. 1992), and some poorly known endemics (e.g. Whitney & Pacheco 1994). Here we report significant northern range extensions for 13 resident and/or migrant species, and southern extensions for three. A number of these are sight records. Included in this report are also five range extensions documented by Heretiano Zenaide (1954), who collected birds between about 1910 and the 1950s in the vicinity of Joao Pessoa and other points in the interior of the state of Paraiba, very near the northern limits of the Atlantic Forest. Although Zenaide collected and accurately identified many of the species he described in his book (1954), his relatives inform us that no specimens exist today. His rather obscure JF. F. Pacheco S B. M. Whitney 158 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) work has been almost completely overlooked in statements of the distributions of birds. Among Zenaide’s important cited records are the northernmost reports of the seven-coloured Tanager Tangara fastuosa (Collar et al. 1992). Interpretation of the validity of Zenaide’s work is in preparation by Pacheco and Rajao (abstract in III Congresso Brasileiro de Ornitologia 1993). In conjunction with specific localities, we use the standard abbreviations for Brazilian states: AL (Alagoas); BA (Bahia); CE (Ceara); PB (Paraiba), PE (Pernambuco); RN (Rio Grande do Norte); SE (Sergipe). RUFOUS-THIGHED HAWK Accipiter erythronemius We observed one individual on 18 September 1991 at Barra Nova, CE (5°33'S, 40°05’'W). Bonfim, northern BA, is the nearest published record (Pinto 1938), and is apparently the sole published record for Bahia. Additionally, Teixeira (1994) identified this species within iconographic material produced during the 17th century Dutch invasion of northeastern Brazil, and suggested that at some time the species’ presence in the northeast might be definitely determined. Often considered a subspecies of Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipitus striatus, this taxon was recently treated as an allospecies (Sibley & Monroe 1990). WHITE-NECKED HAWK Leucopternis lacernulata Zenaide (1954) captured and described this hawk on 31 October 1949 at Joao Pessoa, PB. (7°07'S, 34°52'W). Although he left the identification as Leucopternis sp., his description agrees perfectly with that of L. lacernulata (Pacheco & Rajao in prep.). The previously published northern limit of this rare Atlantic forest endemic was Alagoas (Pinto & Camargo 1961, Collar et al. 1992). WHITE-TAILED HAWK Buteo albicaudatus Known from central and eastern Brazil from Bahia southward (Pinto 1978, Sibley & Monroe 1990), this species was only recently reported from Maranhao (Roth & Scott 1987) and Piaui (Olmos 1993). We saw one at the airstrip of Natal, RN (5°51'S, 35°15’W). on 17 November 1993 and another at Tiangua, CE (3°13’S, 40°58’W) on 18 September 1991. Considering that this species ‘‘is extending its presence in eastern Brazil because of deforestation” (Sick 1993), we suspect that the recent records in northeastern Brazil also represent range expansion. SPECKLED CHACHALACA Ortalis guttata The previously accepted northern limit for the population of eastern Brazil (O. g. araucuan) is ‘“‘Pernambuco’’ (Forbes 1881, Sibley & Monroe 1990, Sick 1993). However, Zenaide (1954) included this gamebird in his work on the birds of Paraiba, without specific location. Between the states of Paraiba and Espirito Santo (including eastern Minas Gerais) this species has known localities for six states. Sergipe is the only state within this range without published records, although O. guttata presently occurs near Crasto (11°14'S, 37°25’W; Marcelo C. Souza pers. comm.). F. F. Pacheco S& B. M. Whitney 159 Bulls BsOsCw 1995 115(3) BLACKISH RAIL Pardirallus nigricans The published northern limit for this species 1s Pernambuco (Forbes 1881, Sibley & Monroe 1990). Paraiba is here considered the new limit based on the description under the number 49 in Aves da Paraiba (Zenaide 1954, Pacheco & Rajao in prep.). Additionally, the western limit in Brazil, although given as Goias (Sick 1993), must be changed to Mato Grosso (Cintra & Yamashita 1990) and Mato Grosso do Sul (Pacheco & Bauer 1994). SOUTH AMERICAN TERN Sterna hirundinacea This coastal tern has been reported north to Bahia (Meyer de Schauensee 1966, Sick 1993) or north to Rio de Janeiro (Blake 1977, Sibley & Monroe 1990). The Bahian record apparently was based on an old specimen without data sent to the British Museum (Saunders 1896). On 26 November 1993, we observed a group of eight Sterna terns near the mouth of the Rio Sergipe at Aracaju, SE. Although the birds were quite distant (500+ m) and useful observations were possible only through a Questar scope, we noted that five of the birds were in full breeding plumage (long forked tails and apparently complete black caps) and showed conspicuous dark ‘wedges’ at the wing tips, which we estimated to comprise at least the five outer primaries. We suspect that the birds were wintering S. hirundinacea that had attained breeding plumage before moving south to breed; it seems less likely that the birds might have been Common Terns S. hirundo that atypically had retained breeding plumage into late November. Further field work in coastal Brazil is needed to determine the northern limit of the wintering range of S. hirundinacea. RUDDY QUAIL-DOVE Geotrygon montana Although the range of this species within Brazil is not well specified in recent catalogues (Meyer de Schauensee 1966, Sibley & Monroe 1990), its distribution is primarily coincident with the original area of the Amazonian and Atlantic forests. Its presence in the forests of northeastern Brazil may be pieced together through scattered references: Maranhao (Oren 1990); Pernambuco (Naumburg 1930) and Alagoas (Forrester 1993). In the Atlantic forest this species at least historically extended as far north as Paraiba (Zenaide 1954, Pacheco & Rajao in prep.). LESSER SWALLOW-TAILED SWIFT Panyptila cayennensis This species was recorded only recently in northeastern Brazil, in Alagoas (Teixeira et al. 1988). We observed two or three individuals flying overhead at Dois Irmaos, PE (8°03’S, 34°54’W) on 17 November 1993. LONG-TAILED WOODNYMPH Thalurania watertonit Although the majority of the recent catalogues list this Brazilian endemic as occurring between Para and Bahia (Meyer de Schauensee 1966, Sibley & Monroe 1990, Sick 1993), only Pernambuco and J. F. Pacheco & B. M. Whitney 160 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) Alagoas are known to have specimens with exact localities (Simon 1921, Berla 1946, Pinto 1954). The inclusion of Para (and its subsequent citation) apparently is based on the highly dubious supposition of Gould (1856) of the provenance of two specimens he examined in the British Museum as probably being from the mouth of the Amazon. Bahia records in the literature are based on trade skins labelled “‘Bahia”’ reported by Simon (1897). We found this species at Itabaiana Biological Reserve, SE, on 25 September 1991. Our record to the south of the Rio Sao Francisco corroborates the possibility of the existence of this hummingbird in northeastern Bahia at least, from whence probably came the ‘“‘Bahia”’ trade skin(s). The distributional limits of Thalurania species in Bahia are very poorly understood. We have been able to find only two published specimen records of the Violet-capped Woodnymph T. glaucopis for the state: Rio Gongogi (14°18'S, 39°25'W; Pinto 1935), and near Chapada Diamantina (Grantsau 1988) where we have also observed the species. Sight records by L. P. Gonzaga and ourselves of Thalurania from the vicinities of Boa Nova, Porto Seguro, and the Una Biological Reserve all pertain to glaucopis. Recent sight records of T. watertonii from southern Bahia (e.g. Forrester 1993) should be reconfirmed. LETTERED ARACARI Pteroglossus inscriptus Outside its widespread Amazonian range, this species has been reported in northeastern Brazil from Pernambuco (Sibley & Monroe 1990, Sick 1993). ‘This historical record was based on one specimen collected on 13 August 1903 by A. Robert of the Tring Museum (Hellmayr 1912, Pinto 1940). We observed several individuals in three forest patches in Alagoas: Rio Largo, 24 October 1990; Passo do Camaragibe, 30 December 1990; and Murici Biological Reserve (9°15'S; 35°50'W), 4. January 1991. SPOT-BACKED ANTSHRIKE Hypoedaleus guttatus ‘This antshrike has been reported previously from Bahia south to Santa Catarina (Ridgely & Tudor 1994) and Parque do Turvo (27°15'S, 53°57'W), Rio Grande do Sul (Poerschk 1987). We know of only two specimen records from Bahia: the south-central portion of the state near the Minas Gerais border, collected by Wied in 1831 (Bokermann 1957), and Jaguaquara (13°32'S, 39°58’W), where Kaempfer collected one male and one female at 2500 ft in September 1927 (Naumburg 1935, 1937). Additionally, Gonzaga et al. (in press) have found this species in small numbers east of Boa Nova. On 28 November 1993 we heard and tape-recorded Hypoedaleus at the Murici Biological Reserve, AL (9°15’'S, 35°50'W), which represents a northern range extension of approximately 600 km. This distribution mirrors that of the sibling species pair Terenura maculata (Streak-capped Antwren), known from as far north as Valenca, BA (Teixeira et al. 1989), and TY. sicki (Orange-bellied Antwren), known from Murici and a handful of nearby localities in Alagoas and Pernambuco (Collar et al. 1992). F. F. Pacheco & B. M. Whitney 161 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) FRINGE-BACKED FIRE-EYE Pyriglena atra This antbird is known only from humid lowland forest 1n the vicinity of Santo Amaro, BA (Collar et al. 1992). Humid forest in this region has been virtually cleared (pers. obs.), and P. atra is listed by Collar et al. (1992) as ‘““Endangered’’. In 1994, Marcelo C. Souza of Aracaju, SE, discovered a population of P. atra in a humid forest fragment near Crasto, SE (M. C. Souza, pers. comm., and reported in IV Congresso Brasileiro de Ornitologia, 1994), extending the known range of the species northward by about 175 km. In early November 1994 we observed a minimum of six pairs of P. atra along a dirt road transecting the forest (11°22’S, 37°25'W; GPS coordinates). This forest may represent one of few remaining strongholds for P. atra, and the presence of an apparently healthy population in southern Sergipe suggests that the remaining forests south to the vicinity of Salvador and Santo Amaro (several significant patches noted from the drive along the newly opened “‘Linha Verde’ highway) probably also hold some P. atra. Other birds treated by Collar et al. (1992) that occur in the Crasto forest include Golden-tailed Parrotlet Touwzt swrda (‘“Vulnerable/Rare’’) and White-winged Cotinga Xzpholena atropurpurea (‘‘Rare’’) (M. C. Souza, pers. obs.). This forest merits high conservation priority. BARE-THROATED BELLBIRD Procnias nudicollis Although Teixeira et al. (1986) reported their records from Alagoas as the first from eastern Brazil north of the Rio Sao Francisco, it was previously reported “in abundance” at Igaracu, PE (Berla 1946). Additional early evidence for the presence of P. nudicollis in northeastern Brazil is a citation for Paraiba (Zenaide 1954), extending the range even further northward. SLENDER-FOOTED TYRANNULET Zimmerius gracilipes The presence of this canopy tyrannulet in northeastern Brazil 1s documented in the literature by a single individual collected at Serra de Baturité, CE (Pinto & Camargo 1961). However, Ridgely & Tudor (1994) included only Alagoas in the range. We have tape-recorded several individuals in the following sites: Murici Biological Reserve, AL, 21 October 1990; Pedra Talhada Biological Reserve, AL, 22 October 1990; and Serra de Baturité, CE; 16 September 1991 and 19 November 1993. In northeastern Brazil this species seems to be restricted to the serras, and is to be expected in other upland localities. HIGHLAND ELAENIA Elaenia obscura In eastern Brazil this elaenia is known from Rio de Janeiro and central Minas Gerais (vicinity of Belo Horizonte and Caraca) south to Rio Grande do Sul (Sibley & Monroe 1990, Sick 1993, Ridgely & Tudor 1994). The northernmost published report appears to be that of Mattos et al. (1991) from Januaria, in northern Minas Gerais. On 30 November 1993 we tape-recorded E. obscura at Morro do Pai Inacio near Lencois, central Bahia, which extends the range approximately 450 km to the north. Apparent migratory movements of FE. obscura in eastern Brazil are poorly understood, but we suspect that further field J. F. Pacheco & B. M. Whitney 162 Bull, B.O.C. 1995 115(3) work will show that it breeds locally in northern Minas Gerais and south-central Bahia. Mention of a Brazilian name for this species in Pernambuco (Sick 1993) should be considered erroneous. HANGNEST TODY-TYRANT Hemitriccus mdipendulus ‘This tyrannid is reported from eastern Brazil between Bahia and Sao Paulo (Sibley & Monroe 1990, Sick 1993, Ridgely & ‘Tudor 1994), with the northern limit usually placed in interior central Bahia. However, the northernmost published record appears to be that of Pinto (1935) for Bonfim, BA. On 25 September 1991 we tape-recorded one individual at Itabaiana Biological Reserve, SE, which marks the northeasternmost point of its known occurrence. CROWNED SLATY-FLYCATCHER Giiseotyrannus aurantiatrocristatus On 18 September 1991 we observed a single individual of this austral migrant tyrannid at Tiangua, CE (3°13'S, 40°58’W). Previous records in northeastern Brazil are from Maranhao and Piaui (Hellmayr 1929). Acknowledgements We are grateful to Adriana C. Fiuza, Claudia B. Cesar, Paulo Sérgio M. Fonseca, Luiz P. Gonzaga, and Melquiades P. Paiva for their help in gathering material for and comments on the manuscript. Hélio Zenaide kindly supplied information on the collecting activities of his father, Heretiano Zenaide, in Paraiba. During various of our expeditions we benefited from the assistance and companionship of Marcelo C. Souza, Fernando Pinto, José Nogueira, Francisco Pontual, John L. Rowlett, and Richard E. Webster. We are especially grateful to Field Guides Incorporated for funding part of our field research. References: Andrade, M. C. 1973. A terra e 0 homem no Nordeste. 3rd edn. Brasiliense, Sao Paulo. Berla, H. F. 1946. Lista das aves colecionadas em Pernambuco, com descric¢ao de subespécie n., de um alotipo e notas de campo. Bol. Mus. Nacional, n. ser. 65: 1-35. Blake, E. R. 1977. A Manual of Neotropical Birds. Univ. Chicago Press. Bokermann, W. C. A. 1957. Atualiza¢gao do itinerario da viagem do Principe de Wied ao Brasil (1815-1817). Arg. Zool. Sado Paulo 10: 209-253. Cintra, R. & Yamashita, C. 1990. Habitats, abundancia e ocorréncia das espécies de aves do pantanal do Poconé, Mato Grosso, Brasil. Pap. Av. Zool., Sao Paulo 37: 1-21. Collar, N. J., Gonzaga, L. P., Krabbe, N., Madrono Nieto, A., Naranjo, L. G., Parker Ill, T. A. & Wege, D. C. 1992. Threatened Birds of the Americas. International Council for Bird Preservation, Cambridge, U.K. Forbes, W. A. 1881. Eleven weeks in northeastern Brazil. [bis (4)5: 312-362. Forrester, B. C. 1993. Birding Brazil. A check-list and Site Guide. John Geddes, Irvine, WEKe Gonzaga, L. P., Pacheco, J. F., Bauer, C. & Castiglioni, G. D. A. in press. An avifaunal survey of the vanishing montane Atlantic Forest of southern Bahia, Brazil. Bird Conservation International. Gould, J. 1856. A Monograph of the Trochilidae or Family of Hummingbirds. London. Grantsau, R. 1988. Os Beija-flores do Brasil. Expressdo e Cultura, Rio de Janeiro. Hellmayr, C. E. 1912. Zoologische Ergebnisse einer Reise in das Mundungsgebeit des Amazonas herausgegeben von Lorenz Muller. II Vogel. Abh. Ak. Wiss. Miinchen 26: 1-142. Hellmayr, C. E. 1929. A contribution to the ornithology of northeastern Brazil. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Zool. ser. 12: 235-501. Mattos, G. T., Andrade, M. A. & Freitas, M. V. 1991. Levantamento de aves silvestres na regiao noroeste de Minas Gerais. Rev. SOM 39: 26-29. F. F. Pacheco & B. M. Whitney 163 Bull. B.O\E. 199s 15) Meyer de Schauensee, R. 1966. The Species of Birds of South America and_ their Distribution. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia. Naumburg, E. M. B. 1930. The birds of Matto Grosso, Brazil. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 60: 1-432. Naumburg, E. M. B. 1935. Gazetteer and maps showing collecting stations visited by Emil Kaempfer in eastern Brazil and Paraguay. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 68: 449-469. Naumburg, E. M. B. 1937. Studies of birds from eastern Brazil and Paraguay, based on a collection made by Emil Kaempfer. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 74: 139-205. Olmos, F. 1993. Birds of Serra da Capivara National Park, in the “‘caatinga’’ of north-eastern Brazil. Bird Conservation International 3: 21-36. Oren, D. C. 1990. Aves do estado do Maranhao. Goeldiana, Zool. 9: 1-55. Pacheco, J. F. & Bauer, C. 1994. A colegao de aves preparadas por Adolf Schneider em Porto Quebracho, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil em 1941. Notulas Faunisiicas, Corrientes 64: 1-6. Pinto, O. M. O. 1935. Aves da Bahia. Rev. Mus. Paulista 19: 1-325. Pinto, O. M. O. 1938. Catalogo das aves do Brasil. Rev. Mus. Paulista 22: 1-566. Pinto, O. M. O. 1940. Aves de Pernambuco. Arg. Zool. Sado Paulo 1: 219-282. Pinto, O. M. O. 1954. Resultados ornitologicos de duas viagens cientificas ao Estado de Alagoas. Pap. Av. Dep. Zool., SGo Paulo 12: 1-98. Pinto, O. M. O. & Camargo, E. A. 1961. Resultados ornitologicos de quatro recentes expedicdes do departamento de zoologia ao Nordeste do Brasil, com a descricgaéo de seis novas subespécies. Arg. Zool., Sado Paulo 11: 193-284. Pinto, O. M. O. 1978. Novo catalogo das aves do Brasil. Primeira Parte. Empressa Grafica, Sao Paulo. Poerschk, R. A. 1987. Nueva especie para Rio Grande do Sul (Brasil). Nuwestras Aves 12: Bile Prado, C. Jr. 1956. Historia econédmica do Brasil. Ed. Brasiliense, Sao Paulo. Ridgely, R. S. & Tudor, G. 1994. The Birds of South America. Vol. 2. The suboscine passerines. Univ. Texas Press and Oxford Univ. Press. Roth, P. & Scott, D. 1987. A avifauna da Baixada Maranhense. Pp. 117-128 in CVRD, Seminario sobre desenvolvimento econdmico e impacto ambiental em areas do tropico umido brasileiro. A experiéncia da CVRD., Rio de Janeiro. Saunders, H. 1896. Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum. Vol. 25. British Museum, London. Sibley, C. G. & Monroe, G. L. Jr. 1990. Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World. Yale Univ. Press. Sick, H. 1993. Birds in Brazil. Princeton Univ. Press. Simon, E. 1897. Catalogue des espéces actuellement connues de la famille des Trochilidés. Paris. Simon, E. 1921. Histoire Naturelle des Trochilidae (Synopsis et Catalogue). Encyclopédie Roret, Paris. Teixeira, D. M. 1994. As Fontes do Paraiso. Um ensaio sobre a Ornitologia no Brasil Holandés (1624-1654). Rev. Nordest. Biol. 7: 1-149. Teixeira, D. M., Nacinovic, J. B. & Tavares, M. S. 1986. Notes on some birds of northeastern Brazil. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 106: 70-74. Teixeira, D. M., Nacinovic, J. B. & Luigi, G. 1988. Notes on some birds of northeastern Brazil (3). Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 108: 75-79. Teixeira, D. M., Nacinovic, J. B. & Luigi, G. 1989. Notes on some birds of northeastern Brazil (4). Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 109: 152-157. Whitney, B. M. & Pacheco, J. F. 1994. Behavior and vocalizations of Gyalophylax and Megaxenops (Furnariidae), two little-known genera endemic to northeastern Brazil. Condor 96: 559-565. Zenaide, H. 1954. Aves da Paraiba. Ed. Teone, Joao Pessoa. Addresses: José Fernando Pacheco, Instituto de Biologia, Depto. de Zoologia, Cidade Universitaria, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro 21941-000, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil. Bret M. Whitney, c/o Field Guides Incorporated, P.O. Box 160723, Austin, Texas 78716-0723, U.S.A. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 T. Londei 164 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) Field notes on corvids in Ethiopia by Tiziano Londet Received 20 October 1994 Ethiopia is very interesting for corvids because there are two endemic species (the Ethiopian Bush-Crow Zavattariornis stresemanni and the Thick-billed Raven Corvus crassirostris) and two isolated populations of a Palearctic species, the Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax. This country is also inhabited by two species (the Black Crow Corvus capensis and the Fan-tailed Raven C. rhipidurus) which extend their ranges mainly southwards and northwards respectively. Last but not least, hybridization seems to occur here between a Paleotropical crow (the Pied Crow Corvus albus) and a form (the Dwarf Raven Corvus edithae) which is usually treated as a close relative of the Brown-necked Raven Corvus ruficollis, which, in turn, might be a subspecies of the Northern Raven Corvus corax, a Holarctic species. The literature on the corvids of Ethiopia is sparse, and their behaviour has hardly been studied. Here, I report a few morphological and behavioural observations on two species, which I made during a tour south of Addis Ababa, 8-21 August 1994. Field notes on a third species, with supporting photographs, are included in a commemorative publication (Londei, in press). THICK-BILLED RAVEN Corvus crassirostris ‘The adaptive value of its extremely massive bill is unclear. Goodwin (1976) supposed that it has evolved for predation or as a display organ; the following observation supports the latter hypothesis. At Lake Chamo, I saw five Thick-billed Ravens resting on trees together with a larger number of Hooded Vultures Necrosyrtes monachus, around a place where fishermen habitually skin large fish and cut them to pieces. As soon as some scraps of fish became available to the birds, the ravens began displacing the vultures one by one and continued until the latter all left the area. I counted about ten threatening approaches in 20 minutes, with the silent raven stretching its neck alternately to either side with deliberate movements, while slowly moving from branch to branch towards its target, with the bill open and throat distended. Such an approach was mostly enough to cause the vulture to fly away, although two individuals that were slow to leave were finally pecked at. With reference to competition between the Thick-billed Raven and vultures, I have only found a sentence in a rather ancient report (Hilgert, in Kleinschmidt 1906) suggesting that even such large vultures as the Lapped-faced Torgos tracheliotos or the White-headed Trigonoceps occipitalis may fear this raven. The real power of the Thick-billed Raven’s bill as a weapon during interspecific encounters is still to be ascertained, but the ‘vulturine’ characteristic of having very short (for a corvid) feathering on the head strongly suggests that this species has evolved to feed on meat inside large carcasses. Thus the Thick-billed Raven may have a long history T. Londet 165 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) ‘pastisd .s ft i oh a wo Figure 1. A so-called Dwarf Raven. of competition with vultures. Furthermore, I noticed on the above occasion that a raven held a scrap of fish under both feet while tearing at it. Corvids may use both feet (instead of the usual one) for holding large food items, but this item was small and fleshy, suggesting that the tearing technique may be stereotyped, adapted to more difficult tasks. Being strongly arched, the massive bill is also likely to contribute effectively to powerful tearing in this species. The white patch on the Thick-billed Raven’s nape is very bright in the shadow, being often, to the human eye, the only sign of the presence of a bird resting under a tree canopy when the sun 1s at its highest. I suggest that it may have evolved to allow conspecifics, or interacting species, to detect the bird’s presence and appreciate its posture more easily. The almost white tip of the bill may have a similar function at a shorter distance. DWARF RAVEN Corvus (ruficollis) edithae I observed this form for the first time at El Sod (4°12'N, 38°23’E), which is far from the range of C. albus. Nevertheless, I was reminded of the latter more than of ravens as far as general shape was concerned (Fig. 1). In particular, the wings appeared to me crow-like and stumpy compared to ravens’ wings, all the more as the presumed closest relative, C. ruficollis, has even more slender wings than C. corax (Madge & Burn 1994). At a garbage dump, a bird erected the head, bill upward, in front of a conspecific. This display lasted about 2 seconds and only induced the other bird to turn its head away and retreat, but it seemed very significant to me because a chin-up threat display has been reported for C. albus (Benson & Penny 1970, in Goodwin 1976). At T. Londei 166 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) Robe (7°08'N, 40°00’E), which is in the known zone of the presumed albus X edithae hybridization, I saw an all-dark individual, perched on a pole, calling with up-raised bill. I could not hear its voice clearly, but the accompanying movements were very similar to those described by Goodwin (1976) for C. albus. This pattern would be unusual for a raven. These observations support the opinion that C. edithae is closely related to C. albus (Blair 1961, North 1962), perhaps analogously to the relationship of Corvus corone corone to Corvus (corone) cornix. If so, C. edithae could not be a subspecies of C. ruficollis, as in both morphology and behaviour the latter appears to be related to C. corax (Goodwin 1976). Instead of Dwarf Raven, the less usual name Somali Crow would be more appropriate. Corvus edithae and C. albus seem to differ considerably from each other in ecology (Wilson 1990) but this may simply reflect the degree of their geographical separation within Ethiopia. Concerning the presumed hybrids, I saw intermediate birds also outside the areas mapped by Blair (1961), namely at Dodola (6°58'N, 39°11'E), Bekoji (7°32'N, 39°15’E), Asela (7°57'N, 39°08’E) and Nazret (8°33'N, 39°16’E). These records, together with others—published meanwhile (Alamargot 1987, Wilson 1990), extend the overall range of presumed hybridization and make the distribution of this phenomenon less patchy. Acknowledgements My sister Raffaella efficiently kept troops of local children at a distance while I was birding. D. Goodwin encouraged me to publish these observations. References: Alamargot, J. 1987. Pied Crows Corvus albus with atypical plumage. Walia 10: 7-12. Benson, C. W. & Penny, M. J. 1970. The land birds of Aldabra. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. B 260: 417-527. Blair, C. M. G. 1961. Hybridisation of Corvus albus and Corvus edithae in Ethiopia. [bis 103a: 499-502. Goodwin, D. 1976. Crows of the World. British Museum (Natural History). Kleinschmidt, O. 1906. Beitrage zur Vogelfauna Nordostafrikas: Gattung Corvus. J. Orn. 54: 78-99. Londei, 'T. (in press). In memory of the describer of the Ethiopian Bush-Crow, Zavattariorns stresemanm Moltoni, 1938. Riv. Ital. Orn. Madge, S. & Burn, H. 1994. Crows and Jays. Helm, London. North, M. E. W. 1962. Vocal affinities of Corvus corax edithae, ‘“‘Dwarf Raven” or “Somali Crow’’? Ibis 104: 431. Wilson, R. T. 1990. Comparative ecology of the Corvidae in Ethiopia. ¥. Afr. Zool. 104: 593-601. Address: 'T. Londei, Dipartimento di Biologia—Sezione di Anatomia Comparata— Universita di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 T. Tyrberg & F. Hernandez C. 167 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) First fossil record of the Great Skua by Tommy Tyrberg & Francisco Hernandez Carrasquilla Received 27 August 1994 The Great Skua Catharacta skua is very closely related to southern hemisphere Catharacta, particularly C. antarctica and C. loennbergi, with which it has often been considered conspecific (e.g. Cramp et al. 1983). The genus Catharacta is predominantly southern and the Great Skua is presumably a recent coloniser in the North Atlantic. Unfortunately direct evidence for this colonisation is_ virtually non-existent. No fossils of the Great Skua have been reported and we are only aware of a single sub-fossil record from Dollsteinhola cave on Sandsoya (Sunnmore) in Norway (Lie 1989). The age of this record may be Mid-Holocene (c. 5000 BP) but the presence of Rattus in the same layer indicates admixture with more recent material. There is apparently no written evidence that definitely indicates the presence of the Great Skua in the North Atlantic before 1605 (Furness 1987). A tarsometatarsus assigned to Catharacta sp. has been found in Neogene (probably Early Pliocene) deposits in North Carolina (Olson 1985, Becker 1987), but the absence of younger records makes it doubtful whether Catharacta has been continually present in the North Atlantic since the Tertiary. It may be noted that while fossil skuas are certainly quite rare, there are several Pleistocene records of all three species of Stercorarius from the West Palearctic. Recently one of us (FHC) has identified remains of a large individual, probably a female, of Catharacta skua in an epipalaeolithic layer in Cueva de Nerja near Malaga in southern Spain (Hernandez in prep.). The age of this layer is bracketed by C14 dates of 8770 + 140 BP and 13,330 + 270 BP (uncalibrated), and the remains are therefore either of latest Pleistocene or early Holocene age. Seabirds are unusually common in the Nerja deposits. In the epipalaeolithic layer Calonectris diomedea, Puffinus griseus, Morus bassanus, Phalacrocorax aristotelis, Pinguinus impennis and Uria aalge occur in addition to the Great Skua. The main interest of this record is that it provides a terminus ante quem for the colonisation of the North Atlantic by Catharacta. It is of course conceivable that the Nerja record might be from a vagrant antarctic bird, but the probability that such a vagrant should both penetrate into the Mediterranean and be preserved as a fossil must be exceedingly small. It would therefore seem that the Great Skua has been in the North Atlantic at least since the Early Holocene. This is consistent with the degree of differentiation of Catharacta skua and its closest congeners. Other bird populations that have been isolated since the end of the Pleistocene are either subspecies or barely separated at species level (Tyrberg 1991). It may be noted that the other Antarctic coloniser in the Northern Hemisphere, the Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis, which is strongly differentiated from the Antarctic Fulmar Fulmarus glacialoides, also has a rather longer fossil record. The oldest fossil of M. Walters 168 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) Fulmarus glacialis is from Skjonghelleren cave (Sunnmore) in Norway and is dated to c. 30,000 BP (Larsen et al. 1987). References: Becker, J. 1987. Neogene Avian Localities of North America. Smithsonian Institution Press. Cramp, 5. et al. 1983. Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Vol. 3. Oxford Univ. Press. Furness, R. W. 1987. The Skuas. T. &..A. D: Poyser, Calton. Larsen, E., Gulliksen, S., Lauritzen, S.-E., Lie, R., Lovlie, R. & Mangerud, J. 1987. Cave stratigraphy in Western Norway; multiple Weichselian glaciations and interstadial vertebrate fauna. Boreas 16: 267-292. Lie, R. 1989. Animal remains from the post-glacial warm period in Norway. Fauna norvegica Ser. A 10: 45-56. Olson, S. L. 1985. The fossil record of birds. Avian Biology. Vol. VIII: 79-238. Tyrberg, T. 1991. Arctic, montane and steppe birds as glacial relicts in the West Palearctic. Orn. Verh. 25: 29-49. Addresses: Tommy 'Tyrberg, Kimstadsvagen 37, S-610 20 Kimstad, Sweden. Francisco Hernandez Carrasquilla, Laboratorio de Arqueozoologia, Depto. Biologia, Univer- sidad Autonoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 On the status of Ara tricolor Bechstein by Michael Walters Received 7 September 1994 ‘The Cuban Macaw Ara tricolor formerly occurred on Cuba and the Isle of Pines. It has been extinct since around 1855 and about fifteen specimens survive 1n museums in Europe and North America. It was not unlike the Scarlet Macaw Ara macao, but was smaller and had a yellowish crown and yellow hindneck. The upper back was red, with green edges to the feathers, the lesser and median wing coverts darker red or maroon, the wings purplish blue, the tail red below and blue above with red bases to the feathers. Wetherbee (1985, 1986) transferred the name Ava tricolor Bechstein (1811) from the extinct Cuban Macaw to an also extinct form from Hispaniola, and renamed the former Ara cubensis. His arguments have gained acceptance by the American Ornithologists’ Union Committee (A.0.U. 1989). The basis of Wetherbee’s argument is that Cuba was ornithologically unknown until 1822, so that any species described before that date could not have come from Cuba. This is the only argument he puts forward to suggest that A. tricolor did not come from there, but it would only be valid if it could be shown that no species had been described from Cuba prior to that date. This is, however, not the case. A search of Bond (1956) reveals at least 4 species described from Cuba in the 18th century: Amazona leucocephala (Linnaeus 1758), Zenaida M. Walters 169 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) macroura (Linnaeus 1758), Melopyrrha nigra (Linnaeus 1758) and Tiaris canora (Gmelin 1789). Furthermore, there is an 18th century specimen of Ara tricolor in the Paris Museum (F. Roux pers. comm., discussed below). Wetherbee’s entire argument therefore collapses. Having believed he had shown that A. tricolor did not come from Cuba, Wetherbee then assumed (without any evidence) that it must have come from Hispaniola, and conducted a detailed search of French naval archives to try to show that the only person in the right place at the right time to have collected the first specimen of A. tricolor was the French naval captain Baudin in 1797 (Wetherbee 1988). These researches while probably accurate become irrelevant since there is no reason to doubt that Cuba was the correct locality. Wetherbee sought to differentiate the Cuban and _ Hispaniolan Macaws on the grounds that the former had red facial skin and the latter white, overlooking the fact that this is not a diagnostic character since it is well known that the white facial skin of a live macaw will flush to pink or red (George Smith pers. comm.). He further argued that Bechstein’s name must have referred to a specimen from Hispaniola, not Cuba, because the plate of Levaillant, on which his description is based, depicts a bird with white skin. As this is not a criterion on which differentiation can be based, Ara cubensis must become a synonym of Ara tricolor. The existence of a macaw on Hispaniola is known only from the accounts of Buffon (1779) and other early writers; no specimens are known to have been collected. Buffon noted that macaws were formerly very common in the eastern part of the island. A letter from one of his correspondents indicated that after the French settlements extended to the tops of the mountains, these birds became less common. Clark (1905) considered the bird to be the same as Ara tricolor. Rothschild (1905, 1907) disagreed, but never assigned it a name. Greenway (1967) discussed other early references to the Hispaniolan macaw, including the report that its forehead was white, not red, as in the Cuban macaw. Wetherbee may have misinterpreted ‘“‘forehead’’ as meaning the facial skin. Ara tricolor and the Hispaniolan bird probably formed a superspecies with a similar form, Ara gossez Rothschild, from Jamaica. This is known only from a specimen shot about 1765 by a Mr Odell, but no longer extant. It differed from tricolor mainly in having a bright yellow forehead (Gosse 1847). There is a further matter to be discussed. Barraband (not spelled Barraland, contra Wetherbee) was the artist who prepared the original water colour paintings for Levaillant’s Histoire Naturelle des Perroquets. In many cases these are of much higher quality and accuracy than the resultant published plates (George Smith pers. comm.). In 1988, Barraband’s supposed water colour for the plate of ““L’Ara tricolor’’ in Levaillant (1801) was reproduced in full colour in a sale catalogue (Sotheby’s Monaco 1988). This water colour appears to differ from all known published plates, and specimens, of Ara tricolor, in having the “shoulder” of the wing (the lesser wing coverts) bright red, the maroon area being confined to the median wing coverts. I consulted Dr F. Roux of Paris, who kindly advised me (pers. comm.) that the Muséum M. Walters 170 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) National d'Histoire Naturelle has two specimens of Ara tricolor, the older one being one of some 90 specimens remaining from the time of Bufton. It is without locality or date, but is believed by the Museum to have been the specimen on which Daubenton’s plate in the Planches enluminées (see below) was based. There is, however, no evidence that it was the specimen on which Barraband’s plate was based, the origin of which is at present a mystery. (The second specimen in Paris w as not received till 1842, and is therefore not relevant.) Bechstein’s name, tricolor, was based on Levaillant’s description, which was in turn based partly on the Planches enluminées (Daubenton 1771-86) and partly on a specimen in the Paris Museum, probably the one referred to by Roux above, but there is apparently no specimen which can confidently be claimed as a holotype of A. tricolor. Barraband’s water colour, therefore, does not appear to affect either the taxonomy or the nomenclature of tricolor, but raises the possibility that there may have been another taxon, of which we still know nothing. Acknowledgements Dr Clemency Fisher and Dr Gerlof Mees have kindly examined early drafts of this note, and are in agreement with my main conclusions. I am also grateful to both George Smith and Dr Carlo Violani for drawing my attention to the reproduction of the Barraband plate. References: A. O. U. 1989, Thirty-seventh Supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-List of North American Birds. Awk 106: 533-534. Bechstein, J. M. 1811. 7. Lathams Allgemeine Uebersicht der Vogel. Vol. 4, Th. 1, p. 64, pl.l. Bond, J. 1956. Check List of Birds of the West Indies. Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Buffon, G. L. L. Conte de. 1779. Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux. Vol. 6: 183. Clark, A. H. 1905. The Greater Antillean Macaws. Auk 22: 348. Daubenton, E. L. 1771-86. Planches Enluminées, no. 641. Gosse, P. H. 1847, Birds of Jamaica. Van Voorst, London. Greenway, J. C.. 1967, Extinct and Vanishing Birds of the World, 2nd ed. Dover Publications, New York. Levaillant, F. 1801, Histoire Naturelle des Perroquets. Vol. 1, p.13, pl. 5. A. Paris, Strasbourg. Rothschild, L. W. 1905. [Notes on extinct parrots.] Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 16: 14-15. Rothschild, L. W. 1907. Extinct Birds. Hutchinson & Co, London. Sotheby’s Monaco 1988. Bibliotheque Marcel Feanson Deuxiéme Partie, ornithologique, p. 118. Wetherbee, D. K. 1985. The Extinct Cuban and Hispaniolan Macaws (Avra, Psittacidae), and description of a new species, Ara cubensis. Caribbean Journal of Science 21: 169-175. Wetherbee, D. K. 1986. Les Petits Ara Rouges. Privately published. Wetherbee, D. K. 1988. The Hispaniolan versus Cuban origin of the type of Ara tricolor Bechstein (Psittacidae). Privately published. Address: The Natural History Museum, Akeman St., Tring, Hertfordshire HP23 6AP, URIS © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 S.N. G. Howell S S. Webb 171 Bull’, BrOLEN1995115(3) Species status of the Chestnut-throated Huet-Huet Pteroptochos castaneus by Steve N. G. Howell & Sophie Webb Received 11 October 1994 The tapaculos of the well-marked genus Pteroptochos are the largest members of the Rhinocryptidae, a poorly known Neotropical passerine family. From two to three species have been recognised in the genus: the distinctive Moustached Turca P. megapodius of central Chile, and one or two huet-huets, the Black-throated P. tarnit and Chestnut- throated P. castaneus, of Chile’s temperate forests. The two huet-huets are allopatric, the former occurring south of, and the latter north of, the Rio Bio-Bio (at latitude 37—-38° S). Philippi & Landbeck described P. castaneus as a full species in 1864. Subsequent opinions on_ its taxonomic status have mostly treated it as probably or certainly a race of P. tarnu (Hellmayr 1932, Behn 1944, Johnson 1967, Fjeldsa & Krabbe 1990, Sibley & Monroe 1990). Vuilleumier (1985), however, considered the huet-huets as allospecies, a conclusion followed by Ridgely & Tudor (1994) who noted that the two might nonetheless prove to be conspecific. We studied both huet-huets in the field during November and December of 1992 and 1993, and here provide the first critical description of the vocalizations of castaneus. Recordings were analysed by SNGH using a Kay Elemetrics DSP Sonograph, Model 5500. Dominant frequency was determined from a power spectrum (amplitude [dB] plotted against frequency [Hz]). We also examined 22 museum specimens (7 castaneus and 15 tarni, including adults and juveniles of both) at the American Museum of Natural History and the United States National Museum. Distinct differences in voice and plumage, together with ecology, indicate that the two huet-huets are best treated as separate species. Voice Previous authors have reported that the songs and calls of the two huet-huets were essentially the same. For example, Johnson (1967) noted that “the rich chestnut-red of the breast and abdomen [of castaneus| extends upwards to-cover the entire throat and sides of the head. With this exception the two forms appear identical ... and the same can be said of their habits and call-notes.’”’ Ridgely & ‘Tudor (1994) noted: “..%. vocalizations’ -[of castaneus. are]. similar? to Black-throated Huet-Huet’s’’, based on Johnson (1967) and our brief experience in 1992 of a single call of castaneus. Our subsequent field experience indicates that while the songs of the two huet-huets are similar, they are readily distinguishable in the field, as are the alarm calls. The song of castaneus (Fig. 1A) is an intensifying 172 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) S. N. G. Howell & S. Webb ‘]JOMOPT Aq SBuIpsioooy ‘sTBAIOJUT 9}0U-19}UT UY} 19ITOYS BUILT 1140] FO S9JOU JOM} ING JBBUOT SNSIVA ‘STBAIOIUT 9}OU-19}UT uk} 19dUO] Suruosaq sajou J10Ys Uday} pu saj}oU ATOJONpoO.IZUT JOS YIM ‘snauvjsv7 Jo Suos payoud-s9ysty Apysiys ‘pooed-s19zsej ION ‘s[BAdojUr ajou-sojyur Juasaida1 sivq popeysun ‘sajou juasoidar sieq popeys ‘swueisojsiy UT “(€H6] JOqWeaoN LI ‘qnyadng [euOIOeN onbieg {q pure gq) wus] “gq JON_{-JONFY poywosyy-yoryg pure (¢66] oquioaony gy “ele7] Jop vunse’y] [euoiowN anbieg {9 pue y) snauvzsv2 soys0idosaig JONF{-ION}FY Po}Vo1y}-nuysoyD Jo ssuos jo suuevssoysry pure survsasos99dG “| sins (d) (D) (s) SWIL 8 Z 9 G v € rA i 0 ee jaa zm (a) e m 5 (S) SWIL 2 L 9 S v € @ | 0 2 Se en ene ee ee One a ee we = eK Hh hd Lh Cc (v) S.N. G. Howell & S. Webb 173 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) series of resonant hoots, often with a slight quavering quality which may suggest a screech-owl (Otus). It is higher, softer, and faster-paced, less gruff, than the song of tarnz, lacking the deep, pulsating quality of that form. Songs consist of more notes (32—45) than tarni (20-29) and have a dominant frequency of 500-600 Hz. Notes overall are 0.04-0.15 s in duration, with inter-note intervals of 0.06-0.15 s (Fig. 1C). The first few notes are soft and the main part of the song consists of notes that increase from 0.07 to 0.13s in duration while the inter-note intervals decrease from 0.13 to 0.09 s; notes change quickly from being shorter than to longer than inter-note intervals, rather than changing from longer to shorter in tarnit (compare Fig. 1C and 1D). Thus, unlike tarniz, the song speeds up overall in tempo and ends abruptly. It may be written as weh-weh-weh-weh-wuubwuubWuubWuub .., and lasts about 6-8 s, with individual notes too fast to count (5 notes/s). We heard at least five birds singing this song type 1n two areas about 6 km apart in Parque Nacional Laguna del Laja, Bio-Bio prov. (37° 21’ S), and another bird singing along Highway 115, near Las Garzas, Talca prov. (35° 48’ S). The song of tarniz (Fig. 1B) is a powerful, pulsating, far-carrying series of deep, slightly resonant hoots. Songs we have recorded comprised 27-29 notes (Ridgely & Tudor [1994] reported 20-25 notes), with a dominant frequency of 400-500 Hz. Notes overall are 0.10-0.25 s in duration, separated by inter-note intervals of 0.12—-0.24 s (Fig. 1D). After the relatively long first three notes, the notes are fairly uniform in length, decreasing slightly overall from 0.15 to 0.12 s while the inter-note interval increases from 0.12 to 0.19 s (Fig. 1D). Thus the song slows overall in tempo and seems to run down slightly at the end; the last note is shortest (0.10 s) and separated from the rest of the song by a relatively long interval (0.24s). The song may be written as Woooh, WoohWoohWooh ...wuh, and lasts 7-9 s; the tempo is usually slow enough to count individual notes (3.5 notes/s). We have heard this song type throughout the range of tarni from Parque Nacional Nahuel Buta, Malleco prov. (37° 53’ S) to Puerto Aisen, Aisen prov. (45° 12'S). ‘The alarm calls of the two Huet-Huets are also quite different. This call in tarnu (Figure 2A) is a slightly liquid, powerful, relatively low-pitched, often persistent clucking, huet huet-huet-huet huet huet-huet, huet ... with up to ten notes in rapid series; the common two-note phrase is the onomatopoeic derivation of this species’ common name. (‘This is not the song as suggested by Fjeldsa & Krabbe [1990].) The call covers a greater frequency range than castaneus, with the energy concentrated in a low-pitched, drip-lke bulge (compared Figs 2A and 2B). When birds are excited, these calls are given most rapidly and are spaced 0.20-0.21 s apart. The alarm call of castaneus (Fig. 2B) is a quite different sounding, slightly nasal clucking, wehk wehk-wehk-wehk wehk-wehk wehk wehk .., which SNGH mistook for a squirrel when he first tape-recorded it, even though he was familiar with the analogous call of tarnii. The call lacks the energy concentration at low frequency of tarnii, sounds higher-pitched, and is faster-paced (notes 0).10—0.13 s apart) when birds are excited. S.N.G. Howell & S. Webb 174 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) (A) (B) FREQUENCY (KHz) =— «=O WwW AO ON TIME (s) Figure 2. Spectrograms of alarm calls of Black-throated Huet-Huet Pteroptochos tarnii (A), and Chestnut-throated Huet-Huet P. castaneus (B). Compare broader overall frequency range of tarniz, concentrated in a low-pitched, drip-like bulge, versus narrower frequency range of faster-paced castaneus calls. Locations and dates as Fig. 1. Recordings by Howell. In addition to these vocalisations, tarni in November and December frequently gave a variety of other calls. These included a gruff, intensifying woohr woohr woohr ...; varied series of loud, sharp, hollow hoots, the first note often slightly explosive, the series usually descending overall and increasingly slower-paced, wook! wook wook wook ...; a steady-paced, shorter series of hoots, wook wook wook .. .; and a single, loud, slightly hollow huuk! In contrast, other than songs and alarm calls, we heard only one castaneus give any other call type, and then only once, in 1992: a sharp nasal note followed by a steady-paced series of hollow hoots, wehk! wook wook wook ..., analogous to a call of tarni. Whether castaneus really is less vocal in general, or whether this difference may reflect some seasonal difference, related perhaps to nesting season, remains to be shown. Plumage Hellmayr (1932) and Ridgely & Tudor (1994) are the only authors to have noted differences other than throat and chest colour between the two huet-huets. For example, Fjeldsa & Krabbe (1990) dismissed the plumage differences as ‘“‘Ssp castaneus has throat rufous-chestnut like chest’’; and see the quote from Johnson (1967) at the start of the voice discussion. ‘The two huet-huets, in fact, look strikingly different. The forecrown, supercilium, throat, foreneck, and upper chest of castaneus are deep, rich chestnut; the auriculars, hindcrown, and hindneck are dark slaty blue-grey; a bold whitish eye-ring is more distinct in life than in skins S.N. G. Howell & S. Webb 175 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) Figure 3. Head and chest patterns of Chestnut-throated Huet-Huet Pteroptochos castaneus (A) and Black-throated Huet-Huet P. tarnii (B). Hatching represents slaty blue-grey in A, slaty grey in B; stippling represents chestnut in A, rufous in B. (Fig. 3A). The head, neck, upper chest, and back of tarni are overall dark slaty grey with a rufous crown patch extending back to the hindcrown; the eye-ring appears narrower than on castaneus (Fig. 3B). Besides the obvious pattern differences, the red on the crown is darker and less extensive, and the grey hindneck brighter and bluer in castaneus. The chest of castaneus 1s rufous, slightly paler than the foreneck, and with some paler barring, while the belly, flanks, and undertail coverts are boldly scalloped black, buff, and olive-tawny to rufous. The lower chest, belly, flanks, and undertail coverts of tarni are rufous with variable black and cinnamon scalloping. In the field the underparts of castaneus appear boldly scalloped, with obvious pale chevrons, whereas the underparts of tarnii appear rufous with fewer dark chevrons. Castaneus has slaty olive-grey upperparts, the rump washed with cinnamon-rufous and barred black and pale buff distally. The upperparts of tarnii are slaty grey, washed olive on the lower back, with the rump contrastingly rufous and barred black and cinnamon-buft distally. Thus the upperparts of castaneus are generally paler and browner, with more distinct pale rump bars, and lack the contrasting rufous rump of tarnit. The wings of castaneus are rich olive-brown with narrow whitish scallops on the lesser coverts, a cinnamon bar on the tips of the median coverts, and a broader and paler cinnamon-buff bar on the tips of the greater coverts; these wing-bars are distinct in the field. The wings of tarnu appear uniform slaty olive-brown overall, with dull and poorly contrasting chestnut tips to the coverts not visible in the field. The tail of tarni is blackish, darker than the blackish-brown tail of castaneus. S.N. G. Howell & S. Webb 176 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) Juveniles are duller overall than the adults. Relative to the adult, juvenile castaneus has an indistinct face pattern with the chestnut areas washed dusky and the grey areas washed brownish olive. The throat, foreneck, and underparts are dusky chestnut, mottled dusky pale cinnamon on the lower chest, with duller cinnamon bars on the belly, flanks, and undertail coverts. Juvenile tarni has the crown sooty grey with broad, dull rufous streaks; the rump and lower chest to undertail coverts are dusky chestnut with indistinct black bars. Ecology The two huet-huets live in somewhat different habitats, although this may be more due to different climate (particularly less rainfall as one moves north) than habitat choice per se by the birds. Tarni inhabits the forest floor and understory thickets (especially bamboo) of humid temperate rain forest. It also occurs in second-growth, logged areas where it tends to be restricted to streamsides, and other areas with sufficient undergrowth such as tall bamboo thickets. Castaneus inhabits the forest floor and understory (especially bamboo) of humid to semiarid forest, chaparral-woodland, and adjacent chaparral thickets where it may favour gullies with running water (and lusher vegetation). It thus occurs in drier and slightly more open habitats than tarniz. Both species are generally shy and elusive, especially when singing, and run quickly and silently with their tail held level or slightly cocked. Huet-huets are often most conspicuous when agitated, and giving their huet-huet call, when a bird may perch in the open on bamboo or tree branches, cocking and dipping its tail. Their very large feet with long claws are used for scratching in leaf litter to expose their insect food. The birds may scratch and dig with one foot at a time, like a chicken, or ‘jump-scratch’ with both feet simultaneously, a habit recalling the Emberizine towhees Pipilo and Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca of North America. These feeding techniques are shared with the other Pteroptochos species, the Moustached Turca P. megapodius. Fjeldsa & Krabbe (1990) questioned this foot-scratching behaviour since they knew of no tapaculos that fed in that manner. In fact, the presence of huet-huets can be detected readily by diagnostic raked or cleared areas on the forest floor. We have also watched the Ochre-flanked 'Tapaculo Eugralla paradoxa foraging by scratching and jump-scratching with its feet in bamboo litter. Further, in July 1994 SNGH watched Ocellated Tapaculos Acropternis orthonyx in Ecuador scratching with their feet, to the extent that they dug holes up to 15 cm deep in mats of loose, dead bamboo litter and remained there out of sight for minutes at a time, scratching loudly. Conclusions The differences in songs and calls of the two huet-huets are distinct, and appear consistent throughout the ranges of the two forms; also, we have not heard the songs or calls of one species within the range of the other. These vocal dissimilarities parallel the well-known and striking S. N. G. Howell 177 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) plumage differences. No signs of plumage intergradation have been reported although the two forms occur within a few km of one another, such as on either side of the mouth of the Bio-Bio river (Behn 1944, Ridgely & Tudor 1994). These plumage differences are greater than those among any subspecies and many closely related species of tapaculos. The two forms also occupy slightly different habitats. Thus we recommend that the doubt surrounding the species status of the Chestnut-throated Huet-Huet P. castaneus be removed, and that it be considered a full species, separate from the Black-throated Huet-Huet P. tarni Acknowledgements We thank Luis F. Baptista, at the California Academy of Sciences, for making available his sound analysis laboratory and for helpful comments on spectrogram interpretation. The curators and personnel at the American Museum of Natural History and U.S. National Museum allowed us to examine specimens in their care. Robert S. Ridgely kindly reviewed the manuscript. This is contribution 647 of Point Reyes Bird Observatory. References: Behn K., F. 1944. Contribucion al estudio del Pteroptochos castaneus Philippi et Landbeck. Hornero 8: 464-470. Fjeldsa, J. & Krabbe, N. 1990. Birds of the High Andes. Zool. Mus., Univ. Copenhagen. Hellmayr, C. E. 1932. The birds of Chile. Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Publ. 308. Zool. Series, Vol. 19:1-472. Johnson, A. W. 1967. The Birds of Chile and Adjacent Regions of Argentina, Bolivia and Peru. Vol. 2. Platt, Buenos Aires. Ridgely, R. S. & Tudor, G. 1994. The Birds of South America. Vol. 2. Oxford Univ. Press and Univ. Texas Press. Sibley, C. G. & Monroe, B. L. Jr. 1990. Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World. Yale Univ. Press. Vuilleumier, F. 1985. Forest birds of Patagonia: ecological geography, speciation, endemism, and faunal history. Pp. 255-304 in Buckley et al. (eds), Neotropical Ornithology. Ornithol. Monographs no. 36. Address: S. N. G. Howell and S. Webb, PRBO, 4990 Shoreline Highway, Stinson Beach, Calitouia 94970, U.S.A. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 A critique of Walters’ (1993) new bird records from Belize by Steve N. G. Howell Received 23 August 1994 Walters (1993) reported records of six species of birds from Belize (formerly British Honduras), Central America, based primarily on birds banded between 1960 and 1964 by W. P. Nickell. Although five of these species would represent first records for the country, a review of the records in a wider context casts doubt upon their authenticity. It should be remembered, however, that during the early 1960s little or no S.N. G. Howell 178 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) literature was available to correctly identify Central American birds in the field, or to evaluate the significance of such records. NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL Glaucidium gnoma Walters (1993) reported two records of birds banded in the vicinity of Mountain Pine Ridge, which he claimed to be an area of “highland pine forest’. He considered the records “‘not unexpected” since G. gnoma occurs in the highlands of Guatemala and Honduras. Elevations in Mountain Pine Ridge “range from 1000 to 3000 feet”’ (i.e. 300-900 m) (Russell 1964) and, despite the dominance of pines (Pinus caribaea, a species common at sea level in northern Central America), the avifauna is distinctly tropical, or at best marginally subtropical. Also, the two localities noted by Walters (1993), San Antonio and Guacamallo Bridge, are at lower elevations around the periphery of Mountain Pine Ridge proper, where pines meet humid evergreen forest. Species common at these sites include many widespread tropical lowland species such as White Hawk Leucopternis albicollis, Scaled Pigeon Columba speciosa, and Barred Antshrike Thamnophilus doliatus (pers. obs.). Further, the Ferruginous Pygmy- Owl G. brasilianum is common around San Antonio, as it is throughout the pines of Mountain Pine Ridge (pers. obs.), and the Central American Pygmy-Owl G. griseiceps (Howell & Robbins 1995), representative of the Least Pygmy-Owl complex, would also be expected at Guacamallo Bridge. The only Belize record for Least Pygmy-Owl noted by Russell (1964) was from ‘‘Southern [= Mountain] Pine Ridge’. (This species is characteristic of lowland rain forest (Howell & Robbins 1995) and is not common in Mountain Pine Ridge, as stated erroneously by Wood et al. (1986).) Although in Guatemala G. gnoma has been reported from 400-2600 m (Land 1970), this lower elevational limit is almost certainly in error, probably based upon Griscom (1931, 1932) who confused distinctions between the Northern and Least (G. minutissimum) pygmy-owl groups and mistakenly lumped the two. Records of G. gnoma from Honduras are from 1700-2000 m (Monroe 1968) and the species’ elevational range in southern Mexico is 2000-3000 m (Binford 1989, pers. obs.) which probably reflects its true distribution in Guatemala. Throughout its range, G. gnoma is a bird of temperate habitats. Thus I question the identification of birds banded in Belize as G. gnoma, a highland species otherwise unknown from that country, and which would, contra Walters (1993), be highly unexpected in tropical pine woods. WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE Contopus sordidulus The only prior report of this species from Belize is for December 1881 (Russell 1964, Wood et al. 1986). Since Western Pewees migrate primarily through the highlands of Mexico and Central America, and winter in South America (A.O.U. 1983, Howell & Webb 1995), this record is highly questionable, being out of range and out of season (e.g. the latest autumn date for Honduras is 11 October; Monroe 1968). Further, separation, even in the hand, of the sibling Western Pewee S.N. G. Howell 179 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) and Eastern Pewee (C. virens; a common passage migrant in Belize from early March to mid May) can be extremely difficult, and is not always possible (Pyle et al. 1986). The record reported by Walters (1993), and indeed this species’ place on the Belize list, is best considered hypothetical. CASSIN’S KINGBIRD Tyrannus vociferans This species winters south in the interior and on the Pacific Slope of Middle America to northwestern Guatemala, rarely to Honduras (A.0.U. 1983, Howell & Webb 1995); it is rarely recorded as a vagrant in well-watched areas of eastern North America (A.O.U. 1983). The basis for the Belize record listed by Wood et al. (1986) is unclear (D. 5S. Wood in litt.) and consequently the reports of Walters (1993) would constitute the first records for Belize. Although the occurrence of Cassin’s Kingbird in Belize is possible, I suggest that the species’ place on the Belize list, including the five undocumented records listed by Walters (1993), be considered hypothetical, since no other observers have reported this species from Belize; Cassin’s Kingbird is known from one record in Honduras (whence, presumably, spring migrants to Belize would originate); and field identification of kingbirds has been treated inadequately in bird guides for Mexico and Central America. WESTERN KINGBIRD T'yrannus verticalis While this species, which winters on the Pacific slope and in the interior of Middle America south to Costa Rica, could occur as a vagrant to Belize, its presence on the Belize list should be confirmed by more than an undocumented banding report from an_ observer responsible for other questionable records. GREY KINGBIRD Tyrannus dominicanus The two records reported by Walters (1993) fit into the pattern of two well-documented recent records (Howell et al. 1992), with all four occurring from 17 March to 3 April, and thus may have been identified correctly. HUTTON'S VIREO Vireo huttom Hutton’s Vireo has been attributed traditionally as occurring in Mountain Pine Ridge, Belize, based on an 1888 specimen (Russell 1964, Wood et al. 1986). However, Phillips (1992) examined this anomalous specimen and found that it is a Solitary Vireo V. solitarius, a small race of which has long been known as a resident in Mountain Pine Ridge. Thus there is no evidence for the presence of Hutton’s Vireo in Belize, and its occurrence there is at best highly unlikely on biogeographic grounds. Walters’ (1993) reports of Hutton’s Vireo from the southern hardwood forests of Belize, a habitat unknown for the species, are thus not credible. Perhaps, like the old specimen, they may refer to the Solitary Vireo, an apparently resident population of which was S.N. G. Howell 180 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) reported recently from the hardwood forests of southern Belize (Parker et al. 1993). ‘The questions surrounding the above records highlight the danger of relying on undocumented banding records from poorly known tropical localities and show that, even though a bird has been examined in the hand, it may not have been identified correctly. It also may be noted that the only two reports of Orange-crowned Warbler Vermivora celata from Belize, correctly considered hypothetical by Russell (1964), are birds captured for banding by Nickell in 1961. Thus the reports of Glaucidium gnoma and Vireo huttoni reported by Walters (1993) surely refer to misidentified birds, while the reports of Tyrannus vociferans, T. verticalis and Contopus sordidulus are at best considered hypothetical. I thank Stephen M. Russell for reviewing a copy of this note. References: American Ornithologists’ Union 1983. Checklist of North American Birds. 6th edn. A.O.U., Washington, D.C. Binford, L. C. 1989. A distributional survey of the birds of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Orn. Monogr. no. 43. Griscom, L. 1931. Notes on rare and little-known neotropical pygmy-owls. Proc. New England Zool. Club 12: 37-43. Griscom, L. 1932. The distribution of bird-life in Guatemala. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 64: 1-439. Howell, S. N. G., Dowell, B. A., James, D. A., Behrstock, R. A. & Robbins, C. S. 1992. New and noteworthy bird records from Belize. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 112: 235-244. Howell, S. N. G. & Robbins, M. B. 1995. Species limits of the Least Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium minutissimum) complex. Wilson Bull. 107: 7-25. Howell, S. N. G. & Webb, S. 1995. A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. Oxford Univ. Press. Land, H. C. 1970. Birds of Guatemala. Livingston Publishing Co., Wynnewood, Pa. Monroe, B. L. 1968. A distributional survey of the birds of Honduras. Orn. Monogr. MOM Parker, T. A. III, Holst, B. K., Emmons, L. H. & Meyer, J. R. 1993. A biological assessment of the Colombia River Forest Reserve, Toledo District, Belize. RAP working papers no. 3. Conservation International. Phillips, A. R. 1992. The Known Birds of North and Middle America. Part 2. Denver, Colorado. Published by author. Pyle, P., Howell, S. N. G., DeSante, D. F. & Yunick, R. P. 1986. Identification guide to North American passerines. Slate Creek Press, Bolinas, California. Russell, S. M. 1964. A distributional survey of the birds of British Honduras. Orn. Monogr. no. 1. Walters, R. 1993. Some records of birds from Belize, Central America, including three first records. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 113: 145-147. Wood, D. S., Leberman, R.C. & Weyer, D. 1986. Checklist of the birds of Belize. Carnegie Mus. Nat. Hist. Special Publ. 12. Address: Point Reyes Bird Observatory, 4990 Shoreline Highway, Stinson Beach, California 94970, U.S.A. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 P. A. Clancey 181 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) Taxonomic relationships in Namibian Black Tits Parus spp. by Ry Ad Clancey Received 5 November 1994 Resolution in taxonomic terms of the complex mosaic presented by the largely contiguous forms of three melanistic Parus spp. found to converge in the southwestern African interior has been addressed in several contributions to the periodic literature ever since Macdonald & Hall (1957) described Carp’s Tit Parus carpi from northwestern Namibia. These workers introduced carpi as a subspecies of the wide- ranging Southern Black Tit Parus niger Vieillot, and their understanding of its status was followed in Peters’ Check-List by Snow (1967), but rather earlier, in Clancey (1964), it had already been demonstrated that carpi was perhaps better associated with the White-winged Black ‘Tit Parus leucomelas Ruppell, and especially its southern race P. l. insignis Cabanis, described from central Angola (see also Clancey 1985). This last-named taxon is a strict endemic. of the extensive Brachystegia woodland savanna biome of a large swathe of south-central Africa, the so-called Miombo. Interestingly, Winterbottom (1971), after three major collecting expeditions to Namibia in the 1960s in association with the State Museum, concluded, erroneously, that carpi was a straight synonym of P. niger (=P. n. xanthostomus). Other melanistic congeners occurring in the more arid parts of the southern Afrotropics affect different woodland facies, except, 1n part, for P. niger ravidus Clancey, which is largely based on the Brachystegia savanna tracts of Zimbabwe and the Mozambique lowlands to the east. In the S.A.O.S. Checklist (Clancey 1980), the decision was made to treat carpi as a species distinct from both P. niger and P. leucomelas. This conclusion was based on the study of a large series of 68 examples of carpi (42 from Namibia and 26 from Angola) and a voluminous material of P. niger populations and of P. 1. insignis. In a major revisionary study of world parids, Eck (1988) associated carpi with the leucomelas group, while in a more recent comment on the disputatious issue of the status of carpi, Dowsett & Dowsett-Lemaire (1993) return to the view that it is simply a subspecies of P. niger, basing their conclusions on voice recordings, which are nevertheless equivocal in face of the range overlap of carpi and niger in north-central Namibia (C. J. Brown, pers. comm.). Findings in Namibia which go far to resolving the impasse which has developed over the status of carpi have recently been drawn to my attention by Dr C. J. Brown of the Directorate of Environmental Affairs, Windhoek. These findings result from team work carried out in recent years, especially in the Waterberg region at 20° 28'S, 17° 13’ E, on behalf of the Namibian Bird Atlas Project by Dr Brown and his co-workers, and substantiate the conclusion arrived at earlier on museum research and analysis carried out in South Africa, that two melanistic tit species are present in the Namibian avifauna. In the P. A. Clancey 182 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) WALIS 24° NG oh MS a, Figure 1. Sketch-map of Namibia and adjacent territories showing the points of range overlap between the melanistic tits occurring in the region south of the Kunene and Okavango Rivers. 1, Parus leucomelas insignis (allopatric); 2, Parus carpi; 3, Parus niger xanthostomus. The pointed apices of the range of P. n. xanthostomas on the left indicate the centres of overlap between it and P. carpi. (Based on data assembled for the Namibian Bird Atlas Project.) ORANGE RIVER Waterberg, the two parids are locally in contact, with the Southern Black Tit confined to the moist summit levels of the upland, being replaced peripherally at lower elevations in similar but drier habitat by Carp’s Tit. There is no indication that the two tits hybridize or behave in their contact zones as other than discrete species. Maps supporting these findings have kindly been made available for the present paper by Dr Brown, and form the basis for Figure 1. In the case of a second point of contact between the two tits located on the Kunene R. on the Namibian border with Angola at c. 14° 20’ E, such data as are available show it to be comparable in nature to the situation present further south in the South West Arid Zone where the Acacia Grey or Ashy Tit Parus cinerascens Vieillot meets the Southern Grey Parus afer Gmelin along the Orange R., again without hybridization (see Clancey 1958). ‘Turning to the relationship of P. carpi to the White-winged Black ‘Tit, one is faced with a lack of supporting field evidence from critical parts of southwestern Angola. With Angola still embroiled in civil war P. A. Clancey 183 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) and the southern and eastern parts of the state likely to remain hazardous to travellers for years to come because of land-mines, opinion on the taxonomic status of carpi vis-a-vis P. /. insignis must rest on the readily available specimen and ecological evidence. P. carpi exhibits affinity with zmszgnis in having the dorsal and ventral surfaces equally glossed blue-black in both sexes and the closed wing with a like largely unbroken white panel, but differs in its much smaller size and weaker bill, thus: P. carpi wings of 3d 80-84, of 92 74.5-80, tails 62-69, 61-68.5, culmens from skull 12-12.5, 11.5-12 mm; in P. 1. insignis $5 have wings 93-97, 29 86-91, tails 71-80.5, 71-76, culmens 14-15, 14-14.5 mm (after Clancey 1972). Other criteria are the whiter outer edges of the tail and the fact that the female has the face and upper fore-throat olive-brown, versus blue-black in insignis. Ecologi- cally the two parids are discrete, with carpi a denizen of arid bushveld associations, whereas insignis is an endemic form confined to the Brachystegia woodland savanna. There is no _ intergradation or hybridization between them at the present time, but elements of both may have been in sympatric contact at some long past stage of their history. The southern race of the White-winged Black Tit P. 1. insignis extends south, north of P. n. xanthostomus, to c. 15° S in Angola and Zambia, ranging east to southeastern Tanzania and adjacent Malawi in the high interior. Generally regarded as an endemic of the Miombo biome of south-central Africa, Benson et al. (1971) show that in Zambia at least it is more closely associated with bush in open country, as opposed to predominant Brachystegia woodland (Miombo), which there is favoured by P. n. xanthostomus. Its status to the west of Zambia is unclear, as its occurrence in the Angola/Namibian vegetational ecotone has not been closely studied, which habitat type favours niger rather than /Jeucomelas, which has, however, been taken south of Lubango in Huila in the southwest, and to the east in southern Angola at 15° S in Cuando-Cubango. The two melanistic tits here interdigitate in accord with vegetational shifts in the northern parts of the ecotone. P. 1. insignis differs from P. n. xanthostomus in its greater size, more glossy blue-black dorsal and ventral surfaces, whiter wing-panels and lack of white in the outer tail. For further data see Clancey (1972). The two tits are ecologically disparate, and are vocally readily distinguishable. In the case of the melanistic species present in Namibia, these may be differentiated from both P. /. insignis and one another on the basis of the following criteria. Parus niger Parus niger xanthostomus Shelley, 1892: Victoria Falls, Zambezi R.., Zimbabwe. Synonym: Parus fuelleborni Reichenow, 1900: Undis, Songea district, Tanzania (see Eck 1988). Male with upperparts muted glossed blue-black; underside more matt black with dull blackish ‘shadow’ abdominal streak and greyish flanks. Female with less blackish underside than male, the face and ventral surface deep olivaceous grey. Wings of 33 85-89, 2° 80-84, tails 72.5-78, 70-77, culmens from skull 12.5-13, 11.5-13 mm. P. A. Clancey 184 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) Range. East and north-east of P. carpi in Namibia and southern Angola east to Botswana and the mid-Zambezi valley south of P. /. insignis, east locally to the Luangwa Valley, Zambia, Malawi, adjacent northern Mozambique and marginally in southeastern ‘Tanzania beyond the limits of the Miombo biome. In bushveld associations with rainfall generally >500mm_ p.a. The small Waterberg, Namibia, population forms an isolate, surrounded by carpzt. Parus carpi Parus carpi Macdonald & Hall, 1957: Warmquelle, Kaokoland, Namibia. Differs from P. n. xanthostomus in being deeper and glossier blue-black over the upperparts, the underside similar. Wing with a largely unbroken white panel over the coverts, extending to the remiges. Size much smaller and bill shorter and more gracile. Sexes virtually alike, but female with face and upper fore-throat washed with olive-brown. Measurements given above in text. Range. Central and northern Namibia from 24° S north, west of the Etosha Pan, to the lower Kunene R., thence through southwestern Angola west of the escarpment to Mocamedes, western Huila and Benguela to about 12°S. Occurs in a zone of contact—with P. n. xanthostomus in the Waterberg to the south of the Etosha Pan and again in riverine woodland where the Kunene first enters Namibian territory. Affects a drier bushveld habitat than P. n. xanthostomus, with rainfall <500 mm p.a. Comment. The taxa P. n. xanthostomus and P. carpi comprise a case of secondary contact, resulting from a recent range expansion by the former. Instructively, the entire southern assemblage of melanistic forms presents a highly confusing distributional mosaic, with P. n. niger Vieillot: eastern Cape, like xanthostomus also occurring in a bushveld habitat and resembling it closely in plumage characters. These two forms are now separated by the intrusive P. n. ravidus Clancey, described from ‘Mkien’, near Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, centred on the Brachystegia woodland savanna lying to the south of the middle and lower Zambezi in both Zimbabwe and southern Mozambique, in which taxon the largely unbroken white wing panel, characteristic of Miombo black tit populations further north in the Afrotropics, is once again to be found. It differs from them, however, in the female plumage, which is very light greyish below. To conclude, it is now established that the two melanistic tits in Namibia are taxonomically and ecologically distinct, mainly allopatric species which are narrowly sympatric at two points. A comparable but more extended condition of contact is presented where the Southern Black Tit P. n. xanthostomus meets the White-winged Black Tit P. /. insignis in southern Angola and regions to the east; the two species are here abruptly separated along ecological (biome) lines, and do not hybridize. The complex of tit taxa currently present in the Southern African Sub-Region derives from environ- mental factors underlying a phase of widespread speciation in the recent past. In Brief 185 Bull, BLOr Es 1995515 (3) Acknowledgements I am deeply indebted to Dr C. J. Brown of the Namibian Directorate of Environmental Affairs, Windhoek, for kindly drawing my notice to the important work on melanistic tits recently carried out by him and members of his Namibian Bird Atlas Project team and for furnishing supportive range maps and data arising from their joint field research in Namibia. References: Benson, C. W., Brooke, R. K., Dowsett, R. J. & Irwin, M. P. S. 1971. The Birds of Zambia. Collins. Clancey, P. A. 1958. Taxonomic notes on two southern African species of Paridae. [bis 100: 451-453. Clancey, P. A. 1964. Subspeciation in the Black Tit Parus niger Vieillot. Durban Mus. Novit. 7: 167-173. Clancey, P. A. 1972. The status of Parus niger carpi Macdonald & Hall, and a regrouping of some populations of the Parus niger Vieillot, sens. strict. complex. Durban Mus. Novit. 9: 236-244. Clancey, P. A. 1985. The Rare Birds of Southern Africa. Winchester Press, Johannesburg. Clancey, P. A. (ed.) 1980. S.A.O.S. Checklist of Southern African Birds. Southern African Ornithological Society, Johannesburg. Dowsett, R. J. & Dowsett-Lemaire, F. 1993. Comments on the taxonomy of some Afrotropical bird species. Tauraco Research Report 5: 367-369, Fig. 10. Eck, S. 1988. Gesichtspunkte zur Art-Systematik der Meisen (Paridae) (Aves). Zool. Abhandl. Staat. Mus. Tierk. Dresden 43: 101-134. Macdonald, J. D. & Hall, B. P. 1957. Ornithological results of the Bernard Carp/Transvaal Museum expedition to the Kaokoveld, 1951. Ann. Transv. Mus. 23: 1-39. Snow, D. W. 1967. Family Paridae im Peters’ Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 12. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard. Winterbottom, J. M. 1971. A Preliminary Check List of the Birds of South West Africa. South West African Scientific Society, Windhoek. Address: Dr P. A. Clancey, Research Associate, Durban Natural Science Museum, P.O. Box 4085, Durban 4000, South Africa. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 IN BRIEF ADDITIONAL RECORDS OF RANGE EXTENSION IN THE HOUSE CROW CORVUS SPLENDENS Further to the review of the distribution of the House Crow Corvus splendens published recently in this journal (Ryall 1994), other supplementary reports have now come to light and are presented below. Europe Netherlands ‘Two House Crows were discovered at Hoek van Holland on 10 April 1994 and at least one was still present in late May 1995. They feed primarily on leftovers from several fish restaurants but also forage around the piers of the adjacent waterway, the Nieuwe Waterweg, which they have crossed on at least one occasion (G. Steinhaus). They often associate with Jackdaws C. monedula when feeding and roosting in tall trees in the area. In Brief 186 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) ‘The closeness of this site to a major shipping route and port suggests their arrival on board a ship. At least one of the birds appears to be a juvenile and probably of the nominate race (pers. obs.), judging from a photograph published in Dutch Birding 16(4). Middle East Oatar House Crows have recently been seen in Qatar (F. E. Warr), presumably having spread from the neighbouring territories where the species 1s well established. Africa Republic of South Africa A pair of birds and two single birds were seen at Cape Flats, Cape ‘Town, in December 1989 and January 1990, respectively (Watt-Pringle 1990). The Americas U.S.A. The first reported sighting of a House Crow in North America was of a single bird seen in New Jersey in June 1971 (Gill 1985). It was suspected as having arrived aboard a ship. Nugent (1984) saw a House Crow at Mount Pleasant near Charleston, South Carolina, in October 1984. He recalled that one was seen to fly ashore from an Indian cargo vessel in Charleston Harbour in September 1974, and that another, presumably the same bird, was seen at nearby Mount Pleasant shortly afterwards. A series of further sightings were made in the area over the following 2 years (Post et al. 1988) and the authors speculated that all these records involved a single bird, despite the time span of 12 years. Chile ‘There has been an unconfirmed report by a Chilean ornithologist of two birds closely resembling House Crows in the port of Punta Arenas, where they have stayed through the austral summer of 1993/4 (S. Madge). ‘These supplementary records for the Middle East and southern Africa reflect expansions of populations already well established in the region. The records on the east coast of the U.S.A., and most probably in Chile, represent long distance extensions of the House Crow’s range. I would like to thank G. Steinhaus, F. E. Warr and S. Madge for providing recent information on the species. References: Gill, F. B. 1985. Mystery crow in New Jersey [Letter to Editor]. Birding 17: 188-190. Nugent, P. 1984. Observations. Lesser Squawk 35: 4. In Brief 187 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) Post, W., Nugent, P. & Elliot, W. W. 1988. Indian house crow in Charleston County, S.C.: Second sighting for North America. The Chat 52: 38-39. Ryall, C. 1994. Recent extensions of range in the House Crow Corvus splendens. Bull. Bnit. Orn. Cl. 114: 90-100. Watt-Pringle, S. 1990. House crows in Cape Flats. Promerops 192: 8. Farnborough College of Technology, COLIN RYALL Boundary Road, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 6SB, WEKe 15 July 1994 FIRST RECORD- OF THE NORTHERN GIANT PETREL MACRONECTES HALLI FOR BRAZILIAN WATERS The Northern Giant Petrel Macronectes halli is found in the southern seas, from 55 to 25°S, commonly north of the Antarctic Convergence, but occasionally reaching 15°S in cold water zones (Harrison 1987). In eastern South America the species now breeds in South Georgia, being found along the coast up to Uruguay (Harrison 1985, Sick 1993). Specimens of Macronectes positively identified in Brazilian waters have all been found to belong to the sibling species MW. giganteus, which is fairly commonly recorded during the winter (from July to late September) from Rio Grande do Sul to Rio de Janeiro (Belton 1984, Vooren & Fernandes 1989, Moraes & Krull 1993, Sick 1993, Olmos et al. 1995), with a summer record from Sao Paulo (Olmos et alk 1995). On 27 September 1994 an immature bird, with plumage agreeing with the second stage juvenile of Harrison (1985), was found dead on the beach at Ilha Comprida (c. 24°50'S, 47°45’W), southern coast of Sao Paulo state. The bird was very fresh, but had already been attacked by Turkey Vultures Cathartes aura, which had removed all viscera and most muscle. Measures of the fresh bird were: bill 105, wing 510, tail 157 and tarsus 105 mm. The rosy bill showed the diagnostic reddish point in both maxillae. The prepared skin is now at the Museu de Zoologia of the Universidade de Sao Paulo (MZUSP). During the previous two days of the finding, strong winds from southeast blew along the entire state coast, bringing many dead and dying seabirds and cetaceans. Along the 70 km-long beach of Ilha Comprida we also found five Manx Shearwaters Puffinus puffinus, eight Brown Boobies Sula leucogaster, one Yellow-nosed Albatross Diomedea chlororhynchus, three White-chinned Petrels Procellaria aequinoctialis, one (live) South Polar Skua Catharacta maccormicki and one (live) Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus. A Rough-toothed Dolphin Steno bredanensis had also stranded. The impact of such strong winds on seabirds in southeastern Brazil has been discussed by Olmos et al. (1995). Compared to Macronectes giganteus, M. halli is considered to be more sedentary (Harrison 1983), which may account for its rareness in Brazilian waters. Nevertheless observation cruises off the Brazilian coast have been too few to make safe assessments about the status of Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic migrants there. In Brief 188 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) We wish to thank Antonio and Cleide Neves for providing transport and the pleasure of their company during fieldwork. Dr. Helio Camargo from the MZUSP also assisted us in safeguarding the specimen. W. C. A. Bokermann made relevant comments on other Macronectes records from Sao Paulo. Special thanks to Miriam Milanelo for support and patience during all parts of our work. References: Harrison, P. 1985. Seabirds: an identification guide (revised edn). Croom Helm, London. Moraes, V. S. & Krul, R. 1993. Programa de recuperacao de aves marinhas debilitadas. Anais IIT Congresso Brasileiro de Ornitologia, Pelotas RS. Olmos, F., Martuscelli, P., Silva e Silva, R. & Neves, T. S. 1995. The sea-birds of Sao Paulo, southeastern Brazil. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 115: 117-128. Sick, H. 1993. Birds in Brazil: a Natural History. Princeton Univ. Press. Vooren, C. M. & Fernandes, A. C. 1989. Guia de Albatrozes e Petréis do Sul do Brazil. Sagra Editora, Porto Alegre. Instituto Florestal de Sao Paulo, PAULO MARTUSCELLI Caixa Postal 194, Peruibe, SP, 11750-970, Brazil. Instituto Florestal de Sao Paulo, FABIO OLMOS €.P5i322):Sao0;Paulo4 SP; 01059-970, Brazil. Departamento de Biologia, ROBSON SILVA E SILVA Universidade Santa Cecilia dos Bandeirantes, Santos, SP, 11100, Brazil. 20 October 1994 FIRST RECORD OF GIANT SNIPE GALLINAGO UNDULATA FOR BOLIVIA The Giant Snipe Gallinago undulata is known from scattered localities in open marshy areas and savanna in lowland South America, primarily at subtropical latitudes, north and south of the Amazon Basin. Although recorded from Brazil and Paraguay, no definite record existed previously for adjacent Bolivia (Remsen & Traylor 1989, contra Olrog 1968, Meyer de Schauensee 1970). I tape-recorded the nocturnal display calls of Gallinago undulata on 6 April 1993 at Flor d’Oro, Parque Nacional Noel Kempff Mercado, department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, coordinates 13°32'S, 61°00'W, elevation about 200 m. Flor d’Oro is on the western bank of the Rio Itenez (called the Rio Guaporé in Brazil), which forms the border with Brazil. The bird displayed at 21.00 hrs, about 2 hours after dusk; it was calling from the direction of savanna habitat, similar to that depicted and described in Haverschmidt (1974). The Flor d’Oro savanna is also on sandy oil, completely covered with grass, and dotted with shrubs and short trees. It also has low-lying areas with ankle-deep water, at least in March and April (the end of the rainy season). As in the locality described by Haverschmidt, the South American Snipe Gallinago In Brief 189 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) 0.5 kHz Osec. 1 2 3 "4 Figure 1. Display call of Giant Snipe Gallinago undulata at Flor d’Oro, Bolivia, April 1993. Tape-recorded by the author. paraguaiae also occurs in the Flor d’Oro savanna. In fact, both species are heard displaying on my tape-recording. Sick (1993) also stated that G. undulata is often syntopic with G. paraguaiae. The display call of G. undulata (Fig. 1) is described by Sick (1993) as “... 2-5 sonorous cries like ‘HO-go, go’ or ‘Ga-ga, ga’ with a human timbre, translated by country people as ‘agua-s0, o-rapaz’, or ‘rola-pau’.’’ Sick stated that these calls are uttered high in the air. He also mentioned a loud buzz, presumably a mechanical sound produced in flight, as in various other snipes. I was not able to verify whether the calls came from the air, nor did I hear the buzz, perhaps because the bird displayed quite far away. I thank Gregory F. Budney and his collaborators at Cornell Library of Natural Sounds for providing a sonagram of a known recording of G. undulata, and Torben Dabelsteen at the Zoological Museum in Copenhagen for letting me use the Kay Sonagraph. I also thank J. V. Remsen for reviewing the manuscript. References: Haverschmidt, F. 1974. The occurrence of the Giant Snipe Gallinago undulata in Surinam. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 94: 132-134. Remsen, J. V. Jr. & Traylor, M. A. Jr. 1989. An Annotated List of the Birds of Bolivia. Buteo Books, Vermillion, South Dakota. Sick, H. 1993. Birds in Brazil, a Natural History. Princeton Univ. Press. Ter Meulenplantsoen 20, SJOERD MAYER 7524 CA Enschede, The Netherlands. 21 October 1994 In Brief 190 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) THE NAME OF A PROPOSED EASTERN RACE OF THE GREENSHANK In a short contribution on geographical variation determined in the Eurasian Greenshank Tringa nebularia (Gunnerus), 1767: Trondheim, Norway, based on a study of the entire series in the collection of The Natural History Museum, Tring, during the course of a visit in September 1985, I advocated recognition of a far eastern race (see Clancey 1986, Durban Mus. Novit. 14: 8-9). Currently, this Palaearctic wader is treated as monotypic, but the extensive synonymy given in Hartert, Vog. pal. Fauna, vol. 2, 1912-1921, pp. 1614-1615, and Hartert & Steinbacher, Evrgdnz., 1932-1938, p.478, reveals that many earlier researchers were fully aware that the species varied morphologically to a greater or lesser extent. The Tring series revealed that far eastern birds in freshly assumed non-breeding dress were markedly paler dorsally than the western differentiates, with broader and whiter feather edgings to both the upper-parts and wings, and ranged somewhat larger in size (as determined many years ago by Vigors. 1831). The breeding range. of this \eastern” forms of ithe Greenshank seemingly extends from Siberia east of the Yenesei R. to the Anadyr region, Kamchatka and the coasts of the Sea of Okhotsk, with transient birds occurring numerously after breeding throughout China and the Indo-Chinese countries to winter in Indonesia and the Philippines, south to Australasia. Only a single African specimen agreed with the eastern form, that being a skin from Mazabuka, Zambia (5 April 1932). Afrotropical material studied both at Tring and in southern African collections is characteristic of western breeders, which winter mainly in Africa and along the southern Asiatic coasts to the east. In the 1986 contribution it was suggested the issue of a sub- specific name for the eastern race could be resolved by resusci- tating Brehm’s Glottis albicollis of 1855, with type-locality ‘“‘Asia, north-eastern Africa, seldom in south-eastern Europe’’. On recon- sidering the case, the over-riding requirements of priority and appositeness are seemingly to be better met by employing the much earlier Totanus glottoides Vigors, Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1831, p. 173: Himalayas, the type-locality here adjusted to the eastern Himalayas in order to embrace the far eastern Palaearctic breeders which pass through China and adjacent Indo-Chinese countries after nidification. ‘This adjustment takes into consideration the widespread occurrence of nominate 7. nebularia in eastern and peninsular India, as mentioned in the 1986 contribution, which clearly negotiate or otherwise circumvent the main Himalayan and Tibetan barrier to the immediate west. The trinomen of the eastern subspecies of Greenshank will now stand as Tringa nebularia glottoides (Vigors), 1831: eastern Himalayan Mountains. Durban Natural Science Museum, P.A. CLANCEY P.O. Box 4085, Durban 4000, South Africa. 1 September 1994 In Brief 191 Bull, BOVE 1995" 115 (3) AMERICAN DIPPER CINCLUS MEXICANUS IN VENEZUELA Three species in the genus Cinclus occur in the Americas: the Rufous-throated Dipper C. schulzi in northwestern Argentina and adjacent Bolivia, the White-capped Dipper C. leucocephalus in Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and northwestern Venezuela; and the American Dipper C. mexicanus from Alaska to western Panama (Ridgey & Tudor 1989, Sibley & Monroe, 1991). (The record of an American Dipper on the river Cana in Darien, eastern Panama, is not now accepted; R. S. Ridgely zn Jitt.) In 1992 and 1994 an expedition of the Moravian Museum visited some parts of Venezuela. Among the places visited was the montane rainforest of San Esteban in Carabobo State. Despite the fact that this locality is situated in a densely populated area along the coast northwest of Caracas it is, owing to its difficult access, the steep mountain slopes, and the nature protection policy, surprisingly fresh and well preserved. The expedition found shelter in an abandoned cottage on the slope of a valley about 4km above the village of San Esteban near the port of Puerto Cabello. This cottage is surrounded by a former cocoa and banana plantation which is being rapidly overgrown by the surrounding forest. The San Esteban stream runs down the valley, with countless rapids and waterfalls, and the river-bed is strewn with boulders. Squeezed between the steep forested slopes are numerous pools with crystal-clear water. Along this stream the members of our team regularly observed uniformly brownish-grey dippers, at elevations of about 500-900 m. Walking against the current of the stream is very difficult and, in some places, impossible without special equipment. The stream is, however, more or less followed by a path, which in places goes down to the water. Thus it was possible to climb up into the hills to a spot called by the local people ‘the Spanish bridge’ (the remains of a bridge from the times of Spanish colonisation). The dippers were observed along the entire 4-5 km long section of the stream, from our base at the cottage up to the ruins of the bridge. In March 1992 we repeatedly saw three birds, and in February 1994 four. We are very familiar with the European Dipper C. cinclus; it is hardly possible to confuse it with any other bird. The birds that we saw at San Esteban were exactly the same in appearance and behaviour as their European counterparts, including their flight call. They bobbed in typical manner, perched on rocks in the stream, and when disturbed would fly low over the water to another rock. When we waded upstream (collecting different kinds of fish for subsequent check of parasitic contamination), a dipper would fly ahead of us in this way, for some distance, then suddenly turn round and fly back past us, presumably having reached the end of its territory. We did not, however, try to study their feeding behaviour, so cannot say anything about their swimming or walking underwater. As far as we could tell, these birds agreed closely in plumage colour with the American Dipper, and we assume that they must have been of this species. But, being so isolated from the rest of the species (by c. 1600 km), they may well be subspecifically distinct. In Brief 192 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) Our expedition to Venezuela was made at the invitation of a non-governmental organization FUDECI, by its president the late Dr Francisco Carillo Batalla. We are grateful to Dr Robert S. Ridgely for commenting on.an earlier draft of this paper. References: Ridgely, R. S. & Tudor, G. 1989. The Birds of South America. Vol. 1. Oxford Univ. Press. Sibley, C. G. & Monroe, B. C. Jr. 1991. Distribution and Taxonomy of the Birds of the World. Yale Univ. Press. Moravian Museum, J. DUNGEL Zelny trh 6, M. SEBELA 659 37 Brno, Czech Republic 28 November 1994 Books Received Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(3) BOOK RECEIVED Howell, Steve N. G. & Webb, Sophie 1995. A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. Pp. xvit851. 71 coloured plates, 44 text-figures, maps. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-854013-2 (Hbk), 0-19-854012-4 (Pbk). £25.00 (Pbk). 23.5 x 16cm. This impressive book, by authors (Sophie Webb also the artist) who have published many of their original findings in this Bulletin, deals with 1060 species and fills a major gap in the world coverage of birds in up-to-date guides. Between it and the Stiles & Skutch work on Costa Rica, only a fraction of Honduras and the greater part of Nicaragua remain uncovered. It follows a pattern that is now more or less standard for modern guides of this kind, with colour plates in a block in the middle and text for each species that deals in detail with identification (including voice), summarises habitat, and gives information on distribution by means of a map (surely the most accurate available for this part of the world) supplemented by abbreviated notes on status, abundance, movements and altitudinal range. The colour plates are generally excellent, 7 showing raptors in flight outstanding. As a guide to one of the ornithologically richest parts of the world, this book is unlikely to be superseded for a very long time. NOTICE TO CONTRIBUTORS Papers, from Club Members or non-members, should be sent to the Editor, Dr D. W. Snow, The Old Forge, Wingrave, Aylesbury, Bucks HP22 4PD, U.K., and must be offered solely to the Bulletin. ‘They should be typed on one side of the paper, with treble-spacing and a wide margin, and submitted in duplicate. The style and lay-out should conform with usage in this or recent issues of the Bulletin. A contributor is entitled to 10 free offprints (16 if 2 or more authors) of the pages of the Bulletin in which his contribution, if one page or more in length, appears. Additional ofiprints or offprints of contributions of less than one page may be ordered when the manuscript is submitted and will be charged for. Authors may be charged for proof corrections for which they are responsible. MEMBERSHIP Only Members of the British Ornithologists’ Union are eligible to join the Club; applications should be sent to the Hon. ‘Treasurer, as below, together with the annual subscription (£8.50 or, if preferred, U.S. $22 for 1995, postage and index free). Changes of address and any correspondence concerning membership should be addressed to the Hon. Treasurer. SUBSCRIPTION TO THE BULLETIN & OTHER PUBLICATIONS The Bulletin (Vol. 115 onwards) may be purchased by non-members on payment of the annual subscription (£20 or, if preferred, U.S. $40 for 1995, postage and index free). Applications should be sent to the Hon. Treasurer. Single issues may be obtained as back numbers. BACK NUMBERS OF THE BULLETIN Available on application to the Hon. Treasurer. PAYMENTS TO HON. TREASURER Payments should be sent to the Hon. Treasurer, S. J. Farnsworth, Hammerkop, Frogmill, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berks SL65NL, U.K., or credited direct to the Club’s bank account—No. 10211540, Sort Code 20 00 87, at Barclays Prime Account, Dale House, Wavertree Boulevard, Liverpool L7 9PQ, U.K., with confirmation to the Hon. Treasurer. All payments are net and should be in Sterling if possible. Payment in other currencies must include a further £4 for U.K. Bank Charges (except for annual rates in U.S. Dollars which are inclusive). CORRESPONDENCE Correspondence on all other matters should go to the Hon. Secretary, Mrs A. M. Moore, 1 Uppingham Road, Oakham, Rutland LE15 6JB, U.K. For details of Club Meetings see inside front cover. CONTENTS GUUBENOTICES 5 ..2s eave eben ies 6 ahs, Sania S RUMOR a Soaele Seca DS RA a RESTALL, R. Proposed additions to the genus Lonchura (Estrildinae) ......... PACHECO, J. F. & WHITNEY, B. M. Range extensions for some birds of northeastern BPA rece weenie a ele sees @alg sen Sigs ey cae cekay «AGES ROL OR eal LONDEI, ae) | ield motesyon iconvids ini Ee thiopias iy neieie es ieee TYRBERG T. & CARRASQUILLA, F. H. First fossil record of the Great Skua....... WALTERS at. Onithe status of 47a inecolon Bechstein.) tee eee eee HOWELL, S. N. G. & WEBB, S. Species status of the Chestnut-throated Huet-Huet Pteroptoches castaneus. os cose ee oe ee HOWELL, S.N. G. A critique of Walters’ (1993) new bird records from Belize. . . CLANCEY, P., A. ‘Taxonomic relationships in Namibian Black Tits Parus spp... . In Brief RyALL, c. Additional records of range extension in the House Crow Corous splendens:s 5 ces cin ee oe eae ee MARTUSCELLI, P., OLMOS, F. & SILVA E SILVA, R. First record of the Northern Giant Petrel Macronectes halli for Brazilian waters .... MAYER, S._ First record of Giant Snipe Gallinago undulata for Bolivia. CLANCEY, P. A. The name of a proposed eastern race of the Greenshank agg 8 ie oi NES ee DUNGEL, J. & SEBELA, M. American Dipper Cinclus mexicanus in Venezuela ouch 00 Se i SUR Ss ines e005) a eee aa ISXOKONS INTC INAH) GG ois biavS G66 OOO Go OOO Ob HOS O MOOD OOO OO Ob OOS Oa Oe OS Other Publications: The Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club Volume 112a Centenary Issue “AVIAN SYSTEMATICS AND TAXONOMY” Edited by Dr J. F. Monk with a Preface by Professor Ernst Mayr Price £32.00 (US$64.00) including postage/packing “EXTINCT AND ENDANGERED BIRDS IN THE COLLECTIONS OF THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM” by Dr A. G. Knox & M. P. Walters Price £30.00 (US$60.00) including postage/packing 191 192 The Bulletin is despatched from the printers on publication and is sent by Surface Saver Postal Services to all European destinations outside the U.K. and by Air Saver Postal Services to destinations outside Europe. Those whose subscriptions have not been received by the beginning of a month of publication will have their copies despatched by surface mail, after their current subscription has been paid. COMMITTEE D. Griffin (Chairman) (1993) Revd T. W. Gladwin (Vice-Chairman) (1993) Dr D. W. Snow (Editor) (1991) S. J. Farnsworth (Treasurer) (1990) Mrs A. M. Moore (Hon. Secretary) (1989) R.E. F. Peel (1993) Miss H. Baker (1994) Dr R. Prys-Jones (1995) N. H. F. Stone (1995) Printed on acid-free paper. Published by the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB and printed by Henry Ling Ltd., at the Dorset Press, Dorchester, Dorset ISSN 0007-1595 Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club Edited by Dr D. W. SNOW SM\T HS ONTayy FEB 15 1996 LIBRARIES Volume 115 No. 4 December 1995 FORTHCOMING MEETINGS Tuesday, 23 January 1996. Professor R. J. Chandler will speak on “Waders in Western Australia’”’. Professor Chandler, of Imperial College, will be well known to members of the Club particularly for his outstanding photography of birds, especially waders. Please note change to previously published programme. Those wishing to attend are asked to send notification by Tuesday, 9 Fanuary 1996, to the Hon. Secretary Designate.* Tuesday, 20 February 1996. James A. Jobling will speak on his researches for his Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. The Dictionary is much appreciated by all who have an interest in ornithology. Mr Jobling is presently working on the second edition and is also preparing the etymological notes for future volumes of HANZAB and working on a dictionary of English bird-names. Those wishing to attend are asked to send notification by Tuesday, 6 February 1996, to the Hon. Secretary Designate .* Saturday, 23 March 1996—9.30 a.m.—A one day Joint Meeting arranged with the LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON “Avian Taxonomy—from Linnaeus to DNA” to be held at the Society at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London. For details of this meeting please see the leaflet enclosed in Bull. B.O.C. 115(3) or apply to the Hon. Secretary (address below). Tuesday, 23 April 1996. Mr David Fisher will speak on “Birds of Mongolia’. Those wishing to attend are asked to send notification by Tuesday, 9 April 1996, to the Hon. Secretary Designate.* *Cdr M. B. Casement, OBE, RN, Dene Cottage, West Harting, Petersfield, Hampshire GU31 5PA Telephone and Fax (01730) 825280 for late acceptances and cancellations. Evening meetings are held in the Sherfield Building of Imperial College, South Kensington, London at 6.15 p.m. for 7 p.m. A map showing Imperial College will be sent to members on request. Overseas Members visiting Britain are particularly welcome at meet- ings. Details can be obtained from the Hon. Secretary, 1 Uppingham Road, Oakham, Rutland LE15 6JB. Telephone (01572) 722788. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 Apart from single copies made for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under UK law, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, except with prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to ane Editor; for address see inside back cover. 193 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) Bulletin of the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Vol. 115 No. 4 Published 29 December 1995 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The Annual General Meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Club was held in the Ante-room of the Sherfield Building, Imperial College, London SW7 on Tuesday 23 May 1995 at 6 p.m. Mr D. Griffin was in the Chair. 16 Members were present. The Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 24 May 1994, which had been published (Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 114: 137), were approved and signed by the Chairman. The Report of the Committee for 1994, which had been published (Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 115: 1-2), was presented and on the proposal of the Honorary Secretary, seconded by Mrs Mary Muller, it was unanimously received and adopted. The Chairman thanked the Secretary for her work during the year arranging the meetings and ensuring the smooth running of Club affairs. The Editor said that he did not propose to make any changes to the Bulletin; he would maintain it within the limited range of 64 to 72 pages. Contributions continued to come in at a steady rate and intake was largely unchanged over the last 4 years. He had received many compli- mentary comments on the Bulletin, especially the last 2 issues. It is of an increasingly high standard and is an important source of original infor- mation. It maintains a wide variety of papers and has become known as the only international ornithological journal to “‘sit down and read’’. Mr Gladwin had obtained sponsorship which had made it possible to include more black and white plates and it was hoped to include one colour plate a year, probably largely funded by the author, which would add to the attractiveness of the journal. There had been many congratulations on the colour plate of the Javan Scops Owl Otus angelinae, which accompanied Dr Becking’s paper. The Chairman thanked the Editor for his report and for another excellent volume of the Bulletin in 1994. There being no additional nominations, the following were declared elected: Hon. Secretary: Mrs A. M. Moore (re-elected) until 31 December 1995 and Commander M. B. Casement, O.B.E., R.N. to succeed her from 1 January 1996. Hon. Treasurer: S. J. Farnsworth (re-elected) Committee: Dr R. Prys-Jones and N. H. F. Stone (vice Dr R. A. Cheke and Dr J. F. Monk, who retired by rotation and were ineligible for re-election). The Chairman thanked Dr Cheke for his very active service on the Committee particularly as convenor of the Occasional Publications Meetings 194 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) sub-Committee and as coordinator of the joint meeting with the Linnean Society to be held in 1996. ‘The Committee is grateful that he has agreed to continue to serve in these capacities ex officio. The Chairman said he wished to renew the Club’s thanks to Dr James Monk, in his absence, for all the work he has done for the Club over many years as Committee Member, Editor and Chairman. He wished to thank Dr Monk particularly for his generosity in setting up a new Publications Fund to support Club Publications other than the Bulletin. By the sale of books donated from his library he had launched the fund with £2400, and it is hoped that other Members will consider contributing to this fund. Besides thanking the Officers and Committee for their work during the year the Chairman thanked the members of the Occasional Publications sub-Committee, Professor Richard Chandler for making facilities available to the Club at Imperial College, Mr R. Kettle for supervising the slide-projection equipment, and Mr P. J. Sellar for arranging the sound equipment, at meetings. ‘The Chairman said that unfortunately the Accounts for 1994 had not yet been audited, although the Committee had seen draft accounts showing a surplus of about £1500 over the year. The Treasurer had asked for a postponement of the consideration of the accounts. On the proposal of the Chairman, seconded by the Honorary Secretary, it was unanimously agreed to adjourn the Meeting until 18 July 1995 at the same place for presentation and acceptance of the Accounts for 1994. ‘The meeting was adjourned at 6.20 p.m. The adjourned Annual General Meeting on 18 Fuly 1995 was cancelled because of the disruption of the rail services and took place on Tuesday, 19 September 1995 The Annual General Meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Club adjourned from 23 May 1995, was resumed on 19 September 1995 in the Senior Common Room, Sherfield Building, Imperial College, London SW7 at 6 p.m. with Mr D. Griffin in the Chair. 17 Members were present. The Accounts for 1994 were presented. It was proposed by the Honorary Treasurer, seconded by the Honorary Secretary, that the Accounts for 1994 be received and adopted and this was carried unanimously. The Chairman thanked the Treasurer and the Trustees of the Herbert Stevens Fund. No other business had been notified in accordance with Rule (12). The meeting closed at 6.25 p.m. The eight hundred and fifty-second meeting of the Club was held in the Senior Common Room of the Sherfield Building at Imperial College, on Tuesday 19 September 1995 at 6.15 p.m. 27 Members and 9 Guests attended. Members attending were: D. GRIFFIN (Chairman), R. D. MEDLAND (Speaker), M. A. Apcock, Miss H. Baker, P. J. BELMan, Mrs D. BrapLey, P. J. BuLL, Cdr M. B. CASEMENT, D. R. CaLper, Dr R. A. CHEKE, S. J. FARNSworTH, C. A. R. HELM, Ms R-M. Jones, R. Kettie, Dr C. F. Mann, D. J. Montier, Dr G. M. Moret, Dr M-Y. Moret, R. G. Morean, Mrs A. M. Moore, Mrs M. Mutter, R. E. F. Peat, Dr R. PrYs-JONEs, Dr R. Serr, Dr D. W. Snow, N. H. F. Stone, Dr A. TYE. Accounts 195 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) Guests attending were: Mrs J. Butt, Mrs F. M. FarNswortu, R. GiLsy, Dr G. Graves, Miss K. Horr, N. HUNTER, Mrs M. Montirr, P. J. Moore, Dr H. TYE. Mr Bob Medland spoke after dinner on ‘“‘An overview of the birds of Malawi’. From an ornithological viewpoint, Malawi may be divided into three regions. The far north (including the montane habitats of the Nyika Plateau) shares affinities with East and West Africa. Species such as Black-faced Tauraco Corythaixoides personata reach their southernmost limits from the east and the range of Black-backed Barbet Lybius minor just reaches the Nyika from West Africa. The central plateau west of the Rift shares much of the Brachystegia avifauna of southern-central Africa whereas the south and east parts of the country form the northernmost extensions of range for many southern African species. Several mountain ranges, including the Mulanje massif in the south (3000 m a:.s.l.), have extensive rocky outcrops which provide breeding habitat for small but scattered populations of Black Stork Ciconia nigra and Verreaux’s Eagle Aquila verreauxi. House Martin Delichon urbica has not been definitely recorded roosting in southern Africa: possibly sun-warmed rock faces are undiscovered roost sites. Montane grassland of the Nyika is a stronghold for Blue Swallow Hirundo atrocaerulea and Wattled Crane Bugeranus carunculatus. Montane and submontane rainforests form the most important habitat ornithologically. The majority of these are now island habitat capping hilltops and are becoming increasingly isolated as a result of deforestation in the intervening areas. Brachystegia woodland covered much of the country but much has been cleared for agriculture: little remains outside protected reserves. Dzalanyama Forest remains the stronghold of Stierling’s Woodpecker Dendropicos stierlingt. Seasonally inundated, grassland valleys known as ‘dambos’ are a common feature of the plateau, important for breeding flufftails and wintering rallids and palaearctic warblers. Acacia woodland is present in two forms: around the Central Region is an area of dense Acacia/Piliostigma/ Combretum woodland of which the only extensive remaining example is Lilongwe Nature Sanctuary in the centre of the capital city. Acacia savanna is found at lower altitudes in the Rift. Extensive wetlands are found also in the Rift Valley. With a high population growth rate, combined with exhaustion of virgin land for subsistence agriculture, the country is now facing severe conservation problems. Whilst 13% of the land is protected as either Wildlife or Forest Reserves, these are coming under increasing pressure for degazetting and clearance. The greatest area of concern is the integrity of the sub-montane rainforests, e.g. Mulanje Mt and Thyolo Mt, in the south, habitat for the near-endemic and endangered Thyolo Alethe Alethe choloensis. British Ornithologists’ Club Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 1994 Statement of Committee Members’ responsibilities The Committee is required to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity at the end of the financial year and of the surplus or deficit for that period. In preparing the financial statements, suitable accounting policies have been adopted and consistently applied to the best of the Committee’s knowledge and belief, by reference to reasonable and prudent judgements and estimates. Applicable accountancy standards have been followed. The Committee members are responsible for maintaining adequate accounting records for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and for preventing and detecting fraud and other irregularities. The Committee members are also required to indicate where the financial statements are prepared other than on the basis that the Charity is a going concern. Accounts 196 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) Income and Expenditure Account for the year ended 31 December 1994 1994 1993 £ £ £ £ INCOME Subscriptions received WWlermbers esc ee en Rec cc ts NON ea Sasa cek prcpicn na ee re We ogcc nase as sexe cunast 5,032 4,660 ANON -MEMIDEGISUDSCHIDETS pieeees ch cae cea ce ene ee one on area enone sacs 3,002 2,547 Inland Revenue tax recovered (Deeds) of (Covenant: subscriptions) f-.-c./...cccsccccnecacesacsvceceseccesesasesecsvece 346 360 8,380 7,567 Donations received 31 17 Investment income Stevens Bequest Fund: NCL Fund Managers...... aus 5,931 4,565 Barrington Trust Fund (COIF Income Shares) Interest received: Barclays Prime Account.............:...ccc0e+ a 95 129 COIF Deposit Accounts (Nos. 1 & 2) 1,978 3,472 8,038 8,199 Publications Bulletin back*numbers) 22 areccs see kecse cetacean teks te op nak Cote ne eee sab eee 912 1,036 Bulletin reprints bead 130 153 “Avian Systematics & Taxonomy”? ..........ccccccsseseeseccsececesnseseceseceeesnsuens 742 2,150 “Birds, Discovery and Conservation”? ............:0cccccceccceseseseeeseceeeectenneees 102 660 “Extinct and Endangered. Birds} }ic....:cecee. sigs. seen -gusegecsetceoenaceecde fueenes a 2,259 = 4,145 3,999 Cost of sales OpeningsStochis se ake MT eer access a es tac esetRend neat auacaten cameo (100) (100) Closing Stock Perera rene nearer ate ee te eT ems MEE eM a Riera ee Resale 100 100 Meetings Ordinary}; Meetingseckir ee ee eS RO edie 4,327 3,766 Centenary, Danner Feel k tiaksteeccccc die sed cdens ase Meee NB Nc be co aigen la Natalia aca 6 58 4,333 3,824 Miscellaneous income @lub ties Sa a Cee ME Re AUD RRM so ELL Os Ra a 107 163 Club brooches... 524 — Miscellaneous) tee ete gore rie ue sere eba SANA RUSE League urn uRe Mee SIRLOIN 269 _ 900. 163 Total income 25,827 23,769 EXPENDITURE Subscriptionjrecrustment 2-200 4246, cb eek Bdoks eta Secon Senn Rb ee ees 112 209 Meetings Ordinary Meetings: Restaurant/Room Hire Charges............00:000000eee 4,411 3,710 Speakers/INOticesvetcin saesececseshe renee eae ou daaren ate sae Bese eee ae nee eee 259 390 Bar Facility Chargesi is ge-c ce sect ss seeks as seca ean SA te a ee ee 286 317 4,956 4,417 Centenary, D immensizsvcesccea cies sso siee cece es ae sea ove ae ete oe eco prea — 74 Bulletin BOC Publication*and) Printing 6) 229.) ee eee EO Se Se eee 10,695 9,124 INdditionall|Reprints esses. cate seo aces Se eee Re ae ene aa 415 208 11,110 9,332 -ditorgss honorariummees eee eee acco cece eee eee eee 800 750 Editorial and secretarial expenses .... 108 14 Address labels...... Se 440 527 Postage poses Seo Se iret Cae rhe ad uns Sed ent Re a toa ALN Lae Se 1,187 1,293 13,645 11,916 Accounts 197 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) Expenditure continued “Avian Systematics and Taxonomy”’ Pubheation: and primtyn Go soscc ccc ons seewen cco ce eae vateccg cca sa stenescteecocatsaswavense 167 693 Sel itOKialWexMenNnses acces ravceeeseece eso cece sren i eseace eeee saveteeincs die onesosusesoatcass — 38 INTQUICES Rens soccer nega aN ceca deec eat as teeds wecneslcanetcerset oes 69 54 Postage: Current. wes 34 225 BOO SRA ee a en Ne ee eee Con Mees arte cael ya tete suas wists —_ 15 270 1,025 “Birds, Discovery and Conservation” Contribution. publication ands printin gjeceeseteneee tee ere eee eens seneteceee ne seeee — 3 1 ATES ere pne ccc BERS S CSE nO SC CECOCE CBSO SSDS OO SECECEUCACEEHOUE EH Sp OSS SS ESE GMO aE ua DUTaS EAA 5 76 5 79 “Extinct and Endangered Birds” Publication and printing.. Aaah auras tena 2,628 — Editorial expenses ..... ae 108 89 Notices ..J23.....- tin 82 — OSTA PES ee arene eae end nena tate ns theeh ceca esece nes scone wenrotnc even coutceeiet este eaeeee 294 — 3,112 89 esstreimbprsibles BF sOan ees.ssccsrecoese sete casecete cece et tcae dana ecenen earn eats (1,000) 2,112 89 Committee Administration LEC SETS csc big a5 Lod EA CCT AR DoS ERECE BAPE ec Pca Ba a Bea en oan 343 409 Stationery and printing ae 400 523 secretarial eet iia nk. Kove s acct cede sasahe sued oon vvewseudsay cus'ucns epuamer dhvessctas os peaen 234 65 Si elemhorie creer cte coc ccc cece code cc vere anee sen ene ran et renee element 105 173 lp eC) weemtcen se sen eee cose nee aoe 3g Nace enn tes ately ee Baa nag aN gem Inn eens, Wend 21 — 1,103 1,170 Depreciation (projection equipment) 10 10 Miscellaneous Ba TT gg Vol er ie or ant ear eae SS eee aan ere re ea eee Es 130 75 Audit fees: Ordinary Funds nad 950 947 HerbertiStephensiHungd t.-isistetet ec cscs te snce ces Sesesoenes cde navecdeveceedoetats 120 117 Bankacharges cece sist sca ece ate ese iene 32h Becetegeas acme he cocweuas teat sateen 19 90 Credit card charges Ben 65 47 Miscellaneous pester eee cece ecere soy veces tenon ae secee ee ee ol ea ee SL 65 48 Miscellaneous 1.993 -Adjustmentyr.ce-so-sccccssseseeccededceesceetes ceeentesvorese tacos — ae Bulletin back numbers ah 65 = Clubjbrooches sess se eenes eee coee resco eae eos ee eee has aR dN 742 —_ 2,156 1,401 Total expenditure 24,369 20,390 Excess of Income over Expenditure 1,458 3,379 Balance Sheet as at 31 December 1994 1994 1993 £ £ £ £ General Fund Balance.atal January, 19947 2222: Beh es ara el er Oe eee eer 5 32,896 29,517 Sunplus olincome overexpenditure-s.sss-s22275007 esse seesece seer 1,458 3,379 Balance at 31 December 1994 34,354 32,896 Barrington Trust Fund Balance at 1 January 1994 and at 31 December 1994 577 577 Stevens Bequest Fund Balanceatal January 994s. 27. src.soveesses ve este anyone 144,953 145,017 Woss orl saleion Hreeholdi property .1-.<inner) and rump colour (c=charcoal, b=chocolate-brown, ctb=charcoal, feathers tipped brown) of 8 adult turtle doves caught on Bird Island, July 1994 Lower Bird Weight Wing Bill Tarsus mandible Iris Rump 1 171 170 22 29 a red>orange ctb 2 188 161 20 29 g brown-orange>ochre b 3 175 162 21 30 a red>orange c 4 160 163 19 28 g brown-orange>ochre b 5 163 171 20 29 a red-orange>orange-yellow c 6 — 167 18 2 g brown>yellow-ochre b 7 iby 160 18 27 g>a orange-brown>orange-ochre ctb 8 175 175 20 33 a orange>pale ochre ctb Notes: bird 6 was not weighed; the gular region of the lower mandible of bird 7 had a pinkish blush below the dusky pink gape. chocolate brown (bleached paler in old worn feathers); underwing dark chocolate brown, tinged grey, but with forward under wing coverts bronzy maroon, especially in bird 8; central rectrices dark chocolate brown, inner webs of other rectrices becoming paler for distal quarter progressively towards outer rectrix on which this area is dirty white, with some paling of the inner webs of rectrices 3 to 6; distal portions of all rectrices dirty white below, forming a terminal band c. 3.5 cm wide. Bill with distal third pale steely blue, sometimes with tip (hook) ivory; proximal two-thirds, including cere, deep dusky pink on upper and lower mandibles in birds 1, 3, 5 and 8; in birds 2, 4 and 6 proximal part of lower mandible pale steely blue but with deep dusky pink gape, while in bird 7 proximal part of lower mandible mainly pale steely blue but with deep dusky pink on gape and as a stripe below gape. Anterior of legs and upper toes deep dusky pink, posterior of legs pale steely blue. Circumorbital skin, together with small triangles in front of and behind eye naked and deep dusky pink to maroon. Iris shaded from brighter round the outside to paler towards the pupil (Table 1), birds 1, 3, 5 and 8 brighter and redder than the others. We did not catch any immature birds, but two individuals seen at the rubbish tip were duller brown, lacking maroon, with the bill also red-brown. Main characteristics of Madagascar and Seychelles races Thirty-eight specimens of nominate picturata in the British Museum collection from Madagascar were characterised by a slaty grey crown and nape, paler grey cheeks and almost white chin. The display feathers on the side of the neck were black, tipped greyish-pink. The mantle was maroon, the breast dusky pink and belly buffish, shading into white under tail coverts. The wing-lengths of 11 male and 12 females, measured when fresh and recorded on the labels, averaged 170.3 mm (range 159-176, standard error 1.3) and 178.2 mm (range 171-187, s.e. 1.7) respectively. (The wings of these same birds were measured from the skins, and averaged 165.5 mm (155-170, s.e. 1.2) for the females and 171.6 mm (165-180, s.e. 1.2) for the males. This indicates that C. F. Feare & E. L. Gill 209 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) TABLE 2 The ratio bill depth/length (exposed culmen) of adult Streptopelia picturata from Madagascar (nominate picturata) and Seychelles (rostrata) specimens in the British Museum, and of doves caught on Bird Island, Seychelles, in July 1994 Ratio bill Standard Locality depth/length n Range error Madagascar 0.27 23 0.21-0.30 0.01 Seychelles 0.32 9 0.28-0.35 0.01 Bird Island 0.32 8 0.28-0.38 0.01 during and/or after skin preparation, the wings of the preserved specimens had lost over 5 mm compared with the fresh measurements.) Nine specimens labelled S. p. rostrata from the Seychelles had the head, including cheeks and chin, dark chocolate brown, most tinged maroon but some tinged purple. The tips of the display feathers on the sides of the neck were generally blue-grey. The belly, usually down to the thighs, was reddish-brown; behind the thighs this shaded into buffish on the under tail coverts. The wings of 8 of the preserved specimens (in the ninth the primaries were excessively abraded) averaged 148.9 mm (range 146-155, s.e. 1.0). During examination of the museum specimens, the bills of rostrata appeared deeper in relation to their length than those of picturata, a feature noted by Newton (1867). Bill depth had not been measured on the birds caught on Bird Island, but the photographs allowed measurement of depth and length (exposed culmen) from which the ratio depth/length could be calculated. The same ratio was obtained from the adult museum specimens whose bills were intact (Table 2). Identity and origin of the Bird Island turtle doves On the basis of plumage colour, short wing-length and large bill depth/length ratio, the adult turtle doves caught on Bird Island in July 1994 conform more closely to S. p. rostrata than to nominate picturata. Differences from specimens of rostrata in the British Museum relate to maroon, rather than bluish, tips to the black display feathers on the side of the neck and perhaps to a somewhat longer wing in the Bird Island doves, although comparison of wing lengths between fresh and preserved specimens 1s difficult in these birds. Most of the British Museum specimens of rostrata were collected in the late 1880s, after the introduction of picturata into Seychelles (Newton 1867, Oustalet 1878, Benson 1967). There is thus no certainty that these specimens are of pure rostrata but they are clearly very different from picturata from Madagascar and from the birds that inhabit the larger granitic islands today. The resemblance of the Bird Island doves to rostrata, rather than to birds now living on most of the granitic islands, raises questions about the origin of the Bird Island birds. C.F. Feare & E. L. Gill 210 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) Although a vinous-headed form, S. p. saturata, may still exist in the Amirantes (Benson 1970), it is unlikely that this form would have reached Bird Island. It also seems unlikely that Bird Island should have been recently colonised by birds from Cousin and Cousine Islands, which have comparatively small populations of birds that show characteristics of rostrata, and much smaller populations of turtle doves than Mahe, Silhouette, Praslin and La Digue. The presence of rostrata-type doves on Bird Island in 1946 (BM specimen) and 1973 (Feare 1979) suggests that they may have been present in small numbers for many years, possibly restricted to dense shrub where they may have been overlooked. In this case, Bird Island colonists could have come from the granitic islands when the latter were still predominantly inhabited by rostrata. Such colonisation is unlikely to have occurred before coconuts were planted (probably with associated plantation weeds) on Bird Island in the latter half of the last century, because prior to that time the island was a huge seabird colony with little vegetation (Fryer 1910). ‘Turtle doves might have arrived of their own accord or they could have been taken there by plantation workers as a food source (although Bird Island seabirds must have provided plentiful food). If the present population is indeed derived from birds which colonised the island over a century ago, Bird Island may support stock closer genetically to rostrata than vinous-headed forms surviving on other islands, all of which are nearer to islands where picturata occurs and thus more likely to have been diluted by that stock. Acknowledgements These observations were made during a visit to Seychelles supported by the Royal Society, the Seabird Group, Air Seychelles, Bird Island Lodge and the Division of the Environment of the Seychelles Government. We are especially grateful to Georges and Margaret Norah and Guy and Marie-France Savy for their hospitality on Bird Island. Specimens in the Natural History Museum, Tring, were examined with the kind permission of Dr Robert Prys-Jones. References: Benson, C. W. 1967. The birds of Aldabra and their status. Atoll Res. Bull. 118: 63-111. Benson, C. W. 1970. An introduction of Streptopelia picturata into the Amirantes. Atoll Res. Bull. 136: 195-196. Diamond, A. W. 1984. Biogeography of Seychelles land birds. Ch. 24 in D. R. Stoddart (ed.), Biogeography and Ecology of the Seychelles Islands. W. Junk, The Hague. Feare, C. J. 1979. Ecology of Bird Island, Seychelles. Atoll Res. Bull. 226: 1-29. Fryer, J. C. F. 1910. Bird and Denis Telande® Seychelles. Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. ( Zool.) (14) 15: 15-20. Lever, C. 1987. Naturalized Birds of the World. Longman. Goodwin, D. 1970. Pigeons and Doves of the World. British Museum (Natural History). Newton, E. 1867. On the land birds of the Seychelles archipelago. [bis (2) 3: 335-360. Penny, M. 1979. The Birds of Seychelles and Outlying Islands. Collins. Oustalet, E. 1878. Etude sur la faune ornithologique des isles Seychelles. Bull. Soc. Philomath. Paris (7) 2: 161-206. Verschuren, J. 1986. Note sur les oiseaux des Seychelles, principalement de I’ Ile Bird. Gerfaut 76: 289-299. Address: Drs C. J. Feare and E. L. Gill, Central Science Laboratory (MAFF), Tangley Place, Worplesdon, Surrey GU3 3LQ, U.K. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 G. F. Barrowclough et al. 211 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) An annotated list of the birds of the Cerro ‘Tamacuari region, Serrania de ‘T'apirapeco, Federal Territory of Amazonas, Venezuela by George F. Barrowclough, Patricia Escalante-Pliego, Ramon Aveledo-Hostos S Luis A. Pérvez-Chinchilla Received 22 November 1994 The avifaunas of the major tablelands, or tepuis, of southern and eastern Venezuela and adjacent areas of Brazil and the Guianas are fairly well known. The history of collecting and aspects of the biogeography of these areas have been reviewed by Mayr & Phelps (1967). Nevertheless, smaller tepuis, ranges, and isolated remnants of the Guiana shield exist that have not received adequate attention due to their isolation, steepness, and restricted size (Dickerman & Phelps 1982, Barrowclough & Escalante-Pliego 1990). Some of these may ultimately prove of considerable interest in studies of biogeography because they may act as ‘stepping-stones’ between major tepuis; they may also be informative concerning species—area relationships. During the winters of 1988 and 1989, the Fundacion para el Desarrollo de las Ciencias Fisicas, Matematicas y Naturales (FUDECI) of Venezuela organized a series of two short expeditions to the areas of extreme southern Venezuela drained by the Mavaca and Siapa rivers. As part of those expeditions, members of the Ornithology Department of the American Museum of Natural History and of the Coleccién Ornitologica Phelps observed and collected birds for the periods 26-27 March 1988 and 21-25 January and 12-17 March 1989 in the vicinity of a camp at 1270m on a ridge just north of Cerro 'Tamacuari in the Serrania de Tapirapeco (1°13’N, 64°42'W). This range of eroded mountains comprises part of the border between Venezuela and Brazil and, prior to this expedition, had not been sampled by ornithologists. These areas in southern Amazonas remain quite remote from airfields, nor are they easily reached by river; our work and the length of our stay were dependent on the availability of helicopter support provided by the Venezuelan air force. These mountains were found to possess an avifauna that is more or less’ typical of the tepuis of southern and eastern Venezuela; consequently our observations provide new information concerning the distribution and biogeography of the biota of the pantepui. Some general details of the expedition have been reported elsewhere (de Bellard-Pietri 1989); here we present the ornithological results of the work at this locality. The habitat at the Tamacuari site consisted largely of relatively tall, moist forest in ravines and north-facing slopes with some open patches of grass with shrubs and bromeliads on ridges. Permanent streams (with small fish) were present in the ravines. Specimens were obtained using mistnets and shotguns between approximately 1100 and 1400 m. Cerro 'Tamacuari, itself, is an exposed volcanic neck that reaches G. F. Barrowclough et al. 212 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) 2340 m, but is shear and without vegetation above approximately 1400 m. Following is a list of birds seen or collected during our stay. The specimens are deposited in the collections of the American Museum of Natural History, New York, the Colecci6én Ornitologica Phelps, Caracas, and the Museo de Biologia, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas. Our descriptions of gonad sizes follow the guidelines used by Willard et al. (1991). Specimens preserved in formalin were not sexed and so are not reported with regard to gonadal condition. An asterisk designates species considered primarily montane by most authors (e.g. Mayr & Phelps 1967, Meyer de Schauensee & Phelps 1978, Dickerman & Phelps 1982, Ridgely & Tudor 1989, 1994, Willard et al 1991). The closest major tepuis to Cerro Tamacuari are Cerro de la Neblina 150 km to the southwest and Duida 250 km to the northwest; in our species accounts, we compare our collections to the known avifaunas of those two tepuis as ‘Tamacuari provides a potential island of suitable habitat between those well known, much larger, localities. ‘The stated presence or absence of a species at Duida or Neblina is based on the summaries of Chapman (1931), Phelps & Phelps (1958, 1963), and Willard et al. (1991). Distribution Of the approximately 100 upper elevation pantepui species of birds (Willard et al. 1991), only 29 were found at 'Tapirapeco during our short stay. However, as documented by Dickerman & Phelps (1982), because of complementary and restricted distributions, only a subset of these taxa are likely at any one tepui. A reasonable expected avifauna for southern Amazonas might be the 62 species known from Neblina. A series of broken ranges extend north and east from Cerro de la Neblina; the Serrania de Tapirapeco is one of these. It seems probable that at various times during the Pleistocene, vegetation levels were lower than at present and continuous subtropical habitat may have been extensive and connected these ranges. Consequently, a common avifauna may have been present throughout the highlands of southern Amazonas. Now, however, there is not continuous habitat connecting these ranges with each other and with Neblina; just west of our camp was a wide gulf a thousand metres deep between ‘Tamacuari and the adjacent . mountains of the range. Thus, at present the habitat forms a ‘stepping-stone’ pattern of habitat patches, and birds that are reluctant to fly across several kilometres of unsuitable habitat must have relatively small, isolated populations on these ranges. For example, it seems unlikely that a montane antpitta such as Myrmothera simplex would disperse across such a gulf, whereas a montane pigeon like Columba fasciata might well do so. Consequently, some taxa that are widespread in the pantepui might not be present at Tamacuari due to extinction, facilitated by small population sizes in the limited habitat, combined with a lack of sufficient dispersal capability to reoccupy the range. For other taxa, such as Zonotrichia capensis, there appears to be insufficient open habitat. Finally, although the documentation of species occurrences for these smaller tepuis is quite important, our G. F. Barrowclough et al. Palle) Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) sampling, with only 163 specimens and a few additional sight records, is too limited to draw conclusions about numbers of species. If anything, our results raise doubts about the adequacy of sampling at even the best known tepuis. One upper elevation species collected at Tamacuari, Chlorophonia cyanea, is known from Duida but not Neblina. The absence of this species from the latter, in spite of its presence at ‘Tamacuari, would be surprising; but the lack of any record may simply reflect a continuing absence of adequate work at mid-elevations at Neblina. An additional six species collected at T’amacuari are known from Neblina but not Duida. Some of these may actually be absent from that tepui; for example, Rupicola seems generally not to be present north of the Orinoco. Over a thousand specimens are available from Duida: the collecting there has not been limited. Nevertheless, mistnets were not used in early expeditions to the tepuis; further fieldwork is indicated before analyses such as that of Cook (1974) can be assumed to be free of a substantial component of sampling error. Annual cycle For males, most species of permanent residents were noted to have moderate or large testes. However, in the Neotropics, it is not unusual for males to be in breeding condition through much of the year (Foster 1975); female data may be more informative. For those resident species for which we had female specimens, 15 of 21 (71%) species had moderate to large ova and ovaries. At Cerro de la Neblina, Willard et al. (1991) reported large gonads in females of many species from November through mid-February, followed by a rapid reduction in breeding status in late February and March. Our data are generally consistent with that pattern. Specimens of 14 of 31 (45%) permanent resident species were noted to have wing or tail moult. For Cerro de la Neblina, Willard et al. (1991) noted a pattern in montane species that included a peak of wing/tail moult in November and December followed by a decline in frequency until it reached zero in May. Our field work in March occurred at the very beginning of the rainy season, following the November to March relatively dry season. As with the results from Neblina, our data are consistent with a pattern of breeding occurring during this dry season, overlapping with (e.g. Foster 1975) or followed by moult before or at the beginning of the wet season. This generalization does not, of course, necessarily apply to every species; many more data and temporal sampling are needed to investigate such patterns. Species accounts LITTLE CHACHALACA Ortalis motmot This species was heard calling daily at dawn on brushy hillsides near camp. One male specimen was taken; it had large testes and was in wing and body moult. This species occurs over a wide elevational and G. F. Barrowclough et al. 214 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) geographical range in Amazonia; but has not been noted at either Duida or Neblina. *BAND-TAILED PIGEON Columba fasciata ‘This species was commonly seen as single birds and in small flocks. One male specimen had large testes and was in light body moult. The species has a wide distribution in North, Central, and South America, and is known from both Neblina and Duida. WHITE-COLLARD SWIFT Streptoprocne zonaris ‘This species was commonly seen in flocks of dozens of birds. *TEPUI SWIFT Cypseloides phelpsi ‘This tepui endemic was commonly seen, sometimes 1n mixed flocks with Streptoprocne. It is known from both Duida and Neblina. *BLUE-FRONTED LANCEBILL Doryfera johannae A single male specimen was collected; it had small testes and was in light body moult. The species is widespread throughout the pantepui, is known from Neblina and Duida, and also occurs in the Andes; it is usually found at lower elevations than this (e.g. Willard et al. 1990). *GREY-CHINNED HERMIT Phaethornis griseogularis A single female, with a large ovary, was collected. In the pantepu1, this species apparently is only known from Neblina and Roraima; it also occurs in the central and northern Andes. *SPARKLING VIOLETEAR Colibri coruscans One female specimen with a small ovary and in wing moult was collected. It is known from the better sampled tepuis, including Neblina and Duida; elsewhere it occurs in the Andes from Colombia to Argentina. *BUFF-BREASTED SABREWING Campylopterus duidae ‘This species was abundant; it is endemic to the pantepui and is found on most tepuis west of the Rio Caroni, including Duida and Neblina. Of five male specimens examined, all had large testes; three of four female specimens had enlarged ovaries. Half of the specimens were in wing or tail moult. WHITE-NECKED JACOBIN Florisuga mellivora Two specimens were collected: a male with moderately enlarged testes and a female with enlarged ovary; neither of these was in moult. ‘This species has a wide elevational and geographical range. *GREEN-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD A mazilia viridigaster This species was common at Tamacuari. Three male specimens all had small testes; two females had moderately enlarged ovaries. Three of the five birds were in wing moult, one was in body moult. The birds from this population have been described as an endemic subspecies, G. F. Barrowclough et al. 215 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) A.v. laireti, by Phelps & Aveledo-Hostos (1988). The species occurs at tropical and subtropical elevations patchily in the pantepui, including Duida and Neblina, and in the northern Andes. *VELVET-BROWED BRILLIANT Heliodoxa xanthogonys This widespread pantepui endemic was found to be common. It is known from Neblina and Duida. Three of four male specimens had enlarged testes; a single female specimen had a large ovary. ‘Two specimens were in light body moult. *MASKED TROGON Trogon personatus This species was found in moist forest in ravines; it is widespread in the pantepui and Andes and occurs at Neblina and Duida. ‘Two male specimens had small testes; one was in body and one in wing moult. BLACK-SPOTTED BARBET Capito niger This species has a wide elevational range. Three specimens were collected; two males had large or moderate-sized testes, respectively; a female had a small ovary. None was in moult, but all had fresh plumage. *CHESTNUT-TIPPED TOUCANET Aulacorhynchus derbianus ‘This species was seen occasionally. It is known from Neblina, Duida, and most other tepuis; it is also present on the eastern slopes of the Andes. Specimens of both sexes had small gonads; none was in moult, but all were in fresh plumage. *GOLDEN-OLIVE WOODPECKER Piculus rubiginosus This species is widespread in the pantepui; it occurs on both Cerros Duida and Neblina. We treat it as a montane species, but it occurs at sea level in parts of its range outside the pantepui. [wo female specimens were collected, both with enlarged ovaries; neither was in moult. WEDGE-BILLED WOODCREEPER Glyphorynchus spirurus A single female, with yolking egg and no moult, was taken in a net in dense forest; it was our only record of this lowland species. *DUSKY SPINETAIL Synallaxis macconnelli Following Vaurie (1980) and Ridgely & Tudor (1994), we treat the tepui birds as a separate species. The same taxon apparently also occurs at low elevations in the Guianas. The species has a patchy geographical distribution in the pantepui: a single specimen is known from Cerro de la Neblina, and the bird is unknown from Duida. We commonly heard these birds in brushy thickets. Three male specimens had moderate to large testes; one had wing moult, one body moult, and one had no moult. \.*PLAIN ANTVIREO Dysithamnus mentalis ‘Two specimens were taken; one female had a small ovary and body moult; an unsexed anatomical specimen had no moult. The species is G. F. Barrowclough et al. 216 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) widespread in the pantepui, known from Neblina but not Duida, and elsewhere occurs from Mexico to Paraguay and Argentina. *TEPUI ANTPITTA Myrmothera simplex This species was commonly heard calling in forest. One male specimen had moderately enlarged testes and was in body moult. This is a pantepui endemic and is known from all the major tepuis, including Duida and Neblina. We agree with Ridgely & Tudor (1994) that Tepui Antpitta is a better English name for this species than Brown-breasted Antpitta. *GUIANAN COCK-OF-THE-ROCK Rupicola rupicola This lekking species was commonly seen and heard. Two specimens were collected; one male had large testes and no moult; one female had a large ovary and no moult. The species is geographically widespread in the tepuis and Guianas; it occurs at Cerro Neblina, but is not recorded from Duida. *SIERRAN ELAENIA Elaenia pallatangae ‘This common species is widespread in the pantepui, including both Neblina and Duida; elsewhere it is found in the Andes south to Bolivia. Four male specimens had moderate to large testes and a single female had a small ovary; two of the specimens were in wing moult and another two were in body moult. *MCCONNELL’S FLYCATCHER Mionectes macconnelli ‘Two females were collected; both had large ovaries, neither was in moult. The species is widespread in the pantepui and is known from both Neblina and Duida; elsewhere it is found in the lowlands of the Guianas, northern Brazil, and western Amazonia. *BLUE AND WHITE SWALLOW WNotiochelidon cyanoleuca This species was seen on several occasions. It is a widespread breeding bird in temperate and sub-tropical regions of South America and is known from all the tepuis; these February birds could be either residents or Austral migrants. BARN SWALLOW Hirundo rustica A single specimen of this migrant was taken. *FLUTIST WREN Microcerculus ustulatus This species commonly was heard in the dense understory of forested ravines; it is a widespread pantepui endemic known from Neblina and Duida. Two males had moderate-sized testes and no moult; one unsexed specimen was in wing moult. *PALE-EYED THRUSH Platycichla leucops ‘This species was common. It is known from Neblina but not Duida; elsewhere it is patchily distributed in the pantepui and at subtropical G. F. Barrowclough et al. 217 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) elevations in the Andes. Three males had enlarged testes; none was in moult. *BLACK-HOODED THRUSH Turdus olivater This species was common; it occurs at upper elevations throughout the pantepui, including Neblina and Duida, and at scattered localities in the Venezuelan and Colombian Andes. Eight males had moderate to large testes; four females had moderate to large ovaries and one of these had an egg in oviduct. One male was in tail moult; the other specimens were not in moult. *BLACK-BILLED THRUSH Turdus ignobilis This thrush was also common; it is known from most tepuis, including Neblina and Duida. We treat it as a montane species, following Willard et al. (1990); however, elsewhere in South America it occurs in lowland forest (e.g. Meyer de Schauensee & Phelps 1978, Ridgely & Tudor 1994). Three males and three females had enlarged gonads; two specimens were in tail and body moult, one was in body moult only; the others were in fresh plumage. BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER Dendroica fusca A single male was our only record of this migrant from North America; it is widespread as a wintering bird at higher elevations in the pantepui and Andes. AMERICAN REDSTART Setophaga ruticilla This species, also a migrant from North America, was common to abundant in brushy habitat. Three specimens were taken. *SLATE-THROATED REDSTART Myzoborus miniatus A male, netted in dense forest, had large testes and no moult. The species is widespread at subtropical elevations in the pantepui, including Cerros de la Neblina and Duida; elsewhere it occurs from Mexico to the central Andes. *TWO-BANDED WARBLER Basileuterus bivittatus This species was occasionally seen in the understory of tall forest. Geographically, it is widespread at mid-elevations in the pantepui, is known from Neblina and Duida, and also occurs in the Andes of southern Peru, Bolivia, and northern Argentina. One male had small testes; two females had moderately enlarged ovaries. One specimen was in wing and body moult and a second was in body moult only. *SCALED FLOWER-PIERCER Diglossa duidae This species was seen on several occasions. A male specimen had large testes and was in body moult. The species is known from most of the western tepuis, including Duida and Neblina. *SPECKLED TANAGER Tangara guttata This species was common in taller brush and thickets. It is widespread in the tepuis, occurring at Neblina but not Duida; G. F. Barrowclough et al. 218 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) elsewhere it occurs in the northern Andes. ‘wo male and three female specimens had moderate-to-large gonads; three additional males had reduced testes. ‘Three specimens were in body moult. *BLUE-NAPED CHLOROPHONIA Chlorophonia cyanea ‘This species was common in low canopy and brush. It is widespread in the pantepui, including Cerro Duida, but has not been seen or taken at Neblina; elsewhere it has a wide geographical distribution at subtropical elevations in South America. Four males had moderate to large testes; four females had large ovaries. One female from January was in wing moult; four additional specimens from January were in worn plumage while two from March were in fresh plumage. *HEPATIC TANAGER Piranga flava A single male was taken of the resident pantepui form haemalea. It had small testes and was in tail moult. The species is known from both Duida and Neblina. SUMMER TANAGER Piranga rubra A single male was collected of this migrant from North America. RED-SHOULDERED TANAGER Tachyphonus phoenicius ‘This species was seen in low scrub on several occasions. "Two males had moderately enlarged testes; a female had a small ovary; none was in moult. *TEPUI BRUSH-FINCH A tlapetes personatus This abundant species 1s a widespread pantepui endemic, known from Cerro de la Neblina and Duida. Seven male and five female specimens all had enlarged gonads; one female was in tail moult, and a second female in body moult. The population at ‘Tamacuari belongs to the duidae group of subspecies (Barrowclough, unpubl. data.). Acknowledgements The authors acknowledge the support of FUDECI and the expedition organizers, leaders, and staff who made this fieldwork possible; Dr. Eugenio de Bellard Pietri, Dr. Antonio Machado Allison, and Pedro Pérez Ramirez were especially important to the success of our work. Partial funding for the expedition was provided by the Phipps Foundation. Our colleagues at Tamacuari—John Daly, Moe Donnelly, and Chuck Myers—assisted in many ways and helped make our sojourn in camp pleasant and successful. Gilberto Pérez, J. Gregorio Lozano, and J. Aquilino Lozano helped with the field work, and Miguel Lentino assisted with the examination of specimens in the Coleccion Phelps. John Bates offered useful comments on a draft of this manuscript. References: Barrowclough, G. F. & Escalante-Pliego, P. 1990. Notes on the birds of the Sierra de Unturan, southern Venezuela. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 110: 167-169. Chapman, F. M. 1931. The upper zonal bird-life of Mts. Roraima and Duida., Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 63: 1-135. Cook, R. E. 1974. Origin of the highland avifauna of southern Venezuela. Syst. Zool. 23: 257-264. F.C. Straube S& M.R. Bornschein 219 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) de Bellard-Pietri, E. 1989. Venezuela Tierra Magica. Tapirapecé: La Gran Aventura del Sur. Corpoven S.A., Caracas. Dickerman, R. W. & Phelps, W. H., Jr 1982. An annotated list of the birds of Cerro Urutani on the border of Estado Bolivar, Venezuela, and Territorio Roraima, Brazil. Amer. Mus. Novitates 2732: 1-20. Foster, M.S. 1975. The overlap of molting and breeding in some tropical birds. Condor 77: 304-314. Mayr, E. & Phelps, W. H., Jr 1967. The origin of the bird fauna of the south Venezuelan highlands. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 136: 269-328. Meyer de Schauensee, R. & Phelps, W. H., Jr 1978. A Guide to the Birds of Venezuela. Princeton Univ. Press. Phelps, W. H., Jr & Aveledo-Hostos, R. 1988. Una nueva subespecie de aves de la familia (Trochilidae) de la Serrania Tapirapec6o, Territorio Amazonas, Venezuela. Bol. Soc. Venez. Cienc. Nat. 42: 7-10. Phelps, W. H. & Phelps, W. H., Jr 1958. Lista de las aves de Venezuela con su distribucioén. No passeriformes. Bol. Soc. Venez. Cienc. Nat. 90: 1-317. Phelps, W. H. & Phelps, W. H., Jr 1963. Lista de las aves de Venezuela con su distribucion. Passeriformes. 2nd ed. Bol. Soc. Venez. Cienc. Nat. 104 & 105: 1-479. Ridgely R. S. & Tudor, G. 1989. The Birds of South America. Vol. I. The Oscine Passerines. Univ. Texas Press. Ridgely R. S. & Tudor, G. 1994. The Birds of South America. Vol. II. The Suboscine Passerines. Univ. Texas Press. Vaurie, C. 1980. Taxonomy and geographical distribution of the Furnariidae (Aves, Passeriformes). Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 166: 1-357. Willard, D. E. et al. 1991. The birds of Cerro de la Neblina, Territorio Federal Amazonas, Venezuela. Fieldiana 65: 1-80. Addresses: George F. Barrowclough, Department of Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, U.S.A. Patricia Escalante-Pliego, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México, Apartado Postal 70-153, Mexico, D. F. 04510. Ramon Aveledo-Hostos & Luis Pérez-Chinchilla, Colecci6én Ornitologica Phelps, Apartado 2009, Caracas, Venezuela. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 New or noteworthy records of birds from northwestern Parana and adjacent areas (Brazil) by Fernando Costa Straube & Marcos Ricardo Bornschein Received 26 November 1994 Little ornithological work has been done in northwestern Parana and adjacent areas with the exception of Sztolcman (1926), Pinto & Camargo (1956), Scherer-Neto (1983), Anjos & Seger (1988), and Straube & Bornschein (1989). Since the 1960s, practically all the natural habitats in this region have been destroyed and there is a striking difference between the original and recent avifaunas. At least ten species have become locally extinct (e.g. Philydor dimidiatus, Herpsilochmus pileatus, Antilophia galeata, Psarocolius decumanus) while others, typical of clearings and modified habitats, have spread into the deforested areas along the rio Parana’s banks. F.C. Straube G M. R. Bornschein 220 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) In the last five years we have conducted several studies (Straube 1988, Straube & Bornschein 1989) and expeditions to extreme regions of northwestern and western Parana and southern Mato Grosso do Sul. All the sites visited were in primary and secondary rainforests, seasonally flooded forests of rio Parana, marshes, lagoons, scrub, and semi-cleared habitats. The field work was done in the following locations: Mato Grosso do Sul, municipality of Bataipora: Fazenda Pousada da Garea (22°40'S/53°10'W, alt. 250m), Canal do rio Baia (22°41'S/53°15'W, alt. 230m), rio Ivinheima (22°45'S/53°20'W, alt. 230 m); mun. of Eldorado: rio Iguatemi (23°55'S/54°10'W, alt. 200 m); Parana, mun. of Centenario do Sul: Fazenda Jangadinha (22°45’S/ 51°32’W, alt. 350 m), Taparica (22°40'S/51°30'W, alt. 250 m); mun. of Santo Inacio: Ilhas do rio Paranapanema (22°38'S/51°48’W, alt. 250 m); mun. of Porto Rico: Porto? Caracu’ (22°42'S/53-10 Wi) alew 300k)» Ilha. do Mutum (22°48’S/53°15’W, alt. 230m), Ilha Porto Rico (22%45,/S/53°15’W,,. alt..230.m);.. mun. of, Guaira;)Guatras(2420545/ 54°15'W, alt. 250m); mun. of Alténia: Lagoa Saraiva/Ilha Grande (23°58'S/54°10'W, alt. 230 m), south of Ilha Grande (23°58'S/54°05'W, alt. 230m); mun. of Loanda: Jardim Urubu (22°53’S/53°10'W, alt. 450m); mun. of Foz do Iguacu: Reftigio Biologico de Bela Vista (25°28'S/54°30'W, alt. 250 m); Sao Paulo, mun. of Teodoro Sampaio: Parque Estadual do Morro do Diabo (22°40'S/52°15’W, alt. 300 m); mun. of Pirapozinho: Mato do Mosquito (22°35'S/51°30'W, alt. 300 m). In addition we have included data of some specimens displayed in the Museu Sete Quedas of Guaira (western Parana) obtained in the 1960s in Marechal Candido Rondon (24°32'S/54°02’W, alt. 450 m). Specimens are referred to by the acronyms MHNCI (Museu de Historia Natural “‘Capao da Imbuia’’, Curitiba, state of Parana) and MSQ (Museu Sete Quedas, Guaira). Scientific and common English names follow Meyer de Schauensee (1982). Dates are abbreviated to the form 14 Oct 89, etc. : LESSER YELLOW-HEADED VULTURE Cathartes burrovianus We collected two specimens in Lagoa Saraiva/IIha Grande (MHNCI- 3133, 14 Oct 89) and Ilha Porto Rico (MHNCI-3712, 21 Feb 91), both flying over the waters of the rio Parana, with pastures, scrub and secondary forests on its banks. Individuals were also sighted at other places (south of Ilha Grande, Ilha do Mutum, Fazenda Pousada da Gar¢a, Rio Ivinheima and Canal do rio Baija), sometimes associated with Black Vulture Coragyps atratus and Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura. This is the first record of the species for the state of Parana. BLACK-COLLARED HAWK Busarellus nigricollis One bird was collected in the Ilha Grande (MHNCI-3115, 10 Oct 89) while feeding on an aquatic snail (Pomacea sp., fam. Ampullaridae) on the banks of a small temporary lagoon. On other occasions we saw individuals at rio Ivinheima (20 Feb 91) and Canal do rio Baia (22 Feb 91). This is the first specimen record for the south of Brazil of this hawk, which has previously been recorded in Rio Grande do Sul (Belton 1984) and Sao Paulo (Willis & Oniki 1993). F.C. Straube & M. R. Bornschein 221 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) BARE-FACED CURASSOW Crax fasciolata In rio Ivinheima (20 Feb 91) we found a wing-covert feather, unambiguously assignable to a female of this species. It was discovered in a dense and well preserved forest on the right margin of rio Parana. Although reported for Parana until the 1950s, this curassow is probably extinct on the left bank of rio Parana in the study area (Bornschein & Straube 1991). SCALED PIGEON Columba speciosa One specimen collected in Marechal Candido Rondon (MSQ-090, 8 Nov 61) is an additional record of this rare species at the southernmost limit of its distribution. PEACH-FRONTED PARAKEET Aratinga aurea The single reliable record in southern Brazil is from Pinto & Camargo (1956) (cf. Belton 1984). We collected a specimen at Porto Caracu (MHNCI-3759, 24 Feb 91) and saw others at Ilha Porto Rico (21 Feb 91), on both occasions in semi-cleared areas near rio Parana. It appears to be a local and uncommon species. ASH-COLOURED CUCKOO Coccyzus cinereus One individual was sighted in a narrow strip of seasonally flooded forest in Rio Ivinheima on 20 Feb 91. This appears to be the first record of the species for the state of Mato Grosso do Sul; its distribution in Brazil is poorly known. PEARLY-BREASTED CUCKOO Coccyzus euleri An individual of this uncommon Brazilian bird was sighted in a secondary forest at Mato do Mosquito, near rio Paranapanema, on 18 Dec 90. It was previously recorded in northwestern Parana by Pinto & Camargo (1956) and Straube & Bornschein (1989). LONG-TAILED POTOO Nyctibius aethereus This rare bird “is known by scattered records, mostly based on skins’ (Collar & Andrew 1988). An individual was sighted in Parque Estadual do Morro do Diabo on the edge of primary forest near rio Paranapanema (14 Jul 90, FS). A specimen collected at Marechal Candido Rondon (MSQ-076, 15 Sep 61), previously cited by Straube & Bornschein (1991), is the only record for the state of Parana. OCELLATED POORWILL Nyctiphrynus ocellatus A specimen collected in Marechal Candido Rondon (MSQ-073, without date), previously reported by Straube & Bornschein (1991), is the single reliable record for southern Brazil (cf. Belton 1984). WHITE-TAILED GOLDENTHROAT Polytmus guainumbi A specimen was collected in Fazenda Pousada da Garca (MHNCI- 3787, 20 Feb 91). The species was known south to Sao Paulo (Pinto 1978) and possibly occurs in Parana (Grantsau 1988). F.C. Straube S M.R. Bornschein 222 Bull. B,O.C, 1995 115(A4) LONG-BILLED STARTHROAT Heliomaster longirostris We saw this hummingbird in a small urban park in Guaira (14 Oct 89): the first record in the south of Brazil. BLUE-CROWNED MOTMOT Momotus momota One bird was seen in Fazenda Jangadinha (19 Jul 90) in an old secondary forest not far from rio Paranapanema (FS). This is the first record in southern Brazil of this species. It had been previously recorded in southern Sao Paulo (Willis & Oniki 1981). Additionally we heard various individuals in Parque Estadual do Morro do Diabo (15 Jul 90, FS). LITTLE WOODPECKER Veniliornis passerinus We collected five specimens, in Parana at Ilha Grande (MHNCI- 3088, 7 Oct 89), Ilha Porto Rico (MHNCI-3630, 3692, 3693, 18-21 Feb 91) and in Mato Grosso do Sul at Rio Ivinheima (MHNCI-3680, 20 Feb 91). These are the southernmost records 1n Brazil of this species, which had been previously recorded by Pinto & Camargo (1956). GREATER THORNBILL Phacellodomus ruber This species was recorded in western Rio Grande do Sul near rio Uruguai (Belton 1984). We collected three specimens in Fazenda Pousada da Garca (MHNCI-3658, 19 Feb 91), Canal do rio Baia (MHNCI-3723, 22 Feb 91) and Porto Caracu (MHNCI-3731, 23: Feb 91), where this conspicuous ovenbird is common, especially in season- ally flooded forests near water. These are the first records for Parana. GREAT ANTSHRIKE Taraba major A common species on the edges of seasonally flooded forests in the study area. Seven specimens were collected: in Ilha Grande (MHNCI-3094, 3110, 9 Oct 89), Rio Iguatemi (MHNCI-3117, 3118, 19 Dec 90) and Fazenda Pousada da Garga (MHNCI-3646, 3647, 3648, 19 Feb 91). We also saw this species at ‘Taparica (19 Dec 90). Pinto & Camargo (1956) were the first to note the presence of this antshrike in northwestern Parana. SLATY ANTSHRIKE Thamnophilus punctatus A male and a female were sighted in Fazenda Jangadinha (19 Jul 90, FS), and a female was collected at the same place (MHNCI-3491, 19 Dec 90). The first record for southern Brazil. RUSTY-BACKED ANTWREN Formicivora rufa Straube & Bornschein (1989) were the first to note the presence of this species in the region. Recently we collected six specimens in Canal do rio Baia (MHNCI-3720, 3721, 22 Feb 91) and Fazenda Pousada da Garca (MHNCI-3777, 3778, 3779, 3780, 26 Feb 91), both in scrub areas. Although locally common in southern Mato Grosso do Sul, there is no record of this antwren on the left margin of rio Parana south of the mouth of rio Paranapanema. F.C. Straube & M. R. Bornschein 223 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) RUSTY-FRONTED TODY-FLYCATCHER Todirostrum latirostre An individual was collected at Ilha Grande (MHNCI-3131, 11 Oct 89) in a dense seasonally flooded forest with bamboo near rio Parana. There is no record of this species south of northwestern Sao Paulo and it may have been overlooked because of its similarities to the congeneric T. plumbeiceps. COMMON TODY-FLYCATCHER TJ odirostrum cinereum Sztoleman (1926) was the first to record this species in Parana. Pinto & Camargo (1956) did not mention its presence in the northwest of the state, although it is very common there. We collected nine specimens: Lagoa Saraiva/IIha Grande (MHNCI-3138, 8 Oct 89), ‘Taparica (MHNCI-3246, 18 Jul 90; MHNCI-3473 and 3474, 19 Dec 90); Porto Caracu, (MHNCI-3706, 3707, 21-25 Feb. 91); , Ilha Porto, Rico (MHNCI-3686, 21 Feb 91); Jardim Urubu (MHNCI-3807, 27 Feb 91). The record of T. poliocephalum for northwestern Parana (Anjos & Seger 1988) is certainly a misidentification, because this species in Parana is restricted to the lowlands of the Atlantic Forest in Serra do Mar. RUFOUS CASIORNIS Casiornis rufa This species was known in Brazil south to Sao Paulo (Traylor 1979). We collected an individual at Fazenda Pousada da Garga (MHNCI- 3794, 26 Feb 91) in a secondary seasonally flooded forest. Another specimen (MHNCI-2371) was collected in Paraguay (Limoy, dep. Alto Parana), suggesting:that the species may occur on the Brazilian side of the river in Parana. PIED WATER-TYRANT Fluvicola pica P. Scherer-Neto and A. Lara (pers. comm.) saw this flycatcher in the Itaipu hydroelectric reservoir in 1989. Subsequently various individ- uals were seen at the same place in Refugio Biologico de Bela Vista on 25 Apr 89 (FS). We collected five specimens: Lagoa Saraiva/Ilha Grande (MHNCI-3096, 3099, 8 Oct 89). Ilhas do rio Paranapanema (MHNCI-3461, 18 Dec 90) and Fazenda Pousada da Garga (MHNCI-3740, 3741, 24 Feb 91). WHITE-THIGHED SWALLOW WNeochelidon tibialis A solitary individual was observed among a flock of Blue-and-white Swallows N. cyanoleuca flying over the rio Parana at Guaira on 14 Oct 89. This is the first record for southern Brazil of this spottily distributed species. RUSTY-COLLARED SEEDEATER Sporophila collaris Pinto & Camargo (1956), Anjos & Seger (1988) and Straube & Bornschein (1989) have already mentioned that this species occurs in the study area. We collected seven specimens at Fazenda Pousada da Garca (MHNCI-3654, 3789, 3790, 3655, 3656, 3791, 3792, 19-26 Feb 91), and saw individuals at Ilhas do Rio Paranapanema (18 Dec 90). F.C. Straube S& M.R. Bornschein 224 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) LINED SEEDEATER Sporophila lineola We collected two specimens at Ilha Porto Rico (MHNCI-3621, 3622, 18 Feb 91), and saw some at Ilha do Mutum (27 Feb 91). YELLOW-BILLED CARDINAL Paroaria capitata Four individuals were collected: Rio Ivinheima (MHNCI-3673, 3674, 20 Feb 91) and Fazenda Pousada da Garga (MHNCI-3747, 3795, 24, 26 Feb 91). Sight records were made at Ilha Porto Rico (18 Feb 91) and Ilha do Mutum (27 Feb 91). These are the first records for southern Brazil of this very common species in altered habitats and cerrado of central Brazil. ORANGE-HEADED TANAGER Thlypopsis sordida Mentioned by Pinto & Camargo (1956), this is a common bird along the ‘“‘taquarais’’ (local name given to any dense groups of bamboo Guadua spinosissimum) and seasonally flooded forests of the study area. Six specimens were collected: at Ilha Grande (MHNCI-3123, 12 Oct 89), Ilha Porto Rico (MHNCI-3619, 3620, 3684, 3685, 18-21 Feb 91) and Ilha do Mutum (MHNCI-3800, 27 Feb 91). These are the southernmost localities for the species. SCREAMING COWBIRD Molothrus rufoaxillaris We saw a juvenile being fed by a Chopi Blackbird Gnorimopsar chopi in a pasture at Porto Caracu (24 Feb 91). ‘This cowbird was previously recorded for Parana by Sick (1985). CHESTNUT-CAPPED BLACKBIRD A gelaius ruficapillus ‘This species was previously reported by Anjos & Seger (1988) on the right bank of rio Parana (Mato Grosso do Sul). We sighted a large flock at Ilhas do Rio Paranapanema and collected a specimen (MHNCI-3460, 18 Dec 90). This species is known in scattered marshy areas in Parana. UNICOLORED BLACKBIRD A gelaius cyanopus Pinto (1944) mentioned a specimen collected at Rio Parana, probably in 1940. In the study area it is a common bird in the marshes and wet grasslands. We collected a specimen at Lagoa Saraiva/IIha Grande (MHNCI-3095, 8 Oct 89) and saw a single individual at Rio Ivinheima (20 Feb 91). In the south of Brazil it is known only 1n the extreme west of Rio Grande do Sul. SOLITARY BLACK CACIQUE Cacicus solitarius This is an uncommon resident in the study area. It was sighted at Fazenda Pousada da Garcea (26 Feb 91) and collected at Ilha Grande (MHNCI-3140, 10 Oct 89) and Marechal Candido Rondon (MSQ-045, 13 Apr 60). GIANT COWBIRD Scaphidura oryzivora This is a very rare bird in Parana where it was previously recorded by Straube & Bornschein (1989). There is another specimen collected at Guaira (MSQ-099, 8 Nov 61) which represents an additional record for southern Brazil. F.C. Straube & M. R. Bornschein 225 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) PURPLISH JAY Cyanocorax cyanomelas Scherer-Neto (1983) was the first to note its presence in southern Brazil in the National Park of Sete Quedas. We sighted this jay at Ilha Grande (6 Oct 89). Acknowledgements Thanks are due to Dante M. Teixeira, Pedro Scherer-Neto and William L. Isley, Jr. for suggestions on earlier drafts of the manuscript. This work was partially supported by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico & Tecnologico (CNPq), Instituto Florestal do Parana, Universidade Estadual de Maringa (NUPELIA) and Prefeitura Municipal de Centenario do Sul. References: Anjos, L. dos & Seger, C. 1988. Analise da distribuigao em um trecho do rio Parana, divisa entre os estados do Parana e Mato Grosso do Sul. Arquivos de Biologia e Tecnologia 31: 603-612. Belton, W. 1984. Birds of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. I. Rheidae through Furnariidae. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 178: 371-631. Bornschein, M. R. & Straube, F. C. 1991. Sobre o status atual de trés espécies de aves no estado do Parana: Crax fasciolata, Ara maracana e Psarocolius decumanus. I Congresso Brasileiro de Ornitologia, Resumos p. 53. Collar, N. & Andrew, P. 1988. Birds to Watch: the ICBP world checklist of threatened birds. ICBP, Techn. Publ. 8. Grantsau, R. 1988. Os beija-flores do Brasil. Expresso e Cultura, Rio de Janeiro. Meyer de Schauensee, R. 1982. A Guide to the Birds of South America. Princeton Univ. Press. Pinto, O. M,. de O. 1978. Novo catalogo das aves do Brasil. Empresa Grafica da Revista dos Tribunais, Sao Paulo. Pinto, O. M. de O. & Camargo, E. 1956. Lista anotada de aves colecionadas nos limites ocidentais do Estado do Parana. Pap. Avuls. Dep. Zool. S. Paulo 12: 215-234. Scherer-Neto, P. 1983. Avifauna do extinto Parque Nacional de 7 Quedas, Guairo, estado do Parana. Arquivos de Biologia e Tecnologia 26: 488-494. Sick, H. 1985. Ornitologia brasileira, uma introdugao. Ed. Universidade de Brasilia. Straube, F. C. 1988. Sobre uma colecao de aves do extremo noroeste do Parana, obtida por André Mayer entre os anos de 1945 e 1952. XV Congresso Brasileiro de Zoologia, Resumos p. 506. Straube, F. C. & Bornschein, M. 1989. A contribuicao de André Mayer a Historia Natural no Parana. I. Sobre uma colecao de aves do extremo noroeste do Parana e sul do Mato Grosso do Sul. Arquivos de Biologia e Tecnologia 32: 441-471. Straube, F. C. & Bornschein, M. 1991. Notas sobre alguns Caprimulgiformes no estado do Parana (sul do Brasil). Encuentro de Ornitologia de Argentina, Brasil y Paraguay, Resumenes p. 39. Sztoleman, J. 1926. Etude des collections ornithologiques de Parana. Ann. Zool. Mus. Polonici Historiae Naturalis 5: 107-196. Traylor, M. A. 1979. Tyrannidae, in M. A. Traylor (ed.), Checklist of Birds of the World. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard. Willis, E. O. & Oniki, Y. 1981. Levantamento preliminar de aves em treze areas do estado de Sao Paulo. Rev. Brasil. Biol. 41: 121-135. Willis, E. O. & Oniki, Y. 1993. New and reconfirmed birds from the state of * Sao Paulo, Brazil, with notes on disappearing species. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 113: 23-34. Address: Fernando Costa Straube and Marcos Ricardo Bornschein, Secao de Ornitologia, Museu de Historia Natural ““Capaio da Imbuia’’, Rua Benedito Conceicao 407, Curitiba (PR), Brazil 82.810-080. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 B. T. Thomas & fF. Ingels 226 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) On the type specimen, type locality, distribution and clutch size of the Sunbittern Eurypyga helias (Pallas 1781) by Betsy Trent Thomas & Fohan Ingels Received 12 December 1994 During research into the literature on the Sunbittern Eurypyga helias, we have encountered several inaccuracies. Perhaps, because of the small volume of information written about this bird, these have been repeated in subsequent papers as factual when they are not. We discuss the origin of the type specimen and the type locality on the basis of the original description, and we offer evidence to correct statements about the distribution and clutch size. Type specimen The Sunbittern was described in gothic German and given its original scientific name Ardea helias by Petrus Simon Pallas in 1781. This description includes a well-drawn, hand-coloured plate of the bird. Pallas mentions that the Sunbittern had already been depicted and vaguely described by contemporary writers. In 1759 a philosopher, Fermin, had given a vague account of a bird that was known then as ““Sonnenvogel” and ‘““Sonnenreyger’’ (Sunbird and Sunheron) in Dutch Guiana and as “‘Ozseau du Soleil’’ (Bird of the Sun) in French Guiana. Then in 1772 an Abbot Rozier had published a satisfactory figure and described a bird that he called the “‘Petit Paon des Roseaux de Cayenne” — (Little Reedpeacock of Cayenne). Newton & Gadow (1896) reported other early confusions regarding the naming of the Sunbittern, however they list the Fermin publication as 1769 and not 1759 as it is in Pallas (1781). Pallas confirms that both Fermin’s description and Abbot Rozier’s account refer to the species he is describing, but neither of them had tried to classify it or give it a scientific name. Pallas never visited South America (J. Hafter pers. comm.), and it is obvious from his paper that he described the Sunbittern from the rare, mounted specimens in the natural history cabinets (collections) of West Europeans. Thus, a unique type specimen cannot be designated. Type locality After the description by Pallas, later authors that we consulted referred to Suriname as the locality of origin of the Sunbittern (Berlepsch & Hartert 1902, Chubb 1916, Peters 1934, Friedmann 1948, Haverschmidt 1955), with the exception of Hellmayr & Conover (1942), who gave it as Brazil. Without explanation Haverschmidt, in a later publication (1968), changed the type locality to Brazil, perhaps following the example of Phelps & Phelps (1958) in their Venezuelan checklist. We find no documented reason for the recent use of Brazil as the type locality. B. T. Thomas & F. Ingels 227 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) Sunbitterns in West European natural history collections of the 18th century originated without a doubt from the tropical coastal regions of northeastern South America. ‘The mounted specimens in the mostly Dutch collections were most likely taken from Dutch Guiana (now Suriname). In the second half of the 18th century this Dutch colony was the most flourishing in the Guianan region where Dutch collectors of natural history specimens, particularly birds, were very active (Gordijn 1977). Pallas titled his paper “‘Description of the so-called Surinam Sunheron (Ardea helias)’’, and distinctly describes what he calls ‘“‘a rare Brazilian bird”. The countries mentioned by earlier authors are irrelevant, because the type locality should be that country from where the specimen(s) came that were actually seen by the person making the formal nomenclatorial description. Although Pallas never specifically says the specimen that he carefully described and figured was from Brazil, he suggests that it was. Therefore we believe the correct type locality should be northeastern Amazonian Brazil. Regardless, whether the type locality is Suriname or Brazil, it would have no effect on nomenclature as the nominate race occurs throughout both countries. Range The range of the Sunbittern, now differentiated into three well-defined subspecies, extends from southern Mexico south in appropriate habitat to approximately 20°S in the Brazilian Amazonas including tropical areas of Bolivia and Peru (Meyer de Schauensee 1966, Blake 1977, Sick 1993). In the generally excellent book A Guide to the Birds of Colombia (Hilty & Brown 1986), the final line under the Sunbittern range reads ‘“‘n Argentina, and Uruguay (rarely c Chile)’. This must be the result of a production error, and pertains to some other species (fide Hilty zn litt.), because the three countries of this line lie more than 1000 km south of the known Sunbittern range. Clutch size While it may be true that in the future a Sunbittern clutch of three eggs will be found, no three-egg clutch has been reported in the literature yet. Some authors (Van Tyne & Berger 1959, Lyon & Fogden 1989, Haye 1989) have stated that the clutch is 2-3 eggs, citing variously Bartlett (1866), Riggs (1948), and Wetmore (1965). The frequently cited article by Bartlett (1866) unambiguously states that while three eggs were laid by a single female in 1865 in the London Zoo, the first two were laid “‘in May” and ‘“‘the early part of June’’, perhaps a clutch of two. The third egg of Bartlett’s zoo bird was laid at “the end of August’ after the pair of Sunbitterns had successfully raised the chick of the second egg. Clearly this was a second nesting of this bird. Riggs (1948) says that the Bartlett bird “‘laid three eggs’’, but follows this with a correct recounting of the circumstances. Wetmore (1965) describes “‘three single eggs’? from Venezuela in the USNM, collected by the same person, but in two different years. Hilty & Brown (1986), obviously referring to these same three eggs, follow it with “10 May—9 July’’, a two month period clearly intending to indicate B. T. Thomas & F. Ingels 228 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) time of laying and not clutch size. One and two-egg clutches have been reported by various authors for wild-living birds (Penard & Penard 1908, Snethlage 1928, Skutch 1947, Lyon & Fogden 1989, Thomas & Strahl 1990). Acknowledgements For help in various ways we are most grateful to Jon Fjeldsa, Jurgen Haffer, David Snow, James P. Kirnan, William Belton, John B. Trent, Lloyd Kiff, Roland Van Bocxstaele, Michael P. Walters and Lynx Edicions. Kenneth C. Parkes read an early draft, made many helpful suggestions, and clarified the type locality problem. The staffs of the Osterreichischen Nationalbibliothek (Vienna, Austria) and Claus Nielsen of the Universitetets Zoologiske Museums Bibliothek (Copenhagen, Denmark) were helpful in providing copies of the original papers by Pallas and Illiger. References: Bartlett, A. D. 1866. Notes on the breeding of several species of birds in the society’s gardens during 1865. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1866: 76-79. Berlepsch, E. & Hartert, E. J. 1902. On the birds of the Orinoco region. Novit. Zool. 9: 1-134. Blake, E. 1977. Manual of Neotropical Birds. Vol. 1. Univ. Chicago Press. Chubb, C. 1916. The Birds of British Guiana. Vol. 1. Bernard Quaritch, London. Friedmann, H. 1948. Birds collected by the National Geographic Society’s expeditions to northern Brazil and southern Venezuela. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 97: 373-510. Gordijn, W. 1977. Encyclopedie van Suriname. Elsevier, Amsterdam. Haverschmidt, F. 1955. List of the birds of Surinam. Foundation for Scientific Research in Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles, Utrecht. No. 13: 1-153. Haverschmidt, F. 1968. Birds of Surinam. Oliver & Boyd. Haye, L. 1989. Breeding the Sun-bittern Eurypyga helias at the San Diego Zoo, USA. Avic. Mag. 95: 1-4. Hellmayr, C. E. & Conover, B. 1942. Catalogue of birds of the Americas. Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Zool. Series 13, part I, number 1. Hilty, S. L. & Brown, W. L. 1986. A Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Princeton Univ. Press. Lyon, B. E. & Fogden, M. P. L. 1989. Breeding biology of the Sunbittern (Eurypyga helias) in Costa Rica. Auk 106: 503-507. Meyer de Schauensee, R. 1966. The Species of Birds of South America. Livingston Pub. Co., Narberth, PA. Newton, A. & Gadow, H. 1896. A Dictionary of Birds. A. & C. Black, London. Pallas, P. S. 1781. Beschreibung des so genannten surinamischen Sonnenreygers (Ardea Helias). Neue Nord. Beitr. 2: 48-54. Penard, F. P. & Penard, A. P. 1908. De Vogels van Guyana (Suriname, Cayenne en Demarara). Vol. 1. Wed. F. P. Penard, Paramaribo. Peters, J. L. 1934. Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 2. Mus. Comp. Zool., Harvard. Phelps, W. H. & Phelps, W. H., Jr. 1958. Lista de las aves de Venezuela con su distribuci6n. Bol. Soc. Venez. Cienc. Nat. Tomo XIX No. 90 Part 1: 1-317. Riggs, D. 1948. The family Eurypygidae: a review. Wilson Bull. 60: 75-80. Sick, H. 1993. Birds in Brazil. Princeton Univ. Press. Skutch, A. 1947. A nest of the Sun-bittern in Costa Rica. Wilson Bull. 59: 38. Snethlage, H. 1928. Meine Reise durch Nordostbrasilien. Part 2. 7. Orn. 76: 503-581. Thomas, B. T. & Strahl, S. D. 1990. Nesting behavior of Sunbitterns (Eurypyga helias) in Venezuela. Condor 95: 576-581. Van Tyne, J. & Berger, A. J. 1959. Fundamentals of Ornithology. John Wiley & Sons, New York. Wetmore, A. 1965. The Birds of the Republic of Panama. Part 1. Smithsonian Press, Washington. Addresses: Betsy Trent Thomas, Waterfield, 125 Harry Settle Road, Castleton, Virginia 22716, U.S.A. Dr Johan Ingels, Galgenberglaan 9, B-9070 Destelbergen, Belgium. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 L. G. Underhill et al. 229 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) Primary moult, wing-length and mass of the Lesser Honeyguide [ndicator minor by Leslie G. Underhill, George D. Underhill, Colin G. C. Martin & Michael W. Fraser Received 8 December 1994 Honeyguides (Indicatoridae) exhibit unusual characteristics with respect to their breeding biology, guiding relationship with man, cerophagy, and physiology (Friedmann 1955, Short & Horne 1985). They are the only flying birds with nine primaries, all other species having either 10 or 11 primaries, although in the oscine passerines the outermost primary is tiny (Stresemann & Stephan 1968). Stresemann & Stresemann (1966) summarised what was then known about the moult of one member of the family, the Greater Honeyguide Indicator indicator, giving the moult protocols of seven juveniles and six adults, all museum specimens from central African localities, mostly Cameroon. They concluded that Greater Honeyguides moult their primaries descendently, that adults in Cameroon commence moult in May and complete it in July/August, and that juveniles begin their first primary moult at an age of at most three to four months. No further information of significance has subsequently been published on the moult of this or any other honeyguide. At the beginning of the 20th century, Lesser Honeyguides Indicator minor “‘were not recorded from near Cape Town’’, the closest localities being George, Oudtshoorn and Knysna, 300 km to the east (Stark & Sclater 1903). The expansion of the range of the Lesser Honeyguide into the Fynbos Biome of the southwestern extremity of Africa in the 1980s (Hockey et al. 1989, Underhill & Underhill 1992 and references therein) has been attributed to the range expansion of its main breeding host in southern Africa, the Acacia Pied Barbet Tvicholaema leucomelaina (Fry et al. 1988). This barbet, in turn, owes its expansion into the fynbos to anthropogenic tree-planting there, especially of invasive Acacia spp., providing nest holes for the barbets (Macdonald 1986). However, fhere is circumstantial evidence that Lesser Honeyguides also parasitise Cardinal Woodpeckers Dendropicos fuscescens, Olive Woodpeckers Mesopicos griseocephalus, Olive Thrushes Turdus olivaceus, European Starlings Sturnus vulgaris, and Malachite Sunbirds Nectarinia famosa in the southwestern Cape (van der Merwe 1986, Hockey et al. 1989, Richardson 1989, Longrigg 1993, Spottiswoode 1994, van Z1jl 1994). The better-known honeyguide species have been shown to be sexually dimorphic, with males larger than females. Apart from the Greater Honeyguide, there are no known plumage differences between the sexes (Friedman 1955, Short & Horne 1985). This size dimorphism is readily observed in wing-length, and the measurements given by, for example, Clancey (1977) and Fry et al. (1988) show sufficiently little overlap to suggest that sex determination on this character might prove reliable for birds-in-the-hand. However, the published wing-lengths L. G. Underhill et al. 230 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) were based on museum specimens, which are subject to shrinkage compared with live birds (Vepsdlainen 1968, Knox 1980), and are unlikely to have been made using the ““maximum length’? technique (Evans 1986) now regarded as standard by bird ringers (Svensson 1992). Of the sources used by Maclean (1993) for wing-length (provided by G. L. Maclean zn litt.), Clancey (1977) measured museum skins, but Manson (1985) measured live birds with “‘the wing flattened and straightened’’, i.e. the standard method. ‘This paper presents data on primary moult and wing-length for the Lesser Honeyguide near Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. Because data on the masses of bird species are regularly needed in theoretical studies (e.g. Payne 1989), the mass data have also been summarised. Material and methods Seventy-two Lesser Honeyguides were trapped during mist-netting operations at 10 localities within 30 km of Cape ‘Town. Birds were ringed, aged (first-year birds have indistinct moustachial and subocular stripes, McLachlan & Liversidge 1970) and weighed to 0.5 g (usually using a 50g Pesola spring balance with 0.5 g divisions). The wing-length was measured to 1mm or 0.5mm (maximum chord method, as in Evans 1986), and primary moult scores recorded according to the system described by, for example, Ginn & Melville (1983). The scores for the nine primaries were summed and divided by 45, to produce a “moult index’’ between 0 (not yet started moult) and 1 (completed moult) (Underhill & Zucchini 1988). The parameters of moult were estimated using data type 2 of Underhill & Zucchini (1988). Data from all ringing localities were pooled for the analyses. All measurements were not made on every bird. The sexual dimorphism was expected to produce bimodal histograms for wing-length and mass. Under the assumption that these could be modelled as a mixture of two normal distributions, the parameters of the normal distributions, as well as the proportions of the two distributions in the mixture were estimated by the method of maximum likelihood, using directive DISTRIBUTION of Genstat 5.3 (Genstat 5 Committee 1993). Results and discussion The maximum likelihood estimaters of the parameters of moult were a mean starting date for primary moult of 8 January, a duration of 140 days, with 28 May as the mean completion date. The estimated standard errors for these parameter estimates were 15, 10 and 9 days, respectively. The large standard errors are a consequence of the small sample size, 68. The standard deviation of the starting date was 35 days (s.e.=5 days), so that 95% of the birds were estimated to start (and complete) moult within 68 days of the mean starting (and completion) date (Fig. 1). Given that the moult of an individual bird takes place over 4.5 months, and that birds start (and complete) moult between about two months earlier and later than the mean dates, the overall duration of moult in the population L. G. Underhill et al. 231 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) 1.0 : @ © oe e © 200@ GD ©@ 4 0.5 MOULT INDEX 0.0 Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep DATE Figure 1. Moult indices for Lesser Honeyguides in the Western Cape. The solid line shows the estimated average progression of primary moult; the parallelogram encloses approximately 95% of all moulting birds. is about nine months, from early November to late July. This is longer than the February—July period stated for southern Africa by Fry et al. (1988). The distribution of wing-lengths showed clear bimodality (Fig. 2). Assuming that the standard deviations of male and female Lesser Honeyguides are equal, the estimates of mean wing-length of females and males were 88.9mm and 94.6mm, respectively (Table 1). To compare the fit of mixtures of two normal distributions with equal and unequal standard deviations, both models are fitted and the difference between the deviances, as computed by Genstat, has a ¥*, distribution (Genstat 5 Committee 1993: 330-341). The decrease in deviance (from 21.3 to 17.9) when allowing unequal standard deviations for females and males was not significant (change in deviance=3.4, P>0.05) and the assumption of equal standard deviations for females and males is tenable. The estimated difference in mean wing-length between males and females was 5.7 mm; the 95% confidence interval for the difference, taking the correlation between the estimated parameters into account, was 4.0-7.4mm. In seven regions in eastern and southern Africa, Clancey (1977) reported inter-sex wing-length differences of between 5.0 mm and 7.0 mm, using sample sizes per sex per region averaging 13 birds; Maclean (1993) reported a difference of 5.8 mm. L. G. Underhill et al. 232 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) 10 85 90 95 100 WING-LENGTH (mm) Figure 2. The distribution of wing-lengths of Lesser Honeyguides in the Western Cape. TABLE 1 Estimates of wing-length parameters for sample of 71 Lesser Honeyguides mist-netted in the Western Cape Parameter Estimate Standard error Mean for females 88.86 0.37 Mean for males 94.62 0.73 Common standard deviation 2.08 0.23 Proportion of females 0.73 0.07 Clancey’s wing-lengths were all of museum specimens, and therefore subject to shrinkage. His mean wing-lengths for the Cape Province and Natal, where the smallest subspecies of the Lesser Honeyguide occurs, were 85.6mm for females and 91.4mm _ for males, both 4% shorter than the wing-lengths from live birds measured by ringers using the maximum chord technique. Typically, shrinkage of wing-length in museum specimens is approximately 2% (e.g. Svensson 1992). If Lesser Honeyguides are classified as female if their wing-lengths are less than 91.7 mm and male otherwise, approximately 9% will be misclassified. This classification rule applies only to the Western Cape and using the maximum length wing-measuring technique. Because inter-sex wing-length differences and the standard deviations appear to be fairly uniform across the range (Clancey 1977), taking the midpoint L. G. Underhill et al. 233 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) 20 15 N 10 5 0 22 27 32 MASS (g) Figure 3. The distribution of masses of Lesser Honeyguides in the Western Cape. between the means for the sexes would produce roughly the same probability of misclassification. The percentage of females in the sample of Lesser Honeyguides caught in mist-nets was estimated to be 73% (Table 1). The Lesser Honeyguides were a by-catch, not a target species, and no attempts were made to attract them to the mist-netting sites by providing wax. It therefore seems likely that female Lesser Honeyguides are more mobile than males, and more likely to get caught in randomly (for them) positioned mist-nets. This is consistent with the biology of the species; male Lesser Honeyguides spend long periods of time stationary at “call-sites’’, the traditional singing perches where mating takes place (Ranger 1955), while females move extensively while searching for the nests of their hosts (Payne 1992). The distribution of mass showed no bimodality (Fig. 3), and had a mean of 28.3 g and standard deviation 1.6 g (n=69). Maclean (1993) reported a mean mass of 28.2 g. Acknowledgements LGU acknowledges support from the Foundation for Research Development, Pretoria, and the University of Cape Town Research Committee. CGCM is assisted in the field by the Tygerberg Ringing Group, which is supported by the Tygerberg Bird Club. Professor G. L. Maclean provided information on references. J. Johnson, T. B. Oatley, D. Philogene and L. Silks contributed data from their ringing sites. L. G. Underhill et al. 234 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) References: Clancey, P. A. 1977. Miscellaneous taxonomic notes on African birds XLVII: The characters and range limits of the nominate subspecies of Indicator minor Stephens. Durban Mus. Novit. 11: 182-187. Evans, P. R. 1986. Correct measurement of the wing-length of waders. Wader Study Group Bull. 48: 11. Friedmann, H. 1955. The Honey-guides. U.S. Natl Mus. Bull. 208: 1-292. Fry, C. H., Keith, S. & Urban, E. K. 1988. The Birds of Africa. Vol. 111. Academic Press. Genstat 5 Committee. 1993. ese 5 Reference Manual. Oxford Univ. Press. Ginn, H. B. & Melville, D. S. 1983. Moult in Birds. BTO Guide 19. British Trust for Ornithology, Tring. Hockey, P. A. R., Underhill, L. G., Neatherway, M. & Ryan, P. G. 1989. Atlas of the Birds of the Southwestern Cape. Cape Bird Club, Cape Town. Knox, A. 1980. Post-mortem changes in wing-lengths and wing-formulae. Ring. G Migr. 3: 29-31. Longrigg, R. 1993. Lesser Honeyguide. Promerops 208: 14. Macdonald, I. A. W. 1986. Range expansion in the Pied Barbet and the spread of alien tree species in southern Africa. Ostrich 57: 75-94. Maclean, G. L. 1993. Roberts’ Birds of Southern Africa. John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town. Manson, A. J. 1985. Results of a ringing programme at Muruwati Farm, Mazowe. Honeyguide 31: 203-211. McLachlan, G. R. & Liversidge, R. 1970. Roberts’ Birds of South Africa. John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town. Payne, R. B. 1989. Egg size of African honeyguides (Indicatoridae): specialization for brood parasitism? Tauraco 1: 201-210. Payne, R. B. 1992. Clutch size, laying periodicity and behaviour in the honeyguides Indicator indicator and I. minor. Proc. Pan-Afr. Orn. Congr. 7: 537-547. Ranger, G. A. 1955. On three species of Honey-guide, the Greater (Indicator indicator), the Lesser (Indicator minor) and Scaly-throated (Indicator variegatus). Ostrich 26: 70-87. Richardson, D. 1989. Notes on habitat utilisation and feeding behaviour of Olive Woodpeckers in Mountain Fynbos near Stellenbosch. Bokmakierie 41: 17-18. Short, L. L. & Horne, J. F. M. 1985. Behavioral notes on the nest-parasitic Afrotropical honeyguides (Aves: Indicatoridae). Adm. Mus. Novit. 2825. Spottiswoode: C. 1994. Lesser Honeyguide parasitising Cardinal Woodpecker. Promerops Qt Stark, A. & Sclater, W. L. 1903. The Birds of South Africa. Vol. I11. Porter, London. Stresemann, E. & Stephan, B. 1968. Zahl und Zahlung bei den Honiganzeigern (Indicatoridae). JF. Orn. 109: 221-222. Stresemann, E. & Stresemann, V. 1966. Die Mauser der Vogel. 7. Orn. 107, Suppl. Svensson, L. 1992. Identification Guide to European Passerines. Wars Svensson, Stockholm. Underhill, G. D. & Underhill, L. G. 1992. First capture dates of Lesser Honeyguides at two localities in the southwestern Cape Province. Safring News 21: 7-10. Underhill, L. G. & Zucchini, W. 1988. A model for avian primary moult. Jbzs 130: 358-372. Van der Merwe, F. 1986. Of Lesser Honeyguides, Olive Woodpeckers and European Starlings. Promerops 176: 8-10. Van Zijl, G. 1994. Lesser Honeyguide. Promerops 212: 11. Vepsildinen, K. 1968. Wing length of Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) before and after skinning, with remarks on measuring methods. Ornis Fenn. 45: 124-126. Addresses: LL. G. Underhill, Avian Demography Unit, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7700 South Africa. G. D. Underhill, 12 Roseberry Road, Mowbray, 7700 South Africa. C. G. C. Martin, Department of Surveying and Geodetic Engineering, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7700 South Africa. M. W. Fraser, Sandbanks, Kenmuir Steps, Hopkirk Way, Glencairn, 7995 South Africa. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 S.L. Olson 235 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) Types and nomenclature of two Chilean parrots from the voyage of HMS Blonde (1825) by Storrs L. Olson Received 14 December 1994 During my investigation of archival records and specimens from the voyage of HMS Blonde (28 September 1824 to 15 March 1826; Captain Lord Byron), I discovered that the nomenclature of the two species of parrots obtained by the expedition in Chile has been seriously bungled. These species are now known as the Patagonian Conure Cyanoliseus patagonus (Vieillot) and the Slender-billed Conure Enicognathus leptorhynchus (King). I have introduced the ornithological history and archival sources of the voyage of the Blonde elsewhere (Olson 1986; in press). At the end of the voyage, the expedition’s naturalist, Andrew Bloxam, submitted the specimens he had collected, along with his natural history notes, to the Secretary of the Admiralty. Bloxam himself never had anything further to do with the Blonde material and most of his observations were never published. The majority of Bloxam’s specimens that still exist are in the British Museum (Natural History), as are various copies of his unpublished notes, in one of which are the following entries concerning Chilean parrots. Bloxam added specific names of his own invention, his only source of nomenclature being a translation of the 13th edition of ‘‘Linnaeus’s’? (=Gmelin’s) Systema Naturae (Turton 1800). To avoid any possibility of these names being considered as taking their publication from the present work, I have replaced them with transcriptions that have no nomenclatural standing. Except for these instances, bracketed portions are from a rougher set of notes. 7. [27] Psittacus Parrakeet [Bloxam’s specific name added a Latin locative suffix to the locality ““‘Conception’’] N. 1. L. 20 inch. Tail long & pointed. Cere round the eye white. Cheeks covered with fleathe]rs, head not crested. Upper parts muddy [dingy] green, tail coverts yellow, tail green, wing coverts brighter green, quill feathers blue. Bill black [short & strong], legs yellowish. Belly red, flanks & thighs yellow, on upper part of the breast a half circle [semicircle] of dusky white & brown feathers. Lower part dull green. Wing coverts underneath green, quills dark brown. They fly about in flocks of 20 or 30 uttering harsh screams & cries. Common about the peninsula of Talcahuana [near Conception]. They are also sometimes, tho’ seldom, seen in the neighbourhood of Valparaiso. [Shot at Conception. ] 8. [28] Psittacus Parakeet [Bloxam’s specific name added a Latin locative suffix to the locality ““Chili’’]. N. 2. L. 16 inch. Upper mandible rather long & sharper than the last, dark colored. Legs scaly & dark colored. Upper plumage fine green, top of head faintly barred with black. A red line runs on each side from the eye to the upper mandible & crosses over at the base of the beak. Tail f[eathe]rs rather long, pointed & red. Quill f[eathe]rs of wings bluish green. Under parts green with a tinge of red about the belly. Tail underneath red, quill f[eathe]rs underneath dusky brown. Cere round the eye is dark colored. A few minute red f[eathe]rs surround the eye. Shot at Conception. Both this & the former are of the Parakeet tribe, having their heads without crests tho’ covered with feathers & a long pointed tail. S.L. Olson 236 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) The preceding descriptions refer unequivocally to Cyanoliseus patagonus and Enicognathus leptorhynchus, respectively. The Blonde anchored off Talcahuano, near Concepcion, on 29 September and sailed on 12 October 1825, so we now know the collection data for these specimens, which are each ultimately holotypes, with considerably more precision than has been stated before. These data could possibly be further refined by consulting Bloxam’s diary in the B. P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu, the Chilean portions of which I have not examined. Some five years after the return of the Blonde, J. E. Gray (1831) published descriptions of six species from the voyage based on specimens said then to be in the British Museum, though four of these species were from Hawaii and had been previously known and described (Olson in press). One, however, was a parrot from Chile, that was named as follows: Lord Byron Parrot. Psittacus (Aratinga) Byrom. Children’s MSS. Brit. Mus. Green; forehead lores to the orbits bright-red; tail feather [sic] rufous, brown; shaft greenish black, larger quills bluish, with shaft and inner edge black; tips of crown-feathers blackish; upper mandible elongate, produced; apex acute; culmen produced. Length 17 inches; wing 9; bill 13 inches. Inhab. Chili. J. G. Children was J. E. Gray’s predecessor at the British Museum, but there does not seem to be an existing manuscript that would bear on this subject (M. Walters pers. comm.). Regardless, the preceding description can only apply to the species we now know as Enicognathus leptorhynchus. As incredible as it may seem, apparently no ornithologist in the past 163 years, even the usually meticulous Salvadori (1891), has read J. E. Gray’s description of byron with sufficient attention to comprehend its consequences, because the name byron later came to be used as a subspecies of Cyanoliseus patagonus and is still thus employed. Warren (1966: 47) noted the discrepancy between the original description and the appearance of the putative type of byroni (and all other specimens of Cyanoliseus patagonus), but without coming to the realisation that Gray’s name obviously applied to another species altogether. In the 1830s, J. E. Gray’s brother, G. R. Gray, entered the bird collections of the British Museum into a series of volumes sometimes referred to as the Old Vellum Catalogue (Warren 1966: 47), or simply the Vellum Catalogue (Knox & Walters 1992), in which Bloxam’s two Chilean parrots were entered in book 22. The entry for species number 4 is “Psitticara leptorhynca King. Zool. Proc.” under which appears ‘““Aratinga Byroniu Vigors’ Mss’’. '’wo specimens are listed: 4a 1s from “Chili, Lord Byron Capt. R.N.”’ and 4b is from “‘King’s Voyage, The Admiralty’. The former is the true holotype of J. E. Gray’s (1831) Psittacus byroni, though what Vigors’s connection with the name may have been I have not determined. The latter specimen is surely the holotype of Psitticara leptorhyncha King (1831), which has been overlooked in the general collections and was not listed by Warren (1966). Salvadori (1891) mentions this specimen, giving its provenance only as ‘““The Admiralty”, apparently without realising it was from S. L. Olson 237 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) King’s voyage and therefore the type specimen. Each of these specimens has suffered damage to the bill—the end of the upper mandible is broken off in Bloxam’s bird and the entire upper mandible is lacking in King’s, so that the feature that gave the species its name 1s unfortunately no longer present in the type. Cyanoliseus patagonus appears in book 22 as species number 34 and is listed with the following sequence of names: “‘Psittacus patagonicus, Vieill., Psztticara Bloxhami [sic] Mss., Psittacara patagonica Less., Arara patagonica Less., Ps. platyrhynchus Les.?”’ The two specimens are 34a from “‘Chili, Lord Byron” and 34b from ‘Rev, Hennah’’. The former is the specimen that has for years erroneously passed as the type of J. E. Gray’s Psittacus byroni (e.g. Warren 1966). The error I believe is traceable to G. R. Gray, who must have forgotten his own entries in the Vellum Catalogue and later confounded the two specimens of parrots from the voyage of the Blonde. Beginning in 1845 (G. R. Gray 184449: vol. 2: 413), and several times later, G. R. Gray (1859, 1870) listed P. byront as a synonym under names applicable to the Patagonian Conure Cyanoliseus patagonus. Thus, when the distinctiveness of the isolated Chilean form of this species was recognised, the name thought to be applicable to it was J. E. Gray’s byroni. This distinction was first proposed in an anonymous announcement that Salvadori (1891) credits to P. L. Sclater (Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1873: 761): Two of the smaller variety of the Patagonian Conure, received in exchange Oct. 13th. This smaller and brighter form of the Parrot, found in Mendoza and other states of the Argentine Republic, would appear to be best entitled to the name patagonus, that name having been founded by Vieillot on Azara’s description of specimens seen at Buenos Ayres. The larger form of Chili and the west coast may be called Conurus byron (J. E. Gray), if, as proposed by Finsch, cyanolyseos of Molina be rejected as inadmissible. Ever since, the Chilean subspecies of Patagonian Conure has taken the name byroni and has even been known as “Lord Byron’s Conure’’ (e.g. Prestwich 1958). Incidentally, it should be noted that Prestwich (op. cit.) confounded his Byrons in the first edition of his book, considering the name byron to have been dedicated to the poet’s grandfather (who was not a peer), rather than to the poet’s cousin and successor, who was captain of the Blonde. The error was corrected in the second edition of 1963. From the original description it is clear that the name Psittacus byroni J. E. Gray (1831) pertains to the same species as Psitticara leptorhyncha King (1831), proposed in the same year. King’s publication was delivered to the Zoological Society on 6 January 1831 (see Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1937: 78), whereas the exact date of issue of the first part of J. E. Gray’s Zoological Miscellany is apparently uncertain (see editor’s note to the 1971 facsimile edition). It is hardly likely to have been issued prior to King’s paper in any case, and, in the absence of information to the contrary, for nomenclatural purposes the date of J. E. Gray’s publication must be set at 31 December. Therefore Psittacus byroni J. E. Gray (1831) becomes a junior subjective synonym S.L. Olson 238 Bull. B.O.C, 1995 115(4) of Psitticara leptorhyncha King (1831) and simply drops out of use, so that we may fortunately continue using Enicognathus leptorhynchus (King) for the Slender-billed Conure. This means, however, that the Chilean subspecies of Patagonian Conure is without a name, for which I therefore propose: Cyanoliseus patagonus bloxami subsp. nov. Holotype. Adult skin, British Museum (Natural History) Vellum Catalogue 22:34a. Collected near Concepcion, Chile, probably on the ‘Talcahuano Peninsula, between 29 September and 12 October 1825, by Andrew Bloxam. Characters. As has been recognised by many authors, the Chilean bird is much larger and has the dingy whitish pectoral band better developed, being wider and more nearly complete across the breast, rather than being confined to the sides as in nominate patagonus of Argentina. ‘The amount and intensity of red and yellow in the belly has been subject to conflicting interpretation. Sclater (see above) considered the nominate form to be brighter, whereas Forshaw (1989: 470) thought the red brighter in the Chilean birds. In the small series of each that I examined, the ventral coloration appears to be subject to considerable individual variation, as well as being affected by fading and: by the manner of preparation. Both bright and dull birds with varying amounts of red or yellow were present in both subspecies. Less equivocal, however, is the dorsal coloration, which in the Chilean birds is darker green, the feathers tipped and suffused with fuscous, so that the head, nape, and mantle are essentially concolorous. In nominate patagonus the upper parts are lighter, with the dusky forehead set off by the lighter green of the nape as compared with the more brownish-grey mantle. Distribution. Isolated in central Chile, formerly from Atacama south to Valdivia, but numbers now much reduced due to habitat destruction, hunting, and trapping for the pet trade (Forshaw 1989). Etymology.'To Andrew Bloxam, naturalist of HMS Blonde, with the hope that this will more permanently engrave his name in ornithological nomenclature. ‘Two other birds were once dedicated to him: Sylvia bloxami J. E. Gray (1831), and Phytotoma bloxami Jardine and Selby (1827), which latter was described under the same name, apparently independently, by Griffith (1829). These are synonyms of the species now known as Anairetes parulus (Kittlitz) and Phytotoma vara (Molina), respectively, so that Bloxam’s eponyms have long passed out of use. Even when Jardine and Selby named Phytotoma bloxami, they did not indicate to whom the species was dedicated, saying only that the specimen had been brought back by Lord Byron. Acknowledgements For access to Bloxam’s notes, specimens, registers, and literature, I am most grateful to staff of the British Museum (Natural History), especially Michael Walters, who has assisted in this particular endeavour in numerous ways and who commented on the manuscript. For additional comments I am grateful to Gary R. Graves. H. G. Remold & M. B. Ramos Neto 239 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) References: Forshaw, J. 1989. Parrots of the World. 3rd (revised) edn. Blanford Press. Gray, G. R. 1844-1849. The Genera of Birds. 3 vols. Longman, Brown, Green, & Longmans. Gray, G. R. 1859. List of the Specimens of Birds in the Collection of the British Museum. Part III. Section II Psittacidae. British Museum. Gray, G. R. 1870. Hand-list of Genera and Species of Birds. British Museum. Gray, J. E. 1831. Description of some birds discovered by Edward [sic =Andrew] Bloxam, Esq., during the voyage of Capt. Lord Byron, R.N., now in the British Museum. Pp. 11-12 in Zoological Miscellany. London. [The entire Miscellany was reprinted in facsimile in 1971 by the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, with editor’s notes and an introduction by A. Kluge.] Griffith, E. 1829. The Animal Kingdom. Vol. 7. Whittaker, Treacher & Co. Jardine, W. & Selby, P. J. 1827. Illustrations of Ornithology. Vol. 1, part 1, plate 4. King, P. 1831. [Descriptions of new species of birds.] Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1 (for 1830): 14-16. Knox, A. G. & Walters, M. 1992. Under the skin: The bird collections of the Natural History Museum. Pp. 169-190 im J. F. Monk (ed.), Avian Systematics and Taxonomy. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. Centenary Suppl. 112A. Olson, S. L. 1986. An early account of some birds from Mauke, Cook Islands, and the origin of the ‘Mysterious Starling’ Aplonis mavornata Buller. Notornis 33: 197-208. Olson, S. L. In press. The contribution of the voyage of HMS Blonde (1825) to Hawaiian ornithology. Archives Nat. Hist. Prestwich, A. A. 1958. “I Name this Parrot ...’’ Published by the author. [This is the first edition; the second, also privately printed, appeared in 1963.] Salvadori, T. 1891. Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum. Vol. 20. British Museum. Turton, W. 1800. A General System of Nature. Translated from Gmelin’s Last Edition of the Celebrated Systema Naturae. Vol. 1. Lackington, Allen & Co. Warren, R. L. M. 1966. Type-Specimens of Birds in the British Museum (Natural History). Vol. 1. British Museum. Address: Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560, U.S.A. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 A nest of the Restinga ‘Tyrannulet Phylloscartes krone by Heinz G. Remold GS Mario B. Ramos Neto Received 31 December 1994 The recently described Restinga Tyrannulet Phylloscartes krone, an endangered southeast Brazilian endemic belonging to the Phylloscartes ventralis (Temminck) group, seems to occur primarily in sand-ridge woodland (restinga) and adjacent riverine forest of the Ribeira valley in southeastern Sao Paulo, Brazil (Willis & Oniki 1992). According to our observations this species seems to prefer, at least in the breeding season, swampy areas with standing pools of water. On 24 October 1993, we detected a nest in swampy restinga about three miles (5 km) northeast of the village Barra do Ribeira. The location is near Porto do Prelado (24°36'S, 47°18’W according to E. O. Willis, zn litt.). The oven-shaped nest was about 4 feet (1.3 m) from the ground in a H.G. Remold & M. B. Ramos Neto 240 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) low bush with an opening towards the southeast. The outside of the nest was covered with lichen and moss and was about 13 cm wide and 16 cm high. The nest contained 2 young. The adults remained close to the nest during the whole time we spent in this area (4hr) and continued feeding their young. No song activity was recorded during this time. E. O. Willis and J. Ragusa Netto recorded young out of the nest in December (Willis & Oniki 1992), indicating with our nest a spring breeding season as in most birds of the region. An egg, 17.0 x 13.5 mm, perhaps of this species rather than of the Mottle-cheeked ‘Tyrannulet P. ventralis, was recorded from Sao Paulo (Nehrkorn 1910). The dimensions of recorded eggs of P. ventralis are 15.0-17.0 x 12.0-12.5 mm (Dabbene 1919, Smyth 1928) and nests have side entrances (see also Klimaitis 1984, Belton 1985). Unlike our nest of P. kronei, these nests are often inside masses of Tillandsia usneoides. However this epiphyte is not as common in the lowlands, where P. krone occurs, as in the uplands and southward where P. ventralis is found. The Southern Bristle Tyrant P. eximius has a mossy oven-shaped nest (Bertoni 1901). In contrast, the Yellow ‘Tyrannulet Capsiempis flaveola, placed by Traylor on morphological grounds into the genus Phylloscartes (Traylor 1977) but which is now thought to be closer to Phaeomyias (Lanyon 1988), makes a cup nest (Skutch 1960). Acknowledgement We thank E. O. Willis for help with the references and the manuscript. References: Belton, W. 1985. Birds of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Part 2, Formicariidae through Corvidae. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 180: 1-241. Bertoni, A. de W. 1901. Aves nuevas del Paraguay. H. Kraus, Asuncion. Dabbene, R. 1919. Nido y huevos del tiranido Phylloscartes ventralis angustirostris (Lafr. et D’Orb.). Hornero 1: 292. Klimaitis, J. F. 1984. Nota sobre un nido de la mosquera vientre amarillo (Phylloscartes ventralis) en Punta Lara, Ensenada, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Hornero 12: 203-204. Lanyon, W. E. 1988. A phylogeny of thirty-two genera in the Elaenia assemblage of tyrant flycatchers. dm. Mus. Novit. 2914. Nehrkorn, A. 1910. Katalog der Eiersammlung nebst Beschreibungen der aussereuropdischen Ever. 2nd edn. R. Friedlander und Sohne, Berlin. Skutch, A. F. 1960. Life histories of Central American birds. Vol. 2. Pacific Coast Avif. 34: 1-593. Smyth, C. H. 1928. Descripcién de una coleccién de huevos de aves argentinas. Hornero 4: 126-152. Traylor, M. A. 1977. A classification of the tyrant flycatchers (Tyrannidae). Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. 148: 129-184. Willis, E. O. & Oniki, Y. 1992. A new Phylloscartes (Tyrannidae) from southeastern Brazil. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 112: 158-165. Addresses: Heinz G. Remold, 197 Clinton Road, Brookline, MA, 02146, U.S.A. Mario B. Ramos Neto, Rua Prof. Arthur Ramos 250, apto 121, 01454-010 Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 I. S. Robertson 241 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) First field observations on the Sidamo Lark Heteromirafra sidamoensis by Iain S. Robertson Received 7 January 1995 The Sidamo Lark is an Ethiopian endemic previously known from two specimens, one collected less than 2km south of Negele (5°20'N, 39°35’E) at 1450 m in Sidamo Province on 18 May 1968 (Erard 1975) and a second individual collected on 15 April 1974, 12 km southeast of Negele (Ash & Olson 1985). On 27 November 1974 Sandra Fisher, Michael Lambarth and myself searched for larks in an area of grassland with a few scattered low whistling thorns Acacia drepanolobium and other acacias about 6 km south of Negele. The habitat looked very suitable for larks but we were unable to find any. The following morning we searched a more extensive area of similar grassland 13 km southeast of Negele at the junction of the Filtu and Arero tracks, where a brief snatch of a lark-like song was heard by ISR. A lark hovering about 4 m above the grass could not be relocated after it dropped into cover. On searching the similar habitat south of the junction almost immediately ML saw a lark run across a patch of bare ground surrounded by taller grass. We converged on the spot and accidentally flushed at least four similar larks which rose to a height of about 5 m and hovered momentarily, uttering a short call, before dropping back into the grass. We soon located the original bird and obtained excellent views. I was able to watch the bird through 10 x 42 binoculars and through a *X 25 tripod-mounted telescope at distances down to about 10m. The light conditions were excellent and there was little wind. The bird was unfamiliar to me but it had a distinctive appearance and I confidently identified it as H.. sidamoensis. It was later ascertained that this was the exact site where Ash found his birds (J. S. Ash in litt. 1994). General appearance and behaviour When crouched the bird had an almost quail-like appearance, due to the large rounded head and prominent eye together with the richly marked upperparts and rather short bill. When active it adopted a very upright stance, reminiscent of Isabelline Wheatear Oenanthe isabellinus. The bird was rather tame and confiding, taking little notice of our small group. It was, however, very unobtrusive and impossible to see when it entered the taller patches of grass. It appears that the species crouches and remains motionless to avoid detection and also that when flushed it runs into the cover of tall grass after alighting. This unobtrusive behaviour is well known in the two other species in this genus (Archer & Godman 1961). Description The upperparts including the wing-coverts were richly patterned rufous with darker centres and pale buffish tips to the feathers I. S. Robertson 242 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) producing a distinctive scaly and streaked appearance, contrasting with the nape which was pale greyish-buff with fine dark streaks, the streaking continuing onto the sides of the neck and upper breast. The crown was brown with dark streaks and whitish tips to the feathers forming fine scales; a narrow whitish median crown-stripe and whitish supercilium were present. The ear-coverts were rufous-brown and the lores pale buff. The throat was white, unstreaked, the breast buffish with fine dark streaks concentrated at the sides. The flanks were unstreaked warm-buff and the belly appeared pale buffish-white. The tail, lower breast and beily were wet from contact with dew on the grass and it was not possible to determine the colour nor the length of the outer tail feathers; however the tail appeared rather ragged, and this was also true of the birds which we flushed. The bill was yellowish-horn, rather short, with the culmen slightly decurved. The legs were dark straw coloured, appearing quite long and fairly robust. Despite the close range I was unable to make out the length of the hind claw. The dark eye appeared large, perhaps accentuated by the pale lores and supercilium. Calls The birds which flushed uttered a soft tswee-ee-eep at the point where they hovered before dropping back into the cover. Although I have no experience of the other members of the genus (Rudd’s Lark H. ruddi and Archer’s Lark H. archert), | was struck by the similarities between H. stdamoensis and photographs of H. ruddz; in particular the upright stance, prominent dark eye and rather stout bill. In Keith et al. 1992 two song types are described for H. ruddi; one of them, in which birds fly up from the grass, whistle plaintively and drop back into the grass, sounds very similar to the behaviour of the birds which we saw. I suspect that the song of H. sidamoensis will be found to be similar to that of H. ruddi and that the ‘flappeting’ display flight tentatively assigned to H. stdamoensis by Ash probably refers to another species. We did not, however, record any other species of lark in the immediate area of the grasslands. Remarks This is the first field observation of the species. It was looked for unsuccessfully at the type locality in October/November 1971 (Erard 1975) and again in March 1989 (Ash & Gullick 1989). The author visited the area in November 1989 but due to military activity it was not possible to search the grasslands. In November 1994 the military training camp had been removed, the airstrip was disused and there was little sign of human activity. The grasslands are no longer grazed by gazelles or oryx; these appear to have been extirpated, perhaps due to the military presence in the late 1980s. Local Borana people were grazing flocks of goats and cattle on the grassland but not in the immediate vicinity of the lark site. There had been prolonged rains in I. S. Robertson 243 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) the wet season of 1994 resulting in a good growth of grass, though the habitat was beginning to dry out by the time of our visit. It would appear that suitable habitat still exists in the area and that the species has survived in these grasslands undetected, probably due to its unobtrusive habits and the fact that previous searches have been adversely affected by a combination of drought conditions and military activity. The species is treated as ‘indeterminate’ by Collar & Stuart (1985). This seems inconsistent with the treatment of two other species endemic to southern Ethiopia, White-tailed Swallow Hirundo megaensis and Stresemann’s Bush-Crow Zavattariornis stresemanni, both of which are treated as ‘rare’. The ranges of these two species are considerably larger and contain a much greater area of habitat suitable for them. The extent of grassland habitat south of Negele would appear to be quite restricted by comparison. Both of the congeners of H. sidamoensis have very restricted ranges, and Collar & Stuart consider Heteromirafra to be a threatened taxon. Acknowledgement I am most grateful to Dr J. S. Ash for commenting on a draft of this paper. References: Archer, G. F. & Godman, E. M. 1961. The Birds of British Somaliland and the Gulf of Aden. Gurney & Jackson, London. Ash, J. S. & Gullick, T. M. 1989. The present situation regarding the endemic breeding birds of Ethiopia. Scopus 13: 90-97. Ash, J. S. & Olson, S. L. 1985. A second specimen of Mirafra (Heteromirafra) sidamoensis Erard. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 105: 141-143. _Collar, N. J. & Stuart, S. N. 1985. Threatened Birds of Africa and Related Islands. ICBP/IUCN, Cambridge. Erard, C. 1975. Une nouvelle Alouette du sud de |’Ethiopie. Alauda 43: 115-124. Keith, S., Urban, E. K. & Fry, C. H. (eds) 1992. The Birds of Africa. Volume 4. Academic Press. Address: 1. S. Robertson, Laurelbank, Exnaboe, Virkie, Shetland ZE3 9JS, U.K. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 C. T. Fisher & N. W. Longmore 244 Bull. B.O.C. (1995) 115(4) Edgar Layard and Charles Pearce’s Fijian bird types in the Macleay and Australian Museums, Sydney, with comments on specimens in museums in Britain by C. T. Fisher & N. W. Longmore Received 13 January 1995 Longmore (1991) and Stanbury (1969) have produced type lists of birds in the Australian and Macleay Museums respectively. In the light of investigation of some of the Fijian specimens in these two museum collections, these lists can be extended and new information added. We refer here to specimens collected by Edgar Leopold Layard, Honorary Consul first in Fiji (1874-1876) and then New Caledonia (1876-1881), and Charles Pearce, who was resident on Fiji and for a time acted as Layard’s servant. Edgar Layard’s specimens are usually identified in some way as such, a fair proportion of his specimens still having their original labels. ‘These were ones specially printed for Layard, with sections for soft part colour and stomach contents as well as the more usual locality and date details. However, even if they have lost their original labels, it is still often possible to identify many of his specimens by his distinctive preparation technique. The specimens are usually in good basic order, and have the legs uncrossed but touching neatly tosethier at the ankle, from which the lower legs (tarsometatarsus and toes) splay. Charles Pearce and Leopold Layard—Edgar Layard’s son, who was Vice- Consul with him at Noumea and also an ardent bird collector—both had more conventional, and rather less successful, methods. of preparing birds, with the legs usually crossed. Unfortunately, both father and son were lax about marking their type material as such, and the situation is complicated by the fact that individual birds from their type series are now scattered in different museums and countries. ‘There are many Layard specimens in the two Sydney museums with extensive natural history collections; the Australian Museum (founded in the 1820s, which is the State Museum for New South Wales, and has very extensive bird collections) and the Macleay Museum of the University of Sydney. The birds in the Macleay collection are much smaller in number (about’' 7500) and nearly all date from the time of William John Macleay (1820-1891), who must have received Fijian material directly from Edgar Layard. The specimens were originally kept in the Macleay family house in Elizabeth Bay, an inner suburb of Sydney, but William John eventually bequeathed the entire Macleayean collections to the University of Sydney, who built the magnificent Macleay Museum on campus in 1888 in order to house them. The following Layard or Pearce specimens in the Macleay and Australian Museums appear to have taxonomic significance, and have C. T. Fisher & N. W. Longmore 245 Bull. B.O.C. (1995) 115(4) not previously been noted. In all cases the current scientific name as given in Watling (1982) is given in square brackets. Family names follow Morony, Bock & Farrand (1975). Columbidae Chrysoena viridis Layard, 1875. Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 151. [=Ptilinopus layardi (Elliott, 1878). Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 567. New name for wiridis, pre-occupied. | Five specimens at the Macleay Museum, all from Kandavu (= Kadavu), Fiji, appear to be syntypes of viridis, and thus also layardi: Total length Wing Tail ‘Tarsus Bill Type description* 7 4; 2: é j B.2076 (male) i 4; 2: i i B.2077 (male) de 4; 23 i ; B.2078 (male) 7 4; is 7 ie B.2079 (female) 63 7 2: 7G is B.2080 (female) his 3 23 ie ; *converted from lines i.e. twelfths of an inch. (all measurements 1n inches). All five fit the plumage descriptions for their respective sexes. All are fair to good specimens with legs uncrossed in typical Edgar Layard style; all have been catalogued by the Macleay Museum under the name Ptilinopus layardi Elliot, 1878—the birds are, however, labelled C. viridis. Layard does mention in the type description that he had males (in the plural) in front of him, which had been collected on 8 August, presumably 1874. Several specimens in the collections of the Natural History Museum at Tring were also collected by Edgar Layard from Kadavu (Salvadori 1893: 158), and some are probably syntypic although they are not listed in Warren (1966). A specimen in the Tristram Collection at Liverpool Museum, National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside, U.K. (T.9602, see Tristram 1889: 44) was also collected by Layard in Kandavu (=Kadavu), Fiji, but not until 10 September 1875. As the type manuscript was published on 2 March 1875, this specimen can have no type status. Although this specimen has a label in E. L. Layard’s hand and is a nicely prepared specimen, the legs are crossed. Loriidae Trichoglossus (Glossopsitta) amabilis Ramsay. Sydney Morning Herald 28 July 1875. [=Charmosyna amabilis (Ramsay, 1875).] Four specimens in the Macleay Museum appear to agree in general with the description and measurements, although there is no real sign C. T. Fisher & N. W. Longmore 246 Bull. B.O.C. (1995) 115(4) of ‘two or three yellow feathers on the sides of the chest under the wings’ which Ramsay noted on some of the males; in the two Macleay Museum males there is only a yellowish tinge on some of the underwing feathers. One of the Macleay Museum specimens (B.1797) does not have nearly so much of a yellow tip to the tail as the other (B.1978), in fact even less than either female. The description of the adult females seems generally to match well with both Macleay Museum females. Total length Wing Tail Tarsus Bill Culmen ‘Type description (male) 6.7 3.6 3325-04 OF O8S O35 Type description (female) 6.5 3-6 3.05. — — — B.1797 (male) 6.4 SH) 2.8 0.5 0.6 0.45 B.1798 (male) On) 3.5 Srl 0.55 ., OFS Si Oe0) B.1799 (female) 6.6 3.6 3.0 0.5'5:5,0555.246 054-0 B.1799a (female) 6.0 3.3 2.8 0.50 0.60 0.40 (all measurements 1n inches) According to the type description the types were collected by Charles Pearce at Ovalau, Fiji. A later note by Edward Pierson Ramsay in the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales of 1876/77 confpmed the exact date (28 July 1875) of publication of his description of the ‘beautiful little species obtained for the first time I believe, at Fiji, by Charles Pearce, 17th June last, 1875’ (note that Watling (1982) gives the year of publication incorrectly as 1876). The four Macleay Museum specimens are all labelled with the locality, Ovalau, but the collector is not recorded. All four are fair specimens, the two males with their legs crossed as Pearce’s specimens often were. The females, despite having uncrossed legs, do not have them splayed and are probably also Pearce specimens. Pursuant with modern revisionary taxonomy, we elevate the specimen B.1798 (male) to the status of lectotype; it is a close match of both the plumage details and measurements in the type description. B.1797, B.1799 and B.1799a are paralectotypes. Trichoglossus aureicinctus Layard, Nov. 1875. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 16: 344. [=Charmosyna amabilis (Ramsay, July 1875).] Two Layard specimens in the Liverpool Museum have no type significance for Ramsay’s name amabilis, but one (T.2774) is a syntype of the synonym aureicinctus Layard, described in November 1875 (Wagstaffe 1978). The bird has an original label in Edgar Layard’s hand, which includes the word “Type’ written clearly in the bottom left-hand corner. It was obtained at Ovalau on 15 June 1875 and, although labelled by Edgar Layard, is not typical of his preparation technique. Indeed, Layard mentioned in his type description that ‘the species was first indicated by my son... who... could not obtain one. A few were subsequently shot ... on Ovalau ... by some one; and one passed into my possession’. The Liverpool bird was probably prepared C. T. Fisher & N. W. Longmore 247 Bull. B.O.C. (1995) 115(4) by, and possibly collected by, Charles Pearce; if so, it was obtained two days before Pearce obtained the specimens Ramsay used for the description of amabilis. However, Pearce had obviously sent the bird now in Liverpool direct to Layard. ‘Total length Wing Tail ‘Tarsus Bill Type description 6.50 3.50 3e2 5 O25 0.50 T.2774 6.50 3.65 3.00 0.50 0.45 (measurements in inches) Another specimen of the Red-throated Lorikeet, very much typical of Edgar Layard’s taxidermy style and with a label in his hand, is at the Liverpool Museum (T.2773). It was collected in Taviuni, Fiji, in August 1875, but does not have any type significance; Layard clearly stated that he had just one specimen, probably from Ovalau, in front of him while composing the type description of awreicinctus. Passeriformes Edward Ramsay’s paper read to the Linnean Society of New South Wales on 29 November 1875 (but published in 1876) consisted of the descriptions of three ‘new species [which] were discovered by Mr. Charles Pearce in the Fiji Islands; and now form part of the magnificent collection at Elizabeth Bay’. This referred to the Macleay collections, at that time under the stewardship of William John Macleay. Ramsay later described a new Pachycephala at a Linnean Society meeting, which was also published in 1876. The types for all these new forms, all passerines, are still extant in the Macleay Museum. Muscicapidae/Turdinae Merula ruficeps Ramsay, 1876. Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 1: 43. [= Turdus poliocephalus ruficeps (Ramsay, 1876).] Ramsay’s account of Merula ruficeps includes descriptions of both male and female. The description appears to be based on just two specimens in the Macleay Museum (B.5259, male; B.5260, female). Both specimens are fair; although with uncrossed legs, these protrude at an angle and could well be Pearce specimens. Bill Bill (from Total (from angle of length Wing ‘Tail Tarsus forehead) mouth) ‘Type description (male) 6.5 4.1 Dein 12 0.9 dat Type description (female) 75 4.1 29 1.2 0.9 Led B.5259 (male) 6.75 AsOmgs 322 12 0.75 1.0 B.5260 (female) 7.85 AS59325 1.35 0.85 1.08 (all measurements in inches) C. T. Fisher & N. W. Longmore 248 Bull. B.O.C. (1995) 115(4) Ramsay’s description of the female appears to be largely confined to details and measurements of an immature specimen; these values do not fit those of B.5260. Seebohm (1881: 256) stated that there were no specimens of this form in the British Museum—he had borrowed Layard’s type of Merula bicolor for the purpose of giving an account of the bird. There are no specimens of T. p. ruficeps in the Liverpool Museum, and no suitable candidates in the Australian Museum. We consider only the male (B.5259) fits the type description closely and therefore select this bird as the lectotype. B.5260 is a paralectotype. Merula bicolor Layard, 1876. Ibis (3)6: 153. [=Turdus poliocephalus ruficeps (Ramsay, 1876).] Layard also named the form presently known as Turdus poliocephalus ruficeps, as Merula bicolor. This description was also dated 1876, but was published two months after Ramsay’s description. Layard stated that he used specimens ‘brought by Mr. Pearce’ for his description and it is possible he too used the Macleay Museum specimens B.5259 and B.5260 in this description. Layard could have seen these two specimens before they left Fiji for the Macleay: Collection at Elizabeth Bay; indeed, judging from their appearance, he may have had a hand in their preparation. Total Bill (from length Wing ‘Tail Tarsus forehead) Type description of bicolor 7.0 4.0 3.0 13 eal B.5259 (male) 6.75 4.0 BP) 1.2 0.75 B.5260 (female) 785 A OS qwiesed 1°35 0.85 (measurements in inches) Muscicapidae/Sylviinae Vitia ruficapilla Ramsay, 1876. Proc. Zool. Soc. N.S.W. 1: 42. [=Vitia r. ruficapilla Ramsay, 1876.] Three specimens in the Macleay Museum, despite being wrongly labelled Drymochoera badiceps Finsch (the Viti Levu subspecies), are probably Ramsay’s types of Vitia ruficapilla. All three are fair specimens with uncrossed legs, and all marked as from Kandavu (=Kadavu), Fiji. There is no record of collector, but they appear to resemble E. L. Layard’s style rather than Pearce’s rather rougher technique. Perhaps the two men prepared them together. ‘Total length Wing Tail ‘Tarsus Bill ‘Type description 4.8 2.4 Dyes) 0.97 0.7 B.7346 (male) 5.0 DES Ie) 1.0 0.6 B.7347 (male) 5125 KS) 2.4 1.0 0.6 B.7348 (female) 5.0 ips) 2.4 LASS) 0.6 (all measurements in inches; bills on B.7346 and B.7348 are damaged, length is therefore estimated) C. T. Fisher & N. W. Longmore 249 Bull. B.O.C. (1995) 115(4) Fine bill measurements (in inches): From Height Width From angle of | From at at forehead mouth nostril nostril nostril Type description 0.7 O72 0.4 0.2 Oz2 B.7347 0.7 OW, 0.45 O20 0.15 (these measurements are not possible for B.7346 or B.7348) Ramsay’s description concentrates on the male, and only mentions the female as being the same in size and plumage as the male. He gives no separate measurements. Only the male B.7347 is directly comparable with the type description. We therefore select it as the lectotype. B.7346 and B.7348 are paralectotypes. These specimens are also the types of the genus Vitia Ramsay (=Cettia Bonaparte). Muscicapidae/Pachycephalinae Pachycephala kandavensis Ramsay, 1876. Proc. Zool. Soc. N.S.W.1: 65. {[=Pachycephala pectoralis kandavensis Ramsay, 1876.| Longmore (1991) notes four syntypes from Kadavu, Fiyi, formerly in the Macleay Museum (Stanbury 1969), now in the Australian Museum (O.46766-69). These have no record of collector but from their good condition (although they have obviously been rufHed at some point, probably by being caught between museum drawers) and uncrossed legs, splayed from the ankle, they were almost certainly collected and prepared by Edgar Layard. The date of collection (1875) recorded on the labels also strongly suggests that they are Layard specimens. There is no trace of the egg that is mentioned in the type description. A Layard egg recorded as Pachycephala pectoralis torquata is in the Natural History Museum at Tring, but is very dark and clearly highly abnormal (Michael Walters, pers. comm. December 1994). It does not fit Ramsay’s description. Two skins at Tring were collected by Edgar Layard from Kadavu, but cannot have type status as Ramsay stated clearly in his type description that the specimens he was referring to were in the ‘collection of Wm. Macleay Esq.’. Both skins at Tring are females, one of which bears the collecting date 8 August 1874. Pachycephala neglecta Layard, 1879. Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 147. [=Pachycephala pectoralis graeffu Hartlaub, 1866]. Five specimens at the Macleay Museum are marked as from the type locality, Ovalau. Layard makes remarks in his description which indicate that he had a number of birds in front of him (‘... not always present ...’, ‘“... some specimens’) but at least two of the birds in the Macleay Museum cannot have any type status. Layard stated ‘of the female of P. neglecta | unfortunately know nothing ... I have six specimens of P. neglecta, all males . . .’, which rules out the two females C. T. Fisher S N. W. Longmore 250 Bull. B.O.C. (1995) 115(4) B.5430 and B.5432. B.5433 is also recorded on the label as a female, but in fact could be the one Layard records under the remark ‘... very young male’, as 1t does show a smattering of yellow feathers underneath as in his notes. This appears to be found only in the young male bird, not the female. B.5433 does not, however, match the type description measurements well. Of the two remaining specimens, B.5429 (male) has crossed legs and does not look like a Layard specimen—although Layard does not actually say the specimens were of his own preparation. Neither B.5429 nor B.5431 has got the yellow spot between eye and nostril mentioned in Layard’s description. They do not match the measurements of the type description well. Total Bill length Wing Tail ‘Tarsus to gape Type description 63 i 3 lis 1 B.5429 (male) 63 4 Sis lite 5 B.5431 (male) 55 35 23 his G3 B.5433 (female) 65 35 % tie G (all measurements in inches) We conclude that none of the Macleay Museum specimens are likely to have type status for Pachycephala neglecta Layard. 'The types are in the Natural History Museum’s collections at Tring. According to Warren & Harrison (1971: 374), the most representative syntype is adult male 1898.9.20.1006, but they added that ‘several other’ syntypes exist in the collection. Gadow (1883: 203) lists only two Layard specimens, an adult male, collected at Ovalau on 20 March 1875 (which is in fact the immature male 1898.9.20.1004) and a juvenile male collected at Kandavu (=Kadavu) on 31 August 1874. This latter specimen is actually from the subspecies Pachycephala pectoralis aurantiiventris, and cannot therefore be from Kadavu, but must be from Vanua Levu. The P. p. graeffii specimens at Tring were checked in December 1994. Warren & Harrison’s type (1898.9.20.1006) has a distinct yellow spot between the eye and nostril on both sides. It has an E. L. Layard printed label, with the locality Ovalau, but no date of collection and is not sexed. The preparation of the skin is typical of Edgar Layard. There are several other skins at Tring from Ovalau that may have type status for Pachycephala neglecta Layard. Most were obviously prepared by Edgar Layard: Total Bil Sex length Wing ‘Tail Tarsus to gape Type description 6: 3% 25 1a 1 1898.9.20.1006 ? 63 3% 25 1i 3 collected? good yellow spot between eye and nostril continued overleaf C. T. Fisher & N. W. Longmore 251 Bull. B.O.C. (1995) 115(4) ‘Total Bill Sex length Wing ‘Tail Tarsus to gape 1898.9.20.1002 M 6: 33 25 1 i coll. 10.3.1875 very slight yellow spot 1898.9.20.1003 M 53 33 23 li 3 coll. 11.4.1876 no yellow spot 1898.9.20.1004 M 65 33 25 li 2 coll. 20.3.1875 in immature plumage 1898.9.20.1005 M 55 3% 23 13 is coll. 14.9.1875 in immature plumage 1888.4.20.297 F 63 35 8 tla ; coll. 21.10.1874 1888.5.30.298 M 6 35 Di Al 7 coll. 6.12.1874* immature 1888.5.30.299 M 63 33 33 1 ; coll. 5.12.1874 no yellow spot 1888.5.30.300 M Se 35 3 1 5 collected ?* immature 1888.5.30.315 M 63 35 3 {hee A coll. 26.12.1874 no yellow spot (all measurements in inches) *these specimens do not look as if they were prepared by Layard We conclude that Warren & Harrison (1971) were correct in selecting 1898.9.20.1006 as the holotype, as it does best fit the type measurements and description of the male. However, it is worth recording that, for the description of the ‘very young male’, 1898.9.20.1004 is the closest to Layard’s ‘... palish chocolate-brown above throughout ... below a warm deep cinnamon-brown, with here and there a yellow feather’. Although Layard stated he had not seen a female, 1888.4.20.297—a female collected at Ovalau on 21 October 1874— looks like a Layard specimen and may have been in front of him during the composition of the type description. Specimen 1888.5.30.270, a male in immature plumage, was collected by Layard at Levuka (on 15 August 1874) and thus can have no type status. Three other specimens in Gadow’s list are marked as having been collected in the mid-1870s (by Kleinschmidt), but they were from Viti Levu. The specimens do not look as if they were prepared by Layard, and from the locality can have no type status anyway. There is also a Kleinschmidt specimen in the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, C. T. Fisher GS N. W. Longmore 252 Bull. B.O.C. (1995) 115(4) Leiden, which very much has the appearance of being prepared by Layard, but it is also from Viti Levu. Edgar Layard (1875) also described Pachycephala torquata (= Pachy- cephala pectoralis torquata), from specimens collected at Taviuni, Fiji. ‘These syntypes are now in the bird collections at Tring; another syntype (T.7720) is in the Liverpool Museum. Layard (1876) also acquired a form with a narrow but perfect black neck ring from Tai Levu, on the northeast coast of Viti Levu. He named it Pachycephala intermedia, but it is thought to be a synonym of P. pectoralis graeffi Hartlaub (P. p. optata Hartlaub as given in Peters 1967: 30). Unfortunately the types of zntermedia have not yet been located. Muscicapidae/Monarchinae Clytorhynchus vitiensts (Hartlaub, 1866). There are two specimens of Clytorhynchus vitiensis in the Macleay Museum; B.7166 & B.7167 (not 77, as in Phipps’ manuscript catalogue). They have no original labels, only Macleay Museum ones in Masters’ hand, with the location ‘Figi’ [sic]. Both birds are poorly made with the bodies skewed to the left. ‘The legs are crossed in both cases. They are probably not Layard specimens, but may well be from Charles Pearce. ‘Total length Wing Tail ‘Tarsus Bill B.7166 65 3 3 16 is B.7167 6: 3 : 3 is (measurements in inches; both have broad whitish tips to tail feathers, somewhat frayed in B.7167) There is a specimen of Clytorhynchus vitiensis at the Australian Museum (0.18687) with an original Layard label. ‘The bird is a male collected on 11 September 1875, at Wakaia. This locality suggests the specimen is of the nominate subspecies, as are three Layard specimens with similar data in the Liverpool Museum. Layard gave names to several Fijian populations of Clytorhynchus vitiensis; only some of his names are presently valid. It is now extremely difficult to identify the type material used for the descriptions of these forms. We have made particular efforts to compare the two Macleay Museum specimens with all available names, and discuss their possible placement and subspecies status in the following text. Myiolestes compressirostris Layard 1876. Ibis (3)6: 153, 392. [=Clytorhynchus vitiensis compressirostris (Layard). | As far as can be ascertained from Layard’s comments on page 153, and his distribution list on page 392 of his /bis article, the birds used for the type description were obtained from Kadavu, but not via Charles Pearce, although Pearce was at that time sending many specimens from Kadavu to Ramsay in Sydney. C. T. Fisher S N. W. Longmore 253 Bull. B.O.C. (1995) 115(4) Compressirostris type description measurements (converted from inches and lines): ‘Total length Wing Tail ‘Tarsus Bill 63 33 3 : 1 The measurements of the Macleay Museum specimens (see above) fit fairly well (except for the bill) with the type values for compressirostris. The tails on both specimens indeed have a broad white band at the tip. However we consider it unlikely that the Macleay Museum specimens have any type status for compressirostris, and that Warren & Harrison (1971: 126) were justified in recording an adult bird at Tring (1897.6.1.625, collected by Pearce at ‘Kandavu’) as the holotype. Myiolestes buensis Layard, 1876. Ibis (3)6: 145. [=Clytorhynchus vitiensis buensis (Layard).] Neither of the Macleay Museum specimens B.7166 or B.7167 has a red-brown tip to its tail as Layard indicated in his type description of buensis. Liverpool Museum has a Layard specimen from Bua, Vanua Levu (1.3353), a female collected on 7 May 1876, but this cannot have any type status for buensis, because Layard described it in April 1876. Warren & Harrison (1971) correct Mayr (1933: 9), who suggested that the Layard buensis specimens in the Natural History Museum were types—but these were also collected after the description was given. ?Pachycephala macrorhyncha Layard, 1875. Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 150. [=Clytorhynchus vitiensis layardi Mayr, 1933. Am. Mus. Novit. 628: 9.] Mayr formally re-named Layard’s macrorhyncha, as it was pre-occupied, and also mentions enormous problems with Layard’s description of this bird (‘. . . the identity of macrorhyncha Layard, however can not be assured with certainty, as the type 1s lost. . .’). Mayr therefore not only established a new name for the subspecies but selected a new type specimen. The two Macleay Museum specimens do not fit Layard’s measurements or description for the type of macrorhyncha. 'Two layardi in Liverpool, T.7999 and 'T.3354, were collected by Layard, and thus cannot be types of macrorhyncha, as Layard specified that the type was collected by Lieutenant Liardet. The types are not at Tring. We conclude, as Mayr did, that the type is lost. We do not consider, either, that the Macleay Museum specimens B.7166 and B.7167 fit Layard’s type description of fortunae, from the Horn Islands, at all closely. From their general appearance we conclude that the two Macleay Museum specimens are most likely to be from the nominate subspecies Clytorhynchus v. vitiensis, and have no type status for any of Layard’s names. Lalage nigrogularis Layard, 1875. Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 149. [=Clytorhynchus nigrogularis (Layard, 1875).] The type is in the Natural History Museum collections at Tring (1887.12.1.1255, formerly T’weeddale Collection), and is a male collected by E. L. Layard at Levuku, Fiji, on 16 November 1874. C. T. Fisher &S N. W. Longmore 254 Bull. B.O.C. (1995) 115(4) A specimen at the Macleay Museum (B.7168, a male from Viti Levu, Fiji) is not labelled as having been collected by E. L. Layard, and is rather poorly made. This, and the locality, confirm that this specimen has no type status for Layard’s nigrogularis. Neither can this bird have been one of the specimens used by Ramsay for his account of Myzolestes nigrogularis (Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 1878: 12-14) which was apparently first written as an intended type description, being altered when Ramsay realised Layard had already named the bird. Ramsay made his description from adult and immature males, from a collection ‘where I also found fine specimens of Vitia ruficapilla’ which he observed had been wrongly re-described by Finsch as Drymochoera badiceps. ‘The collection Ramsay was referring to was that of the Australian Museum; the specimens he saw being A.1509 (adult), A.1508 and A.1510 (subadults), all males collected by W. J. Abbott from Upper Rewa, Fiji. We consider that A.1509 best fits Ramsay’s description of the adult of nigrogularis, and therefore elect this specimen as lectotype. A.1508 and A.1510 are paralectotypes. As Ramsay noted, there was at least one Vitia registered in the same series. Myiolestes maxima Layard, 1876. Ibis (3)6: 498. [=Clytorhynchus ngrogularis (Layard, 1875).]| No specimens in either the Australian or Macleay Museums appear to match the type description for this synonym. The holotype is at Tring, according to Warren & Harrison (1971: 333) a female (marked as a male) from the Seebohm Collection, collected at Kadavu ‘for’ E. L. Layard. Lamprolia victoriae Finsch, 1873. The collector of the syntype in the Australian Museum (0.18743), recorded in Longmore (1991: 18) as E. J. Layard, is here corrected to E. L. Layard. Rhypidura personata Ramsay, 1876. Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 1: 43. [= Rhipidura personata (Ramsay, 1876).] The types of personata were said by Ramsay to be one of the new species discovered by Charles Pearce. However, of three possible types in the Macleay Museum, two look much like other Pearce specimens, but the third (B.7103) was unmistakably prepared by Edgar Layard. Bill Bill —_ Bill Total from from from length Wing Tail Tarsus forehead gape nostril ‘Type description OT Tad et Ba7 5) OF 0.4: 02557 a Ons B.7094 (male) 692" Poyss2ai hres 0.8 0.55 Ops a LORS B.7095 620), 1682253992952 20. 75 0/55 Ox5 dn SHON (labelled female) B.7103 OOS LAS Siste) 0.75 OSS) OpaO. O28 (labelled male) (all measurements in inches) C. T. Fisher S& N. W. Longmore 255 Bull. B.O.C. (1995) 115(4) The tarsus measurement has been re-checked, and we can only conclude that Ramsay, or the printers, made a mistake in the transcription of this value. B.7103 must be a Layard specimen, with its uncrossed legs splayed out from the ankle and neat shape. Although labelled a male, it best fits Ramsay’s description of the female—presenting more of an olive-brown colour on the flanks and underside. The bill is somewhat darker than those of B.7094 and B.7095, but compares well with Ramsay’s description. The other two specimens appear very similar to each other in plumage colour. B.7094 & B.7095 are not particularly well-made specimens and both have crossed legs. They were probably collected by Charles Pearce. Both match the type description except that the speci- men marked as a female (B.7095) does not seem to have a ‘greater extent of olive-brown on the flanks and sides’. We consider it possible that the labels on B.7103 and B.7095 have been inadvertently switched. Ramsay stated in his type description that this new species was discovered in Kandavu (=Kadavu), Fiji, by Charles Pearce, and that the specimens were in the Macleay collections (then at Elizabeth Bay). He must not have realised that one of the three was a Layard specimen. ; We elect B.7094 the lectotype, a bird both labelled and in appear- ance a male, and collected by Charles Pearce (as stated by Ramsay). B.7095 (probably a male) and B.7103 (probably a female) are paralectotypes. Meliphagidae Ptilotis provocator Layard, 1875. Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 28. [= Xanthotis provocator (Layard, 1875).] The Macleay Museum has two specimens (marked male and female) of this species, in nice condition with uncrossed legs splayed from the ankle in typical Edgar Layard style. They were both col- lected at Kandavu (=Kadavu), but unfortunately have no collecting dates. Are both Macleay Museum specimens in fact females? (see measurements below). Clunie & Morse (1984) state that the male is usually bigger, but give the measurements as ranging from 18 to 20 cm (7; to 8 inches). Watling (1982) gives a measurement of 19cm (72 inches), presumably for the male. He states that the female is ‘considerably smaller’. Layard in his type description remarked when describing the female that ‘... above all she differs remarkably in size .., and in fact most of his specimens bear this out. However, the birds from the Challenger series of Ptilotis provocator in the Natural History Museum collections at Tring do not seem to show much difference in size between male and female. The Challenger account (see Sclater 1881: 48) indeed states that ‘The sexes are alike’. C. T. Fisher S& N. W. Longmore 256 Bull. B.O.C. (1995) 115(4) Challenger material, measurements (in inches): Total length Wing Tail Tarsus Bill NMH 80.11.18.206 73 3% 35 1; Lis (M, Challenger No. 65! NHM 80.11.18.208 85 4; 33 ile Lis (M, Challenger No. 67) NHM 80.11.18.209 73 + 3% 1; lis (M, Challenger No. 68) (bent) NHM 80.11. SEQ 6; 3% 3 ile: 1 (M Imm? , Challenger No. 84') NHM Aipmplicare: Tis 35 35 lic 1 (M, Challenger No. 111) NHM 80.11.18.207 716 35 33 1e Lis (F, Challenger No. 66) (broken) NHM 80.11.18.210 65 33 3 Lic 1 (F3, Challenger No. 83) NHM ‘Duplicate’ 73 4; 33 te Lis (F, Challenger No. 106) ‘marked as figured in ‘Voyage of the Challenger, Aves’) *marked as female in Challenger account) Smarked as male in Challenger account) The Challenger material was the first series of Xanthotis provocator to be collected. During a stop at Levuku (on the main island of Viti Levu) between 28 July and 1 August 1874 (Spry 1876), the ship’s naturalists showed Layard several specimens (probably six) collected from Kadavu between 25 and 27 July. We assume that these Challenger specimens had been fully prepared as skins by the time the Challenger’s crew met Layard. Of the Challenger material at Tring, only the last, ‘Duplicate’ female (Challenger No. 106) appears to be made up in Layard’s style, with splayed legs, and this can be explained with reference to Sclater 1881: 47, where it is recorded as having been ‘shot August 6’. The Challenger returned to Kadavu from Levuku on 3 August (leaving again on 10 August, according to Spry 1876: 386), and it appears from No. 106, and Layard’s own specimens collected on 4 and 5 August 1874, that he had begged a lift from them in order to collect the bird for himself. Challenger No. 111, which is also marked as a ‘Duplicate’, may also be from this second visit of the ship to Kadavu, and both skins could therefore have been prepared and, moreover, collected by Layard. Indeed, they may have type status. The date at the end of Layard’s type description (1875: 30) is 6 September 1874, so no bird collected after that date can have type status. He mentions obtaining a total of seven specimens at ‘Kandavu’, two being females. This series must include the four Layard specimens at Tring collected in August 1874, and a Layard specimen at Liverpool Museum received via the Tweeddale Collection and collected on 5 August 1874. C. T. Fisher & N. W. Longmore 257 Bull. B.O.C. (1995) 115(4) The two birds in the Macleay Museum are also candidates to make up the set of seven that Layard mentions in his type description. However, this joint museums’ list would include four birds where the measurement of total length is close to that which Layard gives for the female (6: inches), but he clearly stated he had ‘seven specimens, [only] two of which were females’. The type status of the two undated Macleay Museum specimens, both 63 inches in length, must therefore remain uncertain, and it is possible instead that the two ‘duplicates’ in the Challenger Collection (Nos. 106 and 111) comprise the sixth and seventh specimens in front of Layard during his type description; both are measured at over 7 inches, although No. 106 is recorded as a female. Warren’ & Harrison (1971) elected a male bird in the Wring collections (1877.11.17.76, collected at Kandavu (=Kadavu) on 4 August 1874) as the holotype. We consider that the Tring male 1888.7.1.825 (received via the "Tweeddale Collection) in fact fits the type measurements better; the Liverpool bird is also very close. The Tring female bird 1877.11.17.75 is the best match for Layard’s measurements of the type female. It is noted that Wagstaffe (1978) measured the tail of the Liverpool bird inaccurately at 81 mm (3; inches). Wagstaffe also wrongly stated that the Liverpool specimen and one at Tring (presumably Warren & Harrison’s type) were all that could be traced out of Layard’s original seven specimens. ‘Total leneth™ “Wine? Pail 4 Tarsus) Bill Type description Ti 4 33 1: Lic Male* Type description 6; 33 2i8 i6 is Female* NHM 1877.11.17.76 Tie + 35 13 le M, coll. 4.8.1874 NHM 1888.7.1.825 7i 4; 33 tie Lis M, coll. 5.8.1874 NHM 1877.11.17.75 6: 33 25 le i F, coll. 4.8.1874 NHM 1888.7.1.826 63 33 25 ile 1 F, coll. 5.8.1874 Liverpool T.10266 Ti 4 35 13 Lis M, coll. 5.8.1874 Macleay B.2667 (M) 6: 3% 7 1 1 Macleay B.2668 (F) 6: Bs Sis 1: 1 NHM 1898.9.30.43 733 Ai 33 tl i M, collected Sept. 1875 (therefore no type status) *converted from inches and lines (all measurements in inches) Note that the Natural History Museum’s 1888.7.1.825 & 826 were received via the Tweeddale Collection and so postdate Gadow’s list (1884:231). C. T. Fisher GS N. W. Longmore 258 Bull. B.O.C. (1995) 115(4) Sturnidae Aplonis vitiensis Layard, 1876. Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 499, 502. [=Aplonis tabuensis vitiensis Layard, 1876.] The manuscript for the type description was received by the editors in London on 24 May 1876, so two of the four vitiensis specimens from Fiji in the Macleay Museum cannot be types (B.543, collected 3 April 1876 and B.545, collected 24 May 1876, both by Edgar Layard). However, B.542 and B.544 have no collecting dates, and so are at least eligible for type status. Both are typical of Edgar Layard’s preparation style; nice, rounded skins with uncrossed legs, but they have no original labels. Warren & Harrison (1971) record that several syntypes of vitiensis are in the Natural History Museum at ‘Tring, but they only mention one in detail, a female collected at Wakaia. Their statement that ‘the described male, from ‘T'aviuni, cannot be traced’ must refer to the Register entry for No. 1898.11.10.164, ‘type’; the bird is not now in the collections. There is no amendment to the Register entry to explain its disappearance. Six Layard specimens were recorded as being in the Natural History Museum collections by Bowdler Sharpe (1890: 132), although some of these do now appear to be missing (see below). ‘The Wakaia specimen came to the Natural History Museum via the Seebohm Bequest after Bowdler Sharpe’s account was published, as did the missing 'Taviuni male 1898.11.10.164. The following syntypes of Aplonis vitiensis were found to be extant in the collections at Tring in December 1994: Tweeddale Collection 1888.9.20.258. Male. Loma Loma, 3 December 1875 (.458 in Register). 1888.9.20.254. Male. Ovalau, 23 November 1874 (.454 and 23 July in Register). 1888.9.20.255. Male. Levuka, 3 July 1874 (.455 in Register). Seebohm Collection 1898.11.10.165. Female, collected Wakaia 13 September 1875. Confusingly, the accession numbers on the labels of the Tweeddale specimens are not the same as those given in the Register, and there are also some discrepancies in the collecting dates given. According to the Register, there were originally seven Layard specimens of witiensis in the ‘T'weeddale Collection (1888.9.20.453-459). One, now missing, was collected in Tonga in 1876. Those which probably had type status, but appear to now be also missing, are a female from Ovalau collected on 15 May 1875, an adult from Rewa (collected 10 October 1874) and a second male from Loma Loma collected on 3 December 1875 (Michael Walters, pers. comm. December 1994). No measurements and very meagre details of plumage were given in Layard’s type description, so the exact matching of specimens to the C. T. Fisher & N. W. Longmore 259 Bull. B.O.C. (1995) 115(4) description is impossible. Nevertheless, we conclude that the Macleay Museum specimens B.542 and B.544 are in the same syntypic series for Aplonis vitiensis as those listed above from the Natural History Museum collections at Tring. Three Layard specimens of vitiensis in the Liverpool Museum from Fiji were all collected in 1876, and therefore can have no type status. Also without such status is another specimen at Tring with an original Layard label, but which came to the Natural History Museum collections at the late date of 1969 via the Hewitt Collection. It was collected at Rewa, Fiji, in 1876. Acknowledgements C.T.F. was able to visit Australia to undertake this, and other, research through the award of the 1994 Macleay Miklouho-Maclay Fellowship of the University of Sydney. She would like to thank the Trustees of the Fellowship and staff of the Macleay Museum, the University of Sydney, for their assistance, both financial and logistic, and to the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside, U.K., for allowing her three months research leave to the Macleay Museum. We are both very grateful to Harold G. Cogger of the Australian Museum, and an I.C.Z.N. committee member, for advice on revisionary taxonomy procedures; and to Michael Walters, of the Natural History Museum, Tring, who has been most helpful in checking registers and specimens. We would like to thank Walter Boles and Peter Rowland of the Australian Museum, Stuart Norrington of the Macleay Museum, Effie Warr of the Natural History Museum, Tring, and Tony Parker of the Liverpool Museum, National Museums & Galleries on Merseyside, for all their assistance. References: Bowdler Sharpe, R. 1890. Catalogue of the Passeriformes in the Collection of the British Museum. Volume XIII. Sturniformes. Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History), London. Clunie, F. & Morse, P. 1984. Birds of the Fiji Bush. Fiji Museum, Suva, Fiji. Elliott, D. G. 1878. On the fruit-pigeons of the genus Ptilopus. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1878: 500-575. Gadow, H. 1883. Catalogue of the Passeriformes in the Collection of the British Museum. Volume VIII. Cichlomorphae, Part V, & Certhiomorphae. Trustees of the British Museum, London. Gadow, H. 1884. Catalogue of the Passeriformes in the Collection of the British Museum. Volume IX. Cinnyrimorphae. Trustees of the British Museum, London. Layard, E. L. 1875. Descriptions of some supposed new species of birds from the Fiji Islands. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1875: 149-151. Layard, E. L. 1876. Notes on the ornithology of Fiji, with descriptions of new or little-known species. [bis (3)6: 152-157. Longmore, N. W. 1991. Type specimens of birds in the Australian Museum. Technical Reports of the Australian Museum No. 4: 1-42. Mayr, E. 1933. Birds collected during the Whitney South Sea Expedition. XXIV. Notes on Polynesian flycatchers and a revision of the genus Clytorhynchus Elliot. Amer. Mus. Novit. 628. Morony, J. J., Bock, W. J. & Farrand, J. F. 1975. Reference List of the Birds of the World. American Museum of Natural History, New York. Peters, J. L. 1967. Checklist of the Birds of the World. Vol. 12. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard. Ramsay, E. P. 1875. Characters of a new genus and species of Passerine bird, from the Fiji Islands, proposed to be called Vitia. Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales 1: 41-42. Ramsay, E. P. 1875. Description of a new species of blackbird (Merula). Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales 1: 43. C. T. Fisher & N. W. Longmore 260 Bull. B.O.C. (1995) 115(4) Ramsay, E. P. 1875. Description of a new species of flycatcher (Rhypidura). Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales 1: 43-44. Ramsay, E. P. 1876. Description of a new species of Pachycephala from Fiji, in the collection of Wm Macleay, Esq., F.L.S. Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales 1: 65-66. Ramsay, E. P. 1877. A new species of Trichoglossus. Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales 1: 30-32. Ramsay, E. P. 1878. Description of a species of Myiolestes, from Fiji. Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales 3: 12-14. . Salvadori, T. 1893. Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum. Vol. XX1. Columbae, or pigeons. Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History), London. Sclater, P. L. 1881. Report on the Birds collected during the Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger, in the years 1873-1876. In Report on the scientific results of the Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger. Zoology. Vol. 2, part 8. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, London. Seebohm, H. 1881. Catalogue of the Passeriformes in the Collection of the British Museum Vol. V. Cichlomorphae: Part II. ‘Trustees of the British Museum, London. Spry, W. J. J. 1876. The Cruise of Her Majesty’s Ship ‘Challenger’. Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rimington, London. Stanbury, P. 1969. Type specimens in the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney, III. Birds. Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales 93: 457-461. Tristram, H. B. 1889. Catalogue of a collection of birds. ‘Avertiser’ Office, Durham. Wagstaffe, R. 1978. Type Specimens of Birds in the Merseyside County Museums. Merseyside County Museums/Merseyside County Council. Warren, R. L. M. 1966. Type Specimens of Birds in the British Museum (Natural History). Vol. 1, Non-passerines. Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History), London. Warren, R. L. M. & Harrison, C. J. O. 1971. Type Specimens of Birds in the British Museum (Natural History). Vol. 2, Passerines. ‘Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History), London. Watling, D. 1982. Birds of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa. Millwood Press Ltd., Wellington, New Zealand. Addresses: C.'T. Fisher, Department of Zoology, Liverpool Museum, National Museums & Galleries on Merseyside, Liverpool L3 8EN, U.K. N. W. Longmore, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, Australian Museum, 6 College Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2000, Australia. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1995 In Brief 261 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) IN BRIEF WHY THE NEOTROPICAL GUANS WERE NAMED PENELOPE Generic names of Neotropical Cracidae refer to early Spanish or South American Indian designations or to notable anatomical details, habitat, habits and vocalisations of the different species. An exception is the name Penelope, present in the ornithological literature since the earliest times (apud Aldrovandi 1636), the origin of which remains obscure, as apparently there is no reason for bestowing the name of a Greek princess, daughter of Icarius with the nymph Peribea and wife of Ulysses, King of Ithaca, on the Neotropical guans (Jobling 1991). Although the Penelope myth is connected with birds, the available references always involve ducks or geese (Anatidae), which bear no relation or similarity to New World Cracidae. To give an example, Pausanias, Apollodorus and Tzetes establish that Icarius’ daughter, originally known as Arnea (ewe) or Arnacia (the flabby skin of an ewe), was re-named Penelope after being rescued from the sea by a flock of “streaked ducks’ (penelops in Greek; see also Carnoy 1976), while the Odyssey mentions that Penelope was cheered in Ulysses’ absence by the sight of her flock of twenty geese which she kept in the house. However, the legend also includes some very little known and even unusual aspects which seem to justify the peculiar choice of this name for a bird such as a guan. Contrary to the Homeric Odyssey, Penelope was considered not a symbol of fidelity but a lascivious adultress by some classical authors. According to these sources, she gave birth to the Arcadian god Pan after maintaining promiscuous relations with all the local nobles who wanted her to remarry during Ulysses’ absence. On the other hand, another legend states that Icarius’ daughter covered her face with a veil to demonstrate the decision to follow Ulysses to Ithaca after his marriage (Kury 1992), a detail which could explain that one of the possible translations of Penelope is ‘“‘with a spider-net over the face’’ (Graves 1985). Thus, it is not surprising to learn that the maenads, a group of orgiastic priestesses who followed Pan and Dionysus, were sometimes figured with their arms and face adorned with a reticular painting. This close relation with Pan and some other contradictions suggest that the Odyssean Penelope and the cult of a local nymph of the same name were merged in a single tale by various authors such as Ovid, Herodotus and Plutarch. The image of a woman adorned with a contrasting reticular painting may easily be associated with Neotropical guans, as these Cracids have the feathers of foreneck and breast bordered with whitish giving a scaled appearance. In several species, e.g. the Dusky-legged Guan Penelope obscura Temminck, 1815 and the Rusty-margined Guan Penelope superciliaris ‘Temminck, 1815, these marks are very conspicuous, and the birds seem to be covered by a netlike veil of whitish stripes. This kind of pattern might well suggest a mythological figure whose name is related to a reticulate woof, as may also be observed in some pictures of the maenads. In Brief 262 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) References: Aldrovandi, U. 1636. Ornithologiae hoc est de Avibus historiae libri. Vol. 3 Bologna. Carnoy, A. 1976. Dictionnaire étymologique de la Mythologie Gréco-Romaine. Edit. Universitas, Louvain. ; Graves, R. 1985. Los mitos griegos. Alianza Editorial, Madrid. Jobling, J. A. 1991. A Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. Oxford Univ. Press. Kury, M. da G. 1992. Dicionario de mitologia grega e romana. Jorge Zahar Editor, Rio de Janeiro. Secao de Ornitologia, Museu Nacional, DANTE MARTINS TEIXEIRA Quinta da Boa Vista, Rio de Janeiro (RJ), 20940-040 Brazil. 21 April 1995 A FIFTH SPECIMEN OF THE TAHITI PARAKEET The Tahiti Parakeet Cyanoramphus zealandicus (Latham, 1790) was a small, drab parrot which was probably endemic in Tahiti. It seemed never to have been numerous, and disappeared by the middle of the nineteenth century. Only four specimens of it were known until now, three in Britain and one in France. ‘Two of the British specimens, one of which is the presumed type, are in the Merseyside County Museum, and the third in the Natural History Museum (Tring); all of them were brought back by the naturalists who accompanied Captain Cook, in the eighteenth century. The French specimen is kept in the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (Paris). It is one of three specimens collected in 1844 by Lieutenant J. de Marolles, and nothing is known of what happened to the two others (Greenway 1958, Jouanin 1962, Fuller 1987, Forshaw 1989, Knox & Walters 1994). The specimen discovered by one of us (D.M.) in the collections of the Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle de Perpignan (France) (Voisin e¢ al. 1995) has certainly nothing to do with de Marolle’s birds, as it was collected two years earlier by G. Amadis, who, as a member of the expedition of the French Frigate “‘la Vénus’’, under the command of Admiral A. A. Dupetit-Thouars, stayed in Tahiti in 1842. This fifth specimen is in very good condition with its colours still fresh; its rather worn rectrices suggest that it was kept in a cage for some time. Its measurements are: culmen 19.5 mm, tarsus 22.5 mm, wing c. 140 mm (approximate measurement in order not to damage the specimen). There is no indication of locality or date on the stand, but from the Catalogues we know that this specimen entered the Muséum in 1845, probably in late September or early October. We are glad to thank here the Association des Amis du Muséum, who kindly funded the visit of C. and J.-F. Voisin to Perpignan, as well as Prof. R. Bourgat, Curator of the Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle of that town, and his staff for their warm reception and facilities to work. References: Forshaw, J. M. 1989. Parrots of the World. 3rd edn. Willoughby, Lansdowne. Fuller, E. 1987. Extinct birds. Viking/Rainbird. Books Received 263 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) Greenway, J. C. 1958. Extinct and Vanishing Birds of the World. American Committee for International Wildlife Protection, New York. Jouanin, Chr. 1962. Inventaire des oiseaux éteints ou en voie de d’extinction conservés au Muséum de Paris. Terre et Vie 3: 257-301. Knox, A. G. & Walters, M. P. 1994. Extinct and endangered birds in the collections of the Natural History Museum. Brit. Orn. Club. Occ. Pub. 1. Voisin, C., Voisin, J.-F. & Mary, D. 1995. La collection d’oiseaux du Muséum d’ Histoire Naturelle de Perpignan, premiére partie. Ann. Mus. Hist. Nat. Perpignan 5: 33-44. Laboratoire de Zoologie, CLAIRE & JEAN-FRANGOIS VOISIN Mammiféres et Oiseaux, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, 55 rue de Buffon, F-75005 Paris, France. Muséum d Histoire Naturelle, DIDIER MARY c/o Mairie de Perpignan, B.P. 931, F-66020 Perpignan, France. 21 May 1995 BOOKS RECEIVED del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. (eds) 1994. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 2, New World Vultures to Guineafowl. Pp. 640, 60 colour plates, 302 photographs, 590 distribution maps, more than 7000 bibliographical references. ISBN 84-87334-15-6. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. £98. 31 x 24 cm. This magnificantly presented volume forms the second part of a series prepared in collaboration with BirdLife International (previously ICBP). The series is now expected to extend to twelve volumes, following a comprehensive revision of the whole project and taking into account experience gained from Vol. 1 (reviewed in Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 1993 (2)). The principal object of HBW, as it has come to be referred to, is stated to be the maximum exchange of ornithological information without attempting to adjudicate between the scientific merits of different avian classifications. In this it succeeds admirably. A 6-page introduction follows the Foreword by Walter J. Bock, participating in the capacity of Consultant for Systematics and Nomenclature, an important innovation in Vol. 2. The detailed general introduction to the whole series (pp. 15-33 of Vol. 1) is not repeated as the treatment is essentially the same and will remain so throughout the series. Other important innovations have occurred in Vol. 2, the most significant being extensive internationalisation of the team of authors. Taxonomy is considered to be one of the major concerns of the whole project. As explained in Vol. 1, HBW follows, for its basic overriding principle of covering all living species rather than all recent species, the currently accepted standard sequence of the Class Aves (Mayr & Bock) with limited modification where recent work shows it to be appropriate. Hence, although New World Vultures (Cathartidae) are now generally reckoned to be allied to the Storks (Ciconiidae), they are treated traditionally within Falconiformes although discussed fully in the family text. On the other hand, New World Quails are given fully family status, with the recognition of a narrower concept of the Phasianidae. The Hoatzin presents a difficult case, being placed in an order of its own, Opisthocomiformes, alongside the Galliformes. Of interest is the inclusion of a newly described African perdicine, Xenoperdix udzungwensis, so distinctive as to have been placed in a genus of its own. Books Received 264 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 115(4) Retaining the general style and layout of Vol. 1, the family accounts deal with general aspects under the headings: Summary Box, Systematics, Morphological Aspects, Habitat, General Habits, Voice, Food and Feeding, Breeding, Movements, Relationship with Man, Status and Conservation, General Bibliography. The species accounts follow under the headings: Taxonomy, Subspecies and Distribution, Descriptive Notes, Habitat, Food and Feeding, Breeding, Movements, Status and Conservation, Bibliography. Species names are also listed in English, French, German and Spanish (publication of vernacular Spanish names is now underway; a comprehensive list of French names has recently been published). In addition to the IUCN threat category, a new Mace-Lande category is included for each species account for the families Megapodiidae, Odontophoridae, Phasianidae and Numididae. All CITES species are so indicated in the status and conservation sections of the respective species accounts. Another important innovation in Vol. 2 is the participation of several prestigious British artists in addition to the successful Vol. 1 team. The workload for this and subsequent volumes has required a larger team of artists to ensure that deadlines are met without work being rushed. HBW states that it does not aim to serve as a fieldguide (even for those capable of carrying 12 large volumes in the field!), although some of the more poorly known species not particularly well served by present fieldguides are permitted a more detailed treatment. As in Vol. 1, the distribution maps do not normally include a species’ introduced range. The extensive bibliography consists of that listed at the end of the relevant species account in addition to that of the general bibliography. Vol. 2 acknowledges that once again museums have played an important part in many aspects of the project. Visits to collections of live birds are recognised to have helped especially in the preparation of the colour plates. Weighing in at a generous 3.6kg (similar to Vol. 1) this Volume maintains a magnificent standard in relation to the declared aims of maximum exchange of ornithological information, readability and illustration of all the world’s living bird species and subspecies. It is sincerely hoped that the remaining volumes will be published at intervals not exceeding that between the first two volumes. Lynx Edicions titles may be purchased from specialised bookshops or directly from the publishers: Lynx Edicions, Passeig de Gracia 12, 08007 Barcelona, Spain. Tel: 93-301 07 77: Fax 93-302 14 75. S.J. F. Chantler, P. & Driessens, G. 1995. Swifts: a guide to the swifts and treeswifts of the world. Pp. 237, 24 colour plates, 62 text-figures, maps. ISBN 1-873403-31-3. Pica Press. £26. 25 x 17 cm This guide tackles one of the most difficult families. Inevitably, identification has to be the main problem discussed and, if possible elucidated; consequently, for many species Identification and Description are the longest sections of text; and help in distinguishing between very similar-looking species is a main aim of the plates, supplemented by useful text-figures dealing with details of plumage, wing- and tail-shape etc. Author and artist (Driessens) are probably better qualified than anyone for making a success of such a challenge, and they have produced an impressive book, which will undoubtedly be put to the test by birdwatchers visiting little known areas where a variety of swift species may be found. A great deal of trouble has been taken to consult authorities on particular species and areas in order to produce species accounts, and distribution maps, that are as accurate and up-to-date as possible. In the case of many guides to bird families, for the travelling ornithologist one cannot see them replacing regional field guides, which adequately deal with identification problems of whole avifaunas; but those visiting parts of tropical America, Africa or Asia will need to add this guide to their luggage. NOTICE TO CONTRIBUTORS Papers, from Club Members or non-members, should be sent to the Editor, Dr D. W. Snow, The Old Forge, Wingrave, Aylesbury, Bucks HP22 4PD, U.K., and must be offered solely to the Bulletin. They should be typed on one side of the paper, with treble-spacing and a wide margin, and submitted in duplicate. The style and lay-out should conform with usage in this or recent issues of the Bulletin. A contributor is entitled to 10 free offprints (16 if 2 or more authors) of the pages of the Bulletin in which his contribution, if one page or more in length, appears. Additional offprints or offprints of contributions of less than one page may be ordered when the manuscript is submitted and will be charged for. Authors may be charged for proof corrections for which they are responsible. MEMBERSHIP Only Members of the British Ornithologists’ Union are eligible to join the Club; applications should be sent to the Hon. Treasurer, as below, together with the annual subscription (£8.50 or, if preferred, U.S. $22 for 1995, postage and index free). Changes of address and any correspondence concerning membership should be addressed to the Hon. ‘Treasurer. SUBSCRIPTION TO THE BULLETIN & OTHER PUBLICATIONS The Bulletin (Vol. 115 onwards) may be purchased by non-members on payment of the annual subscription (£20 or, if preferred, U.S. $40 for 1995, postage and index free). Applications should be sent to the Hon. Treasurer. Single issues may be obtained as back numbers. BACK NUMBERS OF THE BULLETIN Available on application to the Hon. Treasurer. PAYMENTS TO HON. TREASURER Payments should be sent to the Hon. Treasurer, S. J. Farnsworth, Hammerkop, Frogmill, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berks SL65NL, U.K., or credited direct to the Club’s bank account—No. 10211540, Sort Code 20 00 87, at Barclays Prime Account, Dale House, Wavertree Boulevard, Liverpool L7 9PQ, U.K., with confirmation to the Hon. Treasurer. All payments are net and should be in Sterling if possible. Payment in other currencies must include a further £4 for U.K. Bank Charges (except for annual rates in U.S. Dollars which are inclusive). CORRESPONDENCE Correspondence on all other matters should go to the Hon. Secretary, Mrs A. M. Moore, 1 Uppingham Road, Oakham, Rutland LE15 6JB, U.K. For details of Club Meetings see inside front cover. CONTENTS Page CLUB NOTICES Meetings, Accounts)... 00.5222... 2055 aoe 193 CARDOSO DA SILVA, J. M., NOVAES, F. C. & OREN, D.c. A new species of the genus Hylexetastes (Dendrocolaptidae) from eastern Amazonia... . 200 FEARE, C. J. & GILL, E. L. ‘The turtle doves of Bird Island, Seychelles . . 206 BARROWCLOUGH, G. F., ESCALANTE-PLIEGO, P., AVELEDO-HOSTOS, R. & PEREZ-CHINCHILLA. L. A. An annotated list of the birds of the Cerro ‘Tfamacuari region, Serrania de Tapirapeco, Federal Territory of Amazonas: Venezuelan 5 SP ic ses eae ce ee 211 STRAUBE, F. C. & BORNSCHEIN, M. R. New or noteworthy records of birds from northwestern Parana and adjacent areas (Brazil) ........... 219 THOMAS, B. T. & INGELS, J. On the type specimen, type locality, distribution and clutch size of the Sunbittern Eurypyga helias (Pallas i/o 0 eee oe UO Ce RR SMA MEU aie MIRON alo os og ao 2 226 UNDERHILL, L. G., UNDERHILL, G. D., MARTIN, C. G. C. & FRASER, M. W. Primary moult, wing-length and mass of the Lesser Honeyguide Tndtcator Minors 56s BREN ros 5) Sela OR a rr IS) OLSON, S. L. ‘Types and nomenclature of two Chilean parrots from the voyagelot He NIES, Blonde (825) xs sae see ee 235 REMOLD, H. G. & RAMOS NETO, M. B. A nest of the Restinga Tyrannulet Phylloscartes .Rronet 20.00. Be Os kc de ee ee 239 ROBERTSON, I. S. First field observations on the Sidamo Lark Hleteromirafya sidamoensts rn cas ee ee eee 241 FISHER, C. T. & LONGMORE, N. W. Edgar Layard and Charles Pearce’s Fijian bird types in the Macleay and Australian Museums, Sydney, with comments on specimens in museums in Britain............ 244 In Brief TEIXEIRA, D. M. Why the Neotropical guans were named Penelope cree) ods cs reat Merarey ht i ek (ete eee 261 VOISIN, C., VOISIN, J-F. & MARY, D. A fifth specimen of the MahitisBarakeets aco i Meanie einen eens eee 262 BOOKS :RECEIVED! 2 tibiae ots! ene ee ecrey eile Looe CN ceo Lae Ace ee 263 The Bulletin is despatched from the printers on publication and is sent by Surface Saver Postal Services to all European destinations outside the U.K. and by Air Saver Postal Services to destinations outside Europe. Those whose subscriptions have not been received by the beginning of a month of publication will have their copies despatched by surface mail, after their current subscription has been paid. COMMITTEE D. Griffin (Chairman) (1993) D “: : : De Die Seow (Editon N(loonh Revd T. W. Gladwin (Vice-Chairman) (1993) Mrs A. M. Moore (Hon. Secretary) (1989) S. J. Farnsworth (Hon. Treasurer) (1990) f R. E. F. Peal (1993) Miss H. Baker (1994) Dr R. Prjs-Jones (1995) N. H. F. Stone (1995) Printed on acid-free paper. Published by the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB and printed by Henry Ling Ltd., at the Dorset Press, Dorchester, Dorset QL 7! Beb> BULLETIN SB \R-D of the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB EDITED BY Dr D. W. SNOW Volume 115 1995 i iw 1A] AY ~~ V \ y 1-5 (O¥e IU N 5 \ oe “Aid Jd OFFICERS OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ PAST AND PRESENT P. L. SCLATER Lord ROTHSCHILD W. L. SCLATER H. E WITHERBY Dr P.R. LOWE Maj. S. S. FLOWER Dr D. A. BANNERMAN G. M. MATHEWS Dr A. LANDSBOROUGH THOMSON D. SETH-SMITH Dr J. M. HARRISON Sir PHILIP MANSON-BAHR Col. R. MEINERTZHAGEN Lord ROTHSCHILD W. L. SCLATER H. EF WITHERBY G. M. MATHEWS N. B. KINNEAR H. WHISTLER D. SETH-SMITH Col. R. SPARROW Dr G. CARMICHAEL Low Hon. Guy CHARTERIS W. L. SCLATER Dr D. A. BANNERMAN Capt. C. H. B. GRANT B. W. TUCKER E J. EF BARRINGTON Dr E. HOPKINSON C.W. MACKWORTH-PRAED Dr J. M. HARRISON Sir PHILIP; MANSON-BAHR B. G. HARRISON R.. BOWDLER-SHARPE W. R.. OGILVIE-GRANT Dr D. A. BANNERMAN D. SETH-SMITH Dr P.R. LOWE N. B. KINNEAR Dr G. CARMICHAEL LOW Capt. C. H. B. GRANT Dr G. CARMICHAEL Low il Chairmen 1892-1913 1913-1918 Capt. C. R. S. PITMAN 1918-1924 Maj.Gen. C.B. 1924-1927 WAINWRIGHT 1927-1930 R.S. R. FITTER 1930-1932 Dr J. FE MONK 1932-1935 Sir HUGH ELLIOTT 1935-1938 J. H. ELGOop P. HoGG 1938-1943 D. R. CALDER 1943-1946 B. GRAY 1946-1950 Revd G. K.MCCULLOCH 1950-1953 R. E. FE PEAL 1953-1956 D. GRIFFIN ViceChairmen 1930-1931 Lt.Col. W. P. C. TENISON 1931-1932 Miss E. M. GODMAN 1932-1933 Col. R. MEINERTZHAGEN 1933-1934 Maj. A. G. L. SLADEN 1934-1935 Col. R. MEINERTZHAGEN 1935-1936 E. M. NICHOLSON 1936-1937 Capt. C. R. S. PITMAN 1937-1938 Mrs B. P. HALt 1938-1939 R.S. R. FITTER 1938-1939 Dr J. EF MONK 1939-1940 Sir HUGH ELLIOTT 1939-1940 J. H. ELGoop 1940-1943 P. HoGe 1940-1943 Dr G. BEVAN 1943-1945 B. GRaYy 1943-1945 Revd G. K. MCCULLOCH 1945-1946 D. GRIFFIN 1945-1946 J. H. ELGoop 1946-1947 D. GRIFFIN 1946-1947 Revd T. W. GLADWIN Editors 1892-1904 Lt.Col. W. P. C. TENISON 1904-1914 Capt. C. H. B. GRANT 1914-1915 Dr J. G. HARRISON 1915-1920 J. J. YEALLAND 1920-1925 C. W. BENSON 1925-1930 Sir HUGH ELLIOTT 1930-1935 Dr J. E MONK 1935-1940 Dr D.W. SNow 1940-1945 C. W. MACKWORTH-PRAED Honorary Secretaries and Treasurers HowaRD SAUNDERS W. E. De WINTON H. E WITHERBY Dr P.R. LOWE C. G. TALBOT-PONSONBY Dr D. A. BANNERMAN 1892-1899 1899-1904 1904-1914 1914-1915 1915-1918 1918-1919 Dr PHILIP GOSSE J. L. BONHOTE C. W. MACKWORTH-PRAED Dr G.CARMICHAEL LOw C. W. MACK WORTH-PRAED CLUB 1956-1959 1959-1962 1962-1965 1965-1968 1968-1971 1971-1974 1974-1977 1977-1980 1980-1983 1983-1986 1986-1989 1989-1993, 1993— 1947-1948 1947-1948 1948-1949 1948-1949 1949-1953 1953-1956 1956-1959 1959-1962 1962-1965 1965-1968 1968-1971 1971-1974 1974-1977 1977-1980 1980-1983 1983-1986 1986-1989 1989-1990 1990-1993 1993— 1945-1947 1947-1952 1952-1961 1962-1969 1969-1974 1974-1975 1976-1990 1991— 1919-1920 1920-1922 1922-1923 1923-1929 1929-1935 ill Honorary Secretaries Dr A. LANDSBOROUGH N. J. P. WADLEY 1950-1960 THOMSON 1935-1938 Miss E. FORSTER 1960-1962 C. R. STONER 1938-1940 Dr J. G. HARRISON 1962-1964 N. B. KINNEAR 1940-1943 C. J. O. HARRISON 1964-1965 Dr G. CARMICHAEL Low 1943-1945 M. W. WOODCOCK 1965-1969 Lt.Col. W. P. C. TENISON 1945-1947 D. R. CALDER 1969-1971 Capt. C. H. B. GRANT 1947 R. E. FE PEAL 1971-1989 W. E. GLEGG 1947-1949 Mrs A. M. MOORE 1989-1995 Miss G. M. RHODES 1950 Cdr. M.B. CASEMENT O.B.E.,R.N. 1996— Honorary Treasurers C. W. MACKWORTH-PRAED 1935-1936 P. TATE 1962-1974 Maj. A. G. L. SLADEN 1936-1942 M. St. J. SUGG 1974-1978 Miss E. P. LEACH 1942-1949 Mrs D. M. BRADLEY 1978-1990 C. N. WALTER 1950-1962 S. J. FARNSWORTH 1990— COMMITTEE Elected 23 May 1995 D. GRIFFIN, M.A. Chairman (1993) Reverend T. W. GLADWIN Vice-Chairman Dr. D.W. SNow Editor (1991-96) (1993) Cdr. M. B. CASEMENT, O.B.E., R.N. S.J. FARNSWORTH Hon. Treasurer (1990) Hon. Secretary (1996) N.H.E STONE (1995) R.E.F PEAL (1993) Miss H. BAKER (1994) Dr. R. P. PRys-JONES (1995) D. M. MonrtTIER (1996) — Elected 21 May 1996 CHANGES IN MEMBERSHIP 1995 New Members (35) J. ADDY M. DvORAK J. McGOwaAN S. RAE F BARBAGLI J. C. EAMES Dr. M. C. McLANDRESS Prof. C. G. SIBLEY Dr. A. M. BARCLAY S. ECK M. A. MaRIN J. O. H. SMALL C. R. BARLOW J. E. FRANCIS H. MARIOKA A. SPITZNAGEL P. H. BARTHEL Dr. J. GOODCHILD I. H. MORROW C.W. R. STOREY G.T. BRADEN A. M. GRAHAM S C. NORMAN D. M. TURNER Dr. W. BURNHAM P. J. HAYMAN Prof. L. ORINY Dr. J. WATSON M. J. CLAY N. D. HUNTER L. PENNINGTON D. WINSTELL J. E DUNN J. KNIGHT A. J. PITTMAN Deaths. It is with great regret that we record the deaths of the following Members, since the last List of Members was published: W. G. Harper, I. McNamee, A. G. Moore, A. D. Tomlins and Dr W. B. Quay (in 1995); also K. W. Henshall and Sir William Wilkinson (in 1996). Resignations in 1995/1996 (2 in 1996, as shown in bold) T. L. Crilley, L. H. Ennis, D. M. Frusher, Mrs B. P. Hall, J. A. Hancock, Dr F Hiraldo, A. ] Holcombe, M.T. Horwood, Dr. J. K. Irons, R. M. Laing, Capt. G. C. Lloyd, R.N, I. McNamee, P. Meeth, B. Nattress, R. A. Newland, P. Palsson, V. J. Sawle, C. D. Scharfenberg, D. Tutt and A. P. Ziegler. (20) Removed from membership under Rule (7) — 1995 E. W. Baker, P. C. Cannings-Bushell, Dr Marion Cook, R. Dobbins, Dr V. Goutner, Miss I. Hertzler, P. P. Jennings, Dr P. B. Kasoma, C. Reese Lind, J. S. Lyes, A. H. McNeil, D.T. Miles, A. Onrubia-Baticon, R. W. Reed, G. Z. Rowe, Dr R. R. Snell, Tian Sin Tan, A. Turner, Fox Kai-on Wang, I. Williams, H. M.V. Wilson and Dr J. D. Wilson. (22) New Members 1996 (23) W. M. BALMER M.R. HILL Dr B. PORTEOUS D.VAN CUTSEM C. BROWN K. KAZMIERCZAK J. C. ROBERTS C. WALKER A. N. P. FERNBY H-R. Luo B. W. ROWLANDS Cpr. FS. WARD, R.N. R. P. FFRENCH A. MCBRIDE G. SANGSTER R.S.R. WILLIAMS R. P. FRITH J. M. M.S. NETO T. SCHULENBERG S. XIROUCHAKIS P. GASCOIGNE G. J. OREEL U. G. SORENSON iv BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS' CLUB LIST OF MEMBERS 1996 (Updated from information available as at 31 July 1996). The Bulletin is mailed regularly to the addresses shown on this List, so it is important that all changes, errors and omissions are notified to the Hon. Secretary, as soon as possible, please. New Members joined in 1996, are indicated in bold type - 1996 (sic). Where no other country is shown, the address given is in the United Kingdom. 1986 1995 1983 1984 1988 1994 1980 1989 1993 1978 1980 1990 1983 1980 1976 1986 1978 1974 1981 1969 1985 1986 1986 1991 1996 1995 1995 1995 1951 1992 1995 1989 1992 1987 1985 1979 1989 1976 1976 1966 ADCOCK, M.A.; "The Saltings" 53 Victoria Drive, Great Wakering, SOUTHEND-ON- SEA, Essex. SS3. OAT ADDY, J.; 81 St. Mary’s Road, Wheatley, DONCASTER, S. Yorks. DN1 2NT AGUILLO CANO, I.E; Apartado 129, 26200 HARO (La Rioja), Spain AIDLEY, Dr. D. J.; The O1d Woolpack, Morley St. Botolph, WYMONDHAM, Norfolk. NRI8 9AA ALBERTI, P.;Via B Cellini 10, 21052 BUSTO ARISIZIO, Italy ALEXANDER, G.; 6 Arliss Road, Maybush, SOUTHAMPTON. SO1 6DG ALLISON R..; The Laurels, Manchester Road, Sway, LYMINGTON, Hants. SO4 OAS ALLPORT, G.; 48 Marshall Road, CAMBRIDGE. CB1 4TY ALSTROM, P; Kungsgatan 3, 462 33 VANERSBORG, Sweden ALTMAN, Dr. A. B.; PO Box 441, GREAT BARRINGTON, MA 01230, USA AMADON, Dr. D.; American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th St, NEW YORK, NY 10024, USA ANDERTON, W. N.; 16 Skipton Road, Embsay, SKIPTON, N. Yorkshire. BD23 6QL ANDREW, P:; PO Box 153, NORTH SYDNEY, NSW 2060, Australia ANTRAM, EB. S.; PO Box 340, Belconnen, CANBERRA 2616, Australia ARITA Ichiro.; 23 ban Igo 5K Minami Aoyama 4 chome, Minato-ku, TOKYO 107, Japan ARLOTT, N. A.; Hill House, School Road, TILNEY ST. LAWRENCE, Norfolk. PE34 4RB ASH, Dr. J. S.; Godshill Wood, FORDINGBRIDGE, Hants. SP6 2LR ASHTON, PJ.; National Institute for Water Research, C.S.I.R, PO Box 395, PRETORIA 0001 South Africa ASPINWALL, Dr. D.R.; PO Box 50653, RIDGEWAY 15101, Zambia BACKHURST, G. C.; PO Box 15194, NAIROBI, Kenya BAKER, Mrs E. M.; PO Box 23404, DAR- ES-SALAAM, Tanzania BAKER, Miss H.; 22 Townsfield, RICKMANSWORTH, Herts. WD3 2DD (Committee 1994—) BAKER, N. E.; Aquila Engineering Services, PO Box 23404, DAR-ES-SALAAM, Tanzania BALEN, S. van; PO Box 47, BOGOR 16001, Indonesia BALMER, W.M.; H.M. Prison, Kirkham, PRESTON. PR4 2RN BARBAGLI, F; Largo XVI Luglio 27,5100 AREZZO, Italy BARCLAY, Dr. A.M.; 11 Cathedral Street, DUNKELD, Perthshire, PH8 OAW BARLOW, C.R.; PO Box 296, Atlantic Hotel, BANJUL, The Gambia BARLOW, Capt Sir Thomas Bt. D.S.C., R.N.; 45 Shepherds Hill, Highgate, LONDON. N6 5Q] BARRITT, Captain M. K.,R.N.; 1 Boyle Close, UXBRIDGE, Middx. UB10 0XB BARTHEL, P.H.; Uber dem Salzgraben, D-37574. EINBECK-DRUBER, Germany BATES, J M.; Bird Division Field Museum of Nat. Hist., Roosevelt Rd. at Lakeshore Drive, CHICAGO, IL 60605, USA BAUMANN, S.; Gut Nettelau 13A, D-24601, STOLPE, Germany BAYLIS, A. H.; 135 Fairbridge Road, LONDON. NI9 3HF BEAKBANE, Mrs A. J.; 26 Cathcart Road, LONDON. SWI0 9NN BEAMAN, M.A. S.; Two Jays, Kemple End, Birdy Brows, STONEYHURST, Lancs. BB6 9QY BECK, B. H.; 25 St. Thomas, West Parade, BEXHILL-ON-SEA, E. Sussex. TN39 3YA BECKING, J. H.; Ericalaan 7, 6703 EM WAGENINGEN, Netherlands BELMAN, P J.; Number Two, School Passage, SOUTHALL, Middx. UBI 2DR. BENNETT, P; 29 Loop Road South, WHITEHAVEN, Cumbria. LA28 7TW 1979 1994 1986 1994 1982 1985 1991 1986 1966 1981 Vv BETTON, K. FE; 8 Duke's Close, Folley Hill, FARNHAM, Surrey. GU9 ODR. (Committee 1985-1988) BIERREGAARD), Dr. R. O.; Biology Dept, University of N. Carolina, CHARLOTTE, NC 28223, USA BINDEMAN, Mrs J.; 41 Lovett Road, Byfield, DAVENTRY, Northants. NN11 6XF BISHOP, I R.; Walter Rothschild Zoological Museum, Akeman St., TRING, Herts. HP23 6AP BISHOP, K D.; Semioptera, Lot 15, Kerns Road, KINCUMBER, NSW 2250, Australia BOCK, Prof. W. J. Ph. D.; Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, NEW YORK, NY 10027, USA BONFIELD, C. L.; Yew Tree Cottage, Great Easton, DUNMOW, Essex. CM6 2HQ BORELLO, Mrs W D.; PO Box 603, GABORONE, Botswana BOSWALL, J. H. R.; Birdswell , Stoney Steep, Wraxall, BRISTOL. BS19 1JZ (Committee 1973-1976) BOUGHTON, R.C.; Croftfoot, ENNERDALE, Cumbria. CA23 3AZ 1956-70, 1984 BOURNE, Dr. W R. P.; 3 Contlaw Place, Milltimber, ABERDEEN. AB1 0DS 1993 1995 1953 1985 1994 1990 1989 1966 1987 1996 1987 1979 1981 1991 1976 1989 1995 1963 1976 1988 1963 1977 1981 1982 1970 1971 1979 1993 1986 1988 1973 1963 1980 BRACE, Dr. R. C.; Dept of Life Science, Nottingham University, University Park, NOTTINGHAM. NC7 2RD BRADEN, G.T.; 95 Hidden Farm, Road, ALTA LOMA, CA 91737-1619, USA BRADLEY, Mrs D. M.; 6 Ariel Court, Ashchurch Park Villas, LONDON. W12 9SR (Committee 1968-1972, 1975-1978, Hon. Treasurer 1978-1989) BRADLEY, Mrs P. E.; Box 907, Grand Cayman, CAYMAN ISLANDS, British West Indies BRADLEY, R.; 24 Kingston Avenue, BLACKPOOL, Lancs. FY4 2QA BRADSHAW, C. G.; 6 Collet Walk, Parkwood, GILLINGHAM, Kent. ME8 9QL BRIGGS, Dr. K. B.; 2 Osborne Road, FARNBOROUGH, Hants. GUI4 6PT BRITTON, P. L.; All Souls & St. Gabriel’s School, PO Box 235, CHARTER TOWERS, Queensland 4820, Australia BROAD, D.; 15 Cotsford Avenue, NEW MALDEN, Surrey. KT3 5EU BROWN, C.; 1989 Colonial Parkway, FT. WORTH, TX 76110, USA BROWN, S. P.; 7 Bartle Place, Ashton, PRESTON, Lancs. PR2 1LS BROWNE, P. W. P; 116 Chrichton Street, OTTAWA, Ontario, Canada K] M 1V8 BRYANT, Dr. D.M.; Dept of Biology, University of Stirling, STIRLING. FK9 4LA BUCKNELL, N. J.; 10 Cleeve Court, Streatley, READING. RG8 9P, BULL, Dr. J.; 1148 Virginia St, FAR ROCKAWAY, NY 11691, USA BULL, P.J.; 35 Melbury Avenue, NORWOOD, Middx. UB2 4HS BURNHAM, Dr. W.; 5666 W. Flying Hawk Lane, BOISE, Idaho 83709, USA BURTON, Dr. PJ.K.; High Kelton, Doctors Commons Road, BERKHAMSTED, HERTS. HP4 3DW BYNON, Dr. J.; Lippitt's End, Mott Street, High Beach, LOUGHTON, Essex. IG10 4AP CABOT, J; Pabellon del Peru, Avda Maria Luisa S/N, 41013 SEVILLE, Spain CALDER, D. R.; Melrose House, Ridgway, PYRFORD, Surrey GU22 8PN (Committee 1967-69, 1984-87, Hon. Secretary 1969-71, Chairman 1980-83) CARSWELL, Dr. M.; 38 Park Avenue, ORPINGTON, Kent. BR6 9EH CARTER, A. G. T.; 10 Eversleigh, Buckingham Close, GUILDFORD, Surrey. GOT hire CARTER, C.; PO Box 50246, SIMON’S TOWN, Cape 7995, South Africa CARTHY, D P.; Data Processing Unit, Dept of Dentistry, Hong Kong University, 34 Hospital Road, Hong Kong CASEMENT Cdr. M. B., O.B.E., R.N.; Dene Cottage, West Harting, PETERSFIELD, Hants. GU31 5PA (Committee 1990-94, Hon. Secretary1996-) CHANCELLOR, R. D.; 15b Bolton Gardens, LONDON. SW5 OAL (Committee 1979-82) CHANDLER, Prof. R.J.;2 Rusland Avenue, ORPINGTON, Kent. BR6 8AU CHAPMAN, S. E.; "Steeplefield”, Marlpost Road, Southwater, HORSHAM, Sussex. RHI3 7BZ CHAPMAN-KOFRON, Ms A.; CSIRO Tropical Forest Research Centre, PO Box 780, ATHERTON, QLD 4883, Australia CHATFIELD, D. G. P.; Rhiwenfa, Rhiw, PWLLHELI, Gwynedd. LL53 8AE CHAYTOR, Dr. R. G.; Triangle, Keenley, ALLENDALE, Northumberland. NE47 9NT CHEKE, Dr. R. A.; N.R.I., Central Avenue, Chatham Maritime, CHATHAM, Kent. ME4 4TB (Committee 1991-95) 1987 1977 1985 1938 1985 1989 1992 1995 1989 1986 1987 1979 1976 1986 1981 1984 1991 1979 1980 1975 1986 1973 1981 1991 1986 1989 1978 1958 1946 1980 1988 1991 1988 1986 1986 1983 1986 1973 1985 1975 1987 1986 1985 1970 1974 1965 1952 1962 1986 vi CHESHIRE, N. G.; 4 Willora Road, EDEN HILLS, South Australia 5050, Australia CHRISTMAS, T. J.;2 Dymock St., LONDON. SW6 3HA CHRISTY, P.; 9 Rue des Promenades, 79.500 MELLE, France CLANCEY, P. A, D.Sc.; Suite 19, Caistor Lodge, 264 Musgrave Road, Berea, DURBAN 4001, South Africa (Hon. Life Member) CLARIDGE, J. C. R..; 17 Moana Road Plimmerton, via WELLINGTON, New Zealand CLARKE, M. C.A.; Hilltop, Newton, Martley, WORCESTER. WR6 6PR CLARKE, P. B.; Pipers, East Hoathley, LEWES, Sussex. BN8 6QX CLAY, M.J.; 3 Crawford Close, Earley, READING. RG6 7PE COLEMAN, B.; Hewelsfield, Snowdenham Links Road, BRAMLEY, Surrey. GU5 0BX. COLEMAN, J. R.; Watercoombes, West Milton, BRIDPORT, Dorset. DT6 3S] COLLINS, I. D.; Bryher, 10 Row Lane, Seend Cleeve, MELKSHAM. SN12 6PR COLLINS, R E. C.; Seatonden, Seaton, Ickham, CANTERBURY, Kent. CT3 1SL COLSTON P.R.; 3 Lammas Road, CHEDDINGTON, Bucks. LU7 ORY CONTENTO, G.;Via Desenibus 8, I-34074 MONFALCONE, Italy COOMBER, R.E; 1 Haglane Copse, Pennington, LYMINGTON, Hants. SO41 8DT CORNWALLIS, Dr. L.; Glyme Farrn, Charlbury Road, CHIPPING NORTON, Oxon. OX7 5X] COSTAS, R.; Apartado de Correos 8331, 36200 VIGO (Pontevedra), Spain COURT-SMITH, Sq. Ldr.. D. St. J., Ascot, 41 West St., MINEHEAD, Somerset. TA24 5EJ COWAN, Dr. P. J.; Gleann Cottage, Glenalmond, KINROSS, Tayside. KYI3 7HF COWLES, G S. Tetherstones, 23 Kirkdale Road, HARPENDEN, Herts. AL5 2PT COX, Dr. R.A. FE; Linden House, Long Lane, Fowlmere, ROYSTON, Herts. SG8 7TG THE EARL OF CRANBROOK, Ph.D.; Great Glemham House, Great Glemham, SAXMUNDHAM, Suffolk. P17 1LP CROCKER, N,J.; Salida, The Street, Ubley, BRISTOL, Avon. BSI8 6PN CROCKETT, D. E.; 21 McMillan Avenue, Kamo, NORTHLAND, New Zealand CROSBY, M. J.; 30 Molewood Close, CAMBRIDGE. CB4 3SH CROSS, J.K.; 62 Hulbert Road, Bedhampton, HAVANT, Hants. PO9 3TG CROUCHER, R.A. N.;. Uplands Lodge, Manor Road, SMETHWICK, W. Midlands. B67 6SA (Committee 1980-84) CUDWORTH, J.; 17a Prospect Road, OSSETT, Yorks. WF5 8AE CUNNINGHAM VAN SOMMEREN, G. R.; PO Box 24947, Karen, NAIROBI, Kenya (Hon. Life Member) CURTIS, W. FE; Farm Cottage, Church Lane, Atwick, DRIFFIELD, E. Yorks. YO25 8DH DA FONSECA, P. S. M.; Rua Diamantina 20/201, 22461-050, RIO DE JANEIRO RJ, Brazil DANIEL, A R.; 21 Kingsbury Avenue, DUNSTABLE, Beds. LU5 4PU DAULNE, J-M.; Rue Laforge 11, B-6997 MORMONT-EREZEE, Belgium DAVIDSON, L. S. 49 Benton Park Road, NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE. NE7 7LX DAVIES, J.; 83 Rectory Lane, Leybourne, WEST MALLING, Kent. MEI9 5HD DAVIES, Dr. M. G.; Summerleas, Crapstone Road, YELVERTON, Devon. PL20 6BT DAVIS, C. J; 4 Muller Road, Horfield, BRISTOL. BS7 0AA DAVISON, Dr. G. W.H.; WWE (Malaysia), Locked Bag No 911, Jalan Sultan P.O., 46990 PETALING JAYA, Malaysia DEAN, A.R..; 2 Charingworth Road, SOLIHULL, W. Midlands. B982 8HT DEAN, Dr. W.R..J. Karoo Tierberg Research Centre, PO Box 47, PRINCE ALBERT 6930, South Africa DEMEY, R.; van der Heimstraat 52, 2582 SB DEN HAAG, Netherlands DENNIS, M.K.; 173 Collier Row Lane, ROMFORD, Essex. RM5 3ED DENTON, M L.; 77 Hawthorne Terrace, Crosland Moor, HUDDERSFIELD, Yorks. HD4 5RP DESFAYES, M.; Prevan, CH 1920 FULLY, Switzerland DICK, J A., Dr. ER.C.S.; 33 St. Mary's Road, Wimbledon, LONDON. SW19 7BP DICKENSON, E.C.; Norman Chapel, Aston Magna, MORETON-IN-THE MARSH, Glos. GL56 9QN DICKINSON, H. J.; Abinger Cottage, Paston, NORTH WALSHAM, Norfolk. NR28 9TB DOWSETT, R. J.; 12 Rue des Lavandes, GANGES F-34190, France DUCKETT, J. E.; 94 Lorong Chong Khoon Lin 6, Ukay Heights, 68000 AMPANG, Selangor DE, Malaysia 1995 1995 1995 1986 1994 1994 1995 1967 1985 1963 1973 1985 1986 1986 1988 1986 1988 1981 1996 1996 1979 1978 1976 1986 1943 1991 1991 1984 1995 1978 1996 1965 1994 1981 1959 1992 1976 1988 1996 1991 1974 1966 1966 vu DUNN, J-F; University Computing Centre, Edward Wight Building, Dunbar St., ABERDEEN. AB9 2TY DVORAK, M.; Anschutzgasse 30/3, A-1150 WIEN, Austria EAMES, J.C.; BirdLife Vietnam Programme, 17 M 13 Lang Trung, Dong Da, HANOI, Vietnam EARP, MJ.; 40 Station Road, WEST HORNDON, Essex. CM13 3TW EASTWOOD, C. H. B.; PO Box 921, PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea ECCLES, S.D.; 8904 Narem Place, ANNANDALE,VA 22003, USA ECK, S.; Sudtiroler Str-1, D-01257 DRESDEN, Germany EDDIE, W. M. M.; 20 Gosford Place, EDINBURGH. EH6 4BH EDEN, R. M. G.; Haliki, Lower Beach Road, West Bexington, DORCHESTER, Dorset. DT2 9DG ELGOOD, J H.; Flat 16, The Anchorage, 157 Mudeford, CHRISTCHURCH. BH23 4AG (Committee 1967-1970, 1986-1990, Vice-Chairman 1971-1974, 1989-90, Chairman 1974-1977) ELKINS, D.A.; Le Frugier, St Mesmin, 24270 LANOUAILLE, France ELSWORTHY, Dr. G. C.; 14 Greenbank Avenue, Maghull, LIVERPOOL. L31 2JQ ERRITZOE, J.;Taps GL Praestegaard, DK 6070 CHRISTIANSFELD, Denmark EVANS, G. G.; 1 Coach House Mews, Upper Church Road, WESTON-SUPER-MARE, Avon. BS23. 2DY FANSHAWE, J. H., BirdLife International, Wellbrook Court, Girton Road, CAMBRIDGE. CB3 0ONA FARNSWORTH, S. J.; Hammerkop, Frogmill, Hurley, MAIDENHEAD, Berks. SL6 5NL (Committee 1989-90, Hon. Treasurer 1990-) FEARE, Prof. C J.; 2 North View Cottages, Grayswood Common, HASLEMERE, Surrey. GU27 2DN. FERGENBAUER-KIMMEL. Dr. A.; Donrather Str. 2, D-53797 LOHMARL, Germany FERNBY, A.N.; PO Box 34540, ERASMIA 0023, Transvaal, South Africa FFRENCH,R.P. Buscombe Noake, Chosen Hill, HUCCLESCOTE, Glos. GL3 2LT FIELD, G. D.; 37 Milton Grove, NEW MILTON, Hants. BH25 6HB FISHER, Dr. C.T.; Section of Birds and Mammals, Liverpool Museum, William Brown St., LIVERPOOL L3 8EN FISHER, D. J.; 56 Western Way, SANDY, Beds. SGI9 IDU FISHPOOL, Dr. L. D. C.; 12 Mountain St, Chilham, CANTERBURY, Kent. CT4 8DQ FITTER, R. S. R.; Drifts, Chinnor Hill, OXFORD.OX9 4BS (Committee 1959-62, Vice-Chairman 1962-65, Chairman 1965-68) (Hon. Life Member) FITZPATRICK, Dr. S.; Biological and Biomedical Sciences Dept.University of Ulster at Jordanstown, NEWTOWN ABBEY, Co. Antrim. BT37 0QB FLYNN, J. A.; 6 Linkfield Court, 78 Auckland Road, LONDON. SEI9 2DQ FOWLER, Dr. J.A.; Hafod Heli, High Street, BORTH, Dyfed. SW24 5JE FRANCIS, J.E.; 65 Fleet Street, LONDON. EC4 1HS FRASER, M. W.; Sandbanks, Kenmuir Steps, Hopkirk Way, GLENCAIRN 7995, South Africa FRITH, C.B.; Prionodura, PO Box 581, MALANA, Queensland, Australia FRY, Prof. C. H.; Bridge End House, Kentmere, STAVELEY, Cumbria. LA8 9JP FULLAGAR,, Dr. P.J.;5 d’Arcy Place, CHIFFLEY, ACT 2606, Australia GALEY, C. P.; 219 Ainsdale Dr.ive. Werrington, PETERBOROUGH, Cambs. PE4 6RL GALLAGHER, Major M. D.; c/o Box 668, MUSCAT 113, Oman GALLNER,, Dr. J. C.; 16 Rue Pavillon, 13001 MARSEILLE, France GALSWORTHY, A. C, CMG.; 11 Church Path, Merton Park, LONDON. SW19 3H] GARDNER-MEDWIN, Dr. D.; Flocktous, Station Road, Heddon-on-the-Wall, NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE. NE15 0EG GASCOIGNE, P.; 12 Wilcox Drive, UNDERWOOD, Notts, NG16 56W GAUNTLETT, FE M.; 55 Larkfield Avenue, HARROW, Middx. HA3 8NQ GIBBS, A.; 48 Bolton Road, CHESSINGTON, Surrey. KT9 2JB GIBSON, Dr. J. A.; Foremount House, KILBAR CHAN, Renfrewshire. PA10 2EZ GIL, D.; Bute Medical Building, University of St. Andrews, FIFE. KYI6 9TS 1962-70, 1988 GILLHAM, E. H.; 31 Coast Dr.ive, Lydd-on-Sea, ROMNEY MARSH, Kent. TN29 9NL 1975 1994 1983 1970 1995 1981 1991 1953 1977 1986 1995 1968 1994 1977 1984 1977 1963 1983 1986 1989 1974 1990 1964 1986 1987 1981 1981 1978 1979 1956 1985 1977 1990 1960 1977 1974 1953 1974 1985 1995 1991 1986 1994 1989 1987 Vili GILSTON, H.; Chemin des Mouettes 16, CH 1007, LAUSANNE, Switzerland GJERSHAUG, J.O.; Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Tungasletta 2, 7005 TRONDHEIM, Norway GLADWIN, The Rev. T. W.; 99 Warren Way, Digswell, WELWYN, Herts. AL6 ODL (Committee 1990-93, Vice-Chairman 1993-) GOODALL, A. E.; 46 Adrian Road, ABBOTS LANGLEY, Herts. WD5 0AQ GOODCHILD, Dr. J.; 150 Ruggles St. WESTBOROUGH, MA 01581 USA GOODMAN, S. M.; Dept of Zoology, Field Museum of Nat. Hist., Roosevelt Road at Lakeshore Drive, CHICAGO, IL 60605, USA GORIUP, P. D.; 36 Kingsfisher Court, Hambridge Road, NEWBURY, Berks. RG14 5S] GORTON, E.; 249 Wigan Road, Westhaughton, BOLTON, Lancs. BL5 2AT GOSLER, Dr. A. G.; c/o E.G.I, Dept of Zoology, South Park Road, OXFORD. OX1 3PS GOULDING, R..V. G.; 239a Carr Road, NORTHOLT, Middx. UB45 4RL GRAHAM, A.M.; 11 Armada Drive, TEIGNMOUTH, S. Devon, TQ14 INF GRAY, B.; 6 Totland Court, Victoria Road, MILFORD-ON-SEA, Hants. SO41 ONR (Committee 1977-80, Vice-Chainnan 1980-83, Chairman 1983-86) GREEN, G. E.; 33 Long Plough, Aston Clinton, AYLESBURY, Bucks. HP22 5HD GREEN, Prof. J.; 17 King Edwards Grove, TEDDINGTON, Middx. TW11 9LY GREENLAW, Dr. J. S.; 2813 SW 43 Lane, CAPE CORAL, FL 33914, USA GREENWOOD), Dr. J. G.; Science Dept, Stranmills College, BELFAST. BT9 5DY GREENWOOD, Dr. J.J.D.; B T.0. The Nunnerv. Nunnery Place, THETFORD, Norfolk. IP24 2PU GREGORY, P. A.; Tabubil International School, PO Box 69 TABUBIL, Western Province, Papua New Guinea GREGORY, S. M. S.; 35 Monarch Road, Kingsthorpe Hollow, NORTHAMPTON. NN2 6EH GRETTON, Dr. A.; Cosford Hall, Hadleigh, Suffolk. IP7 6DR. GRIFFIN, D.; 51a Palace Road, EAST MOLESEY, Surrey. KT8 9DN (Committee 1983- 86,1989-90, Vice-Chairman 1986-89, 1990-93, Chairman 1993-) GRIFFITH, J. E.; Ty-Pwll, Llyswen, BRECON, Powys. LDR OUY GRIMES, Dr. L. G.; St Nicholas Court, St Nicholas Church St., WARWICK. CV34 4JD GROSSMAN Dr. H.; Wietreie 78, D 2000 HAMBURG 67, Germany GULLICK, T. M.; c/o Mrs M. Parker, 5 Tile Barn Close, FARNBOROUGH, Hants. GUI4 8LS HAFFER,, Dr. J.; Thommesweg 60, D-45149 ESSEN, Germany HALE, Prof. W. G.; 5 Ryder Close, Aughton, ORMSKIRK, Lancs. L39 5HJ HALL, Prof. G. A..; Dept.of Chemistry, PO Box 6045, West Virginia University, MORGANTOWN WV 26506-6045, USA HANMER, Mrs D. B.; PO Box 3076, Paulington, MUTARE, Zimbabwe HARLEY, B. H.; Martins, Great Horkesley, COLCHESTER, Essex. CO6 4AH HARMAN, A. J. E.; 20 Chestnut Close, HOCKLEY, Essex. SS5 5EJ HARPUM, Dr. J.; 58 Shindington Road, CHELTENHAM, Glos. GL53 OJE HARRAP, S.; 1 Norwich Rd., Edgefield, MELTON CONSTABLE, Norfolk. NR24 2RP HARRISON, Dr. CJ.O.; 19 Kennington Road, Kennington, OXFORD. OX1 5NZ (Committee 1963-64, 1965-68, 1974-77, Hon. Secretary 1964-65) HARRISON, I. D.; Llyswen, Lon y felin, ABERAERON, Dyfed. SA46 0ED HARVEY, W. G; c/o FCO (Nairobi), King Charles St., LONDON. SWIA 2AH HARWIN, Dr. R. M.; 3 Benatar Way, Alexandra Park, HARARE, Zimbabwe HASEGAWA, H.; Dept of Biology, Faculty of Science, Toho University, Miyama-cho, FUNABASHI, Chiba 274, Japan HAUBITZ, Dr. B.; Bergenerstr 26, D 30625 HANNOVER, Germany HAYMAN, PJ.; Strawberry Cottage, Norton Rd., Bury St. Edmunds, TOSTOCK. IP30 9PT HAZEVOET, C. J.; H. Coenradistr 27-2, 1063 XP AMSTERDAM, Netherlands HEARD, G. E.; 4 Lambley Lane, GEDLING, Notts. NG4 4PA HELBIG, Dr. A. J.; Universitat Greifswald, Vogelwarte Hiddensee, D-18565 KLOSTER/HIDDENSEE, Germany HELM, C.A.R.;The Banks, Mountfield, ROBERTSBRIDGE, E. Sussex. TN32 5JY HENDERSON, A. C. B.; Farthings, The Forstal, Preston, CANTERBURY, Kent. Cits DR, 1991 1994 1986 1989 1996 1990 1985 1981 1986 1957 1933 1992 1973 1972 1980 1989 1970 1960 1981 1981 1978 1985 1981 1994 1986 1995 1992 1975 1987 1986 1984 1984 1978 1983 1973 1970 1951 1985 1982 1991 1980 1996 1965 1986 1x HENDERSON, D.; PO Box 29, LEGANA, Tasmania 7277, Australia HERBER, K.; 22 Rusham Park Ave., EGHAM, Surrey. TW20 9NB HERON, K.;Tatchley Retreat, 332 Prestbury Road, CHELTENHAM, Glos. GL52 3DD HILL, A.; Albrecht Haushofer Str. 10, 3200 HILDESHEIM, Germany HILL, M.R.; 3 Chard Road, COVENTRY. CV3 2PW HIRSCHFELD, E.; Sédra Furstadsgatan, S-21143 MALMO, Sweden HOCKEY, Dr. P. A. R.; PEIA.O. University of Cape Town, RONDESBOSCH 7700, South Africa HODGSON, M C.; CDC. Jakarta, c/o Commonwealth Development Corp., 1Bessborough Gardens, LONDON. SW14 2JQ HOFFMANN, T. W.; Haus Sonnenberg, CH 8914 AEUGST, Switzerland HOGG, P.; 44 West End, Kemsing, SEVENOAKS , Kent. TNI5 6PY (Committee 1962-66, 1972-74, Vice-Chairman 1974-77, Chairman 1977-80) HOLLOM, P. A. D.; Inwood Cottage, Hydestile, GODALMING, Surrey. GU8 4AY (Committee 1938-41, 1947-49, 1959-63 - Hon. Life Member) HOLLOWAY, S. J.; Orchard Cottage, Elmsdale Crescent, ADMASTON, Telford. TF4 OAQ HOLMES, D. A.; c/o Bull, The Old Rectory, Cold Overton, UPPINGHAM, Leics. LE15 7QA HOLYOAK, D T.; 8 Edward St., Tucking Mill, CAMBORNE, Cornwall. TRI4 8PA HOMBERGER, Dr. D.G.; Zoology & Physiology Dept, Louisiana State University, BATON ROUGE, LA 70803-1725, USA HOOGENDOORN, W;; Notengaard 32, 3941 LW DOORN, Netherlands HORNE, Ms J. EF M.; American Museum of Nat. Hist., Central Park West at 79th St., NEW YORK, NY 10024-5192, USA HORWOOD), M.T.; 2 Church Close, Benson, OXFORD. OX10 6TA HOUNSOME, Dr. M.V.; Manchester University Museum, Oxford Road, MANCHESTER. M13 9PL HOUSTON, Dr. D.C.,; Dept of Zoology, University of Glasgow, GLASGOW. G12 8QQ HOVEL, Ing. H. G.; 55 Einstein Str., 34602 HAIFA, Israel HOWARD, R. P; Hogg House, Lower Basildon, READING, Berks. RG8 9NH HOWE, S.; Alma House, 12 William Sreet, TORPHINS, Grampian. AB3 4JR HOWELL, S.; 4990 Shoreline Hwy, STINSON BEACH, CA 94970, USA HUNTER, A; 16 Bollin Walk, Reddish Road, South Reddish, STOCKPORT. SK5 7J/W HUNTER, N.D.; 8 Ennismore Avenue, Chiswick, LONDON. W4 1SF HURON, A.; c/o MCB Ltd. PO Box 52, PORT-LOUIS, Mauritius INGELS, Dr. J.; Galgenberglaan 9, B9070 DESTELBERGEN, Belgium INSKIPP, T.; c/o World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219c Huntingdon Road, CAMBRIDGE. CB3 ODL JAMES, S. L.; Al Gar Building, Apt 1404, PO Box 26833, ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates JAMES, T.J.; 56 Back Street, Ashwell, BALDOCK, Herts. SG7 5PE JENNINGS, M. C.; 1 Warners Farm, Warners Drove, SOMERSHAM, Cambs. PE17 3HW JENSEN, H.; Tolstoje Alle 26, DK 2860 SOEBORG, Denmark JEPSON, P. R.; ICBP Indonesia Programme, PO Box 212/800, JL Cilosari Block B XII No.1, BOGOR BARU, Bogor 16001, Indonesia JOBLING, J., A.; 14 The Valley Green, SELWYN GARDEN CITY, Herts. AL8 7DQ JOHNSON, E. D H.; Crabiére Cottage, Grande Route des Mielles, ST OUEN, Jersey JE3 2EN, Channel Islands JOHNSON, H. P. H.; 17 Via Bontempi, PERUGIA, Italy JOHNSTON, D.; 4 Burn Street, Longtown, CARLISLE, Cumbria. CA6 5XW JONES, C. G.; c/o Forestry Quarters, BLACK RIVER, Mauritius JONES, Ms R. M.; 51 Lee Terrace, Blackheath, LONDON. SE3 9TA JONGELING, T. B.; Peterhouse Girls’ School, Springvale Estate, Private Bag 3774, MASONDERA, Zimbabwe KAZMIERCZAK, K.; 9 Norwich Road, NORTHWOOD, Middx. HA6 1ND KEITH, G. S.; 19356 Lee View Lane, REDDING, CA 96003, USA KELSEY, Dr. F D.; White Cottage, Church Lane, Cley-next-the-Sea, HOLT, Norfolk. NR25 7UD 1983 1992 1960 1990 1982 1990 1981 1988 1995 1984 1973 1989 1987 1989 1985 1989 1985 x KELSEY, Dr. M. G.;c/o White Cottage, Church Lane, Cley-next-the-Sea, HOLT, Norfolk. NR25 7UD KENNERLY, P.; 57 Grange Road, #06-01 Lucky Tower, Singapore 249569 KENT, J. de R.; Mews Cottage, Church Hill, MIDHURST, Sussex. GU29 9NX KERR- SMILEY, Lt.-Col. P. S.; Towranna Faeai Huntingfield, HALESWORTH, Suffolk. IP19 OQP KETTLE, R.H.; 75 Dupont Road, LONDON. SW20 8EH (Committee 1988-91) KHAN, Dr. Md Ali Reza; In Charge, Dubai Zoo, PO Box 67, DUBAI, United Arab Emirates KING, J.; 96 Forbes Avenue, POTTERS BAR, Herts. EN6 5NQ KING, J. R.; Dept of Zoology Edward Grey Institute, South Parks Road, OXFORD. OX1 3PS KNIGHT, J.; 26 McKenzie Drive, Balloch, ALEXANDER, Strathclyde. G83 8HL KNIGHT, J. E.; 33 North Road, Stokesley, MIDDLESBOROUGH, Cleveland. TS9 5DZ KNOX, Dr. A. G. Glebe House, 77 Leighton Road, WINGRAVE, Bucks. HP22 4PA KOGA, K,; 16-25 Akan Town, HOKKAIDO, 085-02 Japan KRAMER, D.; 7 Little Headlands, Putnoe, BEDFORD. MK14 8JT LACK, Dr. P. C.; c/o B.T.O., The Nunnery, Nunnery Place, THETFORD, Norfolk. [P24 2PU LAMBERT ER.; c/o 15 Bramble Rise, Westdene, BRIGHTON, Sussex. BNI 5GE LAURENCE OF MAR, Lt.-Cdr.; 30 Horton Downs, Downswood, MAIDSTONE. ME15 8TN LAWSON, I. B.; 20 Glen Walk, 12 Sugar Farm Trail, Sunningdale, DURBAN 4051, South Africa 1959-74, 1986 LEES-SMITH, D T.; 134 The Avenue, Starbeck, HARROGATE, N. Yorks. 1994 1985 1975 1985 1988 1994 1991 1993 HG1 4QF LEMAN, R.G A.; Millstream House, Heylesbury, WARMINSTER, Wilts. BA12 OEE LEMAUVIEL, Y.; ‘Ul Jeziorna 3M1, 02-911 WARSAW, Poland LEVEQUE, R.; Feld 16, CH 6204, SEMPACH, Switzerland LEWIS, I.T.; Gables, Fordcombe. Nr. TUNBRIDGE WELLS, Kent. TN3 ORY LIM, K.; 177 Jalan Loyang Besar, Singapore 509432 LIN, W.-Y.; 7 Ln 228 Sec 2Hsin-I Rd. TAIPEI 10602, Taiwan LINDBLAD), O.; Skaldevagen 58 S-35239 VAXJO, Sweden LINDSAY, Dr. N. J.; 13 Dove St., Saltaire Village, SHIPLEY, W. Yorks. BD18 3EY 1968-71, 1989 LINDSAY, J.D.; 8 Petworth House, Great Holm, MILTON KEYNES. MK8 9ED. 1985 1992 1982 LISTER, S.M.; 31 Lisle Street, LOUGHBOROUGH, Leics. LE11 OAY LITTLE, B.; 31 Craigbeath Court, COWDENBEATH, Fife. KY4 9BZ LITTLEMORE, FP; Plemstall, 264 Dunchurch Road, RUGBY, Warwicks. CV22 6HX 1951-55, 1977. LIVERSIDGE, Dr. R.; 92 Central Road, KIMBERLEY, Cape Province, 1986 1985 1992 1981 1996 1973 1996 1991 1991 1944 1995 1991 1988 South Africa LLOYD, J.V.; Cynghordy, LLANDOVERY, Dyfed. SA20 OLN LOSSY, G.; Turnersstraat 42, 2020 ANTWERP, Belgium LOUVETTE, M.; Achterstr 109, 3080 TERVUREN, Belgium LOVEJOY, Dr. T. E.; Asst. Sec. for External Affairs, Smithsonian Institution SI-317, 1000 Jefferson Drive SW, WASHINGTON DC 20560, USA LUO, H-R,; 17 Sunblane 42, Lane 493, Chungshan Rd., Tantzu, TAICHUNG HSIEN 427, Taiwan McANDREW, R.T.; 5 Thornhill Gardens, HARTLEPOOL, Cleveland. TS26 OHY McBRIDE, A.; PO Box 190 Box 190, NEWPORT BEACH, NSW 2106, Australia McCANCH, N. V.; c/o Mr E J. McCanch, 10 Northall Estate, St Ishmael’s, HAVERFORDWEST, Pembs. SA62 35W McCARTHY, J.E.; 10 Beech Gove, CHEPSTOWE, Gwent. NP6 5BD McCULLOCH, The Rev . G. K. O.B.E.; 5 Roy Road, NORTHWOOD, Middx. HA6 IEQ (Committee 1981-83, Vice-Chairman 1983-86, Chairman 1986-89) (Hon. Life Member) McGOWAN, J.; 7 Ripon Avenue, Lowton, WARRINGTON. WA3 2JE McGOWAN, Dr. K. J.; Ecology and Systematics, Corson Hall, Cornell University, ITHACA, NY 14853 USA McGOWAN, P.; Biology Dept, The Open University, Walton Hall, MILTON KEYNES. MK7 6AA 1978 1995 1981 1974 1992 1981 1986 1989 1970 1988 1994 1957 1995 1992 1994 1985 1985 1983 1982 1987 1988 1986 1989 1964 1993 1989 1987 1982 1979 1990 1980 1980 1994 1991 1991 1986 1980 1988 1946 1992 1985 1989 1990 1986 1995 1989 1995 ral McKEAN, J. L.; 955 Escalon Avenue, Apt 812, SUNNYVALE, CA 94086, USA McLANDRESS, Dr. M.C.; California Waterfowl Assoc. 4630 Northgate Blvd, Ste 150, SACRAMENTO, CA 95834-1125, USA McLAUGHLIN, TJ.; Lisnacarrig, Brighton Road, FOXROCK, Co. Dublin, Ireland McNEIL, Dr. D. A. C.; 721 Loughborough Road, BIRSTALL, Leics. LE4 4NN McPHELIM, B. M.; 3711 McKinley St. NW, WASHINGTON DC 20015, USA MADGE-, S. C.;““Seawinds”, Lower Trerieve, Downderry, TORPOINT, Cornwall. PL11 3LZ MAIN, J. S.; 67 Farm Fields, SANDERSTEAD, Surrey. CR2 OHR MALCOIM,N. S.; 439 Banbury Road OXFORD. OX2 8ED MANN, Dr. C. FE; 123 Hartswood Road, LONDON. W12 9NG (Committee 1977-1981) MANSFIELD, R. C.; "Birdwood", 15c Lyles Road, Cottenham, CAMBRIDGE. CB4 4QR MARANTZ, C. A.; Biology Dept, Morrill (South), University of Massachusetts, Box 35810 AMHERST MA 01003-5810, USA MARCHANT, S.; Lot 24, Maulbrooks Road, MORUYA, NSW 2537, Australia MARIN, M.A.; Casilla 15, MELIPILLA, Chile MARR, B A. E.; “Two Hoots”, Old Hall Farm Barns, CLEY-NEXT-THE SEA, Norfolk, NR25 7RY MARRUS, R.S.; Hemlock Ledge, Hemlock Ledge Rd., TUPPER LAKE, NY 12986, USA MARTIN, J. W. P.; 54 Wolsey Road, EAST MOLESEY, Surrey. KT8 9EW MARTIN, Dr. M. R.; 35 Auburn Road, Hawthorne, MELBOURNE, Victoria 3122, Australia MARTINS, R P.; 6 Connaught Road, NORWICH, Norfolk. NR2 3BP MASON, I. J.; CSIRO Div. of Wildlife Research, PO Box 84, LYNEHAM, ACT 2602, Australia MASON, V.; Interhash 88, PO Box 400, Denpasar 80001, BALI, Indonesia MASSA, B., Via Archirafi 18, Instituto di Zoologia, 90123 PALERMO, Italy MASSEY, K. G.; 4 Hall Terrace, Great Sankey, WARRINGTON, Cheshire. WA5 3EZ MASSIE, D.B.; 43 Hazel Road, Purley Beeches, READING, Berks. RG8 8HR MEAD), C. J.; c/o BTO., The Nunnery, Nunnery Place, THETFORD, Norfolk. IP24 2PU (Committee 1971-75) MEAD, Ms C.; 65 Terrington Hill, MARLOW, Bucks. SL7 2RE MEADOWS, B. S.; c/o Rashid Engineering, PO Box 10476, JUBAIL 319611, Saudi Arabia. MEDLAND,R. D.; 2 Staplake Cottages, Starcross, EXETER, Devon. EX6 8QT MEDWAY, D. G.; PO Box 476, NEW PLYMOUTH, New Zealand MEEK, E.R.; Smyril, Stenness, STROMNESS, Orkney MEININGER, P L.; Lisztlaan 5, 4384 KM VLISSINGEN, Netherlands MELDRUM, Dr. J. A. K.; Heath House, 1 Millgate, Lisvane, CARDIFF CF4 5TY MELVILLE, D.S.; c/o WWF (Hong Kong), GPO Box 12721, Hong Kong MESQUIDA, F; c/Canario No. 4, Urb Cotorredondo, 28979 Batres, MADRID, Spain MEYBURG, Dr. B. U.; Herbetstrasse 14, D-14193 BERLIN, Germany MICALT, Dr. G.;Via Savona 71, 1-20144 MILAN M1 Italy MILLS, T. R..; 36 Chartfield Avenue, Putney, LONDON. SW15 6HG MISKELL, J.; CARE-Sudan, PO Box 2702, KHARTOUM, Sudan MOLLER, E.; Behringstr. 13, 32049 HERFORD, Germany MONK, Dr. J. EF, D.M.; Bridge Cottage, High St, Goring, READING Berks. RG8 9AN (Vice-Chairman 1965-68, Chairman 1968-71, Editor 1976-1991, Committee 1991-94, Hon Life Member) MONTIER, D. J.; Eyebrook, Oldfield Road, Bickley, BROMLEY, Kent. BRI 2LF (Committee 1996-) MOORE, Mrs A. M.; 1 Uppingham Road, OAKHAM, Rutland LEI5 6JB (Committee 1987-89, Hon. Secretary 1989-95) MOREL, Dr. G.; 1 route de Sallénelles, Brévilles-les-Monts, F 14860 RANVILLE, France MOREL, Dr. Marie-Yvonne; 1 route de Sallénelles, Brévilles-les-Monts, F 14860 RANVILLE, France MORGAN, R. G.; No. 8 Forest Side, Worcester Park, SURREY. KT4 7PB MORIOKA, H. Zoology Dept., National Science Museum, 3-23-1 Kyakumino-cho, Shinjuku, TOKYO 169, Japan MORRIS, W.; 8 Hughes St, Penygraig, RHONDDA, Mid Glamorgan. CF40 1LX MORROW, I.H.; 22 Tamara Lane, CORNWALL, NY 12518-1616, USA 1989 1951 1983 1986 1990 1982 1989 1974 1986 1996 1986 1974 1979 1995 1979 1994 1989 1973 1970 1996 1982 1995 LOT 1971 1994 1994 1993 1994 1966 1957 1963 1989 1979 1995 1988 1982 1957 1982 1989 1995 1968 Xl MORROW, R.; 58 Mutch Avenue, KY EEMAGH, .NSW 2216, Australia MOUNTFORT, G. R., O.B.E.; 8 Park Manor, St Aldhelms Road, POOLE, Dorset. BH13 6BS MOYER, D. C.; PO Box 934, IRINGA, Tanzania MULLER, Mrs M.N.; Lovedays Mill, PAINSWICK, Glos. GL6 6SH MULLER, H. H., Breitenfelder Str 46 D-20251, HAMBURG, Germany MURPHY, M.; Marine Station, Sherkin Island, Co. CORK, Ireland MUSGROVE, N. J.; 41 Emery Close, WALSALL, West Midlands. WS1 3AC NAKATA, Y.; Japan Pheasant & Wildlife Soc., 17-11 3 Chome Kuwazu, Higasisumiyosi-ku, OSAKA 546, Japan NASH, J. W.; 1 3 Farm Hill, BRIGHTON, Sussex. BN2 6BG NETO, J.M.M.S.; Avenida Araujo E, Silva No. 20A, 3810 AVEIRO, Portugal NICHOLLS Dr. T.D.; University Medical Center, 5620 Greenbriar Suite 103, HOUSTON. TX 77005, USA NICOLSON, M. P.; The Hilton National, Walcot Street, BATH, Avon. BA1 5BJ NOBLE-ROLLIN. C.; Greystones, Glanton, ALNWICK, Northumberland. NE66 4AH NORMAN, S.C.; 62 Birkdale Road, Errington Park, NEW MAERSKE, Cleveland. TS11 38JB OBA, Dr.T.; Nat. Hist. Mus. & Inst., 955-2 Aoba-Cho, CHIBA 280, Japan OLDFIELD, S. W.; Duckend Farmhouse, Birchanger, BISHOP’S STORTFORD, Herts. CM23 5QS OLIOSO, G.; Le Grand Faubourg, F 26230, GRIGNAN, France OLIVER P. J.; The Briar Patch, Trevereux Hill, Limpsfield Chart, OXTED, Surrey. RH8 OTL (Committee 1978-79) OLSON, Dr. S. L.; NHB MRC 116 (Birds), National Museum of Nat. Hist., Smithsonian Institution, WASHINGTON DC 20560, USA OREEL, G.J.; Deurganck 15, 1902 AN CASTRICU,. Netherlands OREN, Dr. D. C.; Dept Zoologica, Museu Goeldi, Caixa Postal 399, Belem, PARA, CEP 66040, Brazil ORINY, Prof. L.W,; EECB 1000 Valley Road, Univ. of Nevada, RENO, NV 89512, USA PARKER, J. G.; Clavering House, Foulden Road, Oxborough, KINGS LYNN, Norfolk. PE33 9BL (Committee 1979-83) PARKES, Dr. K. C.; Carnegie Museum, 4400 Forbes Avenue, PITTSBURG, PA 15213, USA PARMELEE, Dr. D. FE; Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History, 4505 Maryland Pkwy, Box 454012, LAS VEGAS, Nevada 89154-4012, USA PARRY, S. J.; Sub-Dept. of Ornithology, British Museum (Natural History), TRING, Herts. HP23 6AP PATRICK, C_J.; 7 Wellington Court, The Nothe, WEYMOUTH, Dorset DT4 8UA PATTEN, M.A.; PO Box 51959, RIVERSIDE, CA 92517-2959, USA PAYNE, Dr. R. B., Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, ANN ARBOR, MI 48109, USA PAYNTER, Dr. R.A. Jnr; Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, CAMBRIDGE, MA 02138, USA PEAL, R. E. F; 2 Chestnut Lane, SEVENOAKS, Kent. TN13 3AR (Committee 1969-71, 1993-, Hon. Secretary 1971-89, Chairman 1989-93) PEART, D. E. M. 35 Salisbury Road, Wilton, SALISBURY, Wilts. SP2 ODT PECKOVER, W., O.B.E.; 14 Balanda Street, JINDALEE, Queensland 4074, Australia PENNINGTON, L.; 706 W 5th Drive, EL DORADO, AR 71730, USA PENRY, Dr. E. H.; PO Box 138, ORKNEY, Transvaal 2620, South Africa PETERSON, A., Natturufraedistofnun Islands, PO Box 5320, REYKJAVIK 125, Iceland PHILLIPS, Dr. A R.; Reforma 825-A, Col. Chapultepac, San Nicolas de los Garza, NEUVO LEON, 66450 Mexico PICKERING, R. H.; 27 Broomiecknowe Park, BONNYRIGG, Midlothian. EHI9 2JB PIPER, S. E.; 2 Canal Dr.ive, WESTVILLE 3630 Natal, South Africa PITTMAN, A_,J.; 8 St. Julian’s Road, LONDON SE27 OJJ PLENGE, M.A.; c/o Logistics Services, Inc., 1612 NW 84th Av., MIAMI, Florida 3312-1032, USA 1981 1996 1994 1978 1989 1992 1979 1981 1982 1989 1987 1995 1986 1989 1994 1981 1977 1978 1976 1987 1982 1994 1989 1991 1996 1982 1993 1989 1993 1992 1991 1962 1986 1978 1984 1986 1996 1987 1972 1982 1993 1989 xii POMEROY, Dr. D. E.; Resource Centre MUIENR, PO Box 7298, KAMPALA, Uganda PORTEOUS, Dr. B.; LASMO (COLUMBIA) Ltd., 100 Liverpool St., LONDON. EC2M 2BB POWELL, Dr. C. D.; Cobblestones, Lees Road, Brabourne Lees, ASHFORD, Kent. TN25 6RN POYSER, T.; Town Head House, Calton, WATERHOUSES, Staffs. STIO 3JQ PRATS-TINIDAD, P.; Cami de Rafalat 59, Casats de Trebeluger, MENORCA, Spain PRAZ, J.-C.; Conservateur, Musée Cantonal d'Histoire Naturelle, Case Postale 2160, 42 Av. de la Gare, 1950 SION, Switzerland PRICE, R. C.; 3 Ashchurch Park Villas, LONDON. W12 9SP PRINCE, P.A.; c/o British Antarctic Survey, Madingley Road, CAMBRIDGE. CB3 0ET PRITCHETT, R. S.; First Floor Flat, 81 Winchester Street, LONDON. SW1V 4NU PRYS-JONES, Dr. R. P.; Sub-Dept of Ornithology, British Museum (Natural History), TRING, Herts. HP23 6AP (Committee 1995-) RAE, M. C.; Roydon Hall, Roydon, KINGS LYNN, Norfolk. PE32 1AR RAE, S.; 18 Glenkinchie, PENCAITLAND, Lothian. EH34 5ET RAJKOWSKI, Dr. K. M.; 14 Rue des Poissons, F 93600, AULNAY-SOUS-BOIS, France RANDALL, A.; 13 Church Road, Cowley, UXBRIDGE, Middx. UB8 3NB RAPPOLE, Dr. J.; 1500 Remount Road, FRONT ROYAL,VA 22630, USA RASMUSSEN, S. H.; Bakkehaven 18, DK-4180, SOR@, Denmark RAYNOR, E. M.; Priorsmead, 15 Nash Meadow, SOUTH WARNBOROUGH,, Hants. RG25 1RJ REDMAN, N. J.; Banks House, Mountfield, Nr. ROBERTSBRIDGE, E. Sussex. TN32 5JY REDMAN, P.S.; 20 Rue Dauphine, F 75006, PARIS, France REED, J. M.; 21 Hardings, Panshanger, WELWYN GARDEN CITY, Herts. AL7 2EQ REID, Dr. J. B.; Temple Crescent, CRAIL, Fife. KY10 3RS REINO, L. M.; Av. Dn. Mario Moutinho, L-1733 10E, 1400 LISBON, Portugal RICHARDSON, J. E.; Hazelbrow, Rad Lane, Peaslake, GUILDFORD, Surrey. GU5 9PB RITCHIE, Dr. D.; Seaton House, Kings Ripton, HUNTINGDON, Cambs. PE17 2NJ ROBERTS, C.; Biological sciences Dept.. Texas Tech. University, LUBBOCK, TX 94090-3131 USA ROBERTS, Dr.T. J.; Cae Gors, Rhosecefnhir, PENTRAETH, Anglesey. LL75 8YU ROBERTSON, A. L. H.; 2 St. Georges Terrace, Blockley MORETON-IN-THE- MARSH, Glos. GL56 9BN ROBERTSON, I. S.; Laurelbank, Exnabol, VIRKIE, Shetland. ZE3 9JS ROBINSON, N. E.; 15/17 Prospect Street, Buttershaw, BRADFORD. BD6 2DY RODRIGUES, M.; A/C Dr. V. Anuda, departimento de Biolia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 88-040-800 FLORIANOPOLIS, SC Brazil ROHR, W. F; Silcherweg 13, D-55063 MAINZ 31, Germany ROMER, MLL. R..; Gillingshill, Arkesden Road, Clavering, SAFFRON WALDEN, Essex. CB11 40U (Committee 1964-68) ROSKAFT, Dr. E.; Kongshaugveien 12, N 7560 VIKHAMAR, Norway ROSS, N.; 71 Buckingham Road, WILMSLOW, Cheshire. SK9 5LA ROUND), P. D.; Centre for Conservation, Mahidol University (Dept of Biology), Rama V1 Road, BANGKOK, 10400, Thailand ROWBURY, T. J.; 25 Priestley Dr.ive, Larkfield, MAIDSTONE, Kent. ME20 6TX ROWLANDS, B.W.; 160 Doncaster Road, Sandyford, NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, NE2 1RB ROWLEY, I. C. R.; CSIRO Locked Bag 4, PO MIDLAND, Western Australia 6056, Australia RUDGE, P.; National Hospital for Nervous Diseases, Queen Square, LONDON., WCI1N 3RG RUMSEY, S. J. R.; Elms Farm; Pett Lane, Icklesham, WINCHELSEA, E. Sussex. TN36 4AH RYALL, Dr. C.; Environmental Technology, Farnborough College, Boundary Road, FARNBOROUGH, Hants. GU14 6SB SAETHER, S. A.; Dept of Zoology, University of Trondheim, N-7055 DRAGVOLL, Norway 1954 1992 1987 1996 1987 1974 1984 1996 1993 1989 1984 1961 1986 1979 1979 1985 1979 1991 1985 1987 1984 1995 1970 1988 1995 1991 1973 1981 1992 1977 1981 1996 1981 1985 1995 1980 1957 1988 1979 1991 1990 1994 1992 1983 XIV SAGE, B. L.; Waveney House, 41 Waveney Close, WELLS-NEXT-THE-SEA, Norfolk. NR23 1HU SALAMAN, P. G. W.; 28 Oakway, West Wimbledon, LONDON. SW20 9JE SAMWALD, O.; Gschmaier 130, A-8265, GROSS STEINBACH, Austria SANGSTER, G.; Nieuwe Rijn 27, 2312 JD LEIDEN, Netherlands SASSOON, Miss S.; Flat 1,21 Upper Phillimore Gardens, LONDON. W8 7HF SAYERS, B. C.; 164 Chelmer Road, CHELMSFORD, Essex. CM2 6AB SCHUCHMANN, Dr. K. L.; Zoologi. Forschungsinstitut u Mus. Alexander Koenig. Adenauerallee 150-164, 5300 BONN 1, Germany SCHULENBERG, T:; Roosevelt Road, at lakeshore Drive, CHICAGO, Illinois 60605-2496 USA SCHULTZ, A.; PO Box 540, PORT ELIZABETH 6000, South Africa SCHULZE-HAGEN, K..; Bergerstr. 163, D-41068 MUNCHEN-GLADBACH, Germany SCHUTT, R.; Roseggerstr. 35, D-12059 BERLIN, Germany SCOTT, R. E.; 8 Woodlands, Priory Hill, ST Neots, HUNTINGDON, Cambs. PE19 IUE SELF Dr. R.; 21 Firs Avenue, LONDON. N10 3LY SELLAR, P. J.; 89 Raddlesdown Road, PURLEY, Surrey. CR8 1DH SELLAR, T. J., Ph.D; Zoology & Applied Entomology Dept, Imperial College, LONDON. SW7 2AZ SHARLAND, R. E.; 1 Fisher’s Heron, East Mills, FORDINGBRIDGE, Hants. SP6 2JR SHARROCK, Dr. J.T. R.; Fountains, Park Lane, Blunham, BEDFORD. MK44 3NJ SHAW, M. B.; 6 The Spinney, Killingworth Village, NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE. NE12 0OBG SHELDON, E H.; Museum of Natural Sciences, 119 Foster Hall; Louisiana State University, BATON ROUGE, LA 70863, USA SHIGETA, Y.; Bird Migration Research Centre, Yamashina Institute for Ornithology. Konoyama, Abiko, CH 1BA 270-11, Japan SHIRIHAIT, H.; PO Box 4168, EILAT 88102, Israel SIBLEY, Prof. C.G.; 433 Woodley Place, SANTA ROSA, CA 95409. USA SKINNER, Prof. N. J.; 60 Gunton Dr.ive, LOWESTOFT, Suffolk. NR32 4QB SLACK, E.; Norwood, 30 Reid Park Road, Jesmond, NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE. NE2 2ES SMALL, J.O.H.; Hawthorn Cottage, 12 Swan Farm Court, Deighton, YORK. YO4 6HZ SMITH, D.T.; 18 Edinburgh Place, Earls Avenue, FOLKESTONE, Kent. CF20 2HP SMITH, G. A.; Green Acre, Great North Road, Haddon, PETERBOROUCH. PE7 3TN SMITH, Dr. N. G.; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Unit 0948, APO AA 34002- 0948, USA SMITH, P.W.; PO Box 3170, FLORIDA CITY, FL 33034-0170, USA SNOW, Dr. D. W.; The Old Forge, Wingrave, AYLESBURY, Bucks. HP22 4PD (Editor 1991-) SOMADIKARTA, Dr. S.; Jalan Salak 12, BOGOR 16151, Indonesia SORENSON, U.G. Mellegade 21, 1.tr., DK-2200 COPENHAGEN N., Denmark SPAANS, Dr. A. L.; Sylvalaan 12, 6816 RB ARNHEM, Netherlands SPITZER, Dr. G.; Inst. ftir Zoologie & Univ. Wien, Althanstr 14, A 1000 VIENNA, Postfach 282, Austria SPITZNAGEL, A.; Haupstr. 2, D-79256 BUCHENBACH, Germany STACK, Dr. C. G.; 7 Alderbrook Road, SOLIHULL, W. Midlands. B91 1NH STAFFORD, J; Westering, Moor Lane, Brighstone, Isle of Wight. PO30 4DL STANFIELD, Dr. J. P.; 25 Brandling Place South, NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, NE2 4RU STATHAM, S A. H.; Woodcock Hill, Durrants Lane, BERKHAMSTED, Herts. HP4 3TR (Committee 1983-86) STENWIG, J. T.; Dept of Pathology, Akershus Central Hospital PB 33, N-1474 NORDBYHAGEN, Norway STEPHEN, J A.; 27 New Street, WELLS, Somerset. BA5 2LE STERLING, J.; Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, National Zoological Park, WASHINGTON DC 20008, USA STILES, E G.; Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Univ. Nacional de Columbia, Apto 7495, BOGOTA DC, Columbia STONE, N. H E; 64 Trinity Road, Old Wolverton, MILTON KEYNES, Bucks. MK12 5PB ( Committee 1986-90, 1995-) 1995 1989 1994 1988 1987 1986 1991 1993 1988 1990 1985 1956 1985 1975 1976 1982 1979 1982 1979 1988 1981 1985 1988 1991 1959 1994 1977 1985 1985 1986 1970 1995 1991 1985 1974 1975 1993 1982 1996 1991 1994 1934 1991 1981 1976 XV STOREY, C.W.R.; 22 Richmond Park Road, East Sheen, LONDON. SW 14 8JT STOTT, R. D.E., 5 Branksome Tower, 3 Tregunter Path, Hong Kong STOTZ, Dr. D. E; Environmental & Conservation Progr., Field Museum of Nat.Hist., Roosevelt Road at Lake Shore Drive, CHICAGO, IL 60605, USA STRAHL, Dr. S.D.; Wildlife Conservation Int., Bronx Zoological Park, 185th St. & S. Blvd, BRONX, NY 10460 USA STRONACH,N R. H.; Streamstown, WESTPORT, Co. Mayo, Ireland SUMMERFIELD, Dr. B. J.; 11a Avenue Gdns, MARGATE, Kent. CT9 3BD SUMMERS-SMITH, J. D.; Merlewood, The Avenue, GUISBOROUGH, Cleveland. TS14 8EE SUPPLE-KANE, K W.; CASTLE BELLINGHAM, Co. Louth, Ireland SWASH.A R.H.; 1 Romans Gate, Pamber Heath, BASINGSTOKE, Hants. RG26 6ERH TALBOT, G J.; 58 Ash Close, SWAFFHAM, Norfolk. PE37 7NH TANNER, A.R.; 24 Eustace Road, East Ham, LONDON. E6 3ND TATE, P; Half Acre, Rooks Hill, RICKMANSWORTH, Herts. WD3 4HB (Hon. Treasurer 1962-74) TAYLOR, P. B.; Zoology Dept., University of Natal, Private Bag X01, SCOTSVILLE 3209, South Africa TEXEIRA, Prof. D.L.M.; Museo Nacional, Quinta da Boa Vista, Sao Cristovao, RIO de JANEIRO, RJ CEP 20940, Brazil THIBAULT, J.-C.; La Bergerie, 20253 PATRIMONIO, France THIEDE, Dr. W.;An der Ronne 184, D-50859 KOLN, Germany THOMAS, Mrs B.T.; Waterfield, Route 1, Box 212c, CASTLETON VA 22716 USA THOMAS, Dr. D.H.; School of Biology, University of Wales at Cardiff, PO Box 915, CARDIFE CF1 3TL THOMPSON, K V.; Primrose Bank, Gagerhill Lane, Brighstone, NEWPORT, Isle of Wight. PO30 4DX THOMPSON, P.; Middlesex Polytechnic, Queensway, ENFIELD, Middx. EN3 4SF TIMMIS, W.H.; Curator, Lotherton Hall Bird Garden, Towton Road, Nr. Aberford, LEEDS. LS25 3EB TODD, W.; 1521 Missouri Apt. 2, HOUSTON, TX 77006-2525, USA TOSTAIN, O.; BP44, 97321 CAYENNE CEDEX, French Guiana TOYNE, E.P.; 2 Cypress Road, NEWPORT, Isle of Wight. PO30 IEX TRAYLOR, Major M.A.; Birds Division, Field Museum of Natural History, CHICAGO, IL 60605, USA TROY, D L.; Troy Ecological Res. Assoc., 2322 E 16th Avenue., ANCHORAGE AK 99500, USA TUCKER, J. J.; 13 Brook Road, PONTESBURY, Shropshire. SY4 30U TUCKER. N.A.; 8 Julius Road, Bishopston, BRISTOL. BS7 8EU TUCKER, W.T.; 61 Main Drive, KINGSTON, NH 03848-3209, USA TURNER. C F; Lakers, Church Road, St. Johns, REDHILL, Surrey. RHI 6QA TURNER, D.A.; PO Box 48019, NAIROBI, Kenya TURNER, D.M.; 2 Latimer Street, TY NEMOUTH, Tyne& Wear, NE30 4EY TUTAK, H.T.; Hoensbroeckstraat 52, 3550 HEUSDEN-ZOLDER, Belgium TYE, Dr. A.; 2 School Lane, King's Ripton, HUNTINGDON, Cambs. PEI7 2NL TYLER, Dr. S.J.; Yew Tree Cottage, Lone Lane, PENALT, Gwent. NP5 4AJ URBAN, Prof. E. K.; Dept. of Biology, Augusta College AUGUSTA, GA 30910, USA URDIALES, C.; Ap. 17 P-58-B (1A), E-21760 Matalascafias, HUELVA, Spain VAN DEN BERG, A B.; Duinlustparkweg 98, 2082 EG SANDPOORTE-ZUID, Netherlands VAN CUTSEM, D.; 52 Rue de la Conciliation, 1070 BRUXELLES, Belgium VERHAAGH. M.; Staatliches Museum fiir Naturkunde, Postfach 6209, D-76042 KARLSRUHE, Germany VILARASAU. J. S.; Apartat de Correos 674, 08240 Manresa, BARCELONA, Spain VINCENT, Col. J., M.B.E.; 42 Villiers Drive, Clarendon, PPETERMARITZBURG 3201, South Africa (Hon. Life Member) VINEY, C A.; Apartado 183, 8800 TAVIRA, Portugal VIOLANI, Dr. C. G.; Via San Vittore 38/A 20123, MILAN, Italy VOOUS, Prof. K H.;VD Duyn Van Masdamlaan, 1272.-EM HUIZEN NH, Netherlands 1996 XV1 WALKER, C.; 133 Gunnersbury Ave, Acton, LONDON. W3 8LE 1959-72, 1985- WALL, J. W.; 19 Tisdale Road, SCARSDALE, NY 10583-5613, USA 1986 1968 1969 1991 1996 1975 1984 1989 1985 1989 1981 1994 1995 1986 1994 1975 1990 1986 1985 1973 1988 1987 1984 1994 1989 1982 1986 1951 1988 1989 1996 1985 1976 1995 1976 1990 1985 1961 1987 1984 1983 1994 1996 1993 1990 1963 1973 WALMSLEY, M. A.; Woodpeckers, Broughton, FORDINGBRIDGE, Hants. SO20 8BD WALSH, Dr. J. EF; 80 Arundel Road, LYTHAM ST. ANNES, Lancs. FY8 1BN WALTERS, M P.; Sub-Dept of Ornithology British Museum (Natural History), TRING, Herts. HP23 6AP WALTERS, R.; 23 Windsor Park Road, HARLINGTON, Middx. UB3 5HZ WARD, Cdr. FS., R.N.; 16 Cutler’s Lane, Stubbington, FAREHAM, Hants. PO14 2JN WARHAM, Dr. J.; 14 Konini Street, CHRISTCHURCH 4, New Zealand WARR, Mrs FE E.; 6 Mansion Dr.ive, TRING, Herts. HP23 5BD WARREN, R. A.; 45 Arkwright Road, Irchester, WELLINGBOROUGH, Northants. NN9O 7EE WARRINER, R. E.;Knapp Farm, Dunkeswell, HONITON, Devon, EX14 0ORH WATERS, Prof. W E.; Orchards, Broxmore Park, Sherfield English, Nr. ROMSEY, Hants. SO51 6FT WATLING, D.; Box 2041, Government Buildings SUVA, Fiji WATOLA, G.V.; 101 Eleanor Dr.ive, HARROGATE. HG2 7AW WATSON, Dr. J.; Woodside, Balblair, DINGWALL, Rosshire. [V7 8LP WEBSTER, B. D.; 49 Broadlands, Brixworth, NORTHAMPTON. NN6 9BH WEBSTER, R. E.; 771 Gage Dr.., SAN DIEGO, CA 92106, USA WELLS, Dr. D. R.; Dept .of Zoology, University of Malaya, 59100 KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia WENDEBY, J.; Banersgatan 14, S-41503, GOTHENBURG, Sweden WESTOLL, J.; Dykeside, Longtow, CARLISLE, Cumbria. CA6 5ND WHEATLEY, J. J.; 6 Boxgrove Avenue, GUILDFORD, Surrey. GU1 1XG WHEELER, C. E.; 1 Crowlands Cottages, Kerridge Way, HOLT, Norfolk. NR25 6DN (Committee 1975-79) WHEELER, Mrs G. F; 15B Indian Road, KENILWORTH 7700, South Africa WHEELER-HOLOHAN, B. J.; 38 Oregon Square, ORPINGTON, Kent. BR6 8BQ WIERSMA, L. J.; Singel 282, 3311 HK DORDr.ECHT, Netherlands WIGGINS, Dr. D.A.; Dept. of Zoology, Villavagen 9, S-752 36 UPPSALA, Sweden WILKINSON, Sir DENYS, ER.S.; Gayles Orchard, Friston, EASTBOURNE, Sussex. BN20 OBA WILKINSON, Dr. R.; 2 Weston Grove UPTON-BY-CHESTER, Cheshire. CH2 1QJ WILLIAMS, Dr. E. J.; 24 Birkett Drive, ULVERSTON, Cumbria. LA12 9LS WILLIAMS, J. G.; 14 Tyne Road, OAKHAM, Rutland. LE15 6S] WILLIAMS, K. F; 11 Gable Closes, STRETFORD, Manchester. M32 9BY WILLIAMS, R.G.; 2 Milwain Road, Stretford, MANCHESTER M32 9BY WILLIAMS, R.S.R.; Stoford Manor, WELLINGTON, Somerset. TA21 9LS WILSON, H. E.; PO Box 10463, MARINE PARADE 4056. South Africa WILSON, R.T.; Bartridge House, UMBERLEIGH, Devon. EX7 9AS WINSTEL, D.; Assistant Director, Columbus Zoo, PO Box 400, POWELL, Ohio 43065, USA WOOD, Dr. J. B.; Ecology & Conservation Unit, Biology Dept, Univ. College London., Gower Street, LONDON. WCI1E 6BT WOOD, K. P.; Woodnorton, Stone Cross Road, MAYFIELD, E. Sussex. TS20 6E] WOOD.V.J.; PO Box 401, DALBY, Queensland 4405, Australia WOODCOCK, M.W.;The Fives, Elderden Farm, Staplehurst, TONBRIDGE, Kent. TN12 ORN (Hon. Secretary 1965-69) WOODS, R.W.; 68 Aller Park Road, NEWTON ABBOT, Devon. TQ12 4NQ WOODSON, J. L.; 410 North 600 East, LOGAN, Utah 84321, USA WRIGHT, A. A.; 7 Fairhurst Dr.ive, Parbold WIGAN, Lancs. WN8 7DJ WYNN, D E.; 303 S Otterbein Ave., WESTERVILLE, OH 43081, USA XIROUCHAKIS, S.; Mina Georgiadi, Ano Fortesa 71049, Iraklion CRETE, Greece YOUNG, Ms B.S.; c/o RSPB, The Lodge, SANDY, Beds. SG19 2DL YOUNG, H. G.; Downstairs Flat, Stathyre, Rue Piéce de Mauger, St. Saviour, JERSEY, Channel Islands ZISWILER, Prof. Dr. V.; Zurich University Zoological Museum, Kunstlergasse 16, CH 8006 ZURICH, Switzerland ZONFRILLO, B.; 28 Brodie Road, GLASGOW, G21 3SB Xvi LIST QF AUTHORS AND CONTENTS ALSTROM, P.,, OLSSON, U. & COLSTON, PR. Re-evaluation of the taxonomic status of Phylloscopus goodsont Tlartert: 54 0) 2 ehh ca eS BOR ea eG 53 AVELEDO-HOSTOS, R. see BARROW CLOUGH, G.F BABA, M. see THORSTROM, R. BABA, V. see THORSTROM, R. BAHR, N. Additions to the list of new species of birds described from 1981 to 1990... 114 BARROWCLOUGH, G.E, ESCALANTE-PLIEGO, P., AVELEDO-HOSTOS, R. & PEREZ-CHINCHILLA, L.A. An annotated list of the birds of the Cerro Tamacuari region, Serrania de Tapirapeco, Federal Territory of Amazonas, Wenezuelay Co eeia ati FE Ray MO SOS Oe ARON PL NAST LCC PS SR Le EE 211 BENCKE, G.A. The nest of the Grey-headed Flycatcher Mionectes rufiventris ......... 105 BERGKAMP PY. First record of Cape Gannet Sula capensis for Argentina ........... 71 BOOKSIRIE CEIVED eee ane stay ane rare eee Leeann at, be td ey ee a 72, 136, 192, 263 BORNSCHEIN, M.R. see STRAUBE, FC. BOURNE, W.R.P. The origin and affinities of Berthelot’s Pipit Anthus bertheloti..... .. 22 BOWDEN, C.G.R. see RODEWALD, P.G. BRACE, R.C. see WHITE, A.G. CARDOSO DA SILVA, J.M. Seasonal distribution of the Lined Seedeater Sporophila LTO EO os tees ey ae ie ans a RBev elas 1 146A aie KE RE OL VS end iR doa Uc Bb be Res 14 CARDOSO DA SILVA, J.M., NOVAES, EC. & OREN, D.C. a new species of the genus Hylexetastes (Dendrocolaptidae) from eastern Amazonia ................ 200 CARRASQUILLA, FH. see TYRBERG, T. CLANCEY, P.A. Taxonomic relationships in Namibian Black Tits Parus spp. .......... 181 —The name of a proposed eastern race of the Greenshank ..............0..5.04.4. 190 CLUB NOTICES Report of the Committee for 1994/8 AVG:M_ Agenda, oer. Wa) ee eps ett 1 ArmualtGenerallMecting were Anvrt ee te. he TENS ePa Cn est MAR ay ata mide Meu 193 MeetinssRveports! swAmiritie moe Meant SUPER ERA 8) iy ee SS aS7 193 COLSTON, PR. see ALSTROM, P —-see SHIRIHAI, H. DAMARY, B. see THORSTROM, R. DUNGEL, J. & SEBELA, M. American Dipper Cinclus mexicanus in Venezuela ....... . 191 ESCALANTE-PLIEGO, P. see BARROWCLOUGH, G.EF FEARE, CJ. & GILL, E.L.The turtle doves of Bird Island, Seychelles .............. 206 FISHER, C.T. & LONGMORE, N.W. Edgar Layard and Charles Pearce’s Fijian bird types in the Macleay and Australian Museums, Sydney, with comments on specimens fH MUserims To Titaines wis, Wes SS ALAC hee ee eve Rat OE 244 FRASER, M.W. see UNDERHILL, L.G. FRITH, C.B., GIBBS, D. & TURNER, K. The taxonomic status of populations of Archbold’s Bowerbird Archboldia papuensis in New Guinea .............++0455 109 FURNESS, R.W. & MONTEIRO, L.R. Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus in the ANZOress first brecding record don EULOpes iy. niyo ceeetepone es eke orc a erat 6 —see MONTEIRO, L.R. GIBBS, D. see FRITH, C.B. GILL, E.L. see FEARE, CJ. GOMEZ DE SILVA GARZA, H. CanyonWren Catherpes mexicanus in humid lowlands of Mexico, with notes on near sympatry with other rock-loving wrens .......... 132 GONZAGA, L.P. & PACHECO, J.F A new species of Phylloscartes (Tyrannidae) from the mountains ofsouthern Bahia\ Brazil 3) 25) ee eT aioe ie 88 GOODMAN, S.M. The third known specimen of Red-tailed Newtonia Newtonia fanovanae (Family Sylviidae),a Malagasy endemic ..............0000.02005. 130 HORNEMAN, C. see MELTOFTE, H. HOWELL, S.N.G.A critique of Walters’ (1993) new bird records from Belize ......... AWE HOWELL, S.N.G. & WEBB, S. Noteworthy bird observations from Chile ........... 57 HOWELL, S.N.G. & WEBB, S. Species status of the Chestnut-throated Huet-Huet PIEVOPLOchostcastaneUstey Nes. SEIN SIO Me OE ALN gs CAS AEM ee AE Be ad A cha 171 INGELS, J. see THOMAS, B.T. LENTINO, R., M. see RYAN, T.P. LONDEL T. Field observations on the Azores Buzzard Buteo buteo rothschildi ......... 48 Field motes‘on: corvids ini Ethiopia |. Spite ap ppire Wee teh fed eineiaday alt AVR Ash AI a 164 XVI111 LONGMORE, N.W. see FISHER, C.T. MACDONALD, A.A. Distribution of Blue Crowned Pigeon Goura cristata on north Seramitsndys2. Gu SS SP eA Oe ee a ee, ee MARTIN, C.G.C. see UNDERHILL, L.G. MARTUSCELLI, P., OLMOS, E & SILVA, R. First record of the Northern Giant Petrel Macronectes halli for Brazilian waters .............200000000e008 —see OLMOS, FE MARY, D. see VOISIN, C. MAYER, S. First record of Giant Snipe Gallinago undulata for Bolivia .............. MELTOFTE, H. & HORNEMAN, C. Mottled Petrel Pterodroma inexpectata off Tierra delifRuegori Ay To. Aro ye SARL Ula gu hnRNA BIN etre i a0) 7 Pate pegepa er aiid MONTEIRO, L.R. & FURNESS, R.W. Fea’s Petrel Pterodroma feae in the Azores ...... —see FURNESS, R.W. MOORE, A. More anecdotal evidence of the type-locality of Chalcomitra rubescens stangerii NEVES, T:S. see OLMOS, FE NOVAES, EC. see CARDOSO DA SILVA, J.M. OLIVER, PJ. Feeding habits of the Green Heron in Mauritius ..................2. OLMOS, FE, MARTUSCELLI, P., SILVA, E., SILVA, R. & NEVES, T.S. The sea-birds of SaosjPauloxsoutheastern)Brazily nie i LA ee ae ee —see MARTUSCELLI, P. OLSONYS:Lithe, generaoftowls initheAsioninae aha Ai ae ee ——Types and nomenclature of two Chilean parrots from the voyage of H.M.S. Blonde (US2 5) Seed. te ree ei et Nate ha PAPE be er ee Lita e lesan WA Paces bela mon) © yd | OLSSON, U. see ALSTROM, P. OREN, D.C. see CARDOSO DA SILVA, J.M. PACHECO, J.E & WHITNEY, B.M. Range extensions for some birds of northeastermebrazily Any see coc ieee fu eua a aU Suey aby ION AUS 20) CRG Aen see GONZAGA, L.P. PASSERIN D’ENTREVES, P., VIOLANI, C.G. & ROLANDO, A. The Himalayan bird collection of the Marquis Paolo Solaroli, “Prince of Sirdanah”, and the type locality, of @edicnemus: indicus’ Salvadoriy 1865 \ 3.05 2) REC Ee PAYNE, A.J. see WHITE, A.G. PEREZ-CHINCHILLA, L.A. see BARROW CLOUGH, G.F PHILLIPS, A.R. The northern races of Icterus pustulatus (Icteridae), Scarlet-headed or Streak=backed"Oriole; 38 22 ee ect A APR WE SRT eis AU 2S ey Te Oe Ev QUESNEL, V.C. The case history of an aberrant Black-throated Mango Hummingbird Anthracothorax: nignicollis aipaeees SAN hpi rel Mitre tA a Ne Seria h peta ya A nae RAMOS NETO, M.B. see REMOLD, H.G. REMOLD, H.G. & RAMOS NETO, M.B. A nest of the Restinga Tyrannulet Phylloscartes: keronete i052) 3 oe pale Doe ERS) Ei. NUR CA ey Coe Ge 1 Maree ey ns RESTALL, R. Proposed additions to the genus Lonchura (Estrildinae) .............. ROBERTSON, LS. First field observations on the Sidamo Lark Heteromirafra sidamoensis . RODEWALD, P.G. & BOWDEN, C.G.R. First record of Kemp’s Longbill Macrosphenus Rempiuin' (Cameroon): hy 4f2) Se SE IIE, eee tS ay er aa ete ea ati ROLANDO, A. see PASSERIN D’ENTREVES, P. RYALL, C. Additional records of range extension in the House Crow Corvus splendens . . . RYAN, T.P & LENTINO R., M. An additional record of the Pale-footed Swallow Notiochelidon\ flavipes tromWVenezuelay Aa 21s ey ease) en FO | Re pare SAGE, B. Great Blue Herons Ardea herodias and Magnificent Frigatebirds Fregata J magnificensfeedingon' young turtles} sane ieee Se Sep Cee Pe Re Me eae eee SEBELA, M. see DUNGEL, J. SHIRIHAT, H., SINCLAIR, I. & COLSTON, PR. A new species of Puffinus shearwater trom! the! western; Indian ‘Ocean’ 215 yee ei Beanie ie ny be ea eee SILVA, E. see OLMOS, F SILVA, R. see MARTUSCELLI, P. SILVA, R. see OLMOS, E SINCLAIR, I. see SHIRIHAL, H. STRAUBE, EC. & BORNSCHEIN, M.R. New or noteworthy records of birds from northwestern Parana and adjacent areas (Brazil), 4/2. 12/2) Ree eee TEIXEIRA, D.M. Why the Neotropical guans were named Penelope .............. THOMAS, B.T. & INGELS, J. On the type specimen, type locality, distribution and clutch size of the Sunbittern Eurypyga helias (Pallas 1781) ................... 33 235 157 128 98 25 239 140 241 66 185 28 68 75 219 261 X1X THORSTROM, R., WATSON, R.T., DAMARY, B., TOTO, F, BABA, M. & BABA, V. Repeated sightings and first capture of a live Madagascar Serpent-eagle Eutriorchis FATT optic A SPEDE Rene F elles 02 Leon hea) Sees AN cy Cony Es Hee eo VRC 2 Ele TOTO, EF see THORSTROM, R. TURNER, K. see FRITH, C.B. TYRBERG,T. & CARRASQUILLA, FH. First fossil record of the Great Skua ....... UNDERHILL, G.D. see UNDERHILL, L.G. UNDERHILL, L.G., UNDERHILL, G.D., MARTIN, C.G.C. & FRASER, M.W. Primary moult, wing-length and mass of the Lesser Honeyguide Indicator minor ... . VIOLANI, C.G. see PASSERIN D’ENTREVES, P. VOISIN, C., VOISIN, J-E & MARY, D.A fifth specimen of the Tahiti Parakeet ........ VOISIN, J-F see VOISIN, C. WALTERS, M. On the status of Ara tricolor Bechstein ..........0.0 020 0. eee eee WATSON, R.T. see THORSTROM, R. WEBB. S. see HOWELL, S.N.G WHITE, A.G., BRACE, R.C. & PAYNE, A.J. Additional records of and notes on the Unicoloured Thrush Turdus haplochrous, a little known Bolivian endemic. ........ WHITNEY, B.M. see PACHECO, J.F WHITTAKER, A. Range extensions and nesting of the Glossy-backed Becard Pachyramphus surinamus in central Amazonian Brazil ................000..0. INDEX TO SCIENTIFIC NAMES (Compiled by Mary N. Muller) 40 167 229 262 168 29 45 All generic and specific names (of birds only) are indexed. New subspecific names are indexed in bold print under generic, specific and subspecific names. aalge, Uria 167 Anas bahamensis 59 Accipiter erythronemius 158 — georgica 59 — henstii 41 andicola, Agriornis 64 — striatus 158 Acropternis orthonyx 176 aequinoctialis, Procellaria 58, 120, 187 aethereus, Nyctibius 221 — ,Phaethon 6-8 afer, Parus 182 Agelaius cyanopus 224 andina, Gallinago 62 antarctica, Catharacta 167 anthoides, Asthenes 63 Anthracothorax nigricollis 25-7 — prevosti 26 Anthus bertheloti 22—4 — campestris 22—3 — ruficapillus 224 — cervinus 23 Agriornis andicola 64 — petrosus 22-3 — microptera 64 — pratensis 23 albicaudatus, Buteo 158 — similis 22-3 albicollis, Glottis 190 — spinoletta 22—3 — ,Leucopternis 178 albus, Corvus 164-6 alcinus, Macheiramphus 41 Alethe poliocephala 67 alleni, Porphyrio 134 amabilis, Charmosyna 245-7 — ,Trichoglossus 245-6 amaurocephalus, Leptopogon 105 amaurochalinus, Turdus 30 Amazilia rondoniae 115 — versicolor 115 — viridigaster 214 Amazona leucocephala 168 Amblyornis 110 — macgregoriae 113 Anairetes parulus 238 — trivialis 23 Antilophia galeata 219 Aplonis tabuensis 258 — vitiensis 258-9 Ara cubensis 168-9 — gossei 169 — macao 168 — tricolor 168-70 Aratinga aurea 221 — auricapilla 96 Archboldia papuensis 109-13 — sanfordi 110-12 archeri, Heteromirafra 242 Ardea cinerea 70 — herodias 68 ardesiaca, Rhopornis 96 aristotelis, Phalacrocorax 167 asiatica, Zenaida 62 Asio 35-38 — asio 38 — capensis 36 — flammeus 36-7, 60 — otus 36-7 assimilis, Puffinus 6, 9, 75-85 Asthenes anthoides 63 — pyrrholeuca 64 astur, Eutriorchis 40—4 Athene noctua 60 Atlapetes personatus 218 atra, Pyriglena 161 atratus, Coragyps 220 atricapilla, Lonchura 150, 152-6 atricapilla obscura, Lonchura subsp.nov. 154—5 atricapilla selimbaue, Lonchura subsp.nov. 155—6 atrodorsalis, Puffinus sp.nov. 75-86 atropurpurea, Xipholena 161 Aulacorhynchus derbianus 215 aura, Cathartes 187, 220 aurantiirostris, Saltator 65 aurantioatrocristatus, Griseotyrannus 162 aurea, Aratinga 221 aureicinctus, Trichoglossus 246-7 auricapilla, Aratinga 96 auricularis, Puffinus 76 axillaris, Pterodroma 10 badiceps, Drymochoera 254 bahamensis, Anas 59 bannermani, Puffinus 81—2 Basileuterus bivittatus 217 bassana, Sula 71 bassanus, Morus 167 beckeri, Phylloscartes sp.nov. 88-96 belcheri, Pachyptila 119 bertheloti, Anthus 22—4 bicolor, Merula 248 bigilalae, Lonchura tristissima subsp.nov. 148 bivittatus, Basileuterus 217 bloxami, Cyanoliseus patagonus subsp.nov. 238 bolivianum, Glaucidium 115 bolli, Columba 22 bonariensis, Molothrus 65 bornea, Eos 35 boucardi, Crypturellus 133 bouvronides, Sporophila 15-20 brachypterus, Buteo 40 brasilianum, Glaucidium 115, 178 brigidai, Hylexetastes sp.nov. 200-5 brunneiventris, Diglossa 65 Bubo 36 buensis, Myiolestes 253 bukaensis, Lonchura melaena subsp.nov. 146 Bulweria bulwerii 9 XX bulwerii, Bulweria 9 Burhinus oedicnemus 129 — superciliaris 61 burrovianus, Cathartes 220 Busarellus nigricollis 220 Buteo albicaudatus 158 — brachypterus 40 — buteo rothschildi 48-52 — jamaicensis 60 — ventralis 59 Butorides striatus 69—70 Cacatua moluccensis 35 cachinnans, Larus 6 Cacicus solitarius 224 caerulea, Coua 40 — ,Egretta 59 caerulescens, Sporophila 19 cahow, Pterodroma 9-11 Calicalicus madagascariensis 130 californica, Callipepla 60 Callipepla californica 60 Calonectris diomedea 6, 9, 120, 167 campestris, Anthus 22-3 Campylopterus duidae 214 canora, Tiaris 169 cantans, Lonchura 141, 152 cantator, Phylloscopus 53—4 capense, Daption 72, 119 capensis, Asio 36 — ,Corvus 164 — ,Sula 71 — ,Zonotrichia 212 capitata, Paroaria 224 Capito niger 215 Capsiempis flaveola 240 Carpornis melanocephalus 96 carpi, Parus 181—4 Casiornis rufa 223 castaneus, Pteroptochos 171—7 castro, Oceanodroma 6, 9 Casuarius casuarius 35 Catharacta sp. 167 — antarctica 167 — loennbergi 167 — maccormicki 122, 187 — skua 167-8 Cathartes aura 187, 220 — burrovianus 220 Catherpes mexicanus 132 Catoptrophorus semipalmatus 61 cayennensis, Panyptila 159 ceciliae, Phylloscartes 88-95 celata, Vermivora 180 cervinus, Anthus 23 Chalcomitra rubescens 134-5 Charmosyna amabilis 245-7 Chloephaga rubidiceps 59 Chlorophonia cyanea 213, 218 chloropus, Gallinula 60, 62 chlororhynchos, Diomedea 118, 187 Chrysoena viridis 245 chrysostoma, Diomedea 118 Cinclus cinclus 191 — leucocephalus 191 — mexicanus 191 — schulzi 191 cinerascens, Parus 182 cinerea, Ardea 70 cinereum, Todirostrum 223 cinereus, Circus 60 — , Coccyzus 221 cinnamomeus, Pachyramphus 47 Circus cinereus 60 clamator, Pseudoscops 38 — ,Rhinoptynx 37-9 Clytorhynchus nigrogularis 253—4 — vitiensis 252-3 Coccyzus cinereus 221 — euleri 221 Colibri coruscans 62, 214 collaris, Sporophila 223 Columba bolli 22 — fasciata 212,214 — junoniae 22 — palumbus 22 — speciosa 178, 221 — trocaz 22 compressirostris, Myiolestes 252 concolor, Macrosphenus 66 — , Xenospingus 65 constans, Ducula 115 Contopus sordidulus 178, 180 — virens 179 cora, [haumastura 63 Coragyps atratus 220 corax, Corvus 164-6 cornix, Corvus 166 cornuta, Fulica 60 corone, Corvus 166 coruscans, Colibri 62, 214 Corvus albus 164-6 — capensis 164 — corax 164-6 — cornix 166 — corone 166 — crassirostris 164 — edithae 165-6 — monedula 185 — rhipidurus 164 — ruficollis 164-6 — splendens 185-6 Coua caerulea 40 — serriana 40 crassirostris, Corvus 164 Crax fasciolata 221 cristata, Goura 33-5 cruentata, Pyrrhura 96 Crypturellus boucardi 133 cubensis, Ara 168—9 cyanea, Chlorophonia 213, 218 cyanoleuca, Notiochelidon 28-9, 216, 223 Cyanocorax cyanomelas 225 Cyanoliseus patagonus 235-38 XX1 Cyanoliseus patagonus bloxami subsp.nov. 38 cyanomelas, Cyanocorax 225 cyanopus, Agelaius 224 Cyanoramphus zealandicus 262 Cypseloides phelpsi 214 dacotiae, Saxicola 24 Daption capense 72, 119 davisoni, Phylloscopus 54-6 decumanus, Psarocolius 219 Dendroica fusca 217 Dendropicos fuscescens 229 derbianus, Aulacorhynchus 215 desolata, Pachyptila 119 dickermani, Icterus pustulatus subsp.nov. 101—2 Dicrurus forficatus 41 Diglossa brunneiventris 65 — duidae 217 dimidiatus, Philydor 219 Diomedea chlororhynchos 118, 187 — chrysostoma 118 — epomophora 117 — exulans 117 — melanophrys 117 diomedea, Calonectris 6, 9, 120, 167 doliatus, Thamnophilus 178 dominicanus, Larus 71, 122 dominicensis, Tyrannus 179 Doryfera johannae 214 Drymochoera badiceps 254 Ducula constans 115 duidae, Campylopterus 214 — ,Diglossa 217 Dysithamnus mentalis 215 edithae, Corvus 165-6 Egretta caerulea 59 Elaenia obscura 161 — pallatangae 216 Elanus leucurus 59 Enicognathus leptorhynchus 235-8 Eos bornea 35 — semilarvata 35 epomophora, Diomedea 117 Eremobius phoenicurus 63 erythronemuus, Accipiter 158 Eugralla paradoxa 176 euleri, Coccyzus 221 eurygnatha, Sterna 125 Eurypyga helias 226 Eurystomus glaucurus 41 Eutriorchis astur 40—4 eximius, Phylloscartes 240 externa, Pterodroma 72 exulans, Diomedea 117 Falco newtoni 41 famosa, Nectarinia 229 fanovanae, Newtonia 130-1 fasciata, Columba 212, 214 fasciolata, Crax 221 fastuosa, Tangara 158 feae, Pterodroma 9-13 fedoa, Limosa 62 ferruginosa, Lonchura 152 flammeus, Asio 36-7, 60 flava, Piranga 218 flaveola, Capsiempis 240 flavicans, Macrosphenus 66—7 flavipes, Notiochelidon 28-9 Florisuga mellivora 26, 214 fluminensis, Myrmotherula 116 Fluvicola pica 223 forficatus, Dicrurus 41 Formicivora rufa 222 fraseri, Oreomanes 65 Fregata magnificens 68, 122 Fulica cornuta 60 Fulmarus glacialis 167-8 — glacialoides 119, 167 fumigatus, Turdus 31 furcatus, Hemitriccus 96 fusca, Dendroica 217 — Phoebetria 119 fuscescens, Dendropicos 229 galeata, Antilophia 219 Gallinago andina 62 — paraguaiae 188—9 — undulata 188-9 Gallinula chloropus 60, 62 gavia, Puftinus 76, 80 Gelochelidon nilotica 123 georgica, Anas 59 Geotrygon montana 159 giganteus, Macronectes 58, 119, 187 glacialis, Fulmarus 167-8 glacialoides, Fulmarus 119, 167 Glaucidium bolivianum 115 — brasilianum 115, 178 — gnoma 178, 180 — griseiceps 178 — hardyi 115 — jardinui 115 — minutissimum 115,178 glaucopis, Thalurania 160 glaucurus, Eurystomus 41 Glottis albicollis 190 glottoides, Totanus 190 Glyphorynchus spirurus 215 gnoma, Glaucidium 178, 180 goodson, Phylloscopus 53-6 gossei, Ara 169 Goura cristata 33-5 gracilipes, Zimmerius 161 grammicus, Pseudoscops 37-8 gravis, Puffinus 58, 120 grayi, Turdus 31 griseiceps, Glaucidium 178 griseocephalus, Mesopicos 229 griseogularis, Phaethornis 214 Griseotyrannus aurantioatrocristatus 162 XX1l griseus, Puffinus 121, 167 guainumbi, Polytmus 221 guianensis, Polioptila 46 guttata, Ortalis 158 — , Tangara 217 guttatus, Hypoedaleus 160 Haematoderus militaris 46 haematodus, Trichoglossus 35 hainanus, Phylloscopus 54-6 halli, Macronectes 58, 187 haplochrous, Turdus 29-32 hardyi, Glaucidium 115 hasitata, Pterodroma 10 hauxwelli, Turdus 30—2 heinrothi, Puffinus 81 helias, Eurypyga 226 Heliodoxa xanthogonys 215 Heliomaster longirostris 222 Hemitriccus furcatus 96 — nidipendulus 162 henstii, Accipiter 41 herodias, Ardea 68 Herpsilochmus pileatus 219 Heteromirafra archeri 242 — ruddi 242 — sidamoensis 241-3 hirundinacea, Sterna 71, 123, 159 Hirundo megaensis 243 — nigrita 134 — pyrrhonota 64 — rustica 64, 216 hirundo, Sterna 6, 123 holerythra, Rhytipterna 133 holmesi, Lonchura punctulata subsp.nov. 141 huttoni, Puffinus 76, 80 — ,Vireo 179, 180 Hylexetastes 200-5 Hylexetastes brigidai sp.nov. 200-5 — perroti 200-5 — stresemanmi 200—4 — uniformis 200—4 Hylorchilus navai 133 Hypoedaleus guttatus 160 Hypsipetes madagascariensis 42 Icterus pustulatus 98-104 Icterus pustulatus dickermani subsp.nov. 101-2 Icterus pustulatus interior subsp.nov. 102 Icterus pustulatus yaegeri subsp.nov. 101—2 ignobilis, Turdus 217 iheringi, Myrmotherula 116 iliaca, Passerella 176 impennis, Pinguinus 167 incerta, Pterodroma 119 Indicator indicator 229 — minor 229-33 indicus, Oedicnemus 129 inexpectata, Pterodroma 71—2 infuscata, Synallaxis 88 inscriptus, Pteroglossus 160 interior, Icterus pustulatus subsp.nov. 102 intermedia, Pachycephala 252 lodopleura pipra 96 isabellinus, Oenanthe 241 jamaicensis, Buteo 60 — ,Laterallus 60 jardinu, Glaucidium 115 johannae, Doryfera 214 junoniae, Columba 22 kandavensis, Pachycephala 249 kempi, Macrosphenus 66—7 Ketupa ketupu 36-7 ketupu, Ketupa 36-7 kronei, Phylloscartes 89-95, 239-40 lacernulata, Leucopternis 158 Lalage nigrogularis 253 Lamprolia victoriae 254 lanioides, Lipaugus 96 Larus cachinnans 6 — dominicanus 71, 122 — maculipennis 122 Laterallus jamaicensis 60 latirostre, Todirostrum 223 layardi, Ptilinopus 245 Leptopogon amaurocephalus 105 leptorhynchus, Enicognathus 235-8 leucomelaina, Tricholaema 229 leucocephala, Amazona 168 leucocephalus, Cinclus 191 leucogaster, Sula 121, 187 leucomelas, Parus 181—4 leucops, Platycichla 216 Leucopternis albicollis 178 — lacernulata 158 leucosticta, Lonchura 146, 148-50 leucosticta moresbyae, Lonchura subsp.nov. 149 leucurus, Elanus 59 Iherminieri, Puffinus 75-87 Limosa fedoa 62 lineola, Sporophila 14-20, 224 Lipaugus lanioides 96 loennbergi, Catharacta 167 Lonchura 140—56 — atricapilla 150, 152-6 Lonchura atricapilla obscura subsp.nov. 154-5 Lonchura atricapilla selimbaue subsp.nov. 155-7 — cantans 141, 152 — ferruginosa 152 — leucosticta 146, 148-50 Lonchura leucosticta moresbyae subsp.nov. 149 — maja 149-52 Lonchura maja vietnamensis subsp.nov. 151-2 — malacca 152-4 — melaena 145-6 Lonchura melaena bukaensis subsp.nov. 146 — monticola 144-5 Lonchura monticola myolae subsp.nov. 145 — pallida 153 — punctulata 140-1 Lonchura punctulata holmesi subsp.nov. 141 — quinticolor 142—4 Lonchura quinticolor sumbae subsp.nov. 143—4 — striata 141-2 — tristissima 146—9 Lonchura tristissima bigilalae subsp.nov. 148 longirostris, Heliomaster 222 — , Pterodroma 72 longuemareus, Phaethornis 132 macao, Ara 168 macconnelli, Mionectes 107, 216 — ,Synallaxis 215 maccormicki, Catharacta 122, 187 macgregoriae, Amblyornis 113 Macheiramphus alcinus 41 Macronectes giganteus 58, 119, 187 — halli 58, 187 macrorhyncha, Pachycephala 253 Macrosphenus concolor 66 — flavicans 66—7 — kempi 66-7 macroura, Thripophaga 96 — ,Zenaida 169 maculata, Terenura 160 maculipennis, Larus 122 madagascariensis, Calicalicus 130 — Hypsipetes 42 madeira, Pterodroma 9-13 magellanicus, Spheniscus 117 magnificens, Fregata 68, 122 maja, Lonchura 145-52 maja vietnamensis, Lonchura subsp.nov. 151-2 major, Taraba 222 — ,Tinamus 133 malacca, Lonchura 152—4 massena, Trogon 133 maxima, Myiolestes 254 — ,Sterna 124 megaensis, Hirundo 243 megapodius, Pteroptochos 171, 176 melaena, Lonchura 145-6 melaena bukaensis, Lonchura subsp.nov. 146 melanocephalus, Carpornis 96 melanophrys, Diomedea 117 melanops, Phleocryptes 63 melanoptera, Metriopelia 62 Melopyrrha nigra 169 mellivora, Florisuga 26, 214 meloda, Zenaida 62 mentalis, Dysithamnus 215 Merula bicolor 248 — ruficeps 247 Mesopicos griseocephalus 229 Metriopelia melanoptera 62 mexicanus, Catherpes 132 — ,Cinclus 191 Microcerculus ustulatus 216 microptera, Agriornis 64 militaris, Haematoderus 46 miniatus, Myioborus 217 minor, Indicator 299-33 minutissimum, Glaucidium 115, 178 Mionectes macconnelli 107, 216 — rufiventris 105-8 mitchell, Phegornis 61 mollis, Pterodroma 9-12 Molothrus bonariensis 65 — rufoaxillaris 224 moluccensis, Cacatua 35 momota, Momotus 222 Momotus momota 222 monachus, Necrosyrtes 164 monedula, Corvus 185 montana, Geotrygon 159 monticola, Lonchura 144—5 monticola myolae, Lonchura subsp.nov. 145 moresbyae, Lonchura leucosticta subsp.nov. 149 Morus bassanus 167 Motacilla 23 motmot, Ortalis 213 Myioborus miniatus 217 Myiolestes buensis 253 — compressirostris 252 — maxima 254 — nigrogularis 254 myolae, Lonchura monticola subsp.nov. 145 Myrmothera simplex 212, 216 Myrmotherula fluminensis 116 — iheringi 116 nativitatis, Puffinus 76 navai, Hylorchilus 133 nebularia, Tringa 190 Necrosyrtes monachus 164 Nectarinia famosa 229 neglecta, Pachycephala 249-51 Neochelidon tibialis 223 Nesasio 35-39 — solomonensis 36-9 newton, Falco 41 Newtonia fanovanae 130-1 nidipendulus, Hemitriccus 162 niger, Capito 215 — ,Parus 181—4 — ,Rynchops 125 nigra, Melopyrrha 169 nigricans, Pardirallus 159 XX1V nigricollis, Anthracothorax 25-7 — , Busarellus 220 nigrita, Hirundo 134 nigrogularis, Clytorhynchus 253-4 =P alace253 — ,Myiolestes 254 nilotica, Gelochelidon 123 noctua, Athene 60 Notiochelidon cyanoleuca 28-9, 216, 223 — flavipes 28-9 nudicollis, Procnias 161 Nyctibius aethereus 221 Nyctiphrynus ocellatus 221 obscura, Elaenia 161 obscura, Lonchura atricapilla subsp.nov. 154-5 — ,Penelope 261 obsoletus, Salpinctes 133 occipitalis, Trigonoceps 164 Oceanites oceanicus 121 oceanicus, Oceanites 121 Oceanodroma castro 6, 9 ocellatus, Nyctiphrynus 221 Oedicnemus indicus 129 oedicnemus, Burhinus 129 Oenanthe isabellinus 241 olivaceus, Turdus 229 olivater, Turdus 217 opisthomelas, Puffinus 76 Oreomanes fraseri 65 ornatus, Spizaetus 46 Ortalis guttata 158 — motmot 213 orthonyx, Acropternis 176 oryzivora, Scaphidura 132, 224 otus, Asio 36-7 oustaleti, Phylloscartes 91, 93 Pachycephala intermedia 252 — kandavensis 249 — macrorhyncha 253 — neglecta 249-51 — pectoralis 249-52 Pachyptila belcheri 119 — desolata 119 Pachyramphus cinnamomeus 47 — polychopterus 47 — surinamus 45-7 pallatangae, Elaenia 216 pallida, Lonchura 153 palumbus, Columba 22 Panyptila cayennensis 159 papuensis, Archboldia 109-13 paradisaea, Sterna 124 paradoxa, Eugralla 176 paraguaiae, Gallinago 188-9 parasiticus, Stercorarius 122 Pardirallus nigricans 159 Paroaria capitata 224 parulus, Anairetes 238 Parus afer 182 — carpi 181-4 poliocephalum, Todirostrum 223 — cinerascens 182 poliocephalus, Turdus 247-8 — leucomelas 181-4 Polioptila guianensis 46 — niger 181-4 polychopterus, Pachyramphus 47 Passerella iliaca 176 Polytmus guainumbi 221 passerinus, Veniliornis 222 pomarinus, Stercorarius 187 patagonus bloxami, Cyanoliseus Porphyrio alleni 134 subsp.nov. 238 pratensis, Anthus 23 patagonus, Cyanoliseus 235-8 prevosti, Anthracothorax 26 paulistus, Phylloscartes 91 Procellaria aequinoctialis 58, 120, 187 pectoralis, Pachycephala 249-52 — westlandica 58 Penelope 261 Procnias nudicollis 161 — obscura 261 provocator, Ptilotis 255 — superciliaris 261 — , Xanthotis 255-7 perrotii, Hylexetastes 200-4 Psarocolius 205 persicus, Puffinus 81-2 — decumanus 219 personata, Rhipidura 254 Pseudoscops 36-8 personatus, Atlapetes 218 — clamator 38 — , Trogon 215 — grammicus 37-8 petrosus, Anthus 22-3 Pterodroma axillaris 10 Phacellodomus ruber 222 — cahow 9-11 Phaethon aethereus 6-8 — externa 72 Phaethornis griseogularis 214 = iteaeso— 13, — longuemareus 132 — hasitata 10, Phaetusa simplex 123 — incerta 119 Phalacrocorax aristotelis 167 — inexpectata 71—2 Phegornis mitchellii 61 — longirostris 72 phelpsi, Cypseloides 214 — madeira 9-13 Philydor dimidiatus 219 — mollis 9-12 Phleocryptes melanops 63 Pteroglossus 205 Phoebetria fusca 119 — inscriptus 160 Phoenicircus 205 Pteroptochos castaneus 171—7 phoenicius, Tachyphonus 218 — megapodius 171, 176 phoenicurus, Eremobius 63 — tarni 171-77 Phylloscartes beckeri sp.nov. 88-96 Ptilinopus layardi 245 — ceciliae 88-95 Ptilotis provocator 255 — eximius 240 Puffinus assimilis 6, 9, 75-85 — kronei 89-95, 239-40 Puffinus atrodorsalis sp.nov. 75-86 — oustaleti 91—3 — auricularis 76 — paulistus 91 — bannermani 81-2 — roquettei 90, 96 — gavia 76, 80 — ventralis 88-95, 239-40 — gravis 58, 120 piylleseopee cantator 53—4 — griseus 121, 167 — davisoni 54-6 — heinrothi 81 — goodsoni 53-6 — huttoni 76, 80 — hainanus 54-6 — lherminieri 75-87 — reguloides 53-6 — nativitatis 76 — ricketti 53-6 — opisthomelas 76 — trochiloides 55 — persicus 81—2 Phytotoma rara 238 — puffinus 58, 75-80, 121, 187 pica, Fluvicola 223 — yelkouan 76, 80 picturata, Streptopelia 206-10 punctatus, Thamnophilus 222 Piculus rubiginosus 215 punctulata, Lonchura 140-1 pileatus, Herpsilochmus 219 punctulata holmesi, Lonchura subsp.nov. Pinguinus impennis 167 141 Pionopsitta 205 pustulatus, Icterus 98-104 Pipilo sp. 176 pustulatus dickermani, Icterus subsp.nov. pipra, lodopleura 96 101-2 Piranga flava 218 pustulatus interior, Icterus subsp.nov. 102 — rubra 218 pustulatus yaegeri, Icterus subsp.nov. Platycichla leucops 216 101-2 poliocephala, Alethe 67 Pyriglena atra 161 Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax 164 pyrrholeuca, Asthenes 64 pyrrhonota, Hirundo 64 Pyrrhura cruentata 96 quinticolor, Lonchura 142—4 quinticolor sumbae, Lonchura subsp.nov. 143-4 Ramphastos 205 — sulphuratus 132 rara, Phytotoma 238 reguloides, Phylloscopus 53-6 Rhinoptynx 36-9 — clamator 37—9 Rhipidura personata 254 rhipidurus, Corvus 164 Rhopornis ardesiaca 96 Rhytipterna holerythra 133 ricketti, Phylloscopus 53-6 Riparia riparia 64 rondoniae, Amazilia 115 roquettei, Phylloscartes 90, 96 rothschildi, Buteo buteo 48-52 ruber, Phacellodomus 222 rubescens, Chalcomitra 134-5 rubidiceps, Chloephaga 59 rubiginosus, Piculus 215 rubra, Piranga 218 rubrigastra, Tachuris 63 ruddi, Heteromirafra 242 rufa, Casiornis 223 — ,Formicivora 222 — ,Schetba 42 ruficapilla, Synallaxis 88 — ,Vitia 248 ruficapillus, Agelaius 224 ruficeps, Merula 247 ruficollis, Corvus 164-6 rufiventris, Mionectes 105-8 rufoaxillaris, Molothrus 224 Rupicola 213 — rupicola 216 rustica, Hirundo 64, 216 ruticilla, Setophaga 217 Rynchops niger 125 Salpinctes obsoletus 133 Saltator aurantiirostris 65 sanfordi, Archboldia 110-2 Saxicola dacotiae 24 Scaphidura oryzivora 132, 224 Schetba rufa 42 schulzi, Cinclus 191 selimbaue, Lonchura atricapilla subsp.nov. 155-6 semilarvata, Eos 35 semipalmatus, Catoptrophorus 61 serrator, Sula 71 serriana, Coua 40 Setophaga ruticilla 217 sicki, Terenura 160 sidamoensis, Heteromirafra 241-3 similis, Anthus 22-3 simplex, Myrmothera 212, 216 — ,Phaetusa 123 skua, Catharacta 167—8 solitarius, Cacicus 224 — ,Vireo 179 solomonensis, Nesasio 36—9 sordida, Thlypopsis 224 sordidulus, Contopus 178, 180 speciosa, Columba 178, 221 Spheniscus magellanicus 117 spinoletta, Anthus 22-3 spirurus, Glyphorynchus 215 Spizaetus ornatus 46 splendens, Corvus 185-6 Sporophila bouvronides 15-20 — caerulescens 19 — collaris 223 — lineola 14—20, 224 Stercorarius sp. 167 — parasiticus 122 — pomarinus 187 Sterna eurygnatha 125 — hirundinacea 71, 123, 159 — hirundo 6, 123 — maxima 124 — paradisaea 124 — superciliaris 124 — trudeaui 124 Streptopelia picturata 206-10 Streptoprocne zonaris 214 stresemanni, Hylexetastes 200—4 — , Zavattariornis 164, 243 striata, Lonchura 141-2 striatus, Accipiter 158 — , Butorides 69-70 Sturnus vulgaris 229 sumbae, Lonchura quinticolor subsp.nov. 143-4 Sula bassana 71 — capensis 71 — leucogaster 121, 187 — serrator 71 sulphuratus, Ramphastos 132 superciliaris, Burhinus 61 — , Penelope 261 — ,Sterna 124 surda, Touit 96, 161 surinamus, Pachyramphus 45—7 Synallaxis infuscata 88 — macconnelli 215 — ruficapilla 88 tabuensis, Aplonis 258 Tachuris rubrigastra 63 Tachyphonus phoenicius 218 Tangara fastuosa 158 — guttata 217 Taraba major 222 tarnii, Pteroptochos 171-7 Terenura maculata 160 — sicki 160 Thalurania glaucopis 160 — watertonii 159-60 Thamnophilus doliatus 178 — punctatus 222 Thaumastura cora 63 Thlypopsis sordida 224 Thripophaga macroura 96 Tiaris canora 169 tibialis, Neochelidon 223 Tinamus major 133 Todirostum cinereum 223 — latirostre 223 — poliocephalum 223 Torgos tracheliotus 164 Totanus glottoides 190 Touit surda 96, 161 tracheliotus, Torgos 164 Trichoglossus amabilis 245-6 — aureicinctus 246—7 — haematodus 35 Tricholaema leucomelaina 229 tricolor, Ara 168-70 Trigonoceps occipitalis 164 Tringa nebularia 190 tristissima, Lonchura 146-9 tristissima bigilalae, Lonchura subsp.nov. 148 trivialis, Anthus 23 trocaz, Columba 22 trochiloides, Phylloscopus 55 Trogon massena 133 — personatus 215 trudeaui, Sterna 124 Turdus amaurochalinus 30 — fumigatus 31 — grayi 31 — haplochrous 29-32 — hauxwelli 30-2 — ignobilis 217 — olivaceus 229 — olivater 217 — poliocephalus 247-8 Tyrannus dominicensis 179 — verticalis 179-80 — vociferans 179-80 XXV11 undulata, Gallinago 188-9 uniformis, Hylexetastes 200—4 Uria aalge 167 ustulatus, Microcerculus 216 Veniliornis passerinus 222 ventralis, Buteo 59 — , Phylloscartes 88-95, 239-40 Vermivora celata 180 versicolor, Amazilia 115 verticalis, Tyrannus 179, 180 victoriae, Lamprolia 254 vietnamensis, Lonchura maja subsp.nov. 151-2 virens, Contopus 179 Vireo huttoni 179-80 — solitarius 179 viridigaster, Amazilia 214 viridis, Chrysoena 245 Vitia ruficapilla 248 vitiensis, Aplonis 258-9 — ,Clytorhynchus 252-3 vociferans, Tyrannus 179-80 vulgaris, Sturnus 229 watertonii, Thalurania 159-60 westlandica, Procellaria 58 xanthogonys, Heliodoxa 215 Xanthotis provocator 255—7 Xenospingus concolor 65 Xaipholena 205 — atropurpurea 161 yaegeri, Icterus pustulatus subsp.nov. 101-2 yelkouan, Puffinus 76, 80 Zavattariornis stresemanni 164, 243 zealandicus, Cyanoramphus 262 Zenaida asiatica 62 — macroura 169 — meloda 62 Zimmerius gracilipes 161 zonaris, Streptoprocne 214 Zonotrichia capensis 212 CORRECTIONS TO TEXT Page 41 line 48 Macheiramphus not Machaeramphus Page 58 line 1 Macronectes not Macroneetes Page 125 line 26 Rynchops niger not Rhynchops nigra Page 158 line 18 Acipiter not Accipitus Page 162 line 12 aurantioatrocristatus not aurantiatrocristatus Page 179 line 22 dominicensis not dominicanus Hyerhewincan pari prgrivo tna: ih Ath anna orth retro cma tew Lea hh Yat f asl sn Horta: crdtinay MS eave oni [jouusy BAe jeueojepenr ByEley zt = *) ( ip pivduequiojoy [9qes] a BIDAR] BUPA “Mave D pasuouey Inastoy SoIJOWO]Iy] Baus AMIN Unde SPUBlS] UOWOIOS oy], D. Gibbs 20 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) Figure 2. Roviana Rail Gallirallus rovianae. morning they regularly venture out into the open but disappear into the scrub as soon as the sun hits the clearing. Once under cover they become impossible to see but can still be heard. On one morning I watched four birds wandering about on a grassy airstrip, one venturing into the centre of the strip. When disturbed they ran fast with head down, not showing the slightest tendency to use their wings. Although I call these birds (Fig. 2) G. rovianae they were quite different from the New Georgia bird described by Diamond (1991), and clearly belong to a distinct undescribed race. Rather darker than the nominate form, especially the underparts which are dark grey very finely barred black and white on sides of neck, flanks and under tail coverts. Lacks buff breast band. Observations of Woodford’s Rail Nesoclopeus woodfordi on Kolombangara almost certainly refer to this form of G. rovianae. CHESTNUT-BELLIED IMPERIAL PIGEON Ducula brenchleyi (E) Only seen on Makira, two at 100 m above sea level. All recent records come from Makira where it would appear it is declining rapidly. ORIENTAL CUCKOO Cuculus saturatus One seen on Choiseul is the second for the island. MOUSTACHED KINGFISHER Actenoides bougainville (B) The Guadalcanal race is known from just three specimens, the last collected in 1953. Never observed by bird-watchers, this species was presumed to be very rare. It is well known in local folklore but none but the oldest villagers have ever seen it. Together with six villagers from Betilonga (now abandoned), I attempted to find the now forgotten route into the mountains used by Cain and Galbraith’s hunters in 1953. With the aid of a topographical map and compass we took three days to cut a path up to 1100m, where we camped. That evening two A. bougainvillei called briefly but I could not see or record them. From D. Gibbs 21 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) this camp we explored the higher altitudes. Although I heard the kingfisher every morning and evening the only one I saw was a female at 1325 m. The adult male plumage of this race is unknown so I am assuming my bird was a female because it had an olive mantle as in the female of the Bougainville race (blue in the male). Although the bird was paler on the underparts it was certainly not as pale as the specimen illustrated in Fry et al. (1992), and indeed was closer to the illustration of female A. b. bougainvillei. This bird gave itself away only by the faint noise of its wings as it moved perches, which it did rarely. While perched about 2m off the ground it slowly pumped its tail but was otherwise almost motionless and sometimes appeared to be asleep. Possibly it is crepuscular. BLACK-FACED PITTA Pitta anerythra (B) Although frequently collected in the early part of the 20th century, this bird has not been observed by recent bird-watchers. I found it to be fairly common on Isabel in hills to 600m, frequenting old overgrown gardens and secondary forest. It is well known to the locals all of whom are very familiar with the bird’s call, although very few people have ever seen it. It can often be found in degraded habitats very close to villages and many people hear it from their house every morning and evening. Apparently it calls all year round. It is exceedingly elusive and the three individuals I saw only came into view with the help of play-back. Even then slight movement was enough to frighten it away. It calls on, or up to 20 m above, the ground for about an hour at dawn and dusk. From one garden three calling birds could be heard simultaneously. SAN CRISTOBAL THRUSH Zoothera margaretae (E) Once the call was learnt this very secretive bird (Fig. 3) proved to be frequent on Makira in montane forest at 200-600 m. I attempted to attract several with play-back and three individuals responded and came into view, one showing well but, although approaching very close, still proved difficult to see for long. The call is a very high-pitched descending whistle typical of the genus, the song a simple and tuneless series of clicking and grating notes and short whistles. GUADALCANAL THRUSH Z. turipavae (E) Known only from the type collected in 1953 in mist forest above 1900 m south of Betilonga on Guadalcanal, this taxon was treated as a subspecies of Z. margaretae by Cain & Galbraith. Descriptions suggest that their specimen was an immature; no field data accompanied it. My observation of one singing bird at 1450 m (Fig. 3), and observations of Z. margaretae, leave me in no doubt that these two taxa are quite distinct species. Like Z. margaretae it is very secretive but not shy. Description: generally sooty-brown; lacking obvious spots on upper- wing coverts and on tertials; pale patch in wing washed buff and very inconspicuous; flanks greyish, feathers of underparts broadly edged darker producing a pattern of streaked flanks and boldly black scaled breast and belly; centre of belly paler; under tail coverts buffy; legs D. Gibbs 22 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) ‘ODED MilGencsene AUR ASS Figure 3. San Cristobal Thrush Zoothera margaretae (upper) and Guadalcanal Thrush Z. turipavae (lower). blackish, bill black, eye dark. Call as Z. margaretae; song very distinct from that of Z. margaretae, a long, loud and melodious series of trills and repeated modulated whistles occasionally including the call note. GUADALCANAL THICKETBIRD Megalurulus whitney In the Solomons known from a single specimen collected.in 1953 in “mist forest’’. I saw one in dense bamboo scrub in the moss forest at 1550 m. This very secretive species is probably not uncommon in suitable habitat above this altitude. D. Gibbs 23 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) MALAITA FANTAIL Rhipidura malaitae (E) Known only from the type series collected in 1930. I saw a single bird (possibly another present nearby) at 1100 m in the mountains of central Malaita. My local guide said it was usually seen when crossing the mountain from 900 m to the summit of the path, but not below this altitude. The bird I saw was in a mixed flock including the far more abundant R. rufifrons. KOLOMBANGARA MONARCH Monarcha brown (E) The race M. b. nigrotecta of Vella Lavella, which is probably best regarded as a distinct species, is rather uncommon in secondary forest and gardens. VANIKORO MONARCH Mayrornis schistaceus The remote island of Vanikolo (formerly known as Vanikoro) has not been visited in recent years, so the status of this bird remained unknown. I found it to be common in secondary scrub and forest, from sea-level to at least 270 m. COMMON GOLDEN WHISTLER Pachycephala pectoralis This species shows extraordinary variation, in both plumage and vocalisations, throughout the Solomons. However, with one exception, all the very different songs were easily ascribable to this species on first hearing them. The single exception is the hen-feathered P. p. feminina of Rennell Island. I was quite unable to recognise it until it came into view, and even then I had difficulty convincing myself that the bird was P. pectoralis. This form certainly deserves allospecific status. MALAITA MYZOMELA Myzomela malaitae (E) Gardens, forest, commonest in hills. GUADALCANAL HONEYEATER Guadalcanaria inexpectata (E) Fairly common at 1450-1565 m in the mountains south of Betilonga, especially in moss forests where it is conspicuous. BANDED WHITE-EYE Zosterops vellalavella (E) This, the only endemic on Vella Lavella, is common in scrub and forest edge. GANONGGA WHITE-EYE Zosterops splendidus (E) This, the only endemic on Ranongga (formerly known as Ganongga), is common in scrub, gardens and secondary forest. SPLENDID WHITE-EYE Zosterops luteirostris (E) Endemic to the virtually deforested island of Gizo and considered vulnerable, but I found it in reasonable numbers whenever I looked for it not far from Gizo town. It appears to have adapted well to scrub and secondary growth. D. Gibbs 24 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) i Ce es ee en a A a A Figure 4. Santa Cruz White-eye Zosterops sanctaecrucis (upper) and Vanikolo White-eye Zosterops sp. SANTA CRUZ WHITE-EYE Zosterops sanctaecrucis (E) As no bird-watchers have visited the Santa Cruz islands recently the status of this bird (Fig. 4) remained unknown. It is common in scrub, gardens and forest. VANIKOLO WHITE-EYE Zosterops sp. No member of this genus has ever been reported from Vanikolo. During my brief visit to the island I observed Zosterops twice, a group of three not associated with other species and a single bird in a mixed-species flock, in forest and natural secondary growth at 140-175 m. I did not explore much higher than this. All four of these birds were low down and gave very good, close views (Fig. 4). It is probably not uncommon so it is surprising that the species has never been collected. This taxon is closely allied to Z. sanctaecrucis being the same size and shape. Bill a little more slender. Plumage all dull olive, D. Gibbs 25 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) perhaps a little brighter than Z. sanctaecrucis. Some individuals slightly yellower on throat. Lores concolorous with head. Eye-ring completely absent, no more than a narrow rim of yellowish-grey bare skin surrounding the eye. Bill black with small area of fleshy-yellow at base of lower mandible, smaller than in Z. sanctaecrucis; looks entirely black in all but the closest views. Iris dark brown. Legs entirely yellowish-orange. Call a soft churring. SANFORD’S WHITE-EYE Woodfordia lacertosa (E) Appears to be restricted to original forest. The only such habitat I visited on Nendo, Santa Cruz Islands, was badly degraded and small in extent, but several birds were seen in a few hours. WHITE-EYED STARLING Aplonis brunneicapilla (B) Only known from Bougainville, Rendova (south of New Georgia) and Guadalcanal, where it is very local but may be plentiful where it does occur. I did not locate it on Guadalcanal but saw several in northern Choiseul where it has not previously been recorded. One or two were often seen with flocks of Metallic Starlings A. metallica in and around gardens cut out of the primary forest, the full plumaged birds showing the conspicuous elongated central tail feathers as they flew over, much longer than seen in A. metallica. In many birds these long tail feathers are lacking or broken. When perched they are seen to be slightly more heavily built than A. metallica with oily-black head and neck, remainder of body plumage shiny green. Bill very obviously heavy with a strongly curved culmen. The pearly-white eye is clearly visible when the bird is at rest and even with good flight views. Immatures are dark-eyed but have the same bill shape. No distinctive calls were recognised. Acknowledgement I am very grateful to Dr Jared Diamond for his comments on my draft manuscript and for additional information which I have incorporated into the above accounts. References: Cain, A. J. & Galbraith, I. C. J. 1955. Five new subspecies from the mountains of Guadalcanal (British Solomon Islands). Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 75: 90-93. Diamond, J. 1991. A new species of rail from the Solomon Islands and convergent evolution of insular flightlessness. Auk 108: 461-470. Fry, C. H., Fry, K. & Harris, A. 1992. Kingfishers, Bee-eaters & Rollers. Christopher Helm (A. and C. Black). Mayr, E. 1945. Birds of the Southwest Pacific: a field guide to the birds of the area between Samoa, New Caledonia and Micronesia. Macmillan. Sibley, C. G. & Monroe, B. L. 1990. Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World. Yale Univ. Press. Addyess: David Gibbs, 28 Blackamoor Lane, Maidenhead, Berks SL6 8RD, U.K. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 J. F. Rasmussen et al. 26 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) Distributional records and natural history notes on threatened and little known birds of southern Ecuador by Fan F. Rasmussen, Carsten Rahbek, Bent Otto Poulsen, Michael K. Poulsen 5 Hanne Bloch Received 28 February 1995 The study of the Ecuadorian avifauna dates back to the mid 19th and early 20th century (e.g. Sclater 1858, 1859, 1860, Berlepsch & ‘Taczanowski 1883, 1884, 1885, Salvadori & Festa 1899 a, b, 1900, Lonnberg & Rendahl 1922). Chapman (1926) presented a thorough synthesis of the material gathered during this epoch. A wave of renewed interest in Ecuadorian birds started in the early 1980s and has resulted in a wealth of information from previously little known areas (e.g. Ridgely 1980, Robbins et al. 1987, Ridgely & Robbins 1988, King 1989, Best & Clarke 1991, Bloch et al. 1991, Krabbe 1992, Toyne et al. 1992, Best et al. 1993, Robbins et al. 1994). A comprehensive treatment of the birds of Ecuador is also in preparation: Robert S. Ridgely and Paul J. Greenfield, The Birds of Ecuador, Vol. 1: Status, Distribution, and Taxonomy. In this paper we refer to the manuscript of this book as “Ridgely & Greenfield in prep.’’. Chapman (1926) was the first to realize that the avifauna of the humid premontane and montane forests of southeastern Ecuador and northeastern Peru is more closely related to that of Colombia and the northern Andes than to that of the Andes south of the Rio Maranon in Peru and Bolivia. ‘Today it is widely believed that the southern limit of the north Andean avifauna component is reached north of the Maranon River Valley (Vuilleumier 1969, Parker et al. 1985, Fjeldsa & Krabbe 1990), which is a deep, arid inter-Andean basin surrounded by relatively low mountains. The Andes north and south of the low are connected to the west, but the mountain passes are as low as 2000 m and the montane forest is now patchy and discontinuous. Therefore the depression is believed to pose a major barrier to the dispersal of humid forest avifaunal elements of the High Andes. In the last decades important contributions to the understanding of the avifauna south of the Rio Maranon in Peru were produced by Terborgh & Weske (1975), Parker & O'Neill (1980), Schulenberg & Parker (1981), Parker et al. (1982), Schulenberg et al. (1984) and Schulenberg (1987). Since the mid 1980s further expeditions have ceased due to the increased activity of the guerrilla group Sendero Luminoso. The avifauna of the Huancabamba region north of Rio Maranon in Peru was surveyed thoroughly from 1974 to 1980 during a series of expeditions from the Louisiana State University Museum of Zoology (LSUMZ) (Parker et al. 1985). Here we summarise the most interesting findings from the three expeditions to southern Ecuador by the Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen (ZMUC): January—July 1989, October 1991—January 1992, and February—July J. F. Rasmussen et al. Zi, Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) 1992, representing a total of 14 months of fieldwork (1000+ man-days). Most of the fieldwork was conducted in and around Podocarpus National Park, Loja and Zamora-Chinchipe Provinces, to fill out major gaps in knowledge of the avifauna of the Central and Eastern Andes endemic centres (Bibby et al. 1992). In January 1992 a few specimens were collected in cooperation with the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANSP) and Museo Ecuatoriano de Ciencias Naturales, Quito (MECN), where the material is deposited. In the present paper we also include material collected from 14 to 27 July 1992 by A. Sornoza Molina, F. Sornoza Molina and 'T. J. Davis at Panguri, c. 12km NE of San Francisco del Vergel (4°37'S, 78°58'’W), Zamora- Chinchipe Province (data contributed by R. S. Ridgely). Some of our data have already been cited by other workers (e.g. Fjeldsa & Krabbe 1990, Collar et al. 1992). Recent published data and additional references for most of the species included in this paper can be found in the publications mentioned thus far. We follow the species taxonomy of Sibley & Monroe (1990, 1993), but the species sequence of Meyer de Schauensee (1982). Where abundance is stated, we follow the definitions given in Birds of Colombia (Hilty & Brown 1986), treating a field trip as a one-day observation period. Table 1 gives coordinates, province, altitude, habitat and time of survey for localities mentioned more than once in the text (see also Fig. 1). Information is given for 43 species. This includes information on 3 species new to Ecuador, 7 threatened species, and 8 near-threatened species (status according to Collar et al. 1994). Altitudinal range extensions of 36 species are summarised in Table 2, including several species not listed in the species accounts. Species accounts GREY TINAMOU Tinamus tao We saw this species on three occasions on 11 April 1992 at Rio Bombuscara (1100 m). In the early morning one was observed for 3—4 minutes walking on a trail before disappearing into the forest. The same morning two birds were flushed from the same trail, and late that afternoon another bird was seen briefly. The identification was based on large size (as big as Tinamus major), greyish ground-colour on the body and a well-marked dark stripe on a light-speckled head and neck. The species was also heard at Panguri 21 July 1992 by T. J. Davis (R. S. Ridgely in litt.). There are very few recent records of this species from Ecuador (R. S. Ridgely in Iitt.). BLACK-AND-CHESTNUT EAGLE Orvoaetus isidori near-threatened From January to June 1989 single birds were seen on several occasions at Cajanuma between 2600 and 3150 m. An adult was also seen on 15 November 1991 in the Cajanuma valley at 2600-2700 m. One adult and one immature were seen 30 March 1992 at Cajanuma (3000 m). One adult bird was seen soaring on 22 April at a similar altitude at the same locality. The species is rare at Cajanuma. In 1989 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) J. F. Rasmussen et al. 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F. Rasmussen et al. 29 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) ZAMORA CHINCHIPE Figure 1. The fifteen localities surveyed in southern Ecuador by expeditions from the Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen. Dashed lines, provincial borders; dotted lines, border of Podocarpus National Park. For detailed information on localities, see Table 1. 1, above Lauro Guerrero; 2, Acanama; 3, between Palanda and Valladolid; 4, Cajanuma; 5, Catacocha/Celica/Macara road divide; 6, near Sabanilla; 7, Quebrada Avioneta; 8, Quebrada Honda; 9, Panguri; 10, Rio Bombuscara; 11, San Pedro; 12, Selva Alegre; 13, Sozoranga/Nueva Fatima; 14, Uritusinga; 15, west of pass on Loja-Zamora road. single birds were also observed near the lLoja-Zamora_ road, Zamora-Chinchipe Province on 11 April at 2000 m (3°58'S, 79°06'W) and on 16 May at 2250 m (3°58’S, 79°13’W). The Black-and-chestnut Eagle is rare and local within its whole range (Fjeldsa & Krabbe 1990) and probably needs extensive areas of undisturbed montane forest. Podocarpus National Park probably contains one of the largest areas of protected habitat for the species anywhere. BEARDED GUAN Penelope barbata threatened The first positive identification of the Bearded Guan, at Cajanuma in December 1988 (D. Platt zm litt. 1989), represented the first record by ornithologists in Ecuador since August 1939 (see account in Collar et al. 1992). In 1989 we saw the species regularly at Cajanuma, Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) 30 J. F. Rasmussen et al. 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F. Rasmussen et al. 31 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) especially below the Cajanuma visitor centre, where the species was fairly common at c. 2550-2700 m. It was also seen, although rarely, above the visitor centre at 2750-3000 m. On visits to Cajanuma in late 1991 the species was remarkably harder to find and was only recorded twice: two different, small groups were heard at dusk on 27 November at 2600 m and a pair was seen at the same place on 10 December. The apparent difference in abundance could be due to variation in food availability in the area. The species was also uncommon at Cajanuma from March to May 1992: two birds were heard on 14 March at 2650 m, two were seen on 6 and 7 April at 2700 m, a single bird was seen on 16 April above the visitor centre at 2875 m, and one was observed on 22 April at 2700 m. In isolated fragments of cloud forest on the east side of Acanama, Bearded Guans were observed several times in 1989. On 17 June a pair with chicks was seen at 2950 m by P. Mora. Other breeding records of the species are from the months of December—January, March, June and July (various sources; Collar et al. 1992). In 1992 at the same locality, the species was fairly common with a total of 23 observations and 36 individuals recorded at 2950 m during May. In 1989 the species was found at 2900-3050 m at Selva Alegre in an approximately 4 km? forest patch in Cordillera de Chilla. Here it was common and abundant, with several pairs observed several times each day. In 1991 one bird was seen in the San Pedro area at 2000 m, and on the same date a group of three was seen immediately east of this area at 2350 m. Outside Ecuador the species only occurs in Peru north of Rio Maranon. Recent fieldwork indicates that it occurs in the main chain of the Andes in southernmost Ecuador wherever humid primary forest remains, even in small isolated patches of forest. It has also been observed several times foraging in second growth at edges of primary forest. Based on surveys in 1989 we roughly estimated the Ecuadorian population of Bearded Guans to be c. 1500 pairs (Bloch et al. 1991): 50-100 pairs in Cordillera de Chilla, 400 pairs in the Andes of the southern part of Azuay Province and the northern part of Loja Province, and 1000 pairs in the Andes of southern Loja Province, including Podocarpus National Park. The real figure, however, is probably considerably higher as that estimate did not include areas in Zamora-Chinchipe Province outside the Podocarpus National Park. So far it has also been found in 1992 at Cordillera las Lagunillas where 3 were seen on three occasions at 2250 m (R. S. Ridgely in litt., M. Robbins zn litt.). The Bearded Guan also seems to occur in a larger area in Azuay than previously thought (Ridgely & Greenfield in prep.). The biology of the species is poorly known. Most of our observations were of pairs, but single birds or groups of 3—4 were also seen. They mostly foraged in the top of the canopy of smaller trees or in the lower branches of larger trees, usually 2-5m above the ground, but sometimes as high as 10 m. The species was also seen a few times on grassland close to forest edges or on the ground inside the forest, especially near water. If disturbed while in a tree, the bird did not flee immediately, but reacted by moving its head repeatedly backwards and J. F. Rasmussen et al. 32 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) forwards, clucking loudly for up to a couple of minutes with increased frequency, tone and volume just before taking off. Mostly the birds escaped by flying, but when encountered on the ground, sometimes by running. The birds did not seem shy, although they must be attractive gamebirds for the locals. At least at Acanama, the Saraguro indians in the area do not shoot them, guns and cartridge probably being too expensive, but they often asked whether mist-nets could be used to catch them. Although more abundant than previously thought, the species is undoubtedly seriously threatened by habitat destruction, which is severe in southern Ecuador (Bloch et al. 1991). At present it may be a minor problem, but the tame nature of the species makes it very vulnerable to hunting. ‘The only protected area in which the species occurs is Podocarpus National Park. Unfortunately, our data suggest that the species primarily occurs on the edge of the national park, and recent surveys suggest that large parts of the population in the area may occur on the slopes below the national park (R. Tapia pers. comm.). Pressure from settlers and small-scale logging around Podocarpus National Park is relatively high and expected to increase in the future. The forest patches in Cordillera de Chilla, where the highest density was found, are few and small, and are likely to disappear in the near future if the current rate of habitat destruction continues. PLUMBEOUS RAIL Pardirallus sanguinolentus In the early evening of 26 November and 4 December 1991, H. Bloch and R. Tapia observed two birds crossing the main street of Vilcabamba at 1600m. The site borders a river bed and moist sugarcane fields. "wo specimens were collected there on 10 December 1991 by F. Sornoza and R. S. Ridgely (ANSP 184558, MECN 6137). One bird was also seen on 29 December 1991 foraging in a wet pasture bordering a small Scirpus marsh on the outskirts of Vilcabamba at 1500 m. These observations are the first definite records for Ecuador. The Plumbeous Rail seems fairly common in the Vilcabamba area and is well known to local people; but suitable habitat is quite limited and the total population is presumably not very large. The Plumbeous Rail was hitherto known from north of Olmos in Lambayeque in northern Peru (R. S. Ridgely zm litt.) to southeastern Brazil and Tierra del Fuego (Fjeldsa & Krabbe 1990). The Ecuadorian birds belong to the North Peruvian race simonsi (Ridgely & Greenfield in prep.). IMPERIAL SNIPE Gallinago imperialis near-threatened The species was first found in Ecuador on 17 January 1990 at Loma Yanayacu on Volcan Pichincha (Krabbe 1992). We found it at Cajanuma where two to four birds were heard on 14-15 November 1991 at dusk and dawn at 2800-2900 m, close to the Cajanuma visitor centre. On 1 November 1991 one bird was seen walking on a trail through this forest at 2950 m. One bird was observed 2 March 1992 at Cajanuma while foraging in the open during foggy weather and pouring rain from 11.25 to 11.55 a.m.; the only prey item seen taken was a JF. F. Rasmussen et al. 33 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) lumbricid 10 cm long, caught in moss on the ground (see also Poulsen 1993). The Imperial Snipe has now been found to occur at a number of localities on the east slope of the Andes (Ridgely & Greenfield in prep.), apparently having previously been overlooked due to its retiring habits. Outside Ecuador the species is known from a number of localities in Peru including Cerro Chinguela (Parker et al. 1985), and from “Bogota” trade skins of unknown origin. GOLDEN-PLUMED PARAKEET Leptosittaca branickit threatened In 1989 we saw flocks of 3-—20+ individuals several times at Cajanuma from 7 February to 21 March, but not later, although fieldwork continued until late June. At the same locality small flocks were seen on 15 November and 10 December 1991. On 14 December 1991 18 birds landed in the canopy around the visitor centre. All our records from Cajanuma are from 2700 to 2900 m. Golden-plumed Parakeets may not be permanently present in the Cajanuma Valley, but appear to visit the area seasonally, at least from November to March. At Acanama the species was seen several times on 16—22 March and 15-19 June 1989 and once on 15 May 1992 at 2950-3000 m. In 1989 it was also observed four times on 22 May south of Yangana, Loja Province (4°28’S, 79°11’W), during a few hours spent here. This is in the period when it seems to be absent in the Cajanuma area to the north. Especially at Acanama these parakeets were often seen crossing areas to feed in isolated groups of trees. Contrary to Gretton (1986), we did not find them to be associated with Podocarpus spp., which were not present at any of the localities where we saw Golden-plumed Parakeets. WHITE-NECKED PARAKEET Pyrrhura albipectus threatened This species is an Ecuadorian endemic originally described from Zamora (Chapman 1914) and found only at various localities in the Zamora-Chinchipe Province and in Cordillera de Cutuct’ in Morona-Santiago Province (Ridgely & Greenfield in prep.). The status of the White-necked Parakeet was recently reviewed by Toyne et al. (1992). Flocks of 4-15 individuals (daily totals of 10-50) were seen every day from 1 to 4 May 1989 flying upstream in the Rio Bombuscara valley passing the visitor centre (1000 m). In 1991 small flocks were seen or heard almost daily 30 October—1 November, 20-23 November and 5-9 December around the Rio Bombuscara visitor centre. On 22 November 1991 at Rio Bombuscara, White-necked Parakeets were seen flying to moss-covered rocks adjacent to a small waterfall, climbing up and down the rocks, in the latter case often with the head down. They used wings, bill and feet to hold on to the moss and to keep balance. They poked into the wet moss with their bills, presumably drinking, then shook their heads vigorously. Sometimes they crawled out into the slower-flowing parts of the stream to drink. Later the totally wet parakeets perched on horizontal branches in front of the waterfall and autopreened or shook themselves. On 26 March and 10 April 1992 J. F. Rasmussen et al. 34 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) small flocks passed the Rio Bombuscara visitor centre. White-necked Parakeets appear to be common in the area. Four birds landed in trees on 1 December 1991 in Quebrada Avioneta at 1900 m. Another flock of four individuals was seen on 7 January 1992 between Romerillos and Quebrada Avioneta at 1600 m. Several small flocks were seen on 1-2 January 1992 near Sabanilla at 1500-1700 m, where two were collected (ANSP 184564, MECN). Six specimens (ANSP 185126-9, MECN 6138, 6300) were also collected at Panguri on 14—27 July 1992, extending the species’ range to close to the Peruvian border. ‘The White-necked Parakeet has also been found close to the Peruvian border in Cordillera del Condor (Krabbe & Sornoza 1994); its days as an apparent Ecuadorian endemic are probably numbered. BARRED PARAKEET Bolborhyncus lineola The Barred Parakeet was first found in Ecuador as recently as 1979 (Ridgely 1980). The records presented here are the first from the southern part of the country, where its occurrence is not surprising, as it is known from central Peru (Meyer de Schauensee 1966, 1982) and birds tentatively referred to this species have also been recorded at Cerro Chinguela in northern Peru (Parker et al. 1985). In 1989 the species was not recorded at Cajanuma in the period 3 February—12 April, but on all later visits (13-14 May, 6 and 24 June) Barred Parakeets were numerous at altitudes between 2500 and 2900 m. The only observation in 1992 was a twittering flock of 35 individuals crossing over Cajanuma late in the afternoon on 1 May, leaving the park heading northwest. The only record outside Cajanuma was a flock of seven seen on 14 March 1989 at Uritusinga (2900 m). RED-FACED PARROT Hapalopsittaca pyrrhops threatened ‘This scarce species has been recorded from Canar Province (Ridgely & Greenfield in prep.) south to Cerro Chinguela in northern Peru (Parker et al. 1985). One pair was observed on 22 February and 2-3 birds on 10 March 1989 at Cajanuma (2700-2800 m). An adult pair with two juveniles was seen perched on 1 and 6 April 1992 at Cajanuma (2700 m). The only other information on the Red-faced Parrot’s breeding season is the suspected breeding at Rio Mazan during August-September (King 1989). Whereas the species is rare at Cajanuma, it was fairly common and relatively numerous at Selva Alegre (2850-3000 m), Cordillera de Chilla, on 9-11 May 1989. Small groups were frequently seen flying 30-50 m above the 4km* forest fragment. These groups were also observed in 20-22 m tall forest, foraging actively but secretively inside the canopy at heights between 4 and 20m, apparently eating buds. The species has been reported to be associated with Podocarpus trees (J. R. King, in Collar et al. 1992). Although a common tree in the area, Podocarpus was seemingly not used for food. The largest flock was observed on 10-11 May 1989 and comprised 16 roosting individuals. Cordillera de Chilla may be a world stronghold for this species (see also F. F. Rasmussen et al. 35 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) under Bearded Guan). Sadly, no part of this mountain range is protected, and the surveyed locality and other similar small forest patches in the area are disappearing at an alarming rate. BUFF-FRONTED OWL Aegolius harrisit near-threatened This widely distributed species (from Venezuela to Paraguay) seems to be everywhere rare. Thus only four Ecuadorian records (including the one below) exist (Ridgely & Greenfield in prep.). In Peru it has been found as near Ecuador as Cerro Chinguela and Cruz Blanca (Parker et al. 1985) and it is perhaps overlooked and more common than the few records indicate. Our sole record was one bird mist-netted, ringed and photographed on the night of 15-16 November 1991 at 2600 m along the road leading to the visitor centre at Cajanuma. The bird was caught in an area of second growth next to primary forest. OILBIRD Steatornis caripensis We saw 1-2 birds flying around just after sunset in the Cajanuma Valley at 2600 m on 3 days in November 1991. At one occasion a bird was seen landing repeatedly in a fruiting tree. Here the bird climbed around, apparently searching for food. A breeding cave is said to exist within Podocarpus National Park near the upper parts of Rio Sabanilla (P. Mora pers. comm.). BROWN VIOLET-EAR Colibri delphinae A bird was seen at 1400m between Valladolid and Palanda, Zamora-Chinchipe Province, on 21 May 1989. There are only three other records of this widespread species (Central America to Bolivia) from southern Ecuador (R. S. Ridgely zn litt.), but many records from eastern Peru (M. Robbins 7n Jitt.). FAWN-BREASTED BRILLIANT Heliodoxa rubinoides A bird was mist-netted and collected at 1900 m on 5 January 1992 (ANSP 184593) at Quebrada Avioneta. This is one of very few records in southern Ecuador, others being one from Rio Upano Valley in Morona-Santiago Province and one from the Rio Isimanchi Valley in Zamora-Chinchipe Province (R.S. Ridgely in litt.). The species is also known from Cerro Chinguela in northeastern Peru (Parker et al. 1985). PURPLE-BACKED THORNBILL Ramphomicron microrhynchum ‘This species seems much rarer in southern than in northern Ecuador. Despite several hundred person-days in seemingly appropriate habitats, the Purple-backed Thornbill was only seen twice: a male on 9 February 1989 at Cajanuma (3000 m) and another male on 27 February 1989 at Uritusinga (2750 m). NEBLINA METALTAIL Metallura odomae near-threatened We found the Neblina Metaltail to be common (more than 10 sightings 31 October—1 November) and the most abundant humming- bird at 3200-3300 m around Lagunas del Compadre southeast of Cajanuma, Zamora-Chinchipe Province (4°11’S, 79°08’W). J. F. Rasmussen et al. 36 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) This species was described as recently as 1980 (Graves 1980) and is endemic to a small area in the Andes on the border between Ecuador and Peru. In Ecuador it was first recorded in 1989 at Cajanuma (M. Kessler zm litt.), which is still the northernmost locality known for the species. At Cajanuma the Neblina Metaltail is sympatric with both the Tyrian Metaltail WW. tyrianthina and its near relative the Viridian Metaltail M. williami, though probably occurring mainly above the range of Viridian Metaltail. The Neblina Metaltail was also found at Rio Angashcola in Loja Province in 1991 (R. Williams & J. Tobias in litt.), and was the most abundant hummingbird above 3200 m at Cordillera las Lagunillas in Zamora-Chinchipe in 1992 (M. Robbins in litt., Ridgely & Greenfield in prep.). COPPERY-CHESTED JACAMAR Galbula pastazae threatened This species has been found at one locality in extreme southern Colombia and 12 sites along the eastern Andes slope of Ecuador (Poulsen & Wege 1994). In 1989 it was fairly common in the Rio Bombuscara area at 1000-1300 m. ‘This area, and presumably others within Podocarpus National Park, seems to hold good populations of Coppery-chested Jacamars, though a “‘false impression of abundance may be caused by the presence of resident birds along well watched trails’? (Poulsen & Wege 1994). The species was categorized as “‘insufficiently known” and regarded as possibly threatened by habitat destruction by Collar et al. (1992). Visits to the Bombuscara area from late October to early December 1991 were within the breeding season of the species. Stationary pairs—as opposed to the single individuals seen in April-May 1989—were seen daily. The area along the estimated 2-3 km main trail at 950-1300 m contained four to six pairs. Two nest holes were found in an earth bank created by the construction of a trail, in one of which adults were seen feeding nestlings 5—9 December. ‘The entrance to the nest was approximately 1.5 m above the ground. The burrow was at least 0.5 m long and curved upwards, making the nestlings impossible to see. BLACK-BILLED MOUNTAIN-TOUCAN Andigena nigrirostris near-threatened The Black-billed Mountain-Toucan is found from Venezuela to Ecuador (Fjeldsa & Krabbe 1990). In Ecuador it is most numerous in the north (R. S. Ridgely in /itt.). Single birds were seen on 1 and 2 December 1991 in Quebrada Avioneta at 1950-2000 m. These records represent a southward extension of the known range of the species, which was previously known no farther south than the Gualaceo-Limon road in Morona- Santiago Province (Ridgely & Greenfield in prep.). RUFOUS-NECKED FOLIAGE-GLEANER Automolus ruficollis threatened The status of this species, endemic to the Tumbesian region, was recently reviewed by Best et al. (1993). We saw one bird on 17 December 1991 following a mixed flock through a hedgerow at San Pedro (2200 m) at the eastern edge of the species’ range, very near F. F. Rasmussen et al. 37 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) to the border of Podocarpus National Park, from where the species has never been recorded. SHARP-TAILED STREAMCREEPER Lochmias nematura On 31 October 1991 an individual was seen escaping from a mist-net situated next to a deep, narrow ravine near the Rio Bombuscara visitor centre (1000 m). One bird was also seen at close range on 11 April 1992 foraging on moss-covered boulders along the Rio Bombuscara (950 m). There are extremely few records of this species in the northern (Andean) part of its range, where it must be considered rare and local, though recent work (ANSP) in the Zumba area seems to indicate that it may be more numerous there than elsewhere in its limited Ecuadorian range (Ridgely & Greenfield in prep, R. S. Ridgely in litt.). CHAPMAN’S ANTSHRIKE Thamnophilus zarumae We recorded this species several times near San Pedro on 16-18 December 1991 at 1600-—2300m. This represents a considerable eastward extension of the known range of this restricted-range species. Other species belonging to the Tumbesian Endemic Centre (Cracraft 1985) or Ecuadorian Dry Forest Endemic Bird Area (Bibby ez al. 1992), such as Rufous-necked Foliage-gleaner Automolus ruficollis, Three-banded Warbler Basileuterus trifasciatus, Black-cowled Saltator Saltator nigriceps and Bay-crowned Brush-Finch Atlapetes seebohmi, also approach the continental divide in this area (our observations). RUSSET ANTSHRIKE Thamunistes anabatinus Two subspecies of Russet Antshrike have been recorded in Ecuador. T. a. intermedius occurs in the west south to western Loja, T. a. aequatorialis in the east south to at least Morona-Santiago (Ridgely & Greenfield in prep.). A male (ANSP 185466) obtained on 25 July 1992 at Panguri (1650 m), southern Zamora-Chinchipe, approaches in some characters the Peruvian subspecies rufescens (being more ochraceous below, lacking rufescent tone on crown, etc.) (Ridgely & Greenfield in prep.). In Zamora-Chinchipe Province the species has also been recorded at Rio Bombuscara; a bird mist-netted and photographed (but not collected) here on 4 May 1989 showed characters similar to the Panguri Specimen. OCHRE-BREASTED ANTPITTA Grallaricula flavirostris Of this species, until now unrecorded on the east slope in Ecuador south of northwestern Pastaza (Ridgely & Greenfield in prep.), ANSP collected three specimens at 1575-1650 m in the Panguri area 14—27 July 1992 (ANSP 185496-7, MECN 6387). A bird was also see by P. Toyne (im litt.) at 950 m in the Rio Bombuscara area on 22 August 1990. PERUVIAN ANTPITTA Grallaricula peruviana near-threatened This little known species is endemic to a narrow elevational zone in a small area of northern Peru and southern Ecuador. It was first found in Ecuador in 1984 in Cordillera de Cutucti, Morona-Santiago Province, J. F. Rasmussen et al. 38 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) by N. Krabbe (Fjeldsa & Krabbe 1986), and seen again on 21 March 1990 along the Gualaceo-Limon road, also in Morona-Santiago Province, by B. Whitney (Ridgely & -Greenfield in prep.). We mist-netted a male and a female on 5 January 1992 at Quebrada Avioneta, 1950 m (both collected, MECN 6293 and ANSP 184702 respectively). COTINGA sp. Doliornis sp. On 7 March 1989 two individuals of a Doliornis cotinga were seen at 3100 m at Cajanuma by H. Bloch and M. K. Poulsen. Observation conditions were ideal, sunny with light winds. The birds were observed at a distance of 20 m for 5—7 minutes. They were perching and foraging on the tops of 1-3 m high bushes in the transition zone between stunted treeline forest and heather paramo. One of the birds was described in the field notes as follows: cap and area between eyes and bill black, eyes grey. Upperparts dark grey, with even darker wings and tail. Throat greyish, vent and lower belly rusty and rest of underparts brownish. The other individual was generally lighter coloured, without black cap and less rich in contrasts. Upperparts brownish grey. Throat and chest greyish, rest of underparts pale rufous. The first bird was probably a male, the other a female (Fjeldsa & Krabbe 1990 erroneously interpreted the second morphotype as being a juvenile; but see Robbins et al. 1994). Due to the rufous lower belly and the site of observation (north of the Maranon depression and 500 km north of the known range of the Bay-vented Cotinga Doliorms sclateri in Huanuco and Junin, Peru), the possibility that these birds represented a new subspecies of D. sclateri or perhaps a new species was considered by the observers (see Fjeldsa & Krabbe 1990, p. 447). However, without any specimen, it was decided to refer the observations to the similar Bay-vented Cotinga (Bloch et al. 1991). On 24 October 1991 a glimpse of an adult was caught by H. Bloch, M. K. Poulsen and F. Brammer at approximately the same spot as the observation in 1989. In the same area, a single bird was observed on 17 November 1991 by A. Long (pers. comm.). He described the entire underparts as rufous. On 7 April 1992, at 2875 m, a Doliornis was seen by B. O. Poulsen very close to the site of the two previous observations. The description of this bird is the same as the presumed male from 1989. : In August 1989 a cotinga referred to as Doliornis sclateri (Renjifo 1994) was seen on the west slope of Cordillera Central in the Andes of Colombia (c. 4°37'N, 75°28’W), more than 1000 km north of Cajanuma. Renjifo described the underparts as chestnut (undertail coverts and belly to the lower breast). Also the rump was brown, a character not seen in the above observations nor described for any specimens (Robbins et al. 1994). In March 1992 ANSP collected four Doliornis specimens on Cerro Mongus, Carchi Province, northern Ecuador, two at the same locality in June 1992, and one of a pair near the Ecuador/Peru border in October 1992 (Robbins et al. 1994). These birds all differ from the above descriptions by having rufous underparts that extend from the middle of the breast (not lower belly, lower breast or entire underparts) 3. F. Rasmussen et al. 39 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) through the crissum, and a grey rump (not brown as in Colombia). These specimens have been described as a new species, Chestnut- bellied Cotinga Doliornis remseni (Robbins et al. 1994). In conclusion, observations of Doliornis cotingas in southern Ecuador and Colombia differ from the specimens collected. This may be due to inappropriate descriptions and observations in the field, polymor- phic variation within Doliornis sclateri, or an as yet undiscovered age-dependent change in the phenotype. Nevertheless, for lack of specimens from Cajanuma and Colombia any interpretation will be open to dispute. YELLOW-THROATED SPADEBILL Platyrinchus flavigularis Four specimens (ANSP 185575-7, MECN 6377) were collected at Panguri 14-27 July 1992, at 1575-1600 m. Previously, the Yellow- throated Spadebill had been recorded from only three or four localities in Ecuador: Volcan Sumaco and Rio Guataracu, both in western Napo Province; Cordillera de Cutuct in Morona-Santiago (Robbins ez al. 1987); and Ramos Urcu (Meise 1954), which cannot be located with certainty but possibly is identical to Volcan Sumaco (Paynter 1993). JELSKI’S CHAT-TYRANT Silvicultrix jelski Single individuals were seen on 16 November and 10 December 1991 in the Cajanuma valley at 2600 m. A specimen labelled ‘‘Cajanuma Divide” (taken by D. Norton in October 1965) in the collection of the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology (Ridgely & Greenfield in prep.) is the only other record from the area. Jelski’s Chat-Tyrant is one of few taxa of decidedly western origin occurring in the Cajanuma area. Since it has only been recorded at Cajanuma in October- December, it may be a dry season visitor there. All three Ecuadorian Silvicultrix species co-exist at Cajanuma. However, the Crowned Chat-Tyrant S. frontalis, which is basically an east slope species in southern Ecuador, and Jelski’s Chat-Tyrant may be altitudinally segregated, as the former has only been recorded at altitudes of 2800-3050 m at Cajanuma. ORANGE-BANDED FLYCATCHER Myiophobus lintoni near-threatened This species has a restricted range, occurring from Azuay Province south to Peru north of the Maranon (Fjeldsa & Krabbe 1990). In 1989, groups of 2—5 birds were recorded several times in mixed-species and monospecific flocks at Cajanuma between 2700 m and 3100 m. On 10 December 1991, above the Cajanuma visitor centre, 2-3 birds participated in a mixed-species flock at 3100 m. During a 23 month study in 1992, the species was recorded on 17 occasions with altogether 80-93 individuals. Towards the end of March, adults were seen feeding juveniles. The species appears to be commoner in Quebrada Honda. In the periods 11-13 and 28-31 December 1991 Orange-banded Flycatchers were seen every day between 2400 and 2700 m. Up to 10 birds were seen in the same mixed-species flock. On 29 December 1991 an immature male was collected there (MECN 6089). J. F. Rasmussen et al. 40 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) LONG-TAILED TYRANT Colonia colonus This species is represented in western Ecuador by ssp. lewconotus and in the east by ssp. fuscicapillus. ‘Three specimens taken at Panguri (ANSP 185612-3, MECN 6364) at 1575 m were identified as C. c. niveiceps, hitherto known from Bolivia to San Martin in Peru (Traylor 1979): PALE-FOOTED SWALLOW WNotiochelidon flavipes This species is known from scattered localities from Mérida in Venezuela to central Bolivia (Fjeldsa & Krabbe 1990). The Pale-footed Swallow appears to be fairly common at Cajanuma, especially at the forest-paramo ecotone. Several birds were seen on 10 December 1991, one on 1 April 1992, and five on 3 May 1992; the records span an altitudinal range of 2675-3300 m. On 31 December 1991 a bird was mist-netted at Quebrada Honda at 2500 m; it was collected and is deposited at ANSP (184820). This is only the fifth Ecuadorian specimen, the first four having been taken at Cerro Pan de Azucar, Napo Province, between 29 September and 11 October 1989 (Marin et al. 1992). Notably the species was neither seen nor heard in Quebrada Honda, nor have other workers recorded the species there. The Pale-footed Swallow is easily overlooked or its abundance underestimated, especially when one is unfamiliar with its voice, but as the altitude is also very low for the species, it is perhaps more likely that the bird was an occasional wanderer. SLATY-BACKED NIGHTINGALE-THRUSH Catharus fuscater A bird mist-netted on 29 November 1991 at Quebrada Avioneta (1900 m) is the first definite record from southern Ecuador (see Ridgely & Tudor 1989), though its occurrence is not surprising as it is known from Cerro Chinguela in northern Peru (Parker et al. 1985). It was found to be uncommon at 2250 m in 1992 in Cordillera las Lagunillas (M. Robbins zn litt., R. S. Ridgely in litt.). There are very few records from eastern Ecuador (Ridgely & Greenfield in prep.). However, the distribution of these records suggests that the species may occur on the entire east Andean slope, although much less abundantly than on the western slope. SPOTTED NIGHTINGALE-THRUSH Catharus dryas This species appear to be much rarer and perhaps more local in southern Ecuador than further north, as a specimen (ANSP 185733) from Panguri (1575 m) 14-27 August 1992 is the only record from Zamora-Chinchipe Province. ANDEAN SLATY THRUSH Turdus nigriceps Until 1989 there were no 20th century records of this species from Ecuador. Since then, however, it has been found breeding at several localities in southern Loja Province during the months January—April; but a search in August 1989 (ANSP) failed to locate the species there (Ridgely & Greenfield in prep.). In Peru there is a small breeding population found locally in the adjacent northwest, where, as in F. F. Rasmussen et al. 41 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) Ecuador, it may only be present during the fist part of the year (Schulenberg 1987). In addition there are several records from the east slope in Peru that most probably represent austral migrants (Schulenberg 1987). The first record from the east slope in Ecuador is an immature female from Panguri (1575 m) collected on 17 July 1992 (ANSP 185744). This was probably a migrant, either austral or of trans-Andean origin, as has been suggested (Ridgely & Greenfield, in prep.) in the parallel case of the Black-and-white Tanager Conothraupis speculigera. SILVER-BACKED TANAGER Tangara viridicollis One seen on 21 May 1989 between Valladolid and Palanda at 1400 m is the first record on the east slope in Ecuador. The occurrence there was to be expected, as it was recorded by Parker et al. (1985) in northern Peru at Cerro Chinguela, also on the east slope. A second east slope record was obtained when a male (ANSP 185894) was collected at Panguri (1575 m) on 25 July 1992. The Silver-backed Tanager here occurred in sympatry with the following species. STRAW-BACKED TANAGER Tangara argyrofenges A male (ANSP 185893) was collected on 22 July 1992 at Panguri (1600 m). Other birds were seen there in the following days by F. Sornoza and T. J. Davis, but no more specimens could be obtained (Ridgely & Greenfield in prep.). The Straw-backed Tanager has a patchy distribution ranging from northeast Peru to western Bolivia (Ridgely & Tudor 1989). MASKED MOUNTAIN-TANAGER Buthraupis wetmoret threatened This rare species is only known from a few treeline localities in Ecuador (Fjeldsa & Krabbe 1990), one in Colombia (Hilty & Brown 1986) and Cerro Chinguela in northern Peru (Parker et al. 1985). We recorded Masked Mountain-Tanagers only at Cajanuma. In 1989 they were seen on five occasions, at 2950-3400 m, and seemed to be rare. A pair was seen on 5 February, one each on 5 and 20 March, two on 6 June, and one on 24 June. In contrast to the first observation, the last four were of birds participating in mixed-species flocks. The bird on 5 March was seen in scattered bushes in the paramo, whereas the other observations were of birds penetrating elfin forest. The species is secretive, moving and foraging silently and slowly through dense vegetation, which may lead to an underestimation of its abundance. Thus, during a visit on 29 October 1991 to the optimal habitat of the species, 4-5 individuals were seen at 3000-3400 m along a 2 km trail covering a gradual transition between stunted treeline forest and heather paramo with dense brush. However, in spite of numerous visits to the right habitat in 1992 from March to May, it was not recorded. Possibly it makes seasonal movements in response to variation in availability of food resources. YELLOW-WHISKERED BUSH-TANAGER Chlorospingus parvirostris There has been some confusion about the status of the Yellow-whiskered Bush-Tanager in Ecuador. Statements such as ‘“‘Not J. F. Rasmussen et al. 42 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) recorded in Ecuador, where it probably occurs’? (Paynter & Storer 1970) can be found; and there are still few confirmed Ecuadorian records of this species (Ridgely & Greenfield in prep). It has recently been found to be “‘not uncommon” at 2250 at Cordillera las Lagunillas (M. Robbins zn litt.). In our surveys, Yellow-whiskered Bush-Tanagers were mist-netted and regularly seen at Rio Bombuscara, at Quebrada Avioneta, and near Sabanilla during the period November 1991 to January 1992: they are fairly common or common at all three localities. One specimen was collected at Quebrada Avioneta on 6 January 1992 (ANSP 184884). BLACK-HEADED HEMISPINGUS Hemispingus verticalis This usually scarce species was numerous at Cajanuma (February— June 1989 and February—May 1992) and at Acanama (April and June 1989 and May-June 1992), 4—6 individuals being recorded in most mixed flocks. It seems, however, to be less abundant at Cajanuma during the dry season as many fewer were seen in October-December 1991. ‘The Black-headed Hemispingus seems to be more abundant in the southern part of its range than elsewhere. In Colombia it is regarded as “uncommon and local’’ (Hilty & Brown 1986) and Robbins et al. (1994) found it to be “‘rare” at Cerro Mongus in Carchi Province in northern Ecuador, while Parker et al. (1985) termed it ““ccommon”’ in northern Peru at Cerro Chinguela at the extreme southern edge of the species’ distribution. This general trend is also supported by the fact that “‘the species was certainly more common at Cordillera Cordoncillo (Zamora-Chinchipe) and Cordillera las Lagunillas (Zamora-Chinchipe) than at our Cerro Mongus camp”’ (M. Robbins zn Jitt.). MASKED SALTATOR Saltator cinctus near-threatened One bird was seen and photographed on 21 May 1989 at 2000 m south of the pass on the Yangana-Valladolid road, Zamora-Chinchipe Province (4°31'S, 79°09'W), in roadside shrubbery bordering patches of primary forest. The species is often regarded as a bamboo specialist (e.g. Fjeldsa & Krabbe 1990), but there did not seem to be much bamboo in the area. One bird was also seen following a mixed flock at Quebrada Honda on 12 December 1991 at 2300 m. This little known species, which until 1989 was known in Ecuador only from Cordillera de Cutuci in Morona-Santiago Province (Robbins et al. 1987), has recently been found at five localities in the provinces of Napo, Morona-Santiago, Zamora-Chinchipe and Loja (Ridgely & Greenfield in prep.). It is also known from northern Peru (Parker et al. 1985) and Colombia (Renjifo 1991) and thus seems considerably more widespread than was previously thought. PARAMO SEEDEATER C'atamenia homochroa The species was recorded by mist-netting and observations from Cajanuma in 1991 and 1992 at 2650 m, Uritusinga in 1989 at 2900 m, and west of the pass on the Loja-Zamora road in 1989 at 2900 m. It is rare at all three localities. 3. F. Rasmussen et al. 43 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) These records are the first published from Loja Province, though it was sighted by R. S. Ridgely along the Loja-Zamora road in June 1978 and there is now also a specimen (ANSP 184909) from Cordillera Cordoncillo collected on 30 March 1992 (R. S. Ridgely zn litt.). OLIVE FINCH Lysurus castaneiceps Single birds were seen on two different occasions on 1 November 1991 at Rio Bombuscara (1150 m). Two individuals were seen on 12 April 1992 on a rock next to the Bombuscara river (950 m). Their ages could not be determined because of dim light, but one fed the other, the latter begging with shivering wings. On 11 May 1992 one or two birds were foraging at the same site at Rio Bombuscara on moss-covered boulders along the river. A closed nest, situated c. 2 metres above the river in dense vegetation overhanging rocks, was visited regularly by the bird(s) from 5 to 6.30 p.m. Whenever an adult arrived at the nest with insects in the bill, faint chirping from nestlings could be heard through the noise of the roaring river. The only nest of the Olive Finch previously described was also situated just above a stream (Schulenberg & Gill 1987). Considering the time between the observations in April and May, it is likely that the observation in April was courtship-feeding of the female. Acknowledgements We thank J. Fjeldsa, R. S. Ridgely and Mark Robbins for their many constructive comments on the manuscript and M. E. Petersen for linguistic improvements. We also thank R. S. Ridgely for providing us with the data from the ANSP/MECN fieldwork at Panguri and allowing us to incorporate it in this paper. Our expeditions were generously supported by Aage V. Jensen Charity Foundation (1989 and 1991), the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (January 1992), the Danish National Science Research Council (grant 11-9116) and the Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen (February to July 1992). We are grateful to the Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganaderia (MAG) for permission to conduct research in Ecuador. D. Espinosa of Universidad Nacional de Loja and N. Hilgert de Benavides of Fundacién Ornitologica del Ecuador (CECIA) were most helpful and provided good cooperation. We would like to thank F. Brammer, M. B. Christiansen, P. A. Cueva, J. Fjeldsa, A. Frolander, N. Krabbe, P. Mora, E. Pitter, R. San-Martin, Fernando Sornoza M., Francisco Sornoza M., R. Tapia and B. Trujillo M. for participating in the fieldwork. The park guards of Cajanuma, Delicio, Guillermo, Miguel, Pedro, Rodrigo and Victor, kindly contributed practical help in various ways. We also thank N. and J. Krabbe for hospitality during many periods in Quito. We are indebted to M. B. Christiansen, M. Kessler, N. Krabbe, A. Long, T. Lessge, D. Platt, L. M. Renjifo M., and especially Mark Robbins and R. S. Ridgely for sharing their unpublished data with us. References: Berlepsch, H. von & Taczanowski, L. 1883. Liste des oiseaux recueillis par M.M. Stolzmann et Siemiradski dans l)Ecuador occidental. Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 536-577. Berlepsch, H. von & Taczanowski, L. 1884. Deuxiéme liste des oiseaux recueillis dans l’Ecuador occidental par M.M. Stolzmann et Siemiradski. Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 281-313. Berlepsch, H. von & Taczanowski, L. 1885. Troisiéme list des oiseaux recueillis par M.M. Stolzmann et Siemiradski dans |’Ecuador. Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 67-124. Best, B. J. & Clarke, C. T. 1991. The threatened birds of the Sozoranga region, southwest Ecuador. ICBP Study Report No. 44, Cambridge. J. F. Rasmussen et al. 44 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) Best, B. J., Clarke, C. T., Checker, M., Broom, A. L., Thewlis, R. M., Duckworth, W. & McNab, A. 1993. Distributional records, natural history notes, and conservation of some poorly known birds from southwestern Ecuador and northwestern Peru. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 113: 108-119, 234-255. Bibby, C. J., Collar, N. J., Crosby, M. J., Heath, M. F., Imboden, C., Long, A. J., Stattersfield, A. J. & Thirgood, S. J. 1992. Putting Biodiversity on the Map: Priority Areas for Global Conservation. 1CBP, Cambridge. Bloch, H., Poulsen, M. K., Rahbek, C. & Rasmussen, J. F. 1991. A survey of the montane forest avifauna of the Loja Province, southern Ecuador. ICBP Study Report No. 49, Cambridge. Chapman, F. M. 1914. Descriptions of proposed new birds from Ecuador. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 33: 317-322. Chapman, F. M. 1926. The distribution of bird life in Ecuador. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 55: 1-784. Collar, N. J., Crosby, M. J. & Stattersfield, A. J. 1994. Birds to Watch 2: The World List of Threatened Birds. BirdLife International, Cambridge. Collar, N. J., Gonzaga, L. P., Krabbe, N., Madrono Nieto, A., Naranjo, L. G., Parker, T. A. & Wege, D. C. 1992. Threatened Birds of the Americas: The ICBP/IUCN Red Data Book. ICBP, Cambridge. Cracraft, J. 1985. Historical biogeography and patterns of differentiation within the South American avifauna: areas of endemism. Pp. 49-84 in P.A. Buckley et al. (eds), Neotropical Ornithology. Orn. Monogr. No. 36, American Ornithologists’ Union. Fjeldsa, J. & Krabbe, N. 1986. Some range extensions and other unusual records of Andean birds. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 106: 115-124. Fjeldsa, J. & Krabbe, N. 1990. Birds of the High Andes. Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen and Apollo Books, Svendborg, Denmark. Graves, G. R. 1980. A new species of metaltail hummingbird from northern Peru. Wilson Bull. 92: 1-7. Gretton, A. 1986. Birds. Pp. 33-57 in F. Robinson (ed.), Rio Mazan project 1986 report. Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, unpublished. Hilty, S. L. & Brown, W. L. 1986. A Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Princeton Univ. Press. King, J. R. 1989. Notes on the birds of the Rio Mazan Valley, Azuay Province, Ecuador, with special reference to Leptosittaca branicku, Hapalopsittaca amazonina pyrrhops and Metallura baroni. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 109: 140-147. Krabbe, N. 1992. Notes on distribution and natural history of some poorly known Ecuadorian birds. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 112: 168-174. Krabbe, N. & Sornoza, F. M. 1994. Avifaunistical results of a subtropical camp in the Cordillera del Condor, southeastern Ecuador. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 114: 55-61. Loénnberg, E. & Rendahl, H. 1922. A contribution to the ornithology of Ecuador. Arkiv. for Zool. 25: 1-87. Marin, M., Carrién, J. M. & Sibley, F. C. 1992. New distributional records for Ecuadorian birds. Ornitologia Neotropical 3: 27-34. Meise, W. 1954. Notes on flat-bills of the genus Platyrinchus (Tyrannidae). Auk 71: 285-292. Meyer de Schauensee, R. 1966. The Species of Birds of South America with Their Distribution. Narberth, Pennsylvania. Meyer de Schauensee, R. 1982. A Guide to the Birds of South America. Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Parker, T. A. & O’ Neill, J. P. 1980. Notes on little known birds of the Urubamba Valley, southern Peru. Auk 97: 167-176. Parker, T. A., Parker, S. A. & Plenge, M. A. 1982. An Annotated Checklist of Peruvian Birds. Vermillion, South Dakota. Parker, T. A., Schulenberg, T. S., Graves, G. R. & Braun, M. J. 1985. The avifauna of the Huancabamba region, northern Peru, Pp. 169-197 in P. A. Buckley et al. (eds), Neotropical Ornithology. Orn. Monogr. No. 36, American Ornithologists’ Union. Paynter, R. A., Jr. 1993. Ornithological Gazetteer of Ecuador. Cambridge, Massachusetts. Paynter, R. A. & Storer, R. W. (eds) 1970. Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 13. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard. Poulsen, B. O. 1993. Change in mobility among crepuscular ground-living birds in an Ecuadorian cloud forest during overcast and rainy weather. Ornitologia Neotropical 4: 103-105. F. F. Rasmussen et al. 45 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) Poulsen, M. K. & Wege, D. 1994. Coppery-chested Jacamar. Cotinga 2: 60-61. Rahbek, C., Bloch, H., Poulsen, M. K. & Rasmussen, J. F. 1993. Avian body weights from southern Ecuador. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 113: 103-108. Renjifo, L. M. 1991. Discovery of Masked Saltator in Colombia, with notes on its ecology and behavior. Wilson Bull. 103: 685-690. Renjifo, L. M. 1994. First records of the Bay-vented Cotinga Doliornis sclateri in Colombia. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 114: 101-103. Ridgely, R. S. 1980. Notes on some rare or previously unrecorded birds in Ecuador. Amer. Birds 34: 242-248. Ridgely, R. S. & Robbins, M. B. 1988. Pyrrhura orcesi, a new parakeet from southwestern Ecuador, with systematic notes on the P. melanura complex. Wilson Bull. 100: 173-182. Ridgely, R. S. & Tudor, G. 1989. The Birds of South America. Vol. 1. The Oscine Passerines. Oxford Univ. Press. Robbins, M. B., Ridgely, R. S., Schulenberg, T. S. & Gill, F. B. 1987. The avifauna of the Cordillera de Cutuct, Ecuador, with comparisons to other Andean localities. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 139: 243-259. Robbins, M. B., Krabbe, N., Rosenberg, G. H. & Sornoza M., F. 1994. The tree line avifauna at Cerro Mongus, Prov. Carchi, northeastern Ecuador. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 145: 209-216. Robbins, M. B., Rosenberg, G. H. & Sornoza M., F. 1994. A new species of Cotinga (Cotingidae: Doliornis) from the Ecuadorian Andes, with comments on plumage sequences in Doliornis and Ampelion. Auk 111: 1-7. Salvadori, T. & Festa, E. 1899a. Viaggio del Dr. Enrico Festa nell’Ecuador. Uccelli. Part 1. Passeres Oscines. Boll. Mus. Zool. ed Anat. Comp. Univ. de Torino 357: 1-31. Salvadori, T. & Festa, E. 1899b. Viaggio del Dr. Enrico Festa nell’Ecuador. Uccelli. Part 2. Passeres Clamatores. Boll. Mus. Zool. ed Anat. Comp. Univ. de Torino. 362: 1-34. Salvadori, T. & Festa, E. 1900. Viaggio del Dr. Enrico Festa nell’Ecuador. Uccelli, Part 3. Trochili-Tinami. Boll. Mus. Zool. ed Anat. Comp. Univ. de Torino. 368: 1-54. Schulenberg, T. S. 1987. New records of birds from western Peru. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 107: 184-189. Schulenberg, T. S. & Parker, T. A. 1981. Status and distribution of some northwest Peruvian birds. Condor 83: 209-216. Schulenberg, T. S., Allen, S. E., Stotz, D. F. & Wiedenfeld, D. A. 1984. Distributional records from the Cordillera Yanachaga, central Peru. Gerfaut 74: 57-70. Schulenberg, T. S. & Gill, F. B. 1987. First description of the nest of Olive Finch, Lysurus castaneiceps. Condor 89: 673-674. Sclater, P. L. 1858. List of birds collected by Mr. Louis Fraser at Cuenca, Gualaquiza, and Zamora in the Republic of Ecuador. Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 449-461. Sclater, P. L. 1859. List of the first collection of birds made by Mr. Louis Fraser at Pallatanga, Ecuador, with notes and descriptions of new species. Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 135-147. Sclater, P. L. 1860. List of birds collected by Mr. Fraser in Ecuador at Nanegal, Calicali, Perucho, and Puellaro, with notes and descriptions of new species. Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 83-97. Sibley, C. G. & Monroe, B. L., Jr. 1990. Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World. Yale Univ. Press. Sibley, C. G. & Monroe, B. L., Jr. 1993. A Supplement to “‘Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World’. Yale Univ. Press. Terborgh, J. & Weske, J. S. 1975. The role of competition in the distribution of Andean birds. Ecology 56: 562-576. Toyne, E. P., Jeffcote, M. T. & Flanagan, J. N. 1992. Status, distribution and ecology of the White-breasted Parakeet Pyrrhura albipectus in Podocarpus National Park, southern Ecuador. Bird Conserv. Intern. 2: 327-339. Traylor, M. A. (ed.) 1979. Check-list of the Birds of the World. Vol. 8. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard. Vuilleumier, F. 1969. Pleistocene speciation in birds living in the high Andes. Nature 223: 1179-1180. N. Seddon et al. 46 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) Addresses: Jan Fischer Rasmussen, Carsten Rahbek, Bent Otto Poulsen and Hanne Bloch, Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen 0, Denmark. Michael K. Poulsen, BirdLife International, Wellbrook Court, Girton Road, Cambridge CB3 ONA, U.K. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 Recent observations and notes on the ecology of the Royal Sunangel Heliangelus regalis by N. Seddon, R. Barnes, S. H. M. Butchart, C.W.N. Davies & M. Fernandez Received 14 March 1995 Between July and September 1994, a team comprising five British and Peruvian ornithologists carried out surveys on the Cordillera de Colan, a semi-isolated mountain range in Amazonas department, northern Peru. The fieldwork was conducted as part of a conservation project organised from the University of Cambridge in the U.K. and the Asociacion Peruana para la Conservacion de la Naturaleza (APECO) in Peru. ‘The aims of this project were to assess the habitat requirements and conservation status of the threatened, restricted-range and poorly known birds of the remaining elfin and cloud forest. The surveys were conducted at 1500-2650 m at two locations in the southern part of the range. A number of bird species of conservation interest were recorded, including the Royal Sunangel Heliangelus regalis, a hummingbird threatened with global extinction. Status This species was discovered in 1975 by Fitzpatrick et al. (1979) at 1800-2200 m above San José Loudres on the Cordillera del Condor, northern Cajamarca (c. 5°02'S, 78°51'W). Two males were subse- quently collected by Davis (1986) at 1450 m north-east of Jirillo, San Martin (c. 6°03’S, 76°44’'W). Habitat destruction and fragmentation within the Royal Sunangel’s restricted range have led to it being listed as Vulnerable in Collar et al. (1994). Expedition records Between 16 and 31 August 1994 we made 45 observations of males and 44 of females in two areas north of the village of San Cristobal (5°50'S, 78°13’W): one on a ridgetop at 1950 m, the other at 1750 m. Most males (60%) were observed on the ridgetop and a maximum of three were seen together at any one time. In contrast, the majority of females (95.5%) were observed at the lower area. Two of the records of males were presumed to be immatures. The plumage of these individuals was flecked with grey, as described for subadults by Davis (1986), and the tail appeared shorter than that of other males. N. Seddon et al. 47 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) Habitat The sunangel was observed in a habitat we termed ‘elfin scrub’. This habitat bordered elfin forest within the humid lower montane zone (as defined by Holdridge et al. 1971). Elfin scrub occurred upon sandy soils with up to 40% exposed rock, and consisted of grassland with scattered dead trees and stunted lichen-covered bushes (including Clusia sp.). Ericaceous plants, succulents and moss were common. Bracken ferns and flowering plants were abundant, and included at least three members of Orchidaceae, two of shrubby Compositae, and the flowering melastome Brachyotum quinquenerve. ‘This latter species, previously noted as being the preferred nectar source of the Royal Sunangel (Fitzpatrick et al. 1979), was the most abundant flowering species in the area of elfin scrub at 1950 m. At the lower area how- ever, B. quinquenerve was rare. In common with the habitat where Fitzpatrick et al. (1979) discovered the sunangel, there was evidence of regular fire disturbance in the elfin scrub. It is likely that fire, both natural and unnatural, plays an important role in shaping this habitat. Foraging behaviour At 1950 m, males were observed moving from flower to flower on Brachyotum quinquenerve bushes, usually at 0-2 m above the ground, occasionally perching on the ground to feed on low flowers. The sunangel typically fed on the nectar of approximately 3—4 flowers before perching for 3—5 seconds, during which time it usually wiped its bill upon a stem. Three modes of nectar foraging were observed: one in which the bird hovered while feeding upon nectar, one in which the bird perched on a stem below the flower and extracted nectar through the corolla (as noted by Fitzpatrick et al. 1979), and the third whereby the bird perched and extracted nectar through the base of the corolla. In the latter mode, the sunangel seemed to use existing holes, possibly made by flower-piercers Diglossa spp., a practice observed in other Andean hummingbirds (Fjeldsa & Krabbe 1990). Both Rusty Flower- piercer Diglossa sittoides and Bluish Flower-piercer D. caerulescens were observed feeding within the territory of one male at 1950 m. Fitzpatrick et al. (1979) estimated that in 25% of flower visits the Royal Sunangel perched, rather than hovered whilst feeding. Our observations gave a figure closer to 40% (n=400), and 25% of these made use of the possible flower-piercer holes. The sunangel was never observed sallying for insects as described by Fitzpatrick et al. (1979). Female sunangels were typically seen feeding upon the nectar of ericaceous plants at 1750 m, and seemed to return to clusters of these flowers every c. 40 minutes. Differences in elevational preference between the sexes are known in other hummingbirds, such as Viridian Metaltail Metallura williami and Rufous-capped Thornbill Chalcostigma ruficeps, and possibly occur in the elfin forest specialist Black-breasted Puffleg Eviocnemis nigriventris (Collar et al. 1992). Observations of the sunangel were made in the middle of the dry season and there was no evidence of breeding. However, as some hummingbirds are altitudinally migratory, for N. Seddon et al. 48 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) example Black-breasted Puffleg, it is possible that the dispersion of the male and female sunangels would have been different in the wet season. Further studies are needed in order to prove whether or not there are sexual differences in altitudinal preference in the sunangel and whether dispersion changes in the breeding season. An understanding of this is vital if this species is to be effectively protected. Territorial behaviour The following notes on behaviour were made in a male sunangel’s territory at 1950 m during 11 hours of continuous observation from 07.00 to 18.00 h on 30 August. The territory appeared to be centred on the area with maximum abundance of Brachyotum quinquenerve that occurred 100 m from the edge of the elfin forest. The Royal Sunangel was often observed here either feeding on B. quinquenerve or perching in one of two dead trees, using the same branches 3.5m above the ground. The use of favoured perches was also noted by Fitzpatrick et al. (1979). Our observations suggest that the male was defending the areas; he was seen chasing at least two other male sunangels and a female Green-tailed Trainbearer Lesbia nuna off the territory. While perched, the male continuously moved its head from side to side, occasionally straining forward, apparently scanning the area. Upon the appearance of another hummingbird of its own or a different species, the sunangel would emit a series of a very high-pitched tick notes (three per second) which continued until the intruder had been successfully chased away. However, no aggressive interactions between the male sunangel and Sparkling Violetear Colibri coruscans were witnessed. ‘The latter, an often highly aggressive bird (pers. obs.), was regularly observed feeding upon a small patch of B. quinquenerve. Although this patch apparently fell inside the territory, the male sunagel was. never seen feeding within it. Numerous hummingbirds were observed feeding alongside Royal Sunangels at the lower altitude without any aggressive interactions. These included Booted Raquet-tail Ocreatus underwoodu, Green Violetear Colibri thalassinus and White-bellied Woodstar Acestrura mulsant. Conservation status The elfin scrub above the village of San Cristobal in the southern part of the Cordillera de Colan represents a new, and only the third, site for this threatened hummingbird. It was found to be locally common in a highly unusual habitat type. Not only were the patches of this habitat within our study area small, but it is likely to be restricted in extent on the mountain range as a whole, and it is highly vulnerable to degradation by man. In 1994, large-scale deforestation and rapid rates of habitat destruction were found on the Cordillera de Colan. This was in stark contrast to the situation in 1978 when large areas of forest were intact. It is strongly recommended that a protected area be established urgently in the southern part of the mountain range where the largest areas of elfin scrub and adjacent elfin and cloud forest remain. Such a N. Seddon et al. 49 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) reserve would protect not only elfin scrub and forest specialists such as the Royal Sunangel and Russet-mantled Soft-tail Thripophaga berlepschi, but also the other four threatened and six near-threatened bird species, and three threatened mammal species which were recorded in the area (Davies et al. 1994). ‘The conservation measures should take advantage of the current opportunities provided by both an improved security situation and the local interest and desire to help conserve the remaining habitat (Davies et al. 1994). Conservation action must be initiated rapidly as it was locally estimated that, at the current rates of deforestation, all forest will be degraded within ten years. Effective conservation of remaining habitat on the Cordillera de Colan would significantly help to secure the future of the Royal Sunangel. Acknowledgements The advisors and sponsors of the expedition during which this fieldwork was conducted are acknowledged in our report (Davies et al. 1994), available from Charles Davies, Clare College, Cambridge CB2 1TL. We extend special gratitude to our patron, the late Gerald Durrell, and also wish to thank the following: Rob Clay, for advice and support; all the staff at the Asociacidn Peruana para la Conservacion de la Naturaleza (APECO), especially Dr Mariella Leo Luna for her valuable assistance and advice; staff at Birdlife International, Cambridge, particularly Adrian Long, Michael Poulsen, Beatrice Torres, and David Wege; and Daniel La Torre Lopez, our indefatigable local guide without whom much of the fieldwork could not have been carried out. References: Collar, N. J., Gonzaga, L. P., Krabbe, N., Madrono-Nieto, A., Naranjo, L. G., Parker, T. A. III & Wege, D. C. 1992. Threatened Birds of the Americas: the ICBP/IUCN red data book. 3rd edn, Part 2. International Council for Bird Preservation, Cambridge, U.K. Collar, N. J., Crosby, M. J. & Stattersfield, A. J. 1994. Birds to Watch 2: the world list of threatened birds. BirdLife International, Cambridge, U.K. Davis T. J. 1986. Distribution and natural history of some birds from the departments of San Martin and Amazonas, northern Peru. Condor 88: 50-56. Davies, C. W. N., Barnes, R., Butchart, S. H. M., Fernandez, M. & Seddon, N. 1994. ‘The conservation status of the Cordillera de Colan. Unpublished report. Fitzpatrick, J. W., Willard, D. E. & Terborgh, J. W. 1979. A new species of hummingbird from Peru. Wilson Bull. 91: 177-366. Fjeldsa, J. & Krabbe, N. 1990. Birds of the High Andes. University of Copenhagen. Holdridge, L. R., Grenke, W. C., Hatheway, W. H., Linag, T. & Tesi, J. A. 1971. Forest Environments in Tropical Life Zones: a Pilot Study. Pergamon Press. Address: N. Seddon, Newnham College, Cambridge CB3 9DF, U.K. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 C. F. Hazevoet 50 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) A record of Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops persicus from the Cape Verde Islands and status of the species in West Africa by C. 7. Hazevoet Received 11 March 1995 Hazevoet (1995) listed a record of two unidentified bee-eaters, “possibly Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops superciliosus’ [=M. persicus], at Sao Jorge dos Orgaos (15°03'N, 23°37'W), in the interior of Santiago island, Cape Verde Islands, 5 March 1985. This locality, at c. 400 m a.s.l., is one of the lusher and relatively well vegetated areas on the island. ‘There are river beds (which are dry at that time of year), arid hill slopes with sparse trees, agricultural fields, and extensive Eucalyptus plantations. The birds were observed in flight by members of a visiting party of birdwatchers. The record was communicated to CJH by observers who only saw the birds against the sun, basing their report on hearsay from other members of the party. Because insufficient details on identification were available, the record was considered unconfirmed. Recently, field notes made by other observers, who had the opportunity to view the birds well, have been brought to light and these confirm that the birds were indeed WM. persicus. Identification was based on the very long central tail spike, very obvious copper underwings, deep green underparts and different facial pattern from the European Bee-eater M. apiaster. There are no previous records of the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater from the Cape Verde Islands (Hazevoet 1995). In Africa, west of 20°E and north of the Equator, the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater breeds in the Maghreb and discontinuously across the Sahel zone from southwestern Mauritania and northwestern Senegal east to the Chad basin, with occasional breeding occurring further south (Heim de Balsac & Mayaud 1962, Fry 1984, Fry et al. 1988, Lamarche 1988, Morel & Morel 1990). Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters from Northwest Africa are thought to winter in mesic West African savanna, probably entirely south of 15°N, from Senegambia east to the shores of Lake Chad (Fry 1984, Fry et al. 1988). Birds from Northwest and West Africa are known as subspecies chrysocercus Cabanis and Heine, 1860, the type locality of which is Senegal. ‘The Northwest African population is reputedly small, viz. Morocco: local, perhaps 40-60 pairs; Algeria: probably nowhere common (Cramp 1985). The Algerian population, however, appears to be larger than the Moroccan, i.e. it probably consists of several hundreds of pairs (cf. Ledant et al. 1981, Mayaud 1985). The alleged breeding in Tunisia and western Libya (Etchécopar & Htie 1964) has never been substantiated (Bundy 1967, Thomsen & Jacobsen 1979, Cramp 1985). Northwest African birds vacate their breeding grounds in Morocco and Algeria from late July to September and return in late March and, mainly, April (Heim de Balsac & Mayaud 1962, Smith 1968). C. F. Hazevoet 51 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) Little is known about movements of West African breeding birds, which are hard to follow due to the impossibility of distinguishing between these and visiting migrants from the north. Fry (1984) stated that the southern Saharan population probably moves south in autumn, but according to Lamarche (1988) the species is absent in Mauritania only from January to March, with most birds (presumably local breeders) arriving in May. Non-breeding Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters are particularly common near coasts from The Gambia to Sierra Leone, October—April (Fry et al. 1988), but in The Gambia they have been recorded in all months (Gore 1990) and in the Casamance area, southwestern Senegal, they were only absent in August-September (Sala 1983). They were abundant in coastal Guinea-Bissau during December—February, particularly in mangrove swamps, with densities of up to 19 birds/10 ha and roosts of up to 520 birds (Altenburg & van Spanje 1989, Altenburg & van der Kamp 1992). There is also a Guinea-Bissau record of a bird collected in June (Frade & Bacelar i955): The Cape Verde record seems to fit well with the known pattern of northward spring migration in westernmost Africa, and the birds may be assumed to have been migrants from the north. However, if the population estimates of Blue-cheeked Bee-eater in Northwest Africa (as quoted above) are within any range of credibility, northern migrants can hardly account for the occasionally abundant occurrence in West Africa. The explanation of this discrepancy may be twofold. Firstly, the Northwest African population may be considerably larger than currently known, and/or the species is more common and widespread as a breeding bird in West Africa. In particular, the breeding population in Mauritania and Senegal may be considerably larger than known at present. Lamarche (1988) reported roosts of up to 1500 presumably locally breeding birds at Nouakchott, Mauritania. A good proportion of the birds wintering in coastal West Africa may originate from Mauritania and Senegal rather than Northwest Africa. A second possibility explaining the species’ abundance during the northern winter may be that considerable numbers of Asian breeding birds (ssp. persicus) winter in West Africa, but so far have not been recognised as such. This has been suggested earlier by Elgood (1981). If this were indeed the case, this would presumably apply to the eastern parts of West Africa rather than the west. In view of the above, it seems equally possible that the Cape Verde birds were stragglers from West Africa or migrants from Northwest Africa. Acknowledgements I wish to thank Mark Beaman for providing additional details of the Cape Verde record. Vincent Niyman, Resit Sézer and Jan Wattel commented on the manuscript. References: Altenburg, W. & van der Kamp, J. 1992. Notes faunistiques. Pp. 129-157 in W. Altenburg, E. Wymenga & L. Zwarts (eds), Ornithological importance of the coastal wetlands of Guinea-Bissau. WIWO-report No. 26. Working Group International Wader and Waterfowl Research, Zeist. Altenburg, W. & van Spanje, T. 1989. Utilization of mangroves by birds in Guinea-Bissau. Ardea 77: 57-74. J. D. Atkins & W. G. Harvey 52 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) Bundy, G. 1976. The Birds of Libya. British Ornithologists’ Union Check-list no. 1. Cramp, S. 1985. The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. 4. Oxford Univ. Press. Elgood, J. H. 1981. The Birds of Nigeria. British Ornithologists’ Union Check-list no. 4. Etchécopar, R. D. & Hie, F. 1964. Les Oiseaux du Nord de l'Afrique. Boubée, Paris. Frade, F. & Bacelar, A. 1955. Catalogo das aves da Guiné Portuguesa I—Non-passeres. Anais Junta Invest. Ultramar 10 (4, fasc. 2): 1-194. Fry, C. H. 1984. The Bee-eaters. Poyser, Calton. Fry, C. H., Keith, S. & Urban, E. K. 1988. The Birds of Africa. Vol. 3. Academic Press. Gore, M. E. J. 1990. Birds of The Gambia. 2nd edn. British Ornithologists’ Union Check-list no. 3. Hazevoet, C. J. 1995. The Birds of the Cape Verde Islands. British Ornithologists’ Union Check-list no. 13. Heim de Balsac, H. & Mayaud, N. 1962. Les Oiseaux du Nord-ouest de l’Afrique. Lechevalier, Paris. Lamarche, B. 1988. Liste commentée des oiseaux de Mauritanie. Etud. Sahar. Ouest-Afr. 1(4): 1-164. Ledant, J.-P., Jacob, J.-P., Jacobs, P., Malher, F., Ochando, B. & Roché, J. 1981. Mise a jour de l’avifaune algérienne. Gerfaut 71: 295-398. Mayaud, N. 1985. Les oiseaux du nord-ouest de |’Afrique—notes complémentaires. Alauda 53: 186-208. Morel, G. J. & Morel, M.-Y. 1990. Les Oiseaux de Sénégambie. ORSTOM, Paris. Sala, A. 1983. Inventaire de l’avifaune du département d’Oussouye et particuliérement du Parc national de basse Casamance (Sénégal). Bull. Inst. Fond. Afr. Noire (Sér. A) 45: 342-366. Smith, K. D. 1968. Spring migration through southeast Morocco. Ibis 110: 452-492. Thomsen, P. & Jacobsen, P. 1979. The Birds of Tunisia. Nature Travels, Copenhagen. Address: C. J. Hazevoet, Institute of Systematics and Population Biology, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94766, 1090 GT’ Amsterdam, The Netherlands. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 A new site for, and observations on Serinus flavigula in Ethiopia, with comments on its taxonomic status by J. D. Atkins GS W. G. Harvey Received 4 April 1995 At 16.30h on 18 September 1993 we were negotiating the rocky track to the north side of the crater rim of Fantalle Mountain (9°00'N, 39°54’'E) in the Awash National Park of Ethiopia searching for Serinus species. A party of six or seven small finches flew from the top of a roadside acacia, crossed the road and settled on low plants of Lavandula coronopifolia on the edge of a gully with low sparse acacia trees, 80 m away. The birds looked slim and very pale with striking, extensive bright yellow rumps. Although not particularly shy, they were extremely restless, moving from plant to plant over an area of about 500 m2. We were able to watch them down to 7 m for ten minutes and took detailed descriptions. The site is at 1410 m altitude. F. D. Atkins & W. G. Harvey 53 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) Subsequent records On 20 November 1993 JDA together with Yilma Dellelegn, Michel Gunther, Philippe Gautier and Xavier Eichaker encountered three similar birds on the same track at 1310 m altitude feeding on open ground under an acacia tree. On 21 November groups of one, two and three birds were found in the same area feeding on long, dry grass clumps on rocky slopes. On both days the birds were very restless, flying readily and almost vertically, up into the trees and often up to 1 km away. Further detailed descriptions were taken, but they were still unidentified. On 12 February 1994 the authors and Yilma Dellelegn searched the two original sites without success. A particularly severe dry season had decimated ground cover and no seeding grasses or Lavandula were found. However the birds were located from the top of the track along the crater rim at 1600 m, mainly flying out of the crater. They used a fairly narrow flight path and flew high and strongly in the direction of the only available fresh water, about 15 km distant at Sabure Fruit Farm and the Kassam River. Others were seen feeding, mainly on remnant Lavandula on the steep inner slopes of the crater up to 30 m below the rim. Between 10.30 and 13.40 h a maximum of 29 individuals was seen and detailed descriptions were taken. On 13 February at the same site, similar behaviour was noted and up to 30 birds were seen between 09.55 and 12.30 h. One specimen was collected with a permit from the Ethiopian Wildlife and Conservation Organisation. On 25 September 1994 the authors and Jukka Harjula unsuccessfully searched the two original sites and other apparently suitable areas. However between 12.00 and 13.00 h we watched up to 11 individuals feeding on the inner crater walls on Lavandula. Only one was seen to leave the crater, and it did not fly very far. At this time there was plenty of standing water in the area, including within the crater itself. Field description Apart from one characteristic (the wing-edgings), all the birds seen appeared identical on all occasions and there is complete consistency in the field descriptions. The following is a summary of detailed notes taken on the six occasions that the birds have been seen. General impression. Slim linnet-like seedeaters with long wings, quite long tails, very plain, pale underparts and predominately plain, greyish upperparts. The most striking feature on all birds was the extensive bright yellow rump. They lacked the dumpy appearance of Serins Serinus serinus, Streaky Seedeaters S. striolatus and Yellow-rumped Seedeaters SS. atrogularis, and had a superficial resemblance to a small Yellow-spotted Petronia Petronia pyrgita. Head. Plain greyish-brown (the greyest part of the bird) with short, fine, darker crown streaks, indistinct whitish supercilia which meet above the bill, darkish lores and around eye. Throat whitish. Eye dark. Bill horn colour, darker on upper mandible. Upperparts. Plain greyish on nape becoming progressively darker and browner on mantle which was very indistinctly streaked. Wings browner with pale edges to median coverts. The birds seen in J.D. Atkins & W. G. Harvey 54 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) September 1993 showed bright lime or apple green edges to the pri- maries creating a panel similar to, but brighter than, that of a Streaky Seedeater. ‘Chis feature was not noted on the November birds, on only one of the February birds and on one of the September 1994 birds. It is therefore probably only visible on very fresh plumage. Rump strikingly bright canary-yellow, both richer and more extensive than on Yellow- rumped Seedeaters. This colour appeared to extend onto the upper tail coverts and down the sides of the rump so that it was visible on stationary birds with folded wings. Wings quite long, extending beyond end of upper tail coverts. Tail also quite long, dark brown, darker towards tip and notched. No white or yellow visible on it. Underparts. Completely unstreaked or spotted (but see hand description). ‘Throat whitish. Lower throat and upper breast had an oval-shaped, rather diffuse pale yellow area which was not at all obvious in the field except when rufled by the wind. Below this a diffuse greyish band contrasting with off-white belly and undertail coverts. Whitest on undertail coverts. Feet and toes flesh-coloured. Vocalisations. A canary-like sip, sip, sip or sip sip given in flight between food plants. In February a brief, simple song heard once from a bird perched at 4m in an acacia. Similar to call but more musical and best rendered as zeet ze ze zee with a lower tone to the middle two notes. Habits ‘The birds favoured sparsely vegetated rocky slopes, including the crater walls, feeding on tall clumps of dry grass and_ particularly Lavandula coronoptfolia, which is common. Only in November were they seen feeding on seeds on the ground. Characteristically they were very restless, flitting in groups of up to seven (most usually two or three) from food plant to food plant over a wide area. This behaviour is reminiscent of Citril Finches Serinus citrinella watched feeding on mountain slopes in Asturias, Spain, in July 1994 by WGH. When disturbed, or travelling apparently to water, they flew off strongly often initially almost vertically upwards, and then covered long distances. Their long-winged, long-tailed appearance gave them a curiously streamlined, powerful mien and may be an adaptation to flying up steep slopes, particularly those of the inner crater walls. They perched on the upper branches of trees (mainly acacia) up to 6m and on branches of small shrubs or saplings growing from rock faces. They rarely perched on rocks and could be remarkably inconspicuous, particularly when viewed from above. The flash of bright yellow rumps was often the only way to pick them out. No other Serinus species were seen on Fantalle Mountain. Hand description The following description was taken of an unsexed individual on 13. February 1994 immediately on collection. The specimen is deposited in the National Museum of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. Eye. Iris brown; bill pale horn, slightly darker and pinker on the culmen, tarsus pinky brown; soles slightly paler, claws pinky brown, paler below. F. D. Atkins S& W. G. Harvey 55 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) Head. Grey-brown, darker on the lores with pale dirty greyish-white wash below and slightly behind eye. Obvious cleaner white supercilia extending to just behind the eye. (This characteristic seems to have been obscured by the skinning process.) Crown. Short distinct dark brown feather centres giving brown streaked appearance, fading on the nape; on forehead dark brown feathers give almost spotted effect. Underparts. Narrow white chin and throat, yellow wash on upper throat, stronger from central throat to upper breast, long oval or capsule- shaped. Chest mouse/warm greyish-brown with faint smoky blackish marks almost 1 cm below the throat, giving suggestions of residual but indistinct band (cf. S. xantholaema); this slightly darker smudging being the effect of slightly darker centres to the feathers. There is no sugges- tion of streaking in these markings. (This smudging had not been visible in the field on any of our sightings.) Mouse-brown breast becomes paler abruptly at bottom of breast and extends thus down to belly: undertail coverts slightly washed pale yellow. (This is, again, not a field character.) Flanks uniform colour with breast: mouse-brown. Upperparts. Neck brownish-grey with less prominent streaking, although contrast with streaked crown not as obvious as in field. Mantle darker warm brown, with darker brown feather centres creating diffuse darker streaking, which is visible in the field. Rump bright canary yellow extending round sides to white undertail coverts. Uppertail coverts, half hidden but long, greenish yellow, browner towards tips. Solid brown tail, with no white; central two tail feathers heavily abraded. Wings. Darker and less grey than other mouse-brown body parts. Paler fringes to the coverts, including lesser coverts. Greenish wash and sheen on lesser coverts; almost iridescent and not visible in the field. Inner primary outer webs with indistinct greenish wash, only visible in sunlight. Outer primaries with whitish edges, but effect almost certainly of abrasion. This abrasion may have taken away the green panel visible on one bird seen on 13 February. Underwing coverts paler mouse-brown, with slight suggestion of yellow on bastard wing area. Wings reach end of upper tail coverts, giving long-winged, linnet-like appearance. Measurements. Length 112 mm. Wing (flattened) 66 mm. Tail (from cloaca) 49 mm. Tarsus 16 mm. Bill not measured as tip broken by shot. Discussion The Serinus of Ethiopia have long presented an interesting taxonomic problem occasioning much discussion in the literature (Irwin 1960, Rand 1968, Erard 1974, Van den Elzen 1985, Ash & Gullick 1989, Clement et al. 1993). Although sharing some characteristics with Salvadori’s Seedeater S. xantholaema and “Northern Yellow-rumped Seedeater’ S. xanthopygius (formerly regarded as a race of the Yellow-rumped Seedeater S. atrogularis), the Fantalle birds are apparently closest to Yellow-throated Seedeater S. flavigula. This species is known from only three sites, all within an area of about 30km2, 64km north of Fantalle Mountain below the eastern escarpment of the West Highlands. The specimens were J. D. Atkins & W. G. Harvey 56 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) collected in 1880, 1885 and 1886, and it was not reported again until 1989 (Ash & Gullick 1990). The altitudes (1440-1500 m) and the habitat (broken arid country on rocky hillsides along the valley of a small stream) are similar to the Fantalle site which, interestingly, is the next southerly area of comparable highland in the extensive, dry bushland of the Awash. Ash (pers. comm.) has compared the Fantalle specimen with a specimen of flavigula on loan from Turin and with the only specimen of S. xantholaema in the British Museum (Natural History), Tring. His view is that the Fantalle bird shares some of the characters of both flavigula and xantholaema but approaches the former more closely. He also considers, owing to a lack of sufficient evidence, that it is premature to come to a firm conclusion on its precise taxonomic status. We are in agreement with this. The only three specimens of flavigula are old and discoloured through being soiled and foxed (on the evidence of the loaned Turin specimen and as mentioned in Erard 1974). 'The field description of the 1989 sightings of flavigula (Ash & Gullick 1990) differ in some respects from the Fantalle birds and from the Turin specimen. In particular the 1989 flavigula were described as having pale dull yellow rumps (compared with the bright canary yellow of the Fantalle birds), and lacked the supercilia present in the Fantalle birds. Additionally, no traces of any greenish edgings to the wing feathers were noticed in the 1989 sightings, although this is apparently a seasonal character noted in the original description of flavigula (remigibus et rectricibus exterius vix virescente limbatis: Salvadori 1888), and only noted on occasions in the field on the Fantalle birds. Further examination of this Ethiopian group of Serinus is required, including DNA analysis, before a final decision can be made on the status of the Fantalle birds. It is, however, of interest to place the Fantalle birds on record, in order to draw attention to this population of Serinus, but to describe them as a new taxon on present evidence would be premature. It is possible that they may be shown to be a link between flavigula and xantholaema. Their similarity to S. xanthopygius also needs to be examined further. The consistency in appearance in the Fantalle birds does not suggest that they could be hybrids. Ash suggested that Erard, because of his particular knowledge of Ethiopian Serinus, should be asked to evaluate the Fantalle specimen. The following is a resumé of his detailed comments, following his examination in December 1994. Erard immediately identified the Fantalle specimen as S. flavigula because of its resemblance to the birds he named as flavigula; the three specimens examined by Salvadori referred to in Erard (1974). As a fresh specimen it looked much brighter, whereas Salvadori’s specimens of over 100 years old were much soiled and foxed. There are no flavigula in the Paris Museum, but Erard still had his notes resulting from his examination of the four S. xantholaema and the series of S. xanthopygius, S. atrogularis reichenowt and SS. dorsostriatus maculicollis used in his paper (Erard 1974). His measurements of the Fantalle specimen using his previous method gave a wing-length of 65.5 mm and a tail length of 47 mm, }. D. Atkins & W. G. Harvey S/ Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) so that its tail/wing index placed it among the upper values of S. xantholaema but not far away from S. flavigula and S. xanthopygius in Figure 3 of his paper. It is necessary, in a comparison based on small samples or single specimens, to be careful not to regard as taxonomic characters what in reality belongs to individual variation. For example, yellow rump colour may vary in intensity in relation to food and of course, with the age of the specimens; it would be interesting, for instance, to examine whether the oil in Lavandula could intensify the yellow pigment. The Fantalle specimen was very similar to Erard’s six specimens of S. xanthopygius collected in 1968 and 1970, except for its yellow throat patch and sharper striation of the upperparts. The dark blobs of brownish colour below the yellow throat patch are less visible than in most xanthopygius but are not comparable with the well-defined upper-breast band of xantholaema. The greenish edgings to the wing feathers are hardly discernible on the Fantalle specimen; probably since this is a seasonal character, also found in xanthopygius and xantholaema. The breast and flanks of the Fantalle specimen are deeply suffused with brownish-grey, unlike those of xantholaema but like several xanthopy- gius, particularly the two Erard (1974) referred to as probably immatures. The pattern of striation of the upperparts varies individually in all Sevinus available in Paris, so its value in such comparisons is limited. In Erard’s opinion, the birds seen in 1989 by Ash & Gullick (1990) and the Fantalle birds (as judged by the collected specimen) belong to the same species, Serinus flavigula Salvadori. Erard does not think they represent different subspecies, but noted that a comparison of specimens from both localities would be necessary to ascertain this. He maintained his earlier view that xanthopygius and flavigula are closely related but emphasised that more field work was still necessary, as well as mtDNA analyses, before a firm conclusion could be reached on their relationship. Such studies should include S. flavigula, S. xantholaema, S. atrogularis, S. xanthopygius, S. dorsostriatus and S. leucopygius, and also, if possible, the enigmatic white-rumped serin seen by Ash in 1970 and others subsequently, including Jarry and himself in 1971. The Fantalle Sevinus flavigula appear to exist in isolation on Mt. Fantalle in the Awash National Park in a population of at least 30 similar birds, and possibly several hundreds in view of the extent of the preferred habitat. It is remarkable that, if always present, they have escaped notice over the years in a relatively well-watched area. The same remark was made about the new Serinus ankoberensis discovered only 70 km away in 1976 (Ash 1979); and, even closer, flavigula only 64 km away had not been seen for over 100 years until rediscovered in 1989. Interestingly, the present Fantalle birds were found while we searched for another unidentified Serinus, the white-rumped bird found by Ash in 1970 near the base of Mt. Fantalle, and for which he now has about ten reported sightings in the subsequent 20 years. This form still awaits a published description. It is hoped that this paper will alert other observers of Serinus in Ethiopia and encourage further research into a group which appears to A. Whittaker 58 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 116(1) have particular evolutionary significance in that country. JDA (at the address below) will be very happy to receive and collate future interesting Serinus records from Ethiopia. Acknowledgements Our thanks go to the Government of Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Wildlife and Conservation Organisation, the British Council in Addis Ababa, the local Afar herdsmen and the staff of Awash National Park for their support and encouragement in our studies. We also thank Dr John Ash for his constructive, perspicacious comments and advice, Dr Christian Erard for his careful analysis and comments, and Dr Carlo Violani and Mr Peter Colston for much help with the loan specimen, Ato Yilma Dellelegn for his companionship and excellent eye, Mrs Sue Edwards of the Addis Ababa Herbarium for identifying the Lavandula, Mrs Simonetta Wyatt for translating the original descriptions by Salvadori, Ms Gillian Fernandes and Ms Anne Machira for typing the drafts and our respective partners, Gus and Pauline, for their patience and forbearance when we embarked on yet another search. References: Ash, J. S. 1979. A new species of serin from Ethiopia. [bis 121: 1-7. Ash, J. S. & Gullick, T. M. 1989. The present situation regarding the endemic breeding birds of Ethiopia. Scopus 3: 90-96. Ash, J. S. & Gullick, T. M. 1990. Serinus flavigula rediscovered. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 110: 81-83. Clement, P., Harris, A. & Davis, J. 1993. Finches and Sparrows: An Identification Guide. Christopher Helm. Erard, C. 1974. Taxonomie des serins a gorge jaune d’Ethiopie. Ozseau 44: 308-323. Irwin, M. P. S. 1960. The relationship of some aberrant African Serinus. Ibis 102: 503-506. Rand, A. L. 1968. What is Serinus flavigula? Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 88: 116-119. Salvadori, T. 1888. Catalogo di una collezione di ucelli dello Scioa fatta dal Dott. Vicenzo Rapazzi negli anni 1884, 1885, 1886. Ann. Mus. Civ. Genova (2) 6: 185-326. Van den Elzen, R. 1985. Systematics and evolution of African canaries and seedeaters (Aves: Carduelidae). Proc. Internat. Symp. African Vertebr. Bonn. Addresses: J. D. Atkins, c/o FCO (Addis Ababa), King Charles Street, London SW1A 2AH. W. G. Harvey, c/o FCO (Nairobi), King Charles Street, London SW1A 2AH. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 Notes on feeding behaviour, diet and anting of some cotingas by Andrew Whittaker Received 25 January 1995 The following observations were made between 1987 and 1995, mostly in forest reserves of the Projeto Dinamica Biologica de Fragmentos Florestais (PDBFF), which consist of virgin terra firme forest and mosaics of terra firme forest with agricultural development (mostly cattle pasture). The reserves are situated 50-80 km north of Manaus. A. Whittaker 59 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 116(1) The terra firme forest in these areas is found on nutrient-poor yellow latosols (Anon 1987) and has a continuous 30-50 canopy with occasional emergents of 40-55 m. For further details, see Stotz & Bierregaard (1989) and Lovejoy & Bierregaard (1990). Some observations were made from a 42 m observation tower in virgin terra firme forest. I also made opportunistic observations during periods of travel in other parts of Amazonia, at sites that will be noted in the text. Perhaps the main interest of these observations 1s that they show that a number of cotinga species that have been thought to be entirely frugivorous do take insects to some extent. They also include the first record of a cotinga taking a bat, and what may be the first record of a cotinga anting. PURPLE-THROATED COTINGA Porphyrolaema porphyrolaema So little is known about this species that all field observations seem worth recording. On 19 September 1993 in Alta Floresta, Mato Grosso (9°15’S, 56°00’W), I observed a pair of Purple-throated Cotingas along a road through disturbed terra firme forest. The pair were about 12 m up in a fruiting tree in which several other frugivorous birds were feeding on the abundant fruit. They were well separated within the tree, about 10-12 m apart. The female was perched near the tip of a branch, where she was eating dark bluish-coloured fruits of about 1 cm diameter, bending down almost vertically to pluck and swallow them. The male was also feeding, but I was unable to observe his methods before the pair flew from the tree. On 15 September 1994, again from the same road, I watched a female feeding in a fruiting Cecropiza tree, clinging to the clump of fruit and hanging down while plucking off bits of the finger-like ‘catkins’ and eating them. SPANGLED COTINGA Cotinga cayana The males are most often seen perched high up on the topmost branches (often dead and bare) of a towering forest tree, perched motionless often for long periods of time. I have also occasionally seen this species, mostly female-plumaged birds, joining the roving mixed-species flocks in the canopy of the PBDFF reserves, but they are not nearly as regular in these flocks as the Pompadour Cotinga Xipholena punicea. | have also seen several groups of from 2 to 6 birds, mostly adult males, in the zgapo forest (black-water flooded forest) of the Anavilhanas archipelago on the Rio Negro river during April—July of most years. These months, in which the river rises and floods the forest, are the main fruiting season for a large number of the igapé trees. Schomburgk (1848) reported recorded Spangled Cotingas in large feeding flocks in coastal Guyana. Spangled Cotingas have hitherto been recorded feeding only on fruit. On 19 September 1993 I watched an adult male sallying for flying insects (almost certainly ants or termites) from near the top of an emergent forest tree; and on 13 January 1991 watched a female- plumaged bird moving slowly and deliberately through a line of trees, 25-30 m up, peering among the leaves, very much in the manner of a foraging Greyish Mourner Rhytipterna simplex. As there were no signs A. Whittaker 60 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 116(1) of fruit in any of the trees, the bird was almost certainly foraging for insects. I have watched Spangled Cotingas feeding on the catkin-like fruit of Cecropia trees on two occasions. An adult male and a female-plumaged bird fed by leaning down from a nearby branch and plucking pieces of fruit; an immature male plucked pieces of fruit off in flight, like a trogon, returning to a nearby branch to eat them. PLUM-THROATED COTINGA Cotinga maynana On 6 February 1992 in Seringal Occidente, Acre, I observed a male visiting a large lone Cecropiza tree situated in a small orchard. The bird was seen briefly on several occasions feeding on the fruit. While perched he plucked off pieces of fruit and flew off with them into the adjacent forest. ‘This behaviour is puzzling, as the little that is known about the breeding behaviour of Cotinga spp. (Snow 1982) indicates that males take no part in feeding young or in other nesting duties. PURPLE-BREASTED COTINGA Cotinga cotinga At 08.45 hrs on 19 June 1993, from the 42 m observation tower, I observed a female Purple-breasted Cotinga perched on a dead snag in the canopy within 20 m of the tower. She peered around, alert and with neck stretched forward; then perched motionless for another 30 seconds before flying down into the top of a neighbouring tree some 15 m away and out of sight. She re-appeared back on her original perch after about 5 minutes. Again she remained still for a couple of minutes before returning to the same tree again. This time I was able to see her through a gap in the foliage. She was shufHing her body, as if brooding, holding her wings slightly open, shaking them, and then preening under them. She was in fact anting; I could see several small black ants on the leaves and branches next to her. While perched she rotated her body through 180° on the dead branch, preening but still in a crouched posture. She was seen to lunge forwards on two occasions towards the ants, but I was unable to see any ants in her beak. She continued preening for about a minute before she hopped out of sight. POMPADOUR COTINGA Xipholena punicea I have regularly recorded female-plumaged Pompadour Cotingas accompanying large mixed-species flocks in the PDBFF reserves. Adult males seem very rarely to associate with these flocks, as also noted for the Spangled Cotinga. On five different occasions at the PBDFF I have seen single males sallying from tall trees for flying ants or termites. Previous records have indicated that the species is entirely frugivorous (Snow 1982). In April 1991 and 1992 I saw small groups of 2—4 female-plumaged birds in the zgapo forest of the Anavilhanas archipelago up river on the Rio Negro from Manaus; like the Spangled Cotingas mentioned above, they were feeding on the fruit that is abundant at that time of year. At 07.00 hrs on 20 June, from the observation tower, I watched an adult male perched on a dead snag in the canopy at the top of a 30m tree. After perching motionless for about 30 seconds, he started A. Whittaker 61 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 116(1) regurgitating seeds. The seeds appeared to be surrounded by a sticky substance which caused them to stick to the bird’s bill. As he wiped his bill from side to side on the branch to get rid of them, they remained stuck to it. The seeds were oblong, about 1 cm across and 0.5 cm wide. I watched him regurgitate 8 seeds over a period of about 1: minutes. Most of them eventually fell off, but two remained stuck to the branch all day. SCREAMING PIHA Lipaugus vociferans At 07.30 on 23 January 1995 at Reserva Ducke, near Manaus, a Screaming Piha was observed about 20m up in the sub-canopy of virgin terra firme forest, holding a 5-6 cm brown lizard Anolis sp. in its beak. The piha repeatedly hit the lizard’s head against the branch until it was dead. The first two attempts to swallow the lizard head first were unsuccessful; each time the bird, after swallowing three-quarters of the lizard’s body, regurgitated it. Finally, after re-arranging the lizard in its bill, it successfully swallowed it. This seems to represent the first record of this cotinga feeding on a reptile. CAPUCHINBIRD Pervissocephalus tricolor On 3 December 1990, in the PDBFF forest reserve, my attention was attracted to the ‘growling’ contact call of a Capuchinbird. It was in the mid-story at a height of 10-12 m, some 25-30m away from a mixed-species under-story flock mainly composed of antbirds, furnariids and woodcreepers. ‘The Capuchinbird was perched almost motionless, moving only its head very slowly and apparently searching for prey. Similar behaviour was noted by Snow (1972), and I have also noted it on almost all occasions when I have observed Capuchinbirds foraging in the mid-story. I have only recorded them following mixed-species under-story flocks twice, once in the PDBFF reserve and once at Maraca Island, Roraima. After some minutes several alarm calls from birds in the flock alerted me to the fact that the Capuchinbird was on the move. Perhaps, because of its relatively large size, it was mistaken for a predator. It flew directly to another perch 8-10 m away, where it continued searching for prey. Then after about half a minute it left the perch and flew suddenly with a swift and direct flight, disappearing into a dense tangle of vines and leafy branches some 10-12 m away, where it remained hidden from my view. About 30 seconds later it flew out of the tangle with something large in its beak, and landed on a liana 8-10 m up and about 20 m in front of me. I was able to clearly see a live bat in its beak. The bat was dark brownish-black, about 6—8 cm in body length; it was still moving a little and had one wing hanging out of the bird’s bill. The Capuchinbird then began to batter the bat against the liana. It continued to do so until the wings were manageable; this enabled it to hold the bat comfortably in its beak, whereupon it flew off strongly through the mid-story and out of sight, presumably to feed its young. An active Capuchinbird lek was located some 1.5 km away, in the direction in which it flew. A. Whittaker 62 Bull. B.O.C. 1995 116(1) BARE-NECKED FRUITCROW Gymnoderus foetidus On 21 August 1991, on the Rio Negro about 260 km northwest of Manaus, I observed three Bare-necked Fruitcrows sallying for insects from the tops of two huge emergent Cezba trees about 100m apart; a pair in one tree and a lone male in the other. They looked large and clumsy as they sallied almost vertically 15-30 m above the trees after flying insects. Although the flight was laboured, with a lot of flapping, several successful sallies were made. The fruitcrows were preying on a hatch of good-sized winged ants or termites. Between 05.45 and 06.00 hrs on 18 and 19 September 1993 at Alta Floresta, after a heavy rainstorm late on the previous day, I saw the same behaviour again. On this occasion three males were sallying for insects (almost certainly ants or termites) from the top of an emergent. Again the sallies were to 15-30 m, almost vertically, and all were successful, the birds returning either to the same perch or to another one. These seem to be the first records of this species feeding on insects. I have seen Bare-necked Fruitcrows feeding on ripe Cecropia fruit on many occasions, along the banks of several Amazonian rivers, sometimes in close association with Psarocolius oropendolas. On 26 July 1994, near the mouth of the Rio Branco, I observed a lone male feeding on ripe Acai (Euterpe sp.) palm fruits. Acknowledgements I would like to especially thank R. O. Bierregaard, Jr. for all the help, advice and opportunities he gave me during fieldwork at the PDBFF; also Claude Gascon, Jay R. Malcolm, James L. Patton, Carlos A. Peres, Maria N. F. Silva, David C. Oren and Dionisio C. P. Neto. The manuscript benefitted from the comments and discussions of Renato Cintra and Phil Stouffer, to whom I am very grateful. Financial support was given by the following institutions: World Wildlife Fund, Smithsonian Institution, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazénia (INPA), John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation (Chicago), Wildlife Conservation International. Special thanks to Susan Vitka and Peter Fox-Penner for equipment donation. Finally I would like to thank my wife Nadime A. Whittaker for her constant support over the years. This represents publication no. 148 in the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments technical series. References: Anonymous 1978. Projeto radambrasil: folha SA 20 Manaus. Minestério de Minas e Energia: Dept. Nacional da Produ¢ao Mineral. Rio de Janeiro. Lovejoy, T. E. & Bierregaard, R. O. 1990. Central Amazonian forests and the Minimum Critical Size of Ecosystem Project. Pp. 60-71 in A. H. Gentry (ed.), Four Neotropical Rainforests. Yale Univ. Press. Schomburgk, R. 1848. Reisen in Britisch-Guiana in dem Jahren 1840-1844. Part 3. J. J. Weber, Leipzig. Snow, B. K. 1972. A field study of the Calfbird Perissocephalus tricolor. Ibis 114: 139-162. Snow, D. 1982. The Cotingas. Oxford Univ. Press. Stotz, D. F. & Bierregaard, R. O. 1989. Rev. Bras. Biol. 49: 861-872. Address: Andrew Whittaker, Projeto Dinamica Biol6gico de Fragmentos Florestais, INPA, C.P. 478, Manaus 69011, Amazonas, Brazil. Present address: Conjunto Acariquara, Rua Samaumas 214, Manaus 69085-053, Amazonas, Brazil. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 In Brief 63 Bull. B.O.C. 116(1) IN BRIEF A FIRST RECORD OF THE STRIPE-CHEEKED GREENBUL ANDROPADUS MILANJENSIS IN THE PUGU HILLS, TANZANIA The Stripe-cheeked Greenbul Andropadus milanjensis (Shelley) is a montane and sub-montane bird of primary forest, resident from southern Kenya through the highlands of eastern ‘Tanzania and Malawi to Mozambique and Zimbabwe (Stuart & Jensen 1985, Keith et al. 1992). According to Mackworth-Praed & Grant (1955), Stuart & Jensen (1985) and Keith et al. (1992), the race A.™m. striifacies (Reichenow & Neumann) occurs in Kenya and Tanzania, where it is mainly sedentary but in the cold season, between April and August, shows altitudinal migration by descending in Tanzania down to 150 m in the Usambaras and 250m in the Ulugurus. I here report a first record for this species near the coast. On 26 May 1995 in the Pugu Hills (6°53’S, 39°05’E; 300 m above sea level), about 25 km southwest of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, an adult bird was mist-netted in forest during a bird ringing study. The following details of plumage and soft-part colours were noted. Top of head and upperparts including wing coverts uniform olive-green. Tail feathers brown with narrow pale margins, shaft brown above and whitish below. Black patch from lores and base of bill to cheeks and ear-coverts, streaked white on cheeks and ear-coverts. Chin pale grey with olive wash, rest of underparts from throat to undertail-coverts olive yellow, dark on breast and flanks. Bill pale black and dark grey eye with greyish-white eye ring. The plumage was very worn, with no sign of moult except for a wrinkled brood patch which was_ being re-feathered. Measurements (mm) were: wing 90, tail 83, bill (to skull) 22.8, tarsus 21.7. Weight recorded at the time of capture (12.30 hrs local time) was 27.0 g. A faecal sample, examined under binocular microscope, consisted of coleopteran remains only. ‘The description and mensural data are in agreement with those given for A.m. striifacies by Keith et al. (1992), but the weight was lower, possibly because the bird had just arrived from its breeding area, the nearest being the Ulugurus some 200 km away. The solitary habit of the Stripe-cheeked Greenbul (Keith et al. 1992), and possibly its rarity in the study area, may be reasons why it has not been discovered before in Pugu Hills despite a fairly long history of ornithological investigations there (Harvey & Howell 1987). Alternatively, this new record may be an indication of recent extension of the species’ wintering area. The record was made during a Ph.D. field study on Pycnonotids, a work sponsored by the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (Germany), with additional support from the Institut fir Vogelforschung, Wilhelmshaven, and the GEF Biodiversity project in Tanzania. I very much thank them all. References: Harvey, W. G. & Howell, K. M. 1987. Birds of the Dar es Salaam area, Tanzania. Gerfaut 77: 205-258. Keith, S., Urban, E. K. & Fry, C. H. 1992. The Birds of Africa. Vol. 4. Academic Press. In Brief 64 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(1) Mackworth-Praed, C. W. & Grant, C. H. B. 1955. Birds of Eastern and Northeastern Africa. Vol. 2. Longmans. Stuart, S. N. & Jensen, F. P. 1985. The avifauna of the Uluguru Mountains, Tanzania. Gerfaut 75: 155-197. ; Institut fur Vogelforschung, CHARLES O. F. MLINGWA “Vogelwarte Helgoland’’, an der Vogelwarte 21, 26386 Wilhelmshaven, Germany. 21 June 1995 BOOKS RECEIVED Jones, D. N., Dekker, R. W. R. J. & Roselaar, C. S. 1995. The Megapodes. Pp. xx+262, 8 colour plates, text-figures, maps and sonagrams. ISBN 0-19-854651-3. Oxford University Press. £35. 25 x 20 cm. This is the third in OUP’s new series ‘Bird Families of the World’. With only 22 recognised species in 7 genera, the megapodes lend themselves to comprehensive treatment in a moderately sized book such as this. Its general plan, as in others of the series, consists of a number of general chapters dealing with all biological aspects of main interest in the family concerned, followed by the species accounts. In this case the general chapters, dealing largely with the remarkable adaptations of a family unique in its breeding behaviour and little known to most ornithologists, are of outstanding interest. The species accounts are comprehensive, with distribution maps and sonagrams for the species whose voice has been studied. There cannot be any known fact of evolutionary, biogeographical or specific significance relating to these extraordinary birds that is not presented and discussed in this very well written and illustrated book. Summers-Smith, J. D. 1995. The Tree Sparrow. Pp. xxiit+205, 4 colour plates, 50 text- figures. ISBN 0-9525383-0-X. Published by the author; available from The Natural History Book Service, 2-3 Wills Road, Totnes, Devon TQ9 5XN. £24. 24 x 16 cm. A meticulously detailed account of a bird whose only rival as a commensal of man is the House Sparrow, the subject of a monograph from the same pen 33 years ago, and whose range and population fluctuations in Britain and other parts of western Europe have remained an unsolved problem. Tree Sparrows occupy the urban niche of House Sparrows in the Far East, and the details and probable history of this association are explored in depth. A huge literature has been surveyed; there are 19 pages of references, many of them obscure, and 15 appendices. This is a monograph in the true sense, enlivened by drawings by Robert Gillmor and reproductions of Tree Sparrows in Oriental art. NOTICE TO CONTRIBUTORS Papers, from Club Members or non-members, should be sent to the Editor, Dr D. W. Snow, The Old Forge, Wingrave, Aylesbury, Bucks HP22 4PD, U.K., and must be offered solely to the Bulletin. They should be typed on one side of the paper, with treble-spacing and a wide margin, and submitted in duplicate. The style and lay-out should conform with usage in this or recent issues of the Bulletin. A contributor is entitled to 10 free offprints (16 if 2 or more authors) of the pages of the Bulletin in which his contribution, if one page or more in length, appears. Additional offprints or offprints of contributions of less than one page may be ordered when the manuscript is submitted and will be charged for. Authors may be charged for proof corrections for which they are responsible. MEMBERSHIP Only Members of the British Ornithologists’ Union are eligible to join the Club; applications should be sent to the Hon. Treasurer, as below, together with the annual subscription (£8.50 or, if preferred, U.S. $22 for 1996, postage and index free). Changes of address and any correspondence concerning membership should be addressed to the Hon. Treasurer. SUBSCRIPTION TO THE BULLETIN & OTHER PUBLICATIONS The Bulletin (Vol. 116 onwards) may be purchased by non-members on payment of the annual subscription (£22 or, if preferred, U.S. $45 for 1996, postage and index free). Applications should be sent to the Hon. Treasurer. Single issues may be obtained as back numbers. BACK NUMBERS OF THE BULLETIN Available on application to the Hon. Treasurer. PAYMENTS TO HON. TREASURER Payments should be sent to the Hon. Treasurer, S. J. Farnsworth, Hammerkop, Frogmill, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berks SL65NL, U.K., or credited direct to the Club’s bank account—No. 10211540, Sort Code 20 00 87, at Barclays Prime Account, Dale House, Wavertree Boulevard, Liverpool L7 9PQ, U.K., with confirmation to the Hon. Treasurer. All payments are net and should be in Sterling if possible. Payment in other currencies must include a further £4 for U.K. Bank Charges (except for annual rates in U.S. Dollars which are inclusive). CORRESPONDENCE Correspondence on all other matters should go to the Hon. Secretary, Cdr M. B. Casement, OBE, RN, Dene Cottage, West Harting, Petersfield, Hants. GU31 5PA, U.K. For details of Club Meetings see inside front cover. CONTENTS CLUB NOTICES Report of the Committee, Annual General Meeting, IMIG Gti eS Ss ects piste ce Oo eee eae Thole a) lg 8 as te HINKELMANN, C. Evidence for natural hybridisation in hermit hum- mingbirds (Phaecthornis spp.) .. 6... 2c). + een MUDD, H. & MARTINS, R. Possible display behaviour of White-necked Picathartesyis ih 5) Nes aio ee eee a ae se area ener ee GIBBS; D. Notes on Solomon Island birds... +. 2-204 40 ele RASMUSSEN, J. F., RAHBEK, C., POULSEN, B. O., POULSEN, M. K. & BLOCH, H. Distributional records and natural history notes on threatened and: little known birds of southern’ Ecuador .-5). 1 eee SEDDON, N., BARNES, R., BURCHART, S. H. M., DAVIES, C. W. N. & FERNANDEZ, M. Recent observations and notes on the ecology of the Royal Sunangel Heliangelus vegalis 22 0 eo es ee ee ee HAZEVOET, Cc. J. A record of the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops persicus from the Cape Verde Islands and status of the species in West 72453 0 (er: Paya een ne RSE MMS PMEEy Mee MRA Ee Uc Sa 6 alibia co co mo ATKINS, J. D. & HARVEY, W. G. A new site for, and observations on Serinus flavigula in Ethiopia, with comments on its taxonomic STATUS iis. feie Saree a See acre NSB stan s Le eas ah ates tele ecliis conec WHITTAKER, A. Notes on feeding behaviour, diet and anting of some COLIMB AS: False AIAN Ge Ce A ody hens au te Tig a In Brief MLINGWa, c. Oo. F. A first record of the Stripe-cheeked Greenbul Andropadus milanjensis in the Pugu Hills, Tanzania BOOKSSRE CEDVED agence nie ntciciicii-i ich cach illicit yao meie fist ttoate ners wt een Page 46 50 52 58 63 64 The Bulletin is despatched from the printers on publication and is sent by Surface Saver Postal Services to all European destinations outside the U.K. and by Air Saver Postal Services to destinations outside Europe. Those whose subscriptions have not been received by the beginning of a month of publication will have their copies despatched by surface mail, after their current subscription has been paid. COMMITTEE D. Griffin (Chairman) (1993) N. H. F. Stone (1995) Dr D. W. Snow (Editor) (1991) Revd T. W. Gladwin (Vice-Chairman) (1993) Cdr M. B. Casement, OBE, RN S. J. Farnsworth (Hon. Treasurer) (1990) (Hon. Secretary) (1996) R. E. F. Peal (1993) Miss H. Baker (1994) Dr R. Prys-Jones (1995) Printed on acid-free paper. Published by the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB and printed by Henry Ling Ltd., at the Dorset Press, Dorchester, Dorset : ISSN 0007-1595 BIRD Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club Edited by Dr D. W. SNOW \WASONTAR A JUL 10 1996 LIBRARIES Volume 116 No. 2 June 1996 FORTHCOMING MEETINGS Tuesday, 16 July 1996. Dr Roger Wilkinson will speak on “Zoo breeding programmes for endangered species”. Having spent six years in Nigeria, teaching and research at Bayero University, Kano, he is now Curator of Birds at Chester Zoo, and Secretary of the West African Ornithological Society. Applications to the Hon. Secretary by 2 July, please. Tuesday, 17 September 1996. Robin Prytherch will speak on “Buzzards in Avon-—a success story’’. For 23 years Robin worked on many programmes for the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol, and was a key member of the Birdwatch team. He now works freelance as an ornithologist, wildlife illustrator and film producer. Always interested in birds of prey, he has studied Buzzards in Avon, since 1980. Applications to the Hon. Secretary by 3 September, please. Tuesday, 5 November 1996. Nigel Hunter will speak on “Birds of Botswana’’. Nigel has spent the past 13 years in Botswana, including four years as Coordinator of Land Use Planning (1986-90), and the last five years as Director of Wildlife and National Parks (1990-95). He is currently back in the UK, working as Head of Wildlife Management at the Natural Resources Institute. Applications to the Hon. Secretary by 22 October, please. Meetings are held in the Sherfield Building of Imperial College, South Kensington, London SW7, at 6.15 p.m. for 7 p.m. The nearest Tube station is at South Kensington, and car parking facilities are available; a map of the area will be sent to members, on request. The cash bar is open from 6.15, and a buffet supper, of two courses followed by coffee, is served from about 7.00. (A vegetarian menu can be arranged if ordered at the time of booking.) Informal talks are given on completion. Overseas Members visiting Britain are particularly welcome at meetings. For details in advance, please contact the Hon. Secretary: Cdr M. B. Casement, OBE, RN, Dene Cottage, West Harting, Petersfield, Hants. GU31 5PA. Tel/Fax: 01730-825280 for late bookings and cancellations. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 Apart from single copies made for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under UK law, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, except with prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the Editor; for address see inside back cover. 65 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) Bulletin of the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Vol. 116 No. 2 Published 30 June 1996 The eight hundred and fifty-fifth meeting of the Club was held in the Ante-room of the Sherfield Building at Imperial College, on Tuesday 23 January 1996, at 6.15 p.m. 27 Members and 6 Guests attended. Members present were: D. GRIFFIN (Chairman), Professor R. J. CHANDLER (Speaker), M. A. Apcock, Miss H. Baker, P. J. BELMaN, J. H. R. Boswati, Mrs D. M. BrapDLey, Dr K. B. Bricecs, P. J. Butt, D. R. Caper, Cdr M. B. CasEMENT RN, Revd T. W. Grapwin, C. A. R. Heitm, N. Hunter, R. H. Kettrve, Dr C. F. Mann, D. J. MOnTIER, Mrs A. M. Moores, R. G. Morgan, R. E. F. Peat, R. C. Price, Dr R. P. Pr¥s-JoNEs, Dr C. Ryatt, R. E. Scott, P. J. SEtLar, N. H. F. Stone, C. W. R. Storey. Guests attending were: J. BARRINGTON, Mrs J. Butt, Mrs J. GLapwin, Mrs M. Montier, P. J. Moore, Mrs H. PRIcE. After dinner, Professor Richard Chandler gave an illustrated talk on ‘“‘Waders in Western Australia’. Almost a million waders from the eastern Palearctic spend their non-breeding season in the northern part of Western Australia. The most numerous species are Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris, Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica, Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaulti, Little Curlew Numenius minutus and Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis, whose maximum counts together total over 500,000. Australian endemic waders occur in far smaller numbers, of which Red-capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus, with non-breeding numbers of up to 15,000, are much the most numerous. Though non-breeding individuals of most of the Palearctic species can be found throughout the year, they only occur in significant numbers between September and April/May. Figure 1. Banded Stilts with chicks at Lake Ballard, Western Australia, 9 April 1995. (Photo: R. J. Chandler.) Meetings 66 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) Departure depends on species, most leaving in March and April having already attained their breeding plumage. The waders are attracted by the extensive low-tide mud flats along the 600 km coast between Broome and Port Hedland, and by the equally extensive and usually dry semi-desert grasslands just inland from the coast. The Australian endemic Banded Stilts Cladorhynchus leucocephalus breed opportunist- ically at inland salt lakes which only hold water after the infrequent inland rains. Consequently, individual stilts probably breed only at irregular intervals perhaps as long as several years. The remoteness of their breeding sites is such that many of the details of their breeding biology are incompletely known, and breeding colonies have only been witnessed on a handful of occasions. Their breeding biology is unique for waders in several respects. They are communal breeders, the largest colony recorded to date being 179,000 birds. The chicks have completely white downy plumage (Fig. 1), and join créches (typically numbering a few tens to a few hundreds in size) shortly after hatching, feeding (on brine shrimps) in swimming: groups, accompanied by a few adults. Some chicks wander substantial distances before fledging. The talk was illustrated with slides showing all the species that were discussed. The eight hundred and fifty-sixth meeting of the Club was held in the Ante-room of the Sherfield Building at Imperial College, on Tuesday 20 February 1996, at 6.15 p.m. 21 Members and 5 Guests attended, despite difficult travel conditions; 12 additional members and guests were obliged to cancel plans to come, due to heavy snow. Members present were: D. GRIFFIN (Chairman), Dr J. A. JoBLING (Speaker), Miss H. Baker, P. J. BELMAN, Mrs D. BrapLey, Dr M. J. Carswe_it, Cdr M. B. CasEMENT RN, Professor R. J. CHANDLER, Dr R. A. CHEKE, S. J. FARNSWorRTH, F. M. GauNTLETT, A. Grpss, R. H. Kettye, B. A. E. Marr, D. J. Montier, R. G. Morean, R. E. F. PEat, P. J. Setvar, S. A. H. StatHam, C. W. R. Storey, Mrs F. E. Warr. Guests attending were: D. Couzens, Mrs M. H. Gauntiett, Mrs S. Grirrin, Mrs F. FaRNSWoRTH, Mrs M. MOonrtIiErR. After dinner, James Jobling gave an illustrated talk based on his book A Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. An abridged version of the talk will appear as a paper in a forthcoming issue of the Bulletin. B. O. Poulsen 67 Bull. B.O.C. 1966 116(2) Species composition, function and home-range of mixed-species bird flocks in a primary cloud forest in Ecuador by Bent Otto Poulsen Received 10 May 1995 Few papers have previously focused on mixed-species flocks in high-altitude humid forests (Macdonald & Henderson 1977, Moynihan 1979, Remsen 1985). Macdonald & Henderson worked in Kashmir, Moynihan described compositions of flocks from South America including central Ecuador, while Remsen focused on flock compo- sitions in Bolivia. In this paper I present data on species composition and size of mixed-species flocks from southern Ecuador, and discuss their possible function. I also present data on the size of a flock’s home-range, hitherto unknown from this altitude. Study area From March to May 1992 I studied mixed-species bird flocks at Cajanuma (04°06'S, 79°09’W), Podocarpus National Park, Loja Province, Ecuador. The study plot was situated in an area of temperate (montane) cloud forest at 2675-2975 m, around the park headquarters. Long periods with fog, clouds and rain prevail at Cajanuma from February to mid-October. A less wet period with some sunshine and clear sky lasts from mid-October through January (Apolo 1984, Bloch et al. 1991). This humid weather regime is caused by the topographic setting. Cajanuma is on the western slope of the easternmost ridge of the Andes of southern Ecuador. The altitude of the ridge above Cajanuma is only 3660 m. Hence, the weather at Cajanuma is heavily influenced by the extremely humid climate on the eastern side (Apolo 1984). The predominant vegetation is a primary cloud forest with patches of Chusquea bamboo on naturally- and man-disturbed slopes (Gentry 1992). The composition of trees around Cajanuma is almost the same as in the corresponding zone on the eastern slope (Madsen 1989). Epiphytes are richly developed, creating a high structural complexity and heterogeneity with many microhabitats. Methods Birds were mist-netted and colour-ringed for individual identification. Observations of colour-ringed individuals, and of species composition, were used to distinguish between different flocks. The same trails were walked every day from 0600 to 1800 hrs in all kinds of weather. Flocks were observed using waterproof 10 x 42 Leica binoculars. Species were also identified by voice. I distinguished between canopy, understorey and combined flocks. In the field and when analysing the material, I distinguished between flock encounters where all species and individuals were recorded and flock encounters B. O. Poulsen 68 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) IIE BENG ila aN SO sos ene i a WEES ROor \y; gseeemeeee ATS a i Oe 7 EN ed EC 25: , ce Ah A EN CPP ero AR NCO 5a GR Gann siSe) ceveeee suas Aeencee Sa ap r 25m SAN Figure 1. Map of study area at Cajanuma showing minimum principal home-range of flock A. Large dots=flocks with colour-ringed individuals; small dots=incompletely observed flocks where colour-rings were not seen, but composition similar to that of flock A; stippled=secondary scrub with bamboo. where only some species and individuals were recorded. Due to the limited view in the forest, the majority of flock records had to be referred to the latter type. Accordingly, calculations on structure are approximations given as minimum and maximum mean numbers. For each flock encounter, the location, size and composition of the flock were recorded. To determine the locations of all encounters I used a detailed map of the area (Fig. 1), constructed by use of a bearing compass. Landmarks were established along the trails as coloured flags on poles raised high above the canopy and as colour-marks close to the ground. The approximate linear distances between the landmarks K and L and P and L on the ground were measured on the terrain, and adjustments for differences in altitude were made using trigonometric functions. Angles between the directions to various landmarks were B. O. Poulsen 69 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) imposed on a gridded paper to establish reciprocal positions. Other distances were measured subsequently from the gridded map. Finally, the area of the study plot was estimated counting the grid units of Figure 1. Observations of flocks were plotted on the map to serve as a basis for calculating a minimum principal flock home-range. Results Birds were mist-netted during 35,911 net-metre-hours (12 m net open for 5 hrs=60 net-metre-hours). A total of 514 birds were caught and of these, 252 potential flock-participating birds were colour-ringed. The ringed birds comprised 43 species. Altogether, 144 observations of mixed flocks, with a total of 55 different species, were made. A total of 164 observations of colour-ringed individuals were recorded. Composition The size of the principal study area bounded by K-T—U-V—N-L-K was c. 27 ha. Within this area at least four flocks were present. Flocks A, C and D contained species that foraged at all levels; flock B comprised only understorey species. The species composition of flock A was primarily centred around the insectivorous species Pearled Treerunner Margarornis squamiger, Streaked ‘Tuftedcheek Pseudo- colaptes boissonneautii, Blue-backed Conebill Conirostrum_ sitticolor, Grey-hooded Bush-Tanager Cnemoscopus rubrirostris and Black-headed Hemispingus Hemispingus verticalis, all with colour-ringed individuals (1, 1, 3, 2 and 2, respectively) frequently present, but the flock also contained other species attending less frequently (those with an asterisk in Appendix). None of the above mentioned colour-ringed individuals were ever seen in other flocks. The understorey flock, B, was built around Black-capped Hemi- spingus Hemispingus atropileus, Plushcap Catamblyrhynchus diadema, Rufous Wren Cinnycerthia unirufa and Yellow-billed Cacique Cacicus holosericeus, but also occasionally contained Rufous-naped Brush-Finch Atlapetes rufinucha, Pale-naped Brush-Finch Atlapetes pallidinucha and Black-crested Warbler Basileuterus nigrocristatus. ‘he two remaining flocks, C and D, were similar in composition to A, but with different individuals. Many species, normally regarded as solitary (Fjeldsa & Krabbe 1990), joined mixed flocks at Cajanuma. Three species of humming- birds, Buff-winged Starfrontlet Coeligena lutetiae, Rainbow Starfrontlet Coeligena iris and Tourmaline Sunangel Heliangelus exortis, were seen attending mixed flocks and foraging both on insects and nectar. Even two terrestrial species, Rufous Antpitta Grallaria rufula and Undulated Antpitta Grallaria squamigera, were recorded foraging in mixed flocks. Compared to the number of observations of solitary antpittas (n=36) (Poulsen 1993), flock participation (n=2) was highly unusual. Sometimes a Great Thrush Turdus fuscater, Glossy-black Thrush Turdus serranus or Band-tailed Pigeon Columba fasciata suddenly found itself within a passing flock, but all three species appeared to be inactive in the flock and unaffected, and so were considered non-participants. B. O. Poulsen 70 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) TABLE i The relative importance of different families as participants in mixed-species flocks at Cajanuma. Rank refers to the preceding column Flock No. of No. of % of birds flock flock total seen species encounters flock Rank from available with encounters of family from family Index Family family (144) family (A) (B) A/B- Rank Thraupidae 131 91.0 1 664 tS 42.3 5 Parulidae 111 77.1 2 278 5 55.6 2 Coerebidae 102 70.8 3 213 5 42.6 4 Furnariidae 82 56.9 + 226 3 153 1 Tyrannidae 51 35.4 5 109 8 13.6 8 Fringillidae 46 32.0 6 92 2 46 3 Troglodytidae 34 23.6 i, 84 2 42 6 Cotingidae 28 19.4 8 35 1 35 7 'Trochilidae 8 5.6 9 8 3 Besta ND Picidae 7 4.9 10 7 3 D2) 13 Icteridae + 2.8 11 8 1 8 9 Dendrocolaptidae 3 Dal 12 3 1 3 11 Trogonidae 2 1.4 13 3 1 3 11 Formicariidae 2 1.4 13 2 2 1 14 Corvidae 2 1.4 13 4 1 4 10 Structure Only 12.7% (7 of 55) of the species participating in flocks had minimum intraspecific group-sizes >2. In some of these species, as in several non-participating species, adults were accompanied by juveniles. Many species are singing in January and March, but the song activity is also high in August-September (N. Krabbe pers. comm.). The other participating species (n=48) were represented only by 1-2 individuals in each flock. Thirteen of 55 species (23.6%) were regular followers (Appendix), i.e. participated in >25% of the flock encounters (Powell 1985). Ninety-one percent of all encounters included species of the family Thraupidae. More than half of the encounters also contained species of Parulidae, Coerebidae and Furnartiidae (‘Table 1). Thraupidae had almost twice as many flock-participating species (n=15) as Tyrannidae (n=8). Considering the number of birds seen in flocks per available species (Index: A/B, Table 1), Furnariidae characterised flocks more than Parulidae, Fringillidae, Coerebidae and ‘Thraupidae. When the number of individuals colour-ringed was compared to the number re-sighted subsequently, striking differences appeared between three groups (Table 2). There were fewer re-sightings of colour-ringed, partially insectivorous (principally frugivorous) Thraupidae in mixed flocks than of insectivorous Thraupidae and insectivorous Furnariidae (Yates corrected y*=12.65, P<0.01, f.d.=2). Understorey species difficult to observe were excluded from this calculation. B. O. Poulsen 71 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) TABLE 2 The number of colour-ringed individuals and the number of subsequent re-sightings of colour-ringed individuals in mixed-species flocks for two families (three guilds) at Cajanuma Partially insectivorous Insectivorous Insectivorous Thraupidae Thraupidae Furnariidae Colour-ringed individuals 38 6 9 Re-sightings in mixed flocks 20 14 23 As many as 76.4% (n=110) of all flock encounters (n=144) had species in all vertical layers; in only 16% (n=23) were the birds restricted to the canopy, and in 7.6% (n=11) to the understorey. Home-range Flock A, which comprised canopy and understorey species, used a minimum principal home-range of 8 ha (Fig. 1) with an altitudinal range of c. 125 m. At its largest, this flock contained at least 15 species and 27 individual birds. Flocks B, C and D roamed over areas of undetermined size from within the small loop-trail towards O, from somewhat above P towards the K—T ridge and north to somewhere between R and S, and from halfway between P—L to N and somewhere up the trail east of L, respectively. Discussion Structure and function The insectivorous Furnariidae and Parulidae were the most frequent families in flocks when the number of birds seen in flocks per available species was considered (Table 1). Together with the data presented in Table 2 (fewer re-sightings in flocks of colour-ringed, partially insectivorous Thraupidae than of insectivorous Thraupidae and in- sectivorous Furnariidae) this suggests a looser association with mixed flocks of partially insectivorous species than of purely insectivorous species, which implies that birds join mixed-species flocks mainly to consume insects, or leave flocks to feed on other items. A negative correlation between insect activity and flocking at Cajanuma also suggests that mixed-species bird flocks form to feed on insects (Poulsen in press). It also creates a high degree of dynamics in flock size when widely roaming partially insectivorous birds like tanagers are constantly leaving and joining a flock. Home-range The ridge running from T to K was apparently a border of flock A’s home-range. Flocks seen to the west side of the ridge never contained individuals with colour-rings. This was also the case with flocks observed above P. Flock A only ranged slightly below K—L (the road), B. O. Poulsen W/?2 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) probably as a consequence of rather open forest with a lot of bamboo. A principal home-range of minimum 8 ha (flock A) is within the limits (1-10 ha) found in most studies covering humid lowland and mid-altitudes (Bushkirk et al. 1972, Munn & Terborgh 1979, Powell 1985). Terborgh et al. (1990) found at Manu in Amazonian Peru mean home-ranges of >20 ha for canopy flocks and 4-5 ha for understorey flocks (similar numbers of individuals as in Cajanuma). In this context the intermediate (between 4—5 and 20 ha) principal home-range size at Cajanuma can be explained by the flock comprising canopy as well as understorey species, and/or by use of a lower-quality forest with patches of bamboo, which necessitates the exploitation of a larger area. Summary Mixed-species bird flocks were studied in an Ecuadorian primary cloud forest at 2675-2975 m altitude. Birds were mist-netted and colour-ringed to permit individual identification. Considering the number of birds seen in flocks per available species, the insectivorous Furnariidae and Parulidae characterised flocks more than Fringillidae, Coerebidae and Thraupidae. There were fewer re-sightings of colour-ringed, partially insectivorous Thraupidae in mixed flocks than of insectivorous Thraupidae and insectivorous Furnariidae. Together with the families primarily characterising flocks this suggests a looser association with mixed flocks of partially insectivorous species than of purely insectivorous species, which implies that birds join mixed-species flocks mainly to consume insects. Home-range, so far unknown for flocks at this altitude, was determined by plotting flock observations on a detailed map. The best documented flock had a minimum principal home-range of 8 ha, with an altitudinal range of c. 125 m. Acknowledgements The Danish National Science Research Council, Copenhagen (grant 11-9116) and the Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen, provided financial support for this study. I thank Amy Frolander and Pablo A. Cueva for help during the fieldwork and Niels and Judith Krabbe for their hospitality in Quito. The Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganaderia granted permission to do research in Ecuador. David Espinosa kindly provided cooperation with Universidad Nacional de Loja. I thank Jon Fyjeldsa, Jan Komdeur and Jorgen Rabol for comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript, Mary E. Petersen for revising the English text and an anonymous referee for review. References: Apolo, W. 1984. Plan de Manejo Parque Nacional Podocarpus. Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganaderia (MAG), Quito. Bloch, H., Poulsen, M. K., Rahbek, C. & Rasmussen, J. F. 1991. A survey of the montane forest avifauna of the Loja Province, southern Ecuador. Study Report no. 49, International Council for Bird Preservation. Bushkirk, W. H., Powell, G. V. N., Wittenburger, J. F. & Powell, T. U. 1972. Interspecific bird flocks in tropical highland Panama. Auk 89: 612-624. Fjeldsa, J. & Krabbe, N. 1990. Birds of the High Andes. Zoological Museum, Univ. of Copenhagen and Apollo Books, Svendborg. Gentry, A. H. 1992. Diversity and floristic composition of Andean forests of Peru and adjacent countries: implications for their conservation. Memorias del Museo de Historia Natural, U.N.M.S.M. (Lima) 21: 11-29. Macdonald, D. W. & Henderson, D. G. 1977. Aspects of the behaviour and ecology of mixed-species bird flocks in Kashmir. [bis 119: 481-493. Madsen, J. E. 1989. Aspectos generales de la flora y vegetacién del Parque Nacional Podocarpus. Parque Nacional Podocarpus-Boletin Informativo sobre Biologia, Conservacion y Vida Silvestre, Universidad Nacional de Loja, Ecuador 1: 59-74. B. O. Poulsen 73 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) Moynihan, M. 1979. Geographic variation in social behavior and in adaptations to competition among Andean birds. Publs Nuttall Orn. Club 18. Munn, C. A. & Terborgh, J. W. 1979. Multi-species territoriality in neotropical foraging flocks. Condor 81: 338-347. Poulsen, B. O. 1993. Change in mobility among crepuscular ground-living birds in an Ecuadorian cloud forest during overcast and rainy weather. Ornitologia Neotropical 4: 103-105. Poulsen, B. O. in press. Relationships between frequency of mixed-species flocks, weather and insect activity in a montane cloud forest, Ecuador. [bis. Powell, G. V. N. 1985. Sociobiology and adaptive significance of interspecific foraging flocks in the neotropics. Pp. 713-732 in P. A. Buckley, M. S. Foster, E. S. Morton, R. S. Ridgely & F. G. Buckley (eds), Neotropical Ornithology. Orn. Monogr. no. 36, American Ornithologists’ Union. Remsen, J. V. 1985. Community organization and ecology of birds in high elevation humid forest of the Bolivian Andes. Pp. 733-756 in P. A. Buckley, M. S. Foster, E. S. Morton, R. S. Ridgely & F. G. Buckley (eds), Neotropical Ornithology. Orn. Monogr. no. 36, American Ornithologists’ Union. Terborgh, J., Robinson, S. K., Parker, T. A. III, Munn, C. H. & Pierpont, N. 1990. Structure and organization of an Amazonian forest bird community. Ecol. Monogr. 60: 213-238. Address: Bent Otto Poulsen, Division of Ornithology, Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen @, Denmark. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 APPENDIX Species at Cajanuma seen in mixed flocks, intra-specific group-sizes given as minimum and maximum mean numbers, number of times species were recorded in flocks, and their percentages of the 144 flocks seen. Rank refers to the preceding column. *= species attending flock A less frequently than the five principal species mentioned in the text Average Times group seen in % of Family and species size flocks total Rank Trochilidae Coeligena iris 1.0 1 0.7 30 Coeligena lutetiae 1.0 4 2.8 24 Heliangelus exortis 1.0 3 2.1 28 Trogonidae Trogon personatus 1.5 2 1.4 29 Picidae Veniliornis nigriceps 1.0 6 4.2 25 Piculus rivolit 1.0 1 0.7 30 Campephilus pollens 2.0 1 0.7 30 Dendrocolaptidae Lepidocolaptes affints 1.0 3 Dri 28 Furnariidae Margarornis squamiger 2.3-3.3 65 45.1 3 Pseudocolaptes boissonneautii 1.6-2.3 45 31.3 8 Synallaxis elegantior 2.0 3 2.1 28 Formicariidae Grallaria squamigera 1.0 1 0.7 30 Grallaria rufula 1.0 1 0.7 30 B. O. Poulsen 74 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) APPENDIX Continued Average Times group seen in % of Family and species size flocks total Rank Cotingidae Pipreola arcuata* 153 28 19.4 16 Tyrannidae Myuotheretes fumigatus 1.0 2 1.4 29 Ochthoeca rufipectoralis* 1.3-2.0 8 5.6 23 Myiophobus lintoni 7.0-8.5 4 2.8 27 Pyrrhomytas cinnamomea 1.42.0 9 6.3 22 Mecocerculus stictopterus* 1.5-2.0 28 19.4 16 Mecocerculus leucophrys 1.0 1 0.7 30 Phyllomyias nigrocapillus* 1.0-2.0 11 7.6 20 Phyllomyias uropygialis 1.0 1 0.7 30 Corvidae Cyanolyca turcosa 2.0 2 1.4 29 Troglodytidae Cinnycerthia unirufa 2.64.3 29 20.1 15 Troglodytes solstitialis 1.4 5 3.5 26 Thryothorus euophrys 1.0 1 0.7 30 Icteridae Cacicus holosericeus 2.0 4 2.8 27 Parulidae Dendroica fusca* 1.0-2.0 8 5.6 23 Myioborus melanocephalus* 1.8—2.4 82 56.9 1 Basileuterus nigrocristatus* 1.2-2.0 46 31:9 7 Basileuterus luteoviridis 1.9-3.3 31 21.5 14 Basileuterus coronatus* 1.0—2.0 7 4.9 24 Coerebidae Conirostrum sitticolor 1.8-2.2 57 39.6 5 Conirostrum albifrons 1.0 2 1.4 29 Diglossa albilatera* 1.0 25 17.4 17 Diglossa cyanea* 1.2-2.0 68 47.2 2 Diglossa caerulescens 1.0 3 Di 28 Diglossa lafresnayit 1.0 8 5.6 23 Thraupidae Iridosornis rufivertex* 1.8-2.8 37 25.7 13 Anisognathus lacrymosus* 1.42.0 60 41.7 4 Anisognathus igniventris* 1.7—2.0 10 6.9 21 Buthraupis eximia 1.0 2 1.4 29 Buthraupis montana* 2.4—3.6 17 11.8 19 Chlorornis riefferii 1.7-2.3 9 6.3 22 Dubusia taeniata 1.5—2.0 V7, 11.8 19 Tangara vassoriu* 1.42.3 47 32.6 6 Thraupis cyanocephala 1.8 4 2.8 47 Piranga rubriceps 1.0 ey 1.4 29 Chlorophonia pyrrhophrys NYS) 4 2.8 27 Cnemoscopus rubrirostris 2.2-3.7 41 28.5 10 Hemispingus verticalis 2.3-3.6 40 27.8 11 Hemispingus atropileus 3.2-3.8 39 Digan 12 Catamblyrhynchus diadema 1.4—2.0 18 TES 18 Fringillidae Atlapetes rufinucha* 1.6-2.1 43 2919 9 Atlapetes pallidinucha 1.8-3.0 14 Qe 20 O. H. Garrido & }. V. Remsen Fr 75 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) A new subspecies of the Pearly-eyed Thrasher Margarops fuscatus (Mimidae) from the island of St. Lucia, Lesser Antilles by Orlando H. Garrido & F. V. Remsen, Fr Received 31 May 1995 The Pearly-eyed Thrasher Margarops fuscatus, endemic to the West Indies, is found in the southern Bahama islands (north of Eleuthera), Beata Island off the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and in the Lesser Antilles south to St. Lucia, and also on some of the islands off the coast of Venezuela (AOU 1983). Geographic variation across this broad range involves slight colour differences, with three subspecies currently recognized (Bond 1956, Davis & Miller 1960): (1) nominate fuscatus, from the Bahamas, Beata Island, Puerto Rico (including all satellite islands), and the Virgin Islands to the northern Lesser Antilles to Antigua and Barbuda; also La Désirade; (2) densirostris, from Guadeloupe (not including La Désirade) to St. Lucia; and (3) bonairensis, on Bonaire and also Horquilla in the Los Hermanos Archipelago off Venezuela. After initially noting that specimens from St. Lucia were distinctly darker and larger than those from other islands, we studied colour and size variation of study skins of Margarops fuscatus from throughout the Caribbean housed in several major collections of West Indian birds (see Acknowledgements). We based our colour comparisons mainly on the most recent study skins, particularly those taken by Albert Schwartz, R. F. Klinikowski, and Donald W. Buden (housed at the Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University). Body mass data were also provided by Wayne Arendt and John Faaborg. Colour variation We found much seasonal and age variation in the amount of white edging on the feathers of the upper secondaries and tertiaries. The width of these edges may also vary among the populations of different islands, but the differences are not consistent. The extent and shape of the white tips of the rectrices also tend to vary among populations, but the differences are not discrete. The breast markings also vary slightly among populations in shade and size. Of the three races, bonairensis stands apart in being much paler. Phelps & Phelps (1948) described it as differing only as “‘brown markings are a more greyish olive, both above and below’’, without emphasizing the paleness per se. Although the specimens from Horquilla are assigned to bonairensis (Bond 1956, Davis & Miller 1960), Phelps & Phelps (1948) pointed out that this may derive from the assumption that they are the same as those on Bonaire rather than from direct comparisons. Bond (1952) compared three specimens from the Los Hermanos Islands to M. f. fuscatus and found that the Hermanos O. H. Garrido & F. V. Remsen Fr 76 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) TABLE 1 Specimen measurements (in mm) for populations of Margarops fuscatus. The first number is the mean, followed by the standard deviation (with m in parentheses). The “Bahamas” category refers to specimens for which no island was specified Island Sex Wing length Tail length Culmen length ‘Tarsus length ““‘Bahamas’”’ 3 137, 3.2 (11) 111, 3.0 (9) 25, 0.8 (11) S35) a5) (G1) Q 140, 2.8 (9) 109, 3.6 (8) 24, 1.7 (9) 35, 1.4 (9) San Salvador 3 137, 2.8 (14) 110, 3.4 (36) 23% W245i) 36, 1.9 (37) Q 135, 4.9 (15) 110, 3.6 (32) 25, 1.4 (34) 36, 1.9 (39) Rum Cay 3 136, 4.3 (4) 113, 2.6 (4) 26, 1.0 (4) 38, 1.7 (4) Q 138, 1.1 (2) 113, 3.9 (2) 26, 1.0 (2) 36, 1.7 (2) Caicos Is. 3 136 (1) 113, 3.0 (19) 25, 0.8 (19) 38, 1.4 (18) Q 139 (1) 110, 2.1 (6) 26, 1.3 (6) 38, 0.5 (6) Great Inagua 3 141, 3.9(12) 113, 4.5 (21) 26, 0.8 (22) 38, 0.9 (22) Q 133, 9.2 (2) 113, 2.6 (6) 26, 1.6 (6) 39, 0.6 (6) Jamaica ef 141 (1) 112 (1) 25 (1) 34 (1) Beata 3S 141, 3.9 (2) 117, 1.4 (2) 27, 0.5 (2) 39, 1.1 (2) Q 139, 4.8 (3) 112, 2.0 (3) 28, 0.7 (2) 39, 1.2‘) Mona 3} 140, 3.4 (28) 113, 3.5 (27) 26, 0.6 (28) 38, 1.6 (29) io) 137, 2.5 (8) 112, 4.3 (13) 27, 1.1 (16) 38, 1.4 (15) Puerto Rico 3 139, 4.6 (13) 113, 5.3 (22) 26, 1.7 (23) 38, 1.1 (22) fe) 137, 4.1 (22) 111, 3.6 (21) 27, 1.1 (22) 36, 1.3 (23) Desecheo 3 135, 2.5 (2) 112, 1.4 (2) 26, 1.3 (2) 37, 0.6 (2) Q 139, 2.5 (12) 113, 3.1 (12) 27, 1.4 (12) 38, 0.5 (6) Vieques 3 139, 3.3 (11) 113, 3.2 (11) 26, 1.2 (11) 38, 1.3 (11) Q 139 (1) 112 (1) 26 (1) 39 (1) Culebra 3 137, 3.4 (6) 115, 3.3 (6) 26, 1.2 (6) 37, 1.0 (6) 2 137, 5.3 (5) 114, 3.4 (5) 26, 2.0 (5) 36, 0.8 (5) Culebrita 3 141, 1.4 (2) 114, 5.0 (2) 25, 0.6 (2) 38, 0.7 (2) Q 140 (1) 110, (1) 24 (1) 39 (1) St. Thomas 3 138, 5.0 (10) 111, 3.5 (12) 26, 2.1 (15) 37, 1.0 (15) ©) 137, 4.0 (11) 111, 5.1 (12) 28, 1.7 (12) 38, 1.9 (12) St. John 3 134 (1) 107 (1) 26 (1) 36 (1) 2 139, 2.1 (2) 109, 1.4 (2) 25, 1.2 (2) 38, 2.2 (2) Tortola 3 143, 1.3 (4) 115, 2.8 (9) 26, 1.1 (9) 37, 1.0 (9) Q 140, 0.0 (3) 114, 3.2 (3) 27, 0.8 (3) 38, 0.5 (3) St. Croix 3 141, 5.3 (2) 114, 7.2 (22) 26, 1.0 (21) 37, 0.5 (22) Q 13843-2717). 3 AAS Sh) 26, 0.8 (16) 37, 0.6 (17) Virgen Gorda fe 134, 0.7 (1) 108, 3.2 (10) 26, 0.8 (11) 38, 1.7 (11) Q 107, 3.4 (4) 25, 0.8 (4) 38, 0.5 (4) Sombrero 3} 110 (1) 23 (1) 37 (1) Anguilla 3 140, 4.6 (2) 109, 5.7 (7) 27, 0.8 (7) Si 7a) St. Marten 3 139, 2.1 (2) 116, 1.4 (2) 27, 0.6 (2) 38, 2.0 (2) Q 137, 3.0 (3) 112, 3.2 (3) 26, 0.7 (2) 36, 2.1 (3) Saba 3 142, 3.5 (2) 112, 0.7 (2) 28, 1.3 (2) 38 (1) 2) 139, 3.7 (4) 112, 4.1 (4) 27, 1.3 (4) 38, 1.0 (4) St. Eustatius 3 140, 1.8 (8) 1123). 5421) 27, 1.1 (20) 38, 1.2 (21) Q 138, 1.3 (5) 112, 1.3: (9) D7, A (9) 38, 0.6 (9) St. Kitts 3 141, 4.7 (7) 116, 3.0 (7) 26, 1.0 (8) 38, 0.8 (8) Q 134, 3.3 (6) 108, 4.0 (6) 28, 0.9 (6) 38, 1.2 (6) Nevis 3 137, 4.0 (4) 113, 2.4 (4) 27, 0.9 (4) 37, 1.1 (4) Q 136 (1) 112 (1) 28 (1) 36 (1) Barbuda 3 143, 2.5 (8) 115, 2.8 (8) 26, 1.1 (8) 38, 1.0 (8) 2 138, 2.1 (4) 113, 4.2 (4) 27, 1.5 (4) 38, 1.3 (4) Antigua 3 138, 1.8 (4) 113, 1.9 (39) 26, 1.3 (37) 38, 0.7 (41) 2 139, 3.4 (9) 114, 3.2 (18) 27, 1.1 (20) 38, 1.0 (19) O. H. Garrido & F. V. Remsen Fr 77 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) TABLE 1 Continued Island Sex Wing length Tail length Culmen length Tarsus length Montserrat ro 141, 3.1 (8) 118, 4.4 (8) 26, 1.0 (6) 38, 1.2 (8) Q 136, 4.9 (5) 108, 5.0 (5) 27, 1.1 (4) 38, 2.6 (4) La Désirade 3 138, 2.9(10) 111, 4.2 (14) 27, 0.8 (10) 37, 0.6 (10) 2 137, 2.8 (9) 108, 3.6 (9) 2751 2'(9) 37, 0.9 (9) Guadeloupe 3 141, 5.5 (5) 111, 13.3 (6) 27, 1.7 (6) 37, 0.4 (6) 2 138, 4.3 (14) =111, 4.1 (13) 26, 1.1 (15) 37, 1.6 (15) Dominica 3 138, 2.9(19) 108, 3.6 (20) 26, 1.3 (20) 35, 1.6 (19) 2 1359329) (12) 3 LO723:3) (12) 25, 0.8 (11) 35, 1.4 (11) Martinique 3 137, 0.0 (2) 108, 2.8 (2) 26, 2.1 (2) 37, 1.2 (2) 2 134, 0.7 (2) 113 (1) 26, 1.4 (2) 38, 1.1 (3) St. Lucia 3 148, 3.9(11) 113, 4.2 (9) Difpeclontiy (lil) 40, 1.0 (11) Q 144, 3.2 (14) 114, 4.5 (11) 27, 1.4 (14) 40, 1.5 (14) Bonaire 3} 1354310) By 33-24 (110) 27, 1.2 (10) 37, 1.2 (10) 2 132, 3.8 (3) 111, 0.6 (3) Dif d)(3)) 37, 1.8 (3) specimens “‘stand out in having the upper parts more greyish (olive grey)’. Bond (1952) could not compare them directly to specimens from Bonaire, but stated that the Los Hermanos birds are “‘perhaps not quite as pale, at least on the under parts, they certainly agree better with bonatrensis than with fuscatus as one would expect’’. The other two subspecies, nominate fuscatus and densirostris, are weakly differentiated. Comparing specimens of the same age and degree of wear, we agree with Hellmayr’s (1934) description of densirostris as being slightly darker brown above and below. Although the difference is not striking, it is enough that we also agree with Hellmayr’s (1934) assignment of specimens from La Désirade to more distant nominate fuscatus rather than to densirostris of nearby (Guadeloupe and Montserrat. Although the population from St. Lucia has been treated previously under M. f. densirostris, we found that it differs in several characters from other populations. The white tail tip is larger, and the white edges of the inner secondaries are broader, sometimes almost twice as broad, as in any other population. The scaly marks of the breast and sides are bolder and darker and the underparts whiter than in any other population; thus, St. Lucia birds stand out immediately from other populations by the degree of contrast between the dark and pale portions of the breast. Size variation Linear measurements (Table 1) show no consistent pattern among islands other than the St. Lucia population being larger in wing and tarsus length. Of the 252 specimens measured, only 16 overlap the range of wing lengths in the St. Lucia sample in the appropriate sex category. The St. Lucia sample is also at the upper end of the means in tail length and bill length, and has the largest mean tarsus length. Body O. H. Garrido & F. V. Remsen Fr 78 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) TABLE 2 Body mass (in grams) of various populations of Margarops fuscatus (compiled by Wayne J. Arendt and John Faaborg) island mean s.d. range n Beata 96.4 4.79 89-103 8 Mona 99.5 6.51 91-113 19 Puerto Rico 104.0 10.11 80-136 291 Montserrat 101.8 8.35 78-134 189 La Désirade 92.5 AAD 78-105 18 Dominica 99.9 9.05 95-115 5 St. Lucia 126.6 10.13 116-140 6 mass data (‘Table 2) also show that the St. Lucia population is decidedly larger. Thus the St. Lucia population is distinctive in both coloration and size. In the specimens we examined, birds from St. Lucia can be diagnosed with 100% certainty based on the characters above. Therefore, we propose to name it Margarops fuscatus klinikowskii subsp. nov. Holotype. (LSUM 142566). Male; De Barra, Dauphin Qtr., St. Lucia; collected 10 April 1962 by Albert Schwartz. Paratypes (all St. Lucia). Dauphin Qtr., De Barra; two collected 7 April 1963 by A. Schwartz (LSUMZ 142565, 142567; females). Castries Qtr., Barre de 1l’Ile; collected 17 January 1962 by R. Klinikowski (LSUMZ 142573; male). Castries Qtr., Barre de I’Ile; collected 10 January 1962 by R. F. Klinikowski (LSUMZ 142572; male). Castries Qtr., Forester; collected 8 April 1963 by S. John (LSUMZ 142571; female). Ause La Ruz Qtr., Meillet Rina, Nr. Millet; collected 17 April 1963 by S. John (LSUMZ 142570; male). Ause la Raye Qtr., 2.5 mi. n. Durandeau; collected 16 April 1963 by R. Thomas (LSUMZ 142569; male). La Sorciére, north slope, 600 ft.; collected by S. John (LSUMZ 142568; female). Diagnosis. This subspecies can be distinguished from any other population of WM. fuscatus by its larger size and greater contrast between breast and belly coloration. he underparts have a more scaly appearance, especially around the breast and the sides. The colour of the breast markings is a darker, more chocolate brown, contrasting more with the white of the underparts. The flank feathers are more conspicuously barred, with chevron-like or arrow-like marks. The white edges of the wing coverts are broad, almost twice as broad in some specimens as in individuals of any other population. The coloration of the upperparts does not differ noticeably from that of some populations of M. f. densirostris, although it seems slightly darker brown. Description of the holotype. The dark brown chin blends to the irregularly streaked throat; the dark streaks are slightly paler brown O. H. Garrido & F. V. Remsen fr 79 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) than the chin and are fairly sharply demarcated from the whitish background. The least-streaked portion of the throat is in the upper centre portion, closest to the chin. The breast, sides, and flanks are irregularly scalloped and blend to a whitish, largely unmarked belly. The largest contour feathers of the breast have four bands of contrasting colour: the distal edges are whitish and _ sharply demarcated from a dark brown band (roughly same shade of brown as upperparts) whose apex forms a blunt point; this dark band blends to a much paler, buffy-brown band, which is then sharply demarcated from a largely concealed dark brown band that borders the feather shaft. The largest feathers of the sides and flanks have a similar pattern except that the inner buffy-brown band is whitish and broader and the innermost dark band is greatly reduced. The undertail coverts are whitish with conspicuous dark brown chevron- like bands.The upperparts and face are generally dark chocolate brown, noticeably darker in the loral region, which is the same colour as the chin. The crown, neck, and auriculars are slightly paler than the rest of the upperparts. The back feathers are narrowly edged with a paler brown, thereby giving the back a faintly scalloped appearance. The bill (dried) is dull yellowish brown, tinged darker at the tip. The legs (in dried skin) are dull brownish yellow. The whitish tips of the inner secondaries are quite conspicuous, roughly 4mm at their maximum length. The tail is dark brown, similar in colour to the rest of the dorsal surface. The white tips of the rectrices increase in length from inner to outer rectrices, reaching a maximum length of roughly 19mm on the inner webs of the outer rectrices. The type series is quite uniform. Both sexes are similar in coloration and measurements. Etymology. Named for R. F. Klinikowski, in recognition of his major contributions to ornithology of the Caribbean by collecting thousands of bird specimens, most now housed at the Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University. Distribution. Endemic to St. Lucia, Lesser Antilles. Specimens examined. Margarops f. fuscatus: ‘“‘Bahamas’’ (no island specified), 28 males, 19 females; San Salvador, 37 males, 32 females; Rum Cay, 4 males, 2 females; Caicos Bank, 9 males, 3 females; Great Inagua, 23 males, 6 females; Jamaica, 1 female; Beata Island, 2 males, 3 females; Mona, 29 males, 16 females; Puerto Rico, 23 males, 22 females; Desecheo, 2 males, 12 females; Vieques, 11 males, 1 female; Culebra Island, 6 males, 5 females; Culebrita Island, 2 males, 1 female; St. Thomas, 14 males, 14 females; St. John, 1 male, 2 females; Tortola, 10 males, 3 females; St. Croix, 22 males, 17 females; Virgen Gorda, 11 males, 4 females; Sombrero, 1 male; Anguilla, 7 males; Saba, 2 males, 4 females; St. Eustatius, 21 males, 9 females; St. Kitts=St. Christopher, 2 males, 1 female; Barbuda, 8 males, 4 females; Antigua, 35 males, 10 females. Margarops fuscatus densirostris. La Désirade, 8 males, 4 females; Martinique, 2 males, 3 females; Dominica, 4 males, 3 females; Guadeloupe, 1 male, 1 female. Margarops fuscatus santaluciae. St. Lucia, 11 males, 16 females. Margarops fuscatus bonairensis. Bonaire, 10 males, 3 females. O. H. Garrido & F. V. Remsen Fr 80 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) Remarks. Because the Pearly-breasted Thrasher is a common and relatively widespread species that is well-represented in museum collections, we were surprised that such a distinctive subspecies would remain undetected for so long. ‘Therefore, we wonder how many other undescribed subspecies have yet to be discovered among West Indian birds. Acknowledgements We thank the curators, collection managers and technicians of the following collections for access to specimens in their care: Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University; American Museum of Natural History; Carnegie Museum; National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.; Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia; and Field Museum of Natural History. We thank Wayne Arendt and John Faaborg for valuable data on body mass graciously given to us. Visits to collections were made possible in part by a grant to Garrido from the American Museum of Natural History. Also we are indebted to RARE Center for Tropical Conservation for the support to Garrido for visiting several museums and institutions. References: American Ornithologists’ Union. 1983. Check-list of North American Birds. American Ornithologists’ Union, Lawrence, Kansas. Bond, J. 1952. Second supplement to the check-list of birds of the West Indies (1950). Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. Bond, J. 1956. Check-list of the Birds of the West Indies. Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. Davis, J., & Miller, A. H. 1960. Family Mimidae, zn E. Mayr & J. C. Greenway, Jr (eds), Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 9. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard. Hellmayr, C. E. 1934. Catalogue of birds of the Americas. Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Publ., Zool. Ser. 13, pt. 6. Phelps, W. H. & Phelps, W. H. Jr. 1948. Two new subspecies of birds from Bonaire Island. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 61: 171-174. Addresses: Orlando H. Garrido, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Havana, Cuba, and RARE Center for Tropical Conservation, 1616 Walnut St., Suite 911, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103, U.S.A. J. V. Remsen, Jr., Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, U.S.A. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 P.A. Prince & }. P. Croxall 81 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) The birds of South Georgia by P. A. Prince & #. P. Croxall Received 12 Fune 1995 The current checklist of South Georgia birds (Prince & Croxall 1983) is now over 13 years out of date. Until 1982, rather few ornithologists visited South Georgia and most bird records were provided by members of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) from their year-round base at King Edward Point, Cumberland Bay, or from _ the summer-only field station at Bird Island (see Prince & Payne 1979, and Fig. 1). Since the South Atlantic conflict in 1982, however, BAS operations have been confined to Bird Island (a year-round base since September 1982) and, in several recent summers, field parties at Husvik. The greatest change, however, has been in the frequency of visits by naturalists and ornithologists, particularly on the ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA; and including many members of the Royal Naval Bird Watching Society), supplying the garrison at King Edward Point, and on tourist vessels (of which 8-10 currently visit South Georgia annually), principally visiting Grytviken in Cumberland Bay and the Bay of Isles. As a result, many more records of birds have been reported from South Georgia, including a number of species new to the Island. It seems timely, therefore, to produce a new annotated checklist, listing all species currently accepted by us as having occurred at South Georgia up to 31 December 1994. The previous checklists explicitly restricted consideration to birds seen at South Georgia and over the waters of its continental shelf. However, now that the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands has declared a Maritime Zone (SGMZ) around the islands out to approximately 200 nautical miles from South Georgia, it seems appropriate also to review the occurrence of species in this wider area. For this purpose, we have reviewed all records in Watson et al. (1971), Tickell & Woods (1972), Thurston (1982), the compilation by Tuck (1975) and all subsequent records summarised in Sea Swallow, the unpublished records of Dr R. R. Veit from seven research cruises between 1985/1986 and 1993/1994, the unpublished records of Dr W. R. P. Bourne and W. F. Curtis from numerous visits on board RFAs between 1982 and 1992, and the seabird-at-sea database of BAS, containing records from observers on BAS vessels (including routine logistic trips and scientific research cruises) since 1971/72. We classify breeding species into seven categories, according to the size of their breeding population (Croxall et al. 1984, BAS unpublished data). These are: very rare (<10 pairs); rare (10-99); frequent (100-999); common (1000-9999); very common (10,000—-99,999); abundant (100,000-999,999): very abundant (one million+). The main purpose of this paper, however, is to give details, especially for records since April 1982 (the closing date in the Prince & Croxall (1983) checklist), of the non-breeding visitors, migrants and vagrants, together P. A. Prince & }. P. Croxall 82 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) Bird Island Bay of Isles Elsehul Prince Olav Harbour Leith Tonsberg Peninsula Cape North Schlieper Bay Stewart Straits St Andrews Bay Cooper Bay Figure 1. Map of South Georgia showing places mentioned in the text. with an indication of their status in adjacent areas, especially the Falkland Islands and the Antarctic. We divide non-breeding species into 4 categories: identification fully confirmed (A); identification probable but not confirmed beyond doubt (B); ship-assisted (C); introduced (D). The code is placed after the scientific name of the species. The identity of those providing unpublished records is indicated by initials, the full names being in the acknowledgements. A map of the general area (Fig. 2) shows the extent of the Maritime Zone around South Georgia, the extent of the continental shelf and the approximate position of the Antarctic Polar Front. Places mentioned in the text are shown in Figure 1. EMPEROR PENGUIN A ptenodytes forsteri (A) Vagrant. Seven previous records (Prince & Payne 1979, Prince & Croxall 1983). The eighth record was of an immature photographed at St Andrews Bay on 13 July 1985 (Clark 1986). To date all the records except one (of unknown age) are of immatures. Immatures in moult occasionally visit Tierra del Fuego (Humphrey et al. 1970); there are three records for the Falkland Islands, two involving immatures (Woods 1988, Curtis 1994) and one record (of three immatures) at sea at 40°30’S, 54°34’W, not far south of the Subtropical Convergence (Rumboll & Jehl 1977). The species breeds at 38 localities around the Antarctic continent (Woehler 1993), the nearest to South Georgia being 2350 km distant. KING PENGUIN Aptenodytes patagonicus (A) Abundant, widespread breeder, whose population increase has averaged at least 5% per annum over the last 80 years (Croxall et al. P.A. Prince & F. P. Croxall 83 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) ai Falkland Islands 7" aa esteem aa / Shag Rocks EA { [oulleeN Nan Georgia Lf Son i =| 55° oe Sh Does ae 8 Sandwich ® BE Th SUAS *® Islands . South Shetland ae Islands o . wy oO is 60 Ce Q B _ South Orkney : Islands 65° | 60° 50° 40° 30°W Figure 2. Map showing South Georgia in relation to South America and Antarctica together with the boundary of the South Georgia part of the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands Maritime Zone, the 1000m depth contours and the approximate position of the Antarctic Polar Frontal Zone. 1988). Recorded breeding for the first time at the South Sandwich Islands in 1995 (PH 2n Iitt.). ADELIE PENGUIN Pygoscelis adeliae (A) Vagrant. Four previous records (Prince & Payne 1979, Prince & Croxall 1983), of three immatures and one adult. Four recent records: adult, Olsen Valley, Husvik, 10 October 1991 (KR); Husvik, 20 December 1991 (HMcA), possibly the same bird; Elsehul, November 1991 (PH); adult, Bird Island, 22 and 23 November 1992 (RB, ILB, KR). This total of only eight records is surprising in view of the species’ abundance in the southern Scotia Sea, with some 200,000 breeding pairs at the South Orkney Islands, 850 km south of South Georgia. However there have apparently been annual sightings of birds from the Cooper Bay area in recent years (PH 2n Iitt.). P. A. Prince & }. P. Croxall 84 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) CHINSTRAP PENGUIN Pygoscelis antarctica (A) Common but very local breeder, mainly around south-east South Georgia. Little current evidence of any population change. GENTOO PENGUIN Pygoscelis papua (A) Abundant, widespread breeder. Breeding population numbers fluctuate greatly (Croxall & Rothery 1995), but no evidence of any systematic trend. MACARONI PENGUIN Eudyptes chrysolophus (A) Very abundant, but fairly local, breeder with the main concentrations at north-west South Georgia. Some evidence of decrease in the mid 1970s but populations subsequently stable. ROCKHOPPER PENGUIN Eudyptes chrysocome (A) Very rare and local breeder (Prince & Payne 1979). In most years, moulting immatures are seen associated with the main Macaroni Penguin colony on Bird Island. It is not known if these are birds of South Georgia or Falkland Islands origin; the population in the Falklands, although much smaller than 50 years ago, still numbers some 500,000 breeding pairs (Woods in press). ROYAL PENGUIN Eudyptes schlegeli (A) Vagrant. The first record for South Georgia was of a bird captured and photographed at Bird Island on 28-29 February 1984 (PAP, RLS, BCO). In the field the bird appeared slightly larger (especially in height) than the surrounding Macaroni Penguins. The bill measure- ments (length 59.5, depth 25.8 mm) are diagnostic of a female Royal Penguin (see Marchant & Higgins 1990). This is important because, although pale-faced possible Macaroni Penguins have never been reported from South Georgia, they are known from the Prince Edward, Crozet and Heard Islands (Barré et al. 1974, Berruti 1981, Downes et al. 1959); such birds (which may be local mutations or possibly hybrids with Royal Penguins) obviously resemble Macaroni Penguins very closely. Another bird, unmeasured, noticeably larger than accompany- ing Macaroni Penguins and showing a completely pale face, was seen at Bird Island on 30 December 1992 (KR, NJC, NH, JMC). This species is confirmed to breed only at Macquarie Island, 12,500 km from South Georgia. The only records for the Falklands are of three pairs apparently breeding at New Island (Strange 1992); however, without supporting details, the possibility of pale-faced morphs of the Macaroni Penguin cannot be ruled out. MAGELLANIC PENGUIN Spheniscus magellanicus (A) Vagrant. Three previous records (Prince & Payne 1979, Prince & Croxall 1982). Four additional records: two immatures over the shelf at 53°44'S, 36°58’W on 10 April 1972 (BP); an adult seen near a Macaroni Penguin colony on Bird Island on 13 February 1990 (MPH, SW); an undated record from Bird Island during the 1990/91 summer (JMC, P.A. Prince & F. P. Croxall 85 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) GL); one, of unknown age, at Olsen Valley, Husvik, on 13 March 1992 (OO). To date all records have occurred in the austral autumn. This species breeds in large numbers in the Falkland Islands and on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of southern South America; southern populations migrate north after breeding. It is often seen in the Drake Passage and has been recorded once at the South Shetland Islands (62°S), in January 1984 (Trivelpiece et al. 1987). WANDERING ALBATROSS Diomedea exulans chionoptera (A) Common, fairly widespread breeder, whose population has decreased steadily since the 1970s (Croxall 1979, Croxall et al. 1990). ROYAL ALBATROSS Diomedea epomophora epomophora (A) Vagrant. Six records, the first an adult at 53°39’S, 38°36’W on 22 December 1985 (RRV, MJW; seen twice more on the same day), the next an adult over the shelf at 53°40’S, 38°36’W on 28 December 1985 (RRV, MJW), followed by sightings of an immature at 53°44'S, 37°01'S on 7 February 1986 (RRV, MJW) and at 52°57’S, 42°11’W on 17 March 1986 (Bourne & Curtis 1986). Since the 1985/86 records, which were associated with an influx of warm surface water, there have only been two records, over the shelf at 54°23’S, 35°39’W on 11 February 1990 (MJW), and at 53°44’S, 38°15'W on 9 January 1994 (RRV). Although not easy to distinguish at sea from the Wandering Albatross, many experienced observers have failed to report it from South Georgia waters, so it is unlikely to be substantially overlooked. The nominate subspecies frequently occurs around the Falkland Islands (Bourne & Curtis 1986, Woods 1988), especially over the continental shelf, and north to 23°S off Brazil. It breeds on the Auckland and Campbell Islands, New Zealand. The other subspecies D. e. sanfordi, which also breeds in New Zealand, at the Chatham Islands and on Taiaroa Head near Dunedin, also occurs frequently in Falkland waters, mainly off the north and east coasts (Curtis 1988, PH in litt.). BLACK-BROWED ALBATROSS Diomedea melanophris (A) Very common, fairly widespread breeder, whose population fluctuates considerably but has recently shown evidence of decline (Prince et al. 1994). GREY-HEADED ALBATROSS Diomedea chrysostoma (A) Very common, rather local breeder, mainly at northwest South Georgia. Its populations have decreased significantly since the 1980s (Prince et al. 1994). SHY ALBATROSS Diomedea cauta salvini (A) Vagrant. One previous record (Prince & Croxall 1983) of a bird captured and ringed in a Grey-headed Albatross colony at Bird Island on 28 February 1982. The following year a Shy Albatross was seen gliding over the same colony on 16 December 1983 (PAP, BCO). It is unknown if this was the same bird but it seems possible. On 13 March P. A. Prince & F. P. Croxall 86 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) 1987, the bird that had been ringed at Bird Island in 1982 was recovered breeding on Penguin Island, Crozet Islands (6362 km from South Georgia), as a member of a newly-discovered colony of three pairs, being the first breeding records for the Crozet Islands (Jouventin 1990). Previously this subspecies was known to breed only at the Snares and Bounty Islands, New Zealand. It ranges east to the coasts of Peru, Chile and Argentina; records for South Africa are of uncertain status (Ross 1986). There is one other record, of an albatross of the D. cauta group, seen in South Georgia waters at 52°06’S, 53°01’W on 26 January 1986 (MJW). Prince & Croxall (1983) noted that D. c. cauta, which is common (particularly juveniles) in South African waters (Ross 1986), may also occur in South Georgia waters, on the basis of an old specimen in Liverpool Museum (Bourne 1977). There are a few records of albatrosses belonging to the D. cauta group around the Falkland Islands (e.g. four birds in June-August 1984 (Bourne & Curtis 1985), five birds in March 1987 (Curtis 1988)). LIGHT-MANTLED SOOTY ALBATROSS Phoebetria palpebrata (A) Common, widespread breeder. SOOTY ALBATROSS Phoebetria fusca (A) Vagrant. Only four confirmed records, since the adult bird observed at Elsehul in January 1977 and at Bird Island in February 1977 (Prince & Croxall 1983). One was seen at 53°44’S, 36°58’W on 10 April 1977 (BP), associated with an influx of seabird species typical of warmer waters. Subsequent records are at 53°12’S, 43°08’W on 24 January 1986; 54°33’S, 38°26'W on 4 February 1986; 54°05'S, 38°26'W on 13 February 1986 (all RRV, MJW, NMBH). These records were associated with the presence of warm surface waters, bringing a number of species of seabirds, characteristic of cool temperate waters, south to the vicinity of South Georgia (Hunt et al. 1992). Other reports, e.g. of 21 off South Georgia, are, as Cheshire (1993) noted, almost certainly due to the misidentification of Light-mantled Sooty Albatrosses. However, Thurston (1982) reported single birds at 58°S, 15°W and 57°S, 26’W (the latter close to the northern South Sandwich Islands) in January 1963. In the South Atlantic this species breeds at Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island and is not uncommon at sea north of 50°S. SOUTHERN GIANT PETREL Macronectes giganteus (A) Common, widespread breeder; some evidence of recent population decrease. NORTHERN GIANT PETREL Macronectes halli (A) Common, somewhat local breeder. ANTARCTIC FULMAR Fulmarus glacialoides (A) Regular visitor (Prince & Croxall 1983), mainly between October and December but seen from land or over the shelf in all months between P.A. Prince & }. P. Croxall 87 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) May and December. This species is a common breeder in the southern Scotia Sea, with its nearest breeding colonies at the northern South Sandwich Islands, some 650 km southwest of South Georgia. Part of the population migrates north in April-May to the South American coast. ANTARCTIC PETREL Thalassoica antarctica (A) Regular visitor. Recorded in most winters between June and August. The most unusual record is of two seen in front of the Hamburg Glacier on 26 December 1983 (L. Clifton in Bourne & Curtis 1985). The number appearing at South Georgia each winter appears to be influenced by the extent of pack ice in the Scotia Sea. From Bird Island it is usually seen in most winters in Stewart Straits but numbers rarely exceed ten observations per winter. The winter of 1987 was exceptionally cold and prolonged and the pack ice extended to South Georgia and was visible from Bird Island; between 30 July and 16 October, 48 Antarctic Petrels were observed from Bird Island by BAS biologists. CAPE PETREL Daption capense (A) Very common, fairly widespread breeder. Population increased in the 1970s and may still be expanding. SNOW PETREL Pagodroma nivea (A) Common, widespread breeder, mainly in mountains and at altitudes greater than 300 m (Croxall et al. in press). KERGUELEN PETREL Pterodroma brevirostris (A) Regular visitor to shelf waters (Prince & Croxall 1983), mainly between February and June. It was common (200 per day) over deep water off eastern South Georgia in June 1991 (RRV). This species is now generally accepted to be wide ranging in the Southern Ocean as far south as the pack ice and north to about 30°S (Lambert 1984). In the South Atlantic it breeds at Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island. Although several South Georgia records are of birds seen or caught close inshore, including one with the dawn dispersal of birds from the Willis Islands on 3 November 1983 (WRPB 7n litt.), extensive searches, especially in recent years, have provided no evidence that it breeds at South Georgia. ATLANTIC PETREL Pterodroma incerta (A) Vagrant. There are nine records involving 13 birds of which three records refer to six birds seen over the shelf. The first record we can trace was at 53°S, 43°W on 26 October 1976 (JPC); the nearest to mainland South Georgia were three birds at 53°44’S, 36°58’W on 10 April 1977 (BP) and a single bird at 53°16’S, 41°08’W on 19 March 1978 (PAP). This species is rare at South Georgia, though apparently regular north of the Shag Rocks area (PH zn litt.), but is frequently seen north P. A. Prince & 7. P. Croxall 88 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) of 50°S. In the South Atlantic it breeds at Tristan da Cunha and Gough Islands. WHITE-HEADED PETREL Pterodroma lessonii Vagrant. There are four records: the first was of one seen at 53°13’S, 35°36’W on 14 April 1980 (MJW, AC); the second of a bird captured onboard the World Discoverer while at anchor in Elsehul harbour on the night of 23 December 1983 (SP); the third was seen at 53°35’S, 39°50’W on 14 March 1984 (JJA) and the fourth at 54°18’S, 35°32’W on 20 February 1994 (RRV). There is also a record of one seen half-way between the South Orkney Islands and South Georgia in February 1976 (Kock & Reinsch 1978). This species breeds on Kerguelen, Macquarie, Auckland and the Antipodes islands; in the South Atlantic it is typically seen in small numbers between 40° and 50°S. GREAT-WINGED PETREL Pterodroma macroptera (A) Vagrant. There are three records. The first was on the shelf at 53°44'S, 36°18’W on 10 April 1977 (BP); the second, also over the shelf, at 53°10'S, 43°50’W on 22 February 1980 (MJW)); the third at 51°21’S, 37°11’W on 22 March 1985 (MJW). There are two tentative records, just outside the SGMZ, in February and mid-March 1989 (Cheshire 1990). In the South Atlantic the species breeds at Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island. SOFT-PLUMAGED PETREL Pterodroma mollis (A) Regular visitor. This species is often recorded at South Georgia. In the BAS database there are 391 records within the SGMZ involving 848 birds, of which 292 were seen over the shelf. There was a noticeable influx, associated with southerly movement of warm water masses, in early 1986 (Hunt et al. 1992). In the South Atlantic this species, which breeds at Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island, is widespread and abundant, particularly in the Drake Passage in the austral autumn. ANTARCTIC PRION Pachyptila desolata (A) Very abundant, widespread breeding species. FAIRY PRION Pachyptila turtur Common, but very local, breeder (Prince & Copestake 1990). Seen more commonly at sea in winter than summer (RRV 27m Iitt.). BROAD-BILLED PRION Pachyptila vittata (A) Vagrant. One previous record of a bird seen near the entrance of Cumberland Bay, on 24 November 1982 (Prince & Croxall 1983). On 14 March 1986 two birds were captured at night in Stromness Bay, having been attracted by ships’ lights (Bourne & Curtis 1986), and one bird came on board RRS James Clark Ross on 10 January 1994 at 53°42'S, 38°20'S and was measured and photographed (RRV). P.A. Prince & }. P. Croxall 89 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) This species is rare at South Georgia but may well occur more frequently at the northern edge of the SGMZ than the records so far suggest. In the South Atlantic the species breeds at Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island. THIN-BILLED PRION Pachyptila belcheri (A) Regular visitor. This species is probably under-recorded owing to the similarity in plumage with Antarctic Prion. In addition to the five previous land- and ship-based records (Prince & Payne 1979, Prince & Croxall 1983), there are a further 16 birds recorded from an RFA vessel on various dates between 13 March and 2 May 1986 in the Cumberland Bay area (Bourne & Curtis 1986). At sea the BAS database holds 347 observations of 1892 birds within the SGMZ, of which 178 ob- servations of 1465 birds refer to birds seen over the shelf. Most of these records are to the west of South Georgia in the direction of the Falkland Islands where the species is an abundant breeder. BLUE PETREL Halobaena caerulea (A) Very common, fairly widespread breeder. Some populations (e.g. at Bird Island) have decreased recently due to destruction of part of their tussock grassland breeding habitat by Antarctic Fur Seals Arctocepha- lus gazella. WHITE-CHINNED PETREL Procellaria aequinoctialis (A) Very abundant, widespread breeder. GREY PETREL Pyrocellaria cinerea (A) Occasional visitor. Recorded in the SGMZ at least as early as February 1963 (Thurston 1982). First recorded over the shelf at 53°44’'S, 36°58’W on 10 April 1977 (BP). In the BAS database there are 80 observations of 160 birds within the SGMZ, of which 59 have been seen over the shelf. The most inshore were those reported by Bourne & Curtis (1986) between Leith and Grytviken. In the South Atlantic this species breeds at Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island. GREAT SHEARWATER Puffinus gravis (A) Regular visitor to shelf waters (Prince & Croxall 1983), mainly between November and April. This species is most frequently seen to the west of mainland South Georgia in the vicinity of Shag Rocks. A massive influx occurred in early 1986, associated with southerly movement of warm water masses towards South Georgia (Hunt et al. 1992). Breeds in large numbers at Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island. Small numbers breed in the Falkland Islands (Woods 1988). SOOTY SHEARWATER Puffinus griseus (A) Occasional visitor. There are 48 observations involving 87 birds within the SGMZ,; 19 of these observations refer to 39 birds seen over the shelf. The first record over the shelf was at 53°S, 42°W on 26 P. A. Prince & }. P. Croxall 90 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) October 1976 (GT). Since then the species has been seen close to Bird Island and Leith but is mainly seen to the west of South Georgia near Shag Rocks. In the South Atlantic this species breeds on the Falkland Islands and southern South America. It is frequently seen in the Drake Passage and has been recorded as far south as 58°S in the South Atlantic (Kock & Reinsch 1978, ‘Thurston 1982). LITTLE SHEARWATER Puffinus assimilis (A) Vagrant. There are only two records definitely within the SGMZ, both over the shelf. The first was at 53°49’S, 40°02’W on 20 March 1985 (MJW), the second at 53°38'S, 39°40'W on 11 February 1986 (RRV, MJW). The species is more frequently seen to the northwest of South Georgia just north of the Antarctic Polar Front and also regularly (up to 8 birds per day) recorded north of Shag Rocks (PH in litt.). In the South Atlantic this species breeds at Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island. WILSON’S STORM-PETREL Oceanites oceanicus (A) Abundant, widespread breeder. BLACK-BELLIED STORM-PETREL F’vegetta tropica (A) Common, but rather local, breeder, whose population may have been underestimated in the past. WHITE-BELLIED STORM-PETREL F'regetta grallaria (B) Vagrant. Eakin et al. (1986) recorded a probable, but unconfirmed, individual with a group of Black-bellied Storm-petrels at 52°21’S, 40°06'W on 10 May 1975. We know of no other sightings of the species within the SGMZ, the nearest convincing records being at 50°40’S, 50°01'W (Kock & Reinsch 1978). GREY-BACKED STORM-PETREL Garrodia nereis (A) Rare breeder. Although there are no confirmed breeding records since 1972 (Prince & Payne 1979), birds have been seen making display flights over suitable habitat on several occasions. SOUTH GEORGIA DIVING-PETREL Pelecanoides georgicus (A) Very abundant breeder. COMMON (SUBANTARCTIC) DIVING-PETREL Pelecanoides (urinatrix ) exsul A Very abundant breeder. SOUTH GEORGIA (BLUE-EYED, IMPERIAL) SHAG Phalacrocorax georgianus (A) Common, widespread breeder. We follow Siegel-Causey (1988) and Siegel-Causey & Lefevre (1989) in the recognition of species limits in this group of taxa, formerly treated as subspecies of P. atriceps. However, given that taxa are distinguished currently solely on P. A. Prince & #. P. Croxall 91 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) osteological and/or morphometric characters there is a particular need for fieldwork to confirm the existence and elucidate the nature of species-isolating mechanisms. The distribution of P. georgianus is also uncertain. Marchant & Higgins (1990) indicate that it occurs at the South Orkney Islands (with Antarctic Shag P. bransfieldensis occurring east to the South Shetland Islands), but the basis for this is not stated. As the identity of the shags at the South Sandwich Islands is unknown, it may be best at present to regard P. georgianus as confined to South Georgia. A critical study of the relationships between (and status of) P. bransfieldensis and P. georgianus on the islands of the Scotia Arc as well as between P. bransfieldensis and P. atriceps in southern South America (Clark et al. 1992) is needed. GREAT EGRET Casmerodius albus (A) Vagrant. Four previous records (Prince & Payne 1979, Prince & Croxall 1983). A fifth record, of a bird with a flock of nine Cattle Egrets Bubulcus ibis, was at Bird Island on 19 April 1986 (CD). This cosmopolitan species is widespread in South America, breeding south to 47°S in Argentina. It is an irregular visitor to the Falkland Islands, with at least nine records (Woods 1988). SNOWY EGRET Egretta thula (A) Vagrant. Two previous records (Prince & Croxall 1983). One additional record of a single bird seen on 4 April 1980 at Bird Island (JPC). Widespread breeding species in South America, south to about 40°S; four records of vagrants to the Falkland Islands (Woods 1988, Gregory 1994). CATTLE EGRET Bubulcus ibis (A) Regular visitor. Since the first record for South Georgia in 1977 (Prince & Croxall 1983), a total of 191 birds has been recorded at South Georgia. Figure 3 shows the distribution of records: 1979, 1985 and 1986 were years of major invasions; 1978, 1980, 1988 and 1989 were the only years in which it has not been recorded. These data do not include 26 birds which came abroad RV Nathaniel Palmer half way between the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and disembarked at Stromness in May 1993 (RRV in litt.). In all years occurrences have been between March and June. This species is widespread throughout the American continent. It was first recorded in the Falkland Islands in 1976 (Strange 1979), since when it has occurred annually, often in large numbers, exceeding 3000 birds in April 1986 (Woods 1988). It has occurred, with increasing frequency, at other subantarctic islands (e.g. Prince Edward and Crozet Islands (Newton et al. 1983, Stahl et al. 1984) and at the South Orkney (Rootes 1988) and South Shetland (Kaiser & Peter 1988, Torres et al. 1986, Trivelpiece et al. 1987) Islands since the first records in 1981 and 1984 respectively. There is an unpublished record from 61°30’S, 27°52'W, 100 nautical miles south of the southernmost island of the South Sandwich Islands, on 13 April 1982 (HO’G). The most P. A. Prince & #. P. Croxall 92 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) 60 50 40 30 Number Of Birds 20 10 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 Year Figure 3. Numbers of Cattle Egrets recorded at Bird Island between 1977 (i.e. austral summer of 1977/78) and 1994 (i.e. 1994/95). southerly record known to us is from Argentine Islands (65°15’S, 64°16’W) in December 1979 (AS). UPLAND GOOSE Chloephaga picta (D) Introduced to South Georgia from the Falkland Islands in 1911 and extirpated by 1950. A subsequent introduction in 1958 did not succeed (Prince & Payne 1979). SOUTH GEORGIA (YELLOW-BILLED) PINTAIL Anas georgica georgica (A) Common widespread breeder. This subspecies is endemic to South Georgia. There are two records of the South American subspecies A. g. spinicauda which breeds in the Falklands (locally) and throughout Argentina, Chile and north to Bolivia and southeastern Brazil. The first P.A. Prince & }. P. Croxall 93 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) record was on 15 December 1979 at Bird Island (IH, JPC), the second of one seen and photographed in company with A. g. georgica at Grytviken on 10 December 1994 (KR). There are at least eight records of A. georgica on the Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland and South Orkney Islands (Cordier et al. 1983, Rootes 1988). YELLOW-BILLED (SPECKLED) TEAL Anas flavirostris (A) Rare, with a small breeding population in the Cumberland Bay area. In addition there are six reports from Bird Island involving a minimum of 12 birds. In 1979 two were present on 11 February; by 7 March this had increased to six and three were last seen on 26 March (IH, BB, GT). Subsequent records are: one from 28 February to 5 March 1984 (TSMcC, PAP); one on 31 May 1985 (RLS); two on 23-24 March 1986 (RLS); one from 2 May to 14 August 1988 (SR, MRRJ); one on 5 July 1989 (MRRJ). It is not known whether these birds are from the Cumberland Bay population or represent immigration from the Falkland Islands, where the species is common and widespread. CHILOE WIGEON Anas sibilatrix (A) Vagrant. Five previous records (Prince & Payne 1979, Prince & Croxall 1983). One additional record of a male, seen and photographed at Bird Island on 7 March 1985 (RLS, CD). This species is widespread in South America and a local breeder in the Falkland Islands. There are records of at least 13 birds in the South Shetland and South Orkney Islands (Beck 1968, Maxson & Bernstein 1980, Rootes 1988, T'rivelpiece et al. 1987). BLUE-WINGED TEAL Anas discors (A) Vagrant. Only one record, of a drake collected on 20 June 1972 in Cumberland Bay (Prince & Payne 1979). This species breeds in North America, wintering in central America and northern South America, occasionally south to about 30°S in Argentina. There are apparently no records for the Falkland Islands (Woods 1988). TURKEY VULTURE Cathartes aura (A) Vagrant. The first record for South Georgia was one soaring over Grytviken whaling station on 14 September 1991 (KR). On 24 September 1992, a bird was again seen (and photographed) at Husvik (OO). Further sightings at Husvik followed on 9 October 1992 and towards the end of that month (OO). At Bird Island, sightings of single birds were made on 6 October (I[McC) and 6 December 1992 (MR, BCO). During this period a BBC film crew reported seeing this species at the Bay of Isles and St Andrews Bay. From the photograph the bird seen at Husvik was an adult (with a bright red head). There were no further sightings after 6 December during the austral summer of 1992/93 and none during the summer of 1993/94. In the summer of 1994/95 an adult was seen at Bird Island throughout 22 November 1994 (KR). Thus Turkey Vultures have been seen in three out of the last four years and always between September and December. Even if P. A. Prince & }. P. Croxall 94 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) the various sightings in 1992 refer to the same bird, there are three confirmed records. It is unlikely that as large and mobile a species as the Turkey Vulture could go undetected for the lengthy intervals between the observations in different years, suggesting that three separate events were involved. This is the first record of a South American vulture in Antarctica. In order to reach South Georgia from its nearest breeding locality in the Falkland Islands it would have had to cross 1000 km of ocean. Unlike many vagrants that probably perish eventually, this species could probably survive on the abundant food supply available year-round on South Georgia. Even in the winter, dead chicks from the large King Penguin colonies and Reindeer Rangifer tarandus carcasses would provide an adequate food supply until Southern Elephant Seals Mirounga leonina start breeding in September. In the Falkland Islands it is a common resident (Woods 1988), frequently associated with seabird and seal colonies. With reduced persecution, its numbers have increased in recent years, which may have encouraged range expansion. PEREGRINE FALCON Falco peregrinus (A) Vagrant. The first record for South Georgia was of one which came on board ship at 52°33'S, 46°W, 120 nautical miles west of Shag Rocks, on 29 April 1986 and flew ashore the next day at South Georgia (Bourne & Curtis 1986). ‘The second record was at Bird Island on 7 August 1991 when one was seen chasing a Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus (JMC, GL, JA). In the Falkland Islands this species frequently preys upon prions and small petrels. It has been recorded 60 km offshore, using ships as feeding stations (Woods 1988). Given the increased movement. of shipping between the Falklands and South Georgia and the migratory behaviour of this species, more sightings may occur in the future. PURPLE GALLINULE Porphyrula martinica (A) Vagrant. One previous record, of an immature male that flew into a window at Grytviken, Cumberland Bay, in 1943 (Pereyra 1994, Prince & Payne 1979). The second record is of a bird that was killed after flying on board the RV Walter Herwig at 53°30'S, 38°00'W, about 55 km north of Bird Island, on 4 April 1978 (KHK). The specimen is now in the Hamburg Museum. This species has a wide distribution from the southeastern United States southwards to southern Chile and 35°S in Argentina (Meyer de Schauensee 1971). It has been recorded three times in the Falkland Islands (Woods 1988) and also at Tristan da Cunha (frequent), Ascension and St Helena (Urban et al. 1986). ALLEN’S GALLINULE Porphyrula allen (A) Vagrant. The only record for South Georgia is of a fairly long-dead corpse, found at Royal Bay in December 1984 (BB) and deposited in the British Museum. Although its plumage characteristics are in- adequate for certain identification, the wing measurement (159 mm) P. A. Prince & F. P. Croxall 95 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) is diagnostic of this species (range 141-164 mm; Blake 1977), being outside the range of the larger P. martinica (172-191 mm; Urban et al. 1986) and the smaller Azure Gallinule P. flavirostris (119-139 mm; Blake 1977). The bill length (24.5 mm) is also consistent with P. allem (22-25 mm), rather than P. martinica (25-31 mm). The species is widespread in the African tropics where it is migratory and prone to irruptions. In addition to a number of records in Europe it has strayed to St Helena and Ascension Island (Urban et al. 1986). SOLITARY SANDPIPER Tinga solitaria (A) Vagrant. There are no additions to the two records, both from Bird Island, on 11 November 1975 and 8—9 November 1981 (Prince & Payne 1979, Prince & Croxall 1983). This species breeds in Alaska and Canada, wintering in western Peru, Bolivia and Argentina (Meyer de Schauensee 1971). It has not been recorded in the Falkland Islands. LITTLE STINT Calidris minuta (A) Vagrant. One record, of a specimen collected at Bird Island on 28 December 1977. Originally described as a probable first year immature (Prince & Croxall 1983), it has subsequently been identified as an adult female (Marchant et al. 1986); the specimen is now lodged in the British Museum. This is still the only confirmed record for South America of a species which is a rare vagrant to North America. It breeds in north-central Siberia and winters mainly in India and Africa. WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER Calidris fuscicollis (A) Regular but rare visitor. Seven previous records (Prince & Payne 1979, Prince & Croxall 1983). Subsequently there are ten reports of eleven individuals. All records in spring are between October and December and from Bird Island: 21 November 1982 (PAP, PGC); 26-31 October 1984 (MO’C); 26-28 October 1985 (MO’C); 8 November 1985 (MO’C, CD), possibly the same bird as in the previous record; 12 November 1988 (SR et al.); 15 December 1988 (ILB, SR); 26 December 1989 (PAP, SR, MRRJ); 9 November 1991 (JMC, GML, JA); 16-25 October 1993 (JMC, KR, AGW, NH). The only autumn record is of two birds seen together on 14-15 March 1986 on Tonsberg Point (Bourne & Curtis 1986). This species is the commonest wader visiting South Georgia. It is also a very common non-breeding visitor to the Falkland Islands (where flocks sometimes number more than a hundred birds) from the arctic coasts of North America where it breeds (Woods 1988). There are at least five separate records for the South Shetland Islands, including a group of 25 from October 1985 to February 1986 (Trivelpiece et al. 1987). PECTORAL SANDPIPER Calidris melanotos (A) Vagrant. Two previous records (Prince & Bayne 1979, Prince & Croxall 1983). Four additional records, all from Bird Island. An adult female on 1 January 1982 (PGC), a first-winter female on 12 November P.A. Prince & F. P. Croxall 96 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) 1982 (PAP) and a male on 11 June 1983 (PGC) were all collected. The last record was on 20 October 1988 (SR, TDW, MRRJ). This species breeds in arctic North America and Siberia. It winters in South America as far south as 50°S in Argentina. There are four records for the Falkland Islands (Woods 1988) and one from the Antarctic, at Rothera Point (67°34’'S, 68°08’W) on 5-9 January 1978 (TWS). BAIRD’S SANDPIPER Calidris bairdii (A) Vagrant. The first confirmed record for South Georgia was of a bird seen and photographed at Bird Island from 26 October to 2 November 1994 (KR). The photograph shows clearly the diagnostic characters, including the long wings projecting beyond the tail, the short legs and the bill, completely black with no yellow at the base. In the field the absence of a white rump and the distinctive call were noted. This species probably occurs annually in small numbers in the Falkland Islands (Gregory 1994). It breeds in arctic North America and winters in South America as far south as Tierra del Fuego. There is one record for the South Orkney Islands (Rootes 1988). WILSON’S PHALAROPE Phalaropus tricolor (A) Vagrant. The first record for South Georgia was of a single bird in winter plumage observed and photographed from a distance of 3 m at Bird Island on 13 October 1983 (PGC, BCO, RLS). The species breeds in North America and migrates to South America wintering in Uruguay, Argentina and central Chile. According to Woods (1988), a few birds reach the Magellanic region and there has been one record for northwest Tierra del Fuego (Humphrey et al. 1970). It has been recorded at least twice in the Falkland Islands (Woods 1988), once at Signy Island, South Orkney Islands in March 1982 (Rootes 1988) and once at Alexander Island, Antarctica, in October 1968 (Conroy 1971). YELLOW-BILLED (GREATER, SNOWY, AMERICAN) SHEATHBILL Chionis alba (A) Common and widespread breeder, invariably in association with seabird and seal colonies. BROWN (SUBANTARCTIC) SKUA Catharacta loennbergi (A) Common and widespread breeder; population possibly still increas- ing in some areas (see Prince & Croxall 1983). SOUTH POLAR (MACCORMICK’S) SKUA Catharacta maccormicki (A) Rare but regular migrant. There are sixteen records of nineteen birds. The first ten records, between 13 December 1979 and 19 January 1988, were all sighted at sea, as was a bird at 53°42’S, 38°20’W on 10 January 1994 (RRV). Eight were over the shelf. There are five land-based records, all at Bird Island: 5 April 1988 a dark phase bird (SR et al.); 21 March 1989 one, dark phase (SR); 4 February 1990 two, one of the intermediate phase and the other paler (GML, JMC et al.); P._A. Prince & F. P. Croxall 97 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) 4 January 1994 a first-year dark phase bird, caught and ringed (PAP, KR et al.); 23 March 1994 another dark phase bird (NH, KR). At South Georgia this species is probably a regular but scarce passage migrant. It has a circumpolar breeding distribution on the Antarctic continent (including the Antarctic Peninsula north to the South Orkney Islands) and migrates northwards into the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It is a rare but probably regular migrant to the Falkland Islands (Woods 1988, Gregory 1994). LONG-TAILED SKUA Stercorarius longicaudus (A) The first record for South Georgia was of an adult bird in fresh plumage seen and photographed near Grytviken in Cumberland Bay, on 15 January 1984 (Naveen 1989). This species breeds in arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It winters in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans south to 55°S and has been recorded occasionally in winter around the Falkland Islands (Curtis 1988) and east to 45°36’S, 53°30’W (MJW), not infrequently in the Falklands Current and at sea between South Georgia and Brazil (Veit 1985). KELP GULL Larus dominicanus (A) Frequent-to-common and widespread breeder. DOLPHIN GULL Larus scoresbii There are two records of at least four individuals of this gull at South Georgia. The first was seen flying around RFA Olna about 8 km off Cumberland Bay on 11 April 1985 (Bourne & Curtis 1985). The second occurred at Grytviken on 21 February 1986 and three were seen there on 12 March 1986 (Bourne & Curtis 1986). It is not known if the one seen on 21 February was one of the three seen on 12 March but it seems likely. This species has a restricted breeding distribution in southern South America and the Falkland Islands, where it is resident (Woods 1988). [OLROG’S GULL Larus atlanticus The occurrence of this species at South Georgia was based on one record of an immature collected there in January 1949 (Olrog in Watson 1975, Prince & Payne 1979, Prince & Croxall 1983). However, Escalante (1984) has re-identified the specimen as a Kelp Gull, so the species must be deleted from the South Georgia list. ] BROWN-HOODED GULL Larus maculipennis (B) Vagrant. On 21 May 1987 a small gull at Bird Island was identified as belonging to this species. A full description and assessment was published (Delany et al. 1988). In the Falkland Islands this species is a locally common resident breeder (Woods 1988). It is widely distributed in southern South America. Bourne (1988), however, suggested that the Delany et al. (1988) description was unacceptable for Brown-hooded Gull but could apply to a subadult Franklin’s Gull L. pipixcan. He noted that this is a P. A. Prince & F. P. Croxall 98 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) mobile, migratory marine species and thus more likely to occur at South Georgia than a terrestrial and marshland species like the Brown-hooded Gull. In fact, the latter species feeds predominantly in nearshore marine habitats, such as kelp beds, and its populations in southern South America migrate northwards (as far as Brazil) in winter. Nevertheless, Bourne’s (1988) view might be supported by records of Franklin’s Gull from the Falkland Islands (one in 1986; Woods 1988) and Signy Island, South Orkney Islands (one adult in breeding plumage, seen and photographed 14-20 April 1990; RC) and in the Drake Passage 160km from the South Shetland Islands in January 1992 (PH in litt.). ANTARCTIC (SOUTH GEORGIA) TERN Sterna (vittata) georgiae (A) Common and fairly widespread breeder. As Murphy (1936) noted, the small size of South Georgia birds supports their recognition as a distinct subspecies, S. v. georgiae. Examination (by PAP) of a much larger series confirms the distinctiveness of the taxon. Any review of the status of terns inhabiting subantarctic islands should include re-evaluation of the taxonomic rank of the South Georgia population. ‘The population may have decreased (or simply relocated) as favoured coastal breeding sites have been taken over by Antarctic Fur Seals. ARCTIC TERN Sterna paradisaea (A) Rare migrant. Two previous inshore records, in early March 1976 in Cumberland East Bay (Kock & Reinsch 1978) and on 7 April 1977, when three specimens were collected in Stromness Bay from RV Hero (Jehl et al. 1978). The third inshore occurrence was of a single bird in winter plumage, again in Stromness Bay, on 20 November 1986 (TSMcC et al.). There are no confirmed records of this species at sea within the SGMZ, although there are many from south of 60°S and a few between 40 and 45°S. This species probably occurs at South Georgia more frequently than the few records suggest. It breeds in the arctic and temperate Northern Hemisphere and winters in pack ice areas in Antarctica. EARED DOVE Zenaida auriculata (C) Vagrant. The only record for South Georgia relates to ship-assisted passage. It was observed on board RFA Grey Rover 270 nautical miles east of the Falkland Islands on 1 April 1992 and remained on board until 3 April when the vessel was approximately 10 nautical miles north of the Bay of Isles, South Georgia (Curtis 1994). The species is very common over much of southern South America and occurs irregularly in the Falkland Islands (Woods 1988, Gregory 1994). SOUTH GEORGIA PIPIT Anthus antarcticus (A) Common. Endemic widespread breeder confined to areas free of Brown Rats Rattus norvegicus on offshore islands and parts of the south coast. P.A. Prince & 3. P. Croxall 99 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) EASTERN KINGBIRD Tyrannus tyrannus (A) Vagrant. The only record is still that of a bird collected at Grytviken, Cumberland Bay, on 11 November 1973 (Prince & Payne 1979). This species is widespread in North America, wintering in South America south to central Argentina (Ridgely & Tudor 1994). There is one record for the Falkland Islands (Woods 1988). DARK-FACED GROUND-TYRANT Muscisaxicola macloviana (A) Vagrant. The first record for South Georgia was of a single bird seen daily (and photographed) on Bird Island from 23 to 29 September 1994 (KR, JMC). There are two described subspecies. M. m. macloviana is generally regarded as being resident in the Falkland Islands (Woods 1988); M. m. mentalis breeds in southern Chile and Argentina and is at least a partial migrant to and from northern Argentina (Ridgely & Tudor 1994). The latter is perhaps the more likely race to occur at South Georgia. CHILEAN SWALLOW Tachycineta leucopyga (B) Vagrant. Previously reported in error as a European House Martin Delichon urbica (Prince & Croxall 1983). Two birds were seen at Schlieper Bay on 4 April 1982 by P. Martin. At the time of the sighting, PAP, who was at Bird Island, provisionally identified the birds as Chilean Swallows. Subsequently in correspondence (7/9/82), P. Martin identified the species as House Martin, principally on the basis of not being able to see the narrow white apical edge to the innermost remiges that is one characteristic of Chilean Swallow. However, the views obtained and the description provided were fairly brief. In view of the fact that the Chilean Swallow is a regular, if scarce, migrant to the Falkland Islands (Gregory 1994), and has been recorded from 67°17'S, 50°30’W, 160 nautical miles southeast of Elephant Island, South Shetland Islands, on 13 February 1985 (MDRK; specimen deposited in Cambridge University Museum), we feel that the original identification was the correct one. The Chilean Swallow is a regular migrant to the Falkland Islands, where it has bred once; elsewhere it breeds in Chile and Argentina, the southernmost populations being migratory (Woods 1988). BARN SWALLOW Hirundo rustica (A) Vagrant. There are no further records to add to the five previously published (Payne & Prince 1979, Prince & Croxall 1983). All these records were thought to refer to the race H. r. erythrogaster which breeds in North America and winters in the tropical and temperate zones of South America. This species has also been recently found breeding in the Buenos Aires province in Argentina (F. Vuilleumier in litt.). 1t frequently occurs in the Falkland Islands, especially in October and November, the same time as all the records from South Georgia. LONG-TAILED MEADOWLARK Sturnella loyca (A) Vagrant. The first record for South Georgia was one seen on 9 April 1987 at Prince Olav Harbour by Curtis (1988) who adjudged it unlikely P. A. Prince & }. P. Croxall 100 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) to have received an assisted passage. The species breeds fairly commonly throughout Chile and Argentina (the southern populations being resident) and is a common resident in the Falkland Islands (Woods 1988). HOUSE SPARROW Passer domesticus (C) Vagrant. One bird arrived in the late 1950s aboard a whaling vessel from South America and died soon afterwards (Watson 1975, Prince & Payne 1979). The South Georgia list now stands at 79 species (including 1 introduction, 2 ship-assisted species and 3 needing definite confir- mation), of which 30 are breeding species. The recent development of records of South Georgia birds is of some interest. By 1970, the list was of 38 species (including 1 introduction and 1 assisted-passage species), 27 recorded as breeding (Watson et al. 1971, Watson 1975). In the next seven years (Prince & Payne 1979) the total was raised to 50 species, adding two new breeding species (Rockhopper Penguin, Blue Petrel) and 10 new vagrants (4 seabirds, 2 waterbirds, 2 waders and 2 landbirds). The next five years (Prince & Croxall 1983) saw 11 further species added (total 61 species), one as a breeding species (Fairy Prion), the rest as vagrants (6 seabirds, 2 waterbirds, 1 wader, 1 landbird). In the last 12 years the list has risen to 78 species (including one more assisted-passage species), essentially double the 1970 list. No new breeding species have been recorded but 17 new visitors or vagrants (9 seabirds, 1 waterbird, 2 waders, 5 landbirds) were added. However, several seabird species have only, or only commonly been seen in years when abnormally warm surface water was present near South Georgia, as in 1986 and 1990. Increasing the area of consideration, from the continental shelf to that of the South Georgia Maritime Zone, adds only one seabird species (White-bellied Storm-petrel), bringing the overall total to 79 species. It should be noted, however, that the shelf extends past Shag Rocks nearly to the position of the Antarctic Polar Front, thereby providing favourable circumstances for recording a wide variety of seabird species. The most likely potentially new seabird species for the South Georgia area must include Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus (2 and 5 birds in 1991 and 1993 respectively in the area north of Shag Rocks (PH in litt.), but without precise location and therefore not definitively within the SGMZ), Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus (records from Signy Island, South Orkney Islands (61°S) in 1951 and 1980 (Rootes 1988)) and Pomarine Skua S. pomarinus (at least 5 records for the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands (Watson 1975, Bannasch 1984)). One possible new waterbird might be Black-necked Swan Cygnus melanocoryphus which has reached the South Shetland Islands (at least 10 individuals in January 1989) and 65°S on the Antarctic Peninsula (summer 1916/17, February 1989 and December 1994 to January 1995; Bennett 1922, Lazo & Yanez 1989, Orgeira & Fogliatto 1991, S. Cuthbertson zn Jitt.). Additional wader species might include Grey Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius (one on the Antarctic P_A. Prince & F. P. Croxall 101 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) Peninsula (Watson 1975), two at Signy Island in 1977 and 1982 (Rootes 1988)), Upland Sandpiper Bartramia longicauda (one at Deception Island in 1923, a probable at Signy Island in 1962-63 (Watson 1975) and one at 40°35’S, 39°34’S, 1500 km north of South Georgia on 18 October 1980 (PAP, MJW)) and Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla (one at Signy Island in 1981/82; Rootes 1988). New landbirds are particularly hard to predict. Possible species might be White-crested Elaenia Elaenia albiceps (two records from the Falkland Islands (Woods 1988) and one from midway between Tierra del Fuego and the South Shetland Islands at 57°05’S, 59°25’E (Nores & Yzurieta 1981)), Magellanic Snipe Gallinago paraguaiae (one at Signy Island on 19 and 20 March 1988 (JA, JP)), Rufous-chested Dotterel Charadrius modestus and Correndera Pipit Anthus correndera, both seen at sea to the east of the Falkland Islands in spring (WRPB zn litt.). The total number of breeding birds species at South Georgia is fairly typical of that for similar sub-antarctic islands, being slightly fewer than at Kerguelen and Crozet Islands (Jouventin et al. 1984, Weimerskirch et al. 1988) and slightly more than at Marion, Prince Edward (Burger et al. 1980) and Macquarie (Rounsevell & Brothers 1984) Islands. However, South Georgia has more vagrants recorded than any other sub-antarctic island, probably reflecting its proximity to species-rich South American source areas and its location in the path of the prevailing westerly winds. In contrast, the other sub-antarctic islands are mainly to the south of continental landmasses and not similarly in the path of prevailing winds. Acknowledgements For providing details of previously unpublished records we thank J.-J. Argoud, J. Arnould, J. Ashford, R. Bevan, J. H. R. Boswall, I. L. Boyd, B. Brown, A. Clarke, N. J. Cobley, R. Coggan, P. G. Copestake, J. M. Cooper, C. Duck, N. Forsyth, M. P. Harris, P. Harrison, N. Huin, I. Hunter, M. R. R. Jones, M. D. R. Kelly, K.-H. Kock, R. Lidstone-Scott, G. Liddle, H. McAlister, T. S. McCann, I. McCarthy, M. O’Connell, H. O’Gorman, O. Olsson, B. C. Osborne, B. Pearson, J. Picken, S. da Prato, M. Richards, S. Rodwell, T. W. Salmon, A. Saunders, G. Thomas, S. Wanless, T. D. Williams, A. G. Wood. For making available extensive data on seabirds at sea we thank especially W. R. P. Bourne, W. F. Curtis, N. M. Harrison, R. R. Veit, M. J. Whitehouse, the many members of BAS who completed record cards since 1971 and A. G. Wood for maintaining the database. Mary LeCroy provided invaluable assistance in examining specimens at the American Museum of Natural History. For comments on the manuscript, which was typed by Wendy Ramsell and Julie Leland, we thank Bill Bourne, Andrew Clarke, Peter Harrison, Keith Reid, David Snow, Dick Veit, Francois Vuilleumier and Mick Whitehouse. References: Bannasch, R. 1984. Bemerkenswerte Vogelbeobachtungen in der Antarktis. Beitr. Vogelkd., ena 30: 149-152. Barré, H. 1976. Les “‘Gorfous de Schlegel’? des Iles Crozet. Com. Nat. Fr. Recherch. Antarct. 40: 177-189. Beck, J. R. 1968. Unusual birds at Signy Island, South Orkney Islands, 1966-67. Bull. Brit. Antarct. Surv. 18: 81-82. Bennett, A. G. 1922. Notas sobre aves subantarticas. Hornero 2: 255-258. Berruti, A. 1981. The status of the Royal Penguin and Fairy Prion at Marion Island, with notes on feral cat predation on nestlings of large birds. Cormorant 9: 123-128. P. A. Prince & F. P. Croxall 102 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) Blake, E. R. 1977. Manual of Neotropical Birds. Vol. 1. Univ. Chicago Press. Bourne, W. R. P. 1977. Albatrosses occurring off South Africa. Cormorant 2: 7-10. Bourne, W. R. P. 1988. Was it a Brown-hooded or Franklin’s Gull at South Georgia. Sea Swallow 37: 64. Bourne, W. R. P. & Curtis, W. F. 1985. South Atlantic seabirds. Sea Swallow 34: 18-28. Bourne, W. R. P. & Curtis, W. F. 1986. South Atlantic bird islands. Sea Swallow 35: 24-34. Burger, A. E., Williams, A. J. & Sinclair, J. C. 1980. Vagrants and the paucity of land bird species at the Prince Edward Islands. 7. Biogeog. 7: 305-310. Cheshire, M. W. 1990. Notes on seabird reports received in 1989. Sea Swallow 39: 18-36. Cheshire, M. W. 1993. Notes on seabird reports received in 1992. Sea Swallow 42: 5-15. Clark, G. S. 1986. Eighth record of the Emperor Penguin at South Georgia. Cormorant 13: 180-181. Conroy, J. W. H. 1971. Wilson’s Phalarope (Steganopus tricolor) in the Antarctic. Bull. Brit. Antarct. Surv. 26: 82-83. Cordier, J. R., Mendez, A., Mougin, J.-L. & Visbeck, G. 1983. Les oiseaux de la Baie de V’Espérance, Peninsule Antarctique (63°24'S, 56°59’W). Oiseau 53: 143-176, 261-289, 371-390. Croxall, J. P. 1979. Distribution and population changes in the Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans L. at South Georgia. Ardea 67: 15-21. Croxall, J. P., Prince, P. A., Hunter, I., McInnes, S. J. & Copestake, P. G. 1984. The seabirds of the Antarctic peninsula, islands of the Scotia Sea and Antarctic Continent between 80°W and 20°W: their status and conservation. Pp. 636-666 in J. P. Croxall, P. G. H. Evans & R. W. Schreiber (eds), Status and Conservation of the World’s Seabirds. |CBP, Cambridge. Croxall, J. P., McCann, T. S., Prince, P. A. & Rothery, P. 1988. Reproductive performance of seabirds and seals at South Georgia and Signy Island, South Orkney Islands 1976-1986: Implications for Southern Ocean monitoring studies. Pp. 261- 285 in D. Sahrhage (ed.), Antarctic Ocean and Resources Variability. Springer- Verlag, Berlin. Croxall, J. P. & Rothery, P. 1995. Population change in gentoo penguins Pygoscelis papua at Bird Island, South Georgia: potential roles of adult survival, recruitment and deferred breeding. Pp. 26-38 zm P. Dann, I. Norman & P. Reilly (eds), Penguins: Advances in Research and Management. Surrey Beatty & Sons, Chipping Norton, NSW. Croxall, J. P., Rothery, P., Pickering, S. P. C. & Prince, P. A. 1990. Reproductive performance, recruitment and survival of Wandering Albatrosses Diomedea exulans at Bird Island, South Georgia. 7. Anim. Ecol. 59: 773-794. Croxall, J. P., Steele, W. K., McInnes, S. J. & Prince, P. A. In press. Breeding distribution of the Snow Petrel Pagodroma nivea. Mar. Ornithol. Curtis, W. F. 1988. Highlights of a South Atlantic tour—1986/87. Sea Swallow 37: 3-7. Curtis, W. F. 1994. Further South Atlantic records, December 1991 to May 1992. Sea Swallow 43: 19-28. Delany, S. N., Edwards, D. V. & Williams, T. D. 1988. Brown-hooded Gull Larus maculipennis: first record for South Georgia. Bull. Brit. Antarct. Surv. 78: 53-54. Downes, M. C., Ealey, E. H. M., Gwynn, A. M. & Young, P. S. 1959. The birds of Heard Island. ANARE Rep. B1: 1-135. Eakin, R. R., Dearborn, J. H. & Townsend, W. C. 1986. Observations of marine birds in the South Atlantic Ocean in the late austral autumn. Antarct. Res. Ser. 44: 69-86. Escalante, R. 1984. Problemas en la conservacion de dos poblaciones de laridos sobre la costa atlantica de Sud America (Larus belcheri atlanticus y Sterna maxima). Rev. Mus. Arg. Cienc. Nat. (Zool.) 13: 147-152. Gregory, P. 1994. Notes on new and scarce birds in the Falklands Islands. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 114: 12-20. Humphrey, P. S., Bridge, D., Reynolds, P. W. & Peterson, R. T. 1970. Birds of Isla Grande (Tierra del Fuego). Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Hunt, G. L. Jr, Priddle, J. H., Whitehouse, M. J., Veit, R. R. & Heywood, R. B. 1992. Changes in seabird species abundance near South Georgia during a period of rapid change in sea surface temperature. Antarct. Sci. 4: 15-22. Jehl, J. R., Todd, F.S., Rumboll, M. A. E. & Schwartz, D. 1978. Notes on the avifauna of South Georgia. Gerfaut 68: 534-550. P.A. Prince & }. P. Croxall 103 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) Jouventin, P. 1990. Shy albatrosses Diomedea cauta salvini breeding on Penguin Island, Crozet Archipelago, Indian Ocean. [bis 132: 126-127. Jouventin, P., Stahl, J.-C., Weimerskirch, H. & Mougin, J.-L..1984. The seabirds of the French subantarctic islands and Adelie Land, their status and conservation. Pp. 609-625 in J. P. Croxall, P. G. H. Evans & R. W. Schreiber (eds), Status and Conservation of the World’s Seabirds. |CBP, Cambridge. Kaiser, M. & Peter, H.-U. 1988. Kuhreiher Ardeola ibis (L.), in der Antarktis. Beztr. Vogelkd., Fena 34: 202-203. Kock, K.-H. & Reinsch, H. H. 1978. Ornithological observations during the “‘German Antarctic Expedition 1975/76”. Beitr. Vogelkd., Leipzig 24: 305-328. Lambert, K. 1984. Der Kerguelensturmvogel Pterodroma brevirostris Lesson 1831 im Siid Atlantik. Beitr. Vogelkd., ena 30: 191-202. Lazo, I. F. & Yanez, J. 1989. First record of Black-necked Swan Cygnus melanocoryphus in South Shetland and Antarctica. Polar Rec. 25: 354. Marchant, J., Prater, T. & Hayman, P. 1986. Shorebirds: An Identification Guide to the Waders of the World. Christopher Helm, London. Marchant, S. & Higgins, P. J. (eds) 1990. Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Vol. 1. Ratites to Ducks. Oxford Univ. Press. Maxson, S. J. & Bernstein, N. 1980. Ecological studies of Southern Black-backed Gull, Blue-eyed Shag and Adelie Penguin at Palmer Station. Ant. 7. US 15: 157. Meyer de Schauensee, R. 1971. A Guide to the Birds of South America. Oliver & Boyd. Murphy, R. C. 1936. Oceanic Birds of South America. American Museum of Natural History, New York. Naveen, R. 1989. First record of Long-tailed Jaeger for South Georgia. Amer. Birds 43: Ae Newton, I. P., Adams, N. J., Brown, C. R., Enticott, J. W. & Fugler, S. R. 1983. Nonmarine vagrant birds at the Prince Edward Islands, June 1981—May 1983. Cormorant 11: 35-38. Nores, M. & Yzurieta, D. 1981. Nuevas localidades para aves Argentinas. Hist. Nat. 2: 33-42. Orgeira, J. L. & Fogliatto, O. N. 1991. The Black-necked Swan in Antarctica. Mar. Ornithol. 19: 140-143. Pereyra, J. A. 1994. Descripcién de un nuevo ejemplar de ralido de la Isla Georgia del Sur. Hornero 8: 484-489. Prince, P. A. & Copestake, P. G. 1990. Diet and aspects of Fairy Prion breeding at South Georgia. Notornis 37: 59-69. Prince, P. A. & Croxall, J. P. 1983. Birds of South Georgia: new records and re-evaluations of status. Bull. Brit. Antarct. Surv. 59: 15-27. Prince, P. A. & Payne, M. R. 1979. Current status of birds at South Georgia. Bull. Brit. Antarct. Surv. 48: 103-118. Prince, P. A., Rothery, P., Croxall, J. P. & Wood, A. G. 1994. Population dynamics of Black-Browed and Grey-headed Albatrosses Diomedea melanophris and D. chrysostoma at Bird Island, South Georgia. Ibis 136: 50-71. Ridgely, R. S. & Tudor, G. 1994. The Birds of South America. Vol. 2. The suboscine Passerines. Oxford Univ. Press. Rootes, D. M. 1988. The status of birds at Signy Island, South Orkney Islands. Bull. Brit. Antarct. Surv. 80: 87-119. Ross, G. J. B. 1986. On Shy Albatrosses Diomedea cauta in South African waters. Cormorant 13: 165-167. Rounsevell, D. E. & Brothers, N. P. 1984. The status and conservation of seabirds at Macquarie Island. Pp. 587-592 in J. P. Croxall, P. G. H. Evans & R. W. Schreiber (eds), Status and Conservation of the World’s Seabirds. 1CBP, Cambridge. Rumboll, M. A. E. & Jehl, J. R. 1977. Observations on pelagic birds in the South Atlantic Ocean in the austral spring. San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist. Trans. 19: 1-16. Stahl, J.-C., Weimerskirch, H. & Ridoux, V. 1984. Observations récentes d’oiseaux marins et terrestres visiteurs dans les Iles Crozet, sud-ouest de l?Océan Indien. Gerfaut 74: 39-46. Strange, I. J. 1979. Distribution of Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus ibis) to the Falkland Islands. Gerfaut 69: 397-401. Strange, I. J. 1992. A Field Guide to the Wildlife of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. Harper Collins, London. P. A. Clancey 104 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) Thurston, M. H. 1982. Ornithological observations in the South Atlantic Ocean and Weddell Sea, 1959-64. Bull. Brit. Antarct. Surv. 55: 77-103. Tickell, W. L. N. & Woods, R. W. 1972. Ornithological observations at sea in the South Atlantic Ocean, 1954-64. Bull. Brit. Antarct. Surv. 31: 63-84. Torres, D., Gajardo, M. & Valencia, J. 1986. Notas sobre Bubulcus ibis y Eudyptes chrysolophus de las islas Shetland del Sur. Inst. Antart. Chil. Ser. Cient. 34: 73-79. Trivelpiece, S. G., Geupel, G. R., Kjelmyr, J., Myrcha, A., Sicinski, J., Trivelpiece, W. Z. & Volkman, N. J. 1987. Rare bird sightings from Admiralty Bay, King George Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, 1976-1987. Cormorant 15: 59-66. Tuck, G. S. (ed.) 1975. Observations at sea of seabirds in the subantarctic and Antarctic zones south of 50°S—late November 1973 to late March 1974. Sea Swallow 24: 7-23. Urban, E. K., Fry, C. H. & Keith, S. 1986. The Birds of Africa. Vol. 2. Academic Press. Watson, G. E., Angle, J. P., Harper, P. C., Bridge, M. A., Schlatter, R. P., Tickell, W.L.N., Boyd, J. C. & Boyd, M. M. 1971. Birds of the Antarctic and Subantarctic. Antarct. Map Folio Ser. Folio 14: 18 pp. Weimerskirch, H., Zotier, R. & Jouventin, P. 1988. The avifauna of the Kerguelen Islands. Emu 89: 15-29. Woehler, E. J. (ed.) 1993. The Distribution and Abundance of Antarctic and Subantarctic Penguins. SCAR, Cambridge. Woods, R. W. 1988. Guide to the Birds of the Falkland Islands. Anthony Nelson, Oswestry. Woods, R. W. In press. Atlas of Breeding Birds of the Falkland Islands. Anthony Weston, Oswestry. Addresses: P. A. Prince & J. P. Croxall, British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0OET, U.K. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 Further on subspeciation in the Red-billed Francolin Pternistis adspersus (Waterhouse), 1838 by P. A. Clancey Received 21 June 1995 The Red-billed Francolin is an endemic species of the northern aspects of the South West Arid Zone of the Afrotropics, which ranges from central and northern Namibia (south as far as c. 27°S) and southwestern Angola, east to the mid-Zambezi R. drainage in southwestern Zambia and northwestern Zimbabwe, being replaced to its immediate east by a closely allied congener in the form of the Natal Francolin, and to the south of its range in the west by the larger Cape Francolin. In their recent major revisionary study of the francolins, Crowe et al. (1992) group these three so-called partridge-francolins, following the generic recommendations of both Hall (1963) and Wolters (1976), along with a fourth species (Hildebrandt’s Francolin), in the new subgenus Notocolinus in the resurrected genus Pternistis Wagler, 1832, the types of both being the Cape Francolin Tetrao capensis Gmelin, 1789. Crowe (1993) validated the introduction of the name Notocolinus, thereby becoming its sole author, as well as of three other subgenera of P. A. Clancey 105 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) francolins proposed at the same time. It is worthwhile noting that as far back as 1934 Peters, in his Check-List, recognised the desirability of separating Pternistis from Francolinus Stephens, 1819, but inadvert- ently left its type-species four-square in the latter genus. Francolinus has as its genotype Tetrao francolinus=Francolinus francolinus (Linnaeus), a polytypic species of the southwestern Palaearctic and the Indian Sub-Region. The Red-billed Francolin Pternistis adspersus was made known to science on the basis of material collected during General Sir J. E. Alexander’s 1830s expedition into the interior of what is now the territory of Namibia, and was described in the ensuing report on the findings of the expedition prepared by G. R. Waterhouse (1810-1888) of the British Museum. Macdonald (1951) studied the type-specimens of birds collected during the course of Alexander’s journey into the Namibian hinterland, designating the upper Kuiseb R. area of the inner edge of the Namib Desert as the restricted type-locality of P. adspersus. This francolin was first shown to exhibit a measure of geographical variation by the American specialist R. Meyer de Schauensee (1931), when he proposed the Lake Ngami, northwestern Botswana, population as a new subspecies (P. a. kalahari) on both colour and mensural characters. Most later workers have expressed doubt in the validity of Ralahari and treat adspersus as monotypic. However, in a recent revision of the case on the basis of the bulk of material in southern African collections, Clancey (1992) confirmed the polytypy of the species, seeing it as comprising two subspecific groups of populations, employing for them the two names available, adspersus (1838) and Rkalahari (1931). As one frequently finds, the nomenclatural legacy of the past is often a major obstacle to the effective taxonomic treatment in modern terms of the variation of polytypic species. This problem forcibly presents itself here, in that both available names are based on desertic populations and are effectively synonymous. Research for my 1992 paper established that elements of nominate adspersus extended south along the inner edge of the Namib Desert certainly as far as the Tropic, lying contiguously to the immediate west of a mesic darker and larger population centred on the Waterberg, a major biogeographical feature present on the northern plateau in the Namibian highlands at 20°28'S, 17°13’E. The Waterberg population is in effect an isolate. The precise southern limit of Namib edge birds is uncertain through a lack of comparative material, though the species is recorded as far as 27°S near Seeheim on the Great Fish R. In the north of Namibia the species extends numerously through Ovamboland (Owambo) (Brown 1993) and the Etosha Pan region to the mid-Okavango R. drainage, Ngamiland and the arid part of northeastern Botswana to north of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pan, where it meets darker elements of the species (herein treated as part of P. a. mesicus, following Clancey 1992), and P. natalensis. In the topotypical specimens of nominate adspersus examined, from the Windhoek district and localities to the west, as well as from Omaruru and Okahandja to the immediate north, the wings in adult males measured 180-188, abruptly shorter than in the darker P. A. Clancey 106 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) Waterberg population with wings in adult males 191-201, in sub-adults 178-188 mm (see Table 1 in Clancey 1992). Of significance is that the size difference in the Waterberg birds is more strongly marked in sub-adult than in adult birds, the co-efficient of difference being, respectively 1.42 (n=9) for sub-adult males and 1.27 (n=11) for adults. Topotypical elements of adspersus agree taxonomically in both size and colouration with comparable material of kRalahari from Maun and the Thamalakane R. in the Okavango region of northern Botswana. This has the result that P. a. adspersus (with kalahari as a synonym) is applicable to the desertic aggregate of populations, and there is a need to introduce a new name for both western and eastern mesic representatives of the species. Pternistis adspersus mesicus subsp. nov. Type. § adult. Waterberg, Otjiwarongo district, Namibia, at 20°28’S, 17°13’E, 11 May 1968. Collected by P. J. Buys. In the ornithological collection of the State Museum of Namibia, Windhoek, Reg. No. 194.005. Description. Compared with nominate P. adspersus as herein interpreted, slightly darker sepia over the upper-parts and wings with narrower white streaking over the hind-neck and upper mantle, and with more extensive black over the lores and distal orbital surfaces. Face and venter with entire forethroat and breast duskier as a result of the more compact reticulation of the darker greyish-brown scaling and duller, less whitish, ground colour. In neatly prepared specimens, the downy belly feathering is appreciably darker and greyer, less buffy white, than in arid country birds. Size in topotypical examples from the Waterberg larger, with wings of gd 191-201 (195.0) mm, s.d. 4.26, n=11; adult. 92 170-177.5. (173.3) mm, s.d. 1.91, n=9. In. the mid-Zambezi R. drainage population agreeing with the Waterberg one in colour adult males have wings 182-190 (186.1), s.d. 3.02, n=7; adult females 174-180 (175.5), n=4. Note: Zambezi specimens agree in size with nominate adspersus and not with their Namibian affiliate, dry country adspersus having wings of adult 9d 178-190 (183.2), s.d. 5.41, n=8; adult 9° 170-177 (173.5), s.d. 2.25, n=6. Measurements of the type. Wing 193, culmen from cere 22.5, tarsus 50, tail 90.5 mm. In moderately fresh dress. Material examined. North-central highlands of Namibia, including the Waterberg, 20; mid-Zambezi R. (Kazungula, at 17°50'S, 25°16’E) 11. P. a. adspersus, 50. Range. Distributed in two widely separated populations from the Waterberg and immediately adjacent parts of the north-central highlands of Namibia, with a taxonomically related population in the mid-Zambezi catchment in northwestern Zimbabwe to the immediate west of the Victoria Falls, the eastern Caprivi Strip on the Chobe R., and southwestern Zambia in association with flood-plains north on the Zambezi R. to Kalabo at 15°S, with rainfall c. 600mm p.a. In northwestern Zimbabwe present sympatrically with the Natal Francolin P. n. thamnobium to 20°S and 27°E. P. A. Clancey 107 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) PORT ELIZABETH Figure 1. The ‘‘Partridge-Francolin’’ complex (Genus Pternistis: Sub-genus Notocoli- nus) of the Southern African Sub-Region, featuring the Red-billed Francolin P. adspersus. 1. Pternistis capensis; 2. Pternistis adspersus adspersus (shaded, unnumbered); Pternistis adspersus mesicus (shaded, segments numbered small 2); 3. Pternistis natalensis subspp.; 4. Pternistis hildebrandti subspp. Etymology. Mesicus from Greek and modern ecology, affecting habitats enjoying a moderate level of precipitation. Remarks. Re-examination of the variation occurring in the francolin Pternistis adspersus confirms that the available names were both initially given to desertic populations and are effectively synonymous, necessitating the need for a name for the birds affecting moister environments. Variation in colour correlates with occurrence in either arid or more mesic country, and size increase in the west with presence in moist highlands, resulting in P. a. mesicus being polytopic. As an outcome of the present study, the range of nominate P. adspersus, with kalahari as a synonym, will be from southwestern Angola in Mossamedes and Cunene, and the Kaokoveld of northwestern Namibia, south along the eastern verge of the Namib Desert to c. 27°S on the Great Fish R., east through Owambo (Ovamboland) and the Etosha Pan region in arid country to western Caprivi, Ngamiland, and Botswana north of the Botletle R. and P. A. Clancey 108 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) Makgadikgadi Salt Pan, where in contact with the eastern population of P. a. mesicus and elements of P. natalensis (Fig. 1). As evidenced in the above sections of the paper, the description of P. a. mesicus adds yet a further case of the development of an isolate population in association with the Namibian Waterberg, others being the hornbill Tockus bradfieldi, the small francolin Francolinus (Peliperdix) coqui hoechianus, and passerines including Cercomela familiaris hellmayri, Bradornis pallidus aquaemontis, Parus niger xanthostomus, and, very recently, Parus rufiventris diligens. Future work on the avifauna of the Waterberg will undoubtedly reveal yet further cases. The northern parts of Namibia have seemingly become increasingly arid in relatively recent times, resulting in the decline and retreat of mesic elements and the formation of remnant isolates. The Waterberg, being a reasonably moist and well vegetated inselberg on the continental plateau, is advantageously positioned as a refugium for bird species faced by the wide onset of deleterious climatic and concomitant habitat change. Acknowledgements For the loan of material and provision of facilities, I am indebted to the Directors and staff of the Transvaal Museum, Pretoria, the East London Museum, the National Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe, Bulawayo, and the State Museum of Namibia, Windhoek. Dr C. J. Brown of the Directorate of Environmental Affairs, Windhoek, kindly assisted with data on the Waterberg region of Namibia. Dr Kit Hustler also kindly assisted by measuring a range of Zambezi valley birds from both Zimbabwe and Zambia in the Bulawayo collection. References: Brown, C. J. 1993. The birds of Owambo, Namibia. Madoqua 18: 147-161. Clancey, P. A. 1992. Variation in Francolinus adspersus Waterhouse, 1838, of the South West Arid Zone of Africa. Bonner Zool. Beitr. 43: 29-34. Crowe, T. M., Hartley, E. H., Jankutowicz, M. B., Komen, J. & Crowe, A. A. 1992. Phylogenetic, taxonomic and biogeographical implications of morphological and behavioural variation in francolins (Phasianidae: Francolinus). Auk 109: 24-42. Crowe, T. M. 1993., Validation of some newly proposed names for francolins (Phasianidae). Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 113: 191. Hall, B. P. 1963). The francolins, a study in speciation. Bull. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), Zool. 10: 8-204. Macdonald, J. D. 1951. Types and type-localities of Alexander’s Damaraland birds. Ostrich 22: 2-5. Meyer de Schauensee, R. 1931. A new form of francolin. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 83: 453. Peters, J. L. 1934. Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 2. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard. Wolters, H. E. 1976. Die Vogelarten der Erde, Heft 2. Paul Parey, Hamburg and Berlin. Address: Dr P. A. Clancey, Research Associate, Durban Natural Science Museum, P.O. Box 4085, Durban 4000, South Africa. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 F. M. C. da Silva 109 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) New data support the specific status of Reiser’s ‘'yrannulet, a central Brazilian endemic by 7. M. Cardoso da Silva Received 17 Fune 1995 Reiser’s Tyrannulet Phyllomyias reiseri was described as a distinct species by Hellmayr (1905), based on a single male specimen collected at Grotao do Santo Anténio, near Santa Filomena (9°07'S, 45°56'’W), southern Piaui. Later, Hellmayr (1927) regarded Reiser’s T'yrannulet, and Urich’s Tyrannulet P. urichi from northern Venezuela, as sub- species of the Greenish Tyrannulet P. virescens, from eastern Brazil, northeastern Argentina and Paraguay. Zimmer (1955) proposed that Reiser’s Tyrannulet should be considered as a distinct species and reported new specimens from Zanja Moroti (c. 23°00'S, 56°30’W), Paraguay. Traylor (1979, 1982) ‘treated Reiser’s and _ Urich’s Tyrannulets once more as subspecies of the Greenish Tyrannulet. Stotz (1990) re-analysed, with more specimens than any other author, the relationship between Reiser’s and Greenish Tyrannulets and concluded that the former taxon should be considered as a distinct species. Stotz (1990) also suggested that Urich’s Tyrannulet may be more closely related to Reiser’s Tyrannulet than to the Greenish Tyrannulet. Teixeira et al. (1991) examined some of the specimens used by Stotz (1990) and suggested that Traylor’s previous arrangement of these three taxa was perhaps correct. Here, I re-evaluate the taxonomic status of Reiser’s Tyrannulet, based on the analysis of almost all specimens used by previous authors plus new specimens and ecological information on this taxon collected recently in central Brazil. Methods I examined 19 specimens of Reiser’s Tyrannulet and 62 of Greenish Tyrannulet housed at the Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Belém (MPEG); the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo (MZUSP), Sao Paulo; the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), New York; the Naturhistorisches Museum (NM), Vienna; and Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen (ZMUC). Differences in tail and wing measurements within and between taxa were compared by using the Mann-Whitney U test with tied ranks (Zar 1984: 141). Data on the natural history of Reiser’s Tyrannulet were collected at several sites (see below) in central Brazil from 1987 to 1994. Results The following plumage characters, which were pointed out by Stotz (1990) as important in distinguishing Reiser’s Tyrannulets from F. M. C. da Silva 110 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) TABLE 1. Measurements (mm) of Reiser’s Tyrannulet Phyllomyias reiseri and Greenish Tyrannulet P. virescens Wing Tail n range mean s.d. n range mean _ s.d. reiseri 3} 12> .54.0=59.5 56.5 1.6 12. 48.5-57.5 Sy PRY) g 7 52.0-58.0 56.1 2.3 7 46.5-53.5 50.9 2.4 virescens oP 31 58.0-65.0 61.8 1.9 29 = 54.0-64.0 59.7 2.5 Q 31 55.0-62.0 59.5 2.0 31 51.0-61.5 55.9 2.7 Greenish T'yrannulets, were found in all specimens of P. reiseri: (a) pale yellow underparts with a weak olive wash across the breast; (b) bright, yellow-green upperparts; (c) crown feathers tipped with grey; (d) lores and cheek yellowish-white. Stotz (1990) suggested that the colour of the wing-bars in Reiser’s ‘Tyrannulets is less greenish-yellow than in Greenish ‘Tyrannulets. However, wing-bars in most (63%) of the specimens of Reiser’s ‘T'yrannulet are as brightly greenish-yellow as in some specimens of Greenish Tyrannulet. Stotz also suggested that the ear coverts in Reiser’s Tyrannulets are yellow, little, if at all, tipped with olive, while in Greenish Tyrannulets they are tipped extensively with dusky or olive. In fact, most (84%) of the specimens of Reiser’s Tyrannulet agree with this description, but three specimens from different parts of the range of this taxon have ear coverts tipped as extensively with olive as some specimens of Greenish Tyrannulet. Males and females of the Greenish Tyrannulet differ significantly in wing (Mann-Whitney test, U=752.5, P<0.001) and tail measurements (U=756.0, P<0.001) (Table 1). In Reiser’s Tyrannulets, males and females do not differ either in wing (U=42.5, P=0.96) or in tail (U=46.0, P=0.73) measurements (Table 1). Males of Greenish Tyrannulet have significantly longer wings (U=366.0, P<0.001) and tails (U=342.0, P<0.001) than males of Reiser’s Tyrannulet (Table 1). Similarly, females of Greenish Tyrannulet have significantly longer wings (U=195.0, P<0.01) and tail (U=199.5, P<0.01) than females of Reiser’s T'yrannulet (Table 1). Despite these significant differences, the wing and tail measurements of Reiser’s and Greenish 'Tyrannulets overlap. and so are unreliable as a means of distinguishing them (Table 1). Belton (1985) listed three male Greenish T'yrannulets with body masses of 10-12 g. In seven males of Reiser’s Tyrannulet that I collected, the body masses were 7.0, 7.0, 7.0, 7.0, 7.5, 8.0 and 8.0 g. Even though these data are few, it seems that body mass could be used to distinguish Reiser’s from Greenish Tyrannulets. Belton (1985) described the soft-part colours of Greenish Tyrannu- lets as follows: tarsus medium to dark grey; maxilla brown to black; mandible brownish-white to greyish-white with dark tip; iris brown. I recorded the soft-part colours of Reiser’s Tyrannulets as follows F. M. C. da Silva 111 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) (number of specimens in parentheses): tarsus dark grey (5) or black (8); maxilla black (10); mandible varying from pinkish (1) to whitish (12) with a black tip; iris dark brown (2) or pale brown (12). Based on these data, it seems that these two taxa do not differ conspicuously in the colour of the soft parts. Belton (1985) recorded the song of Greenish Tyrannulets as follows: “‘starts with rapid series of staccato “‘chk’s’’ then rises in pitch and slows into longer sounds, finally dropping pitch again at end: chk-chk-chk-chk-chk-che-eeeee-eeeee-eeeee-eeeee-chu-choo.”’ Willis & Oniki (1991) recorded the song of Reiser’s Tyrannulets as a rough downscale “‘briu-briu-briu-briu-briu-briu-briu” and added: ‘“‘We did not register any song like that of P. virescens in Sao Paulo State’’. I observed or collected Reiser’s Tyrannulets (specimens at MPEG) in the following new localities: Bahia—Coribe (13°45'S, 44°28’W), Fazenda Formoso, May 1988 and September 1993; Palmas de Monte Alto, Fazenda Boa Vista (c. 14°17'S, 43°20’W), September 1991; Minas Gerais—lItacarambi (15°08'S, 44°04'W), Fazenda Olho d’Agua, October 1987; Arinos (15°53’S, 46°01’W), Fazenda Tira Teima, November—December 1987; Goias—lIaciara (14°09’S, 46°37'W), Fazenda Sao Bernardo, July 1988; Sao Domingos (13°24'S, 46°19’W), Fazenda COSIPA, September 1993; Mato Grosso do Sul—Bonito, Fazenda Formoso (21°16’S, 56°40’W); Fazenda Harmonia (21°15’S, 56°42’W); Fazenda Pitangueiras (20°52'S, 56°55’W), April-May 1994. All these sites plus other localities in which Reiser’s Tyrannulets were collected are located within or along the borders of the cerrado region (Fig. 1). I have found Reiser’s Tyrannulets only in the canopy or borders of tropical dry forests (see Ratter et al. 1978 for description of this habitat). However, specimens from Brasilia (MZUSP 51943-944), Jaragua (MIZUSP 15452), Santana do Paranaiba (MZUSP 12745), Sao Gabriel de Goias (MPEG 19344) and Formosa (MPEG 19275) may have been collected in evergreen gallery forests rather than in semi-deciduous to deciduous dry forests. In contrast to Reiser’s Tyrannulet, Greenish Tyrannulets occur mainly in the canopy and borders of the evergreen or semi-deciduous forests of the Atlantic Forest (Sick 1985, Stotz 1990, Ridgely & Tudor 1994), and their extensions along the Parana and Paraguay drainages (e.g. Missiones), and in the eastern part of the cerrado region (specimens from Lagoa Santa, 19°38’S, 43°53’W, ZMUC; and Ribeirao Jordao, 18°26'S, 48°06’'W, AMNH 499938) (Fig. 1). Discussion Reiser’s Tyrannulets differ in plumage, voice and habitat requirements from Greenish Tyrannulets. Based on these data, I agree with Hellmayr (1905), Zimmer (1955) and Stotz (1990) that Reiser’s Tyrannulet should be regarded as a distinct biological species rather than as a subspecies of Greenish Tyrannulet. The taxonomic status of Urich’s Tyrannulet, from northern Venezuela, needs to be evaluated with more data. However, because this taxon has a number of diagnostic characters (see Stotz 1990) and is separated from its closest J. M. C. da Silva 112 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) i a Andean Region ont} eo’ * rg iG Baas eds | @: 5 ys ‘a rate 4 ‘e@4- 7 A A A a 4 fos e ees A labese Atlantic Forest Ww Ve A " ile AA : lo Figure 1. Distribution of Reiser’s Tyrannulets (filled circles, specimens examined; open circles, records from the literature), Greenish Tyrannulets (filled triangles, specimens examined; open triangles, records from the literature), Urich’s Tyrannulet (filled square), and Sclater’s Tyrannulet (black patches). Limits of the major South American ecological regions are from Ab’Saber (1977). Several small regions are grouped together into the large Andean Region. relatives by an enormous distance (Fig. 1), I suggest that Urich’s Tyrannulet should be considered as a distinct species too. Notwith- standing Stotz’s (1990) comments that Urich’s Tyrannulet is more closely related to Reiser’s than to the Greenish Tyrannulet, I suggest that to propose phylogenetic relationships within this group based only on plumage and morphometric characters is premature, and that DNA or alloenzyme data are required in this particular case. In further studies, one should pay more attention to the possible phytogenetic relationships of Urich’s, Reiser’s and Greenish F. M. C. da Silva 113 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) Tyrannulets with Sclater’s Tyrannulet P. sclateri, from parts of the Andean Region (Fig. 1). This species replaces Reiser’s, Urich’s and Greenish Tyrannulets geographically and these four species have already been placed in a separate genus, Xanthomyias (Hellmayr 1927). It will not be surprising if molecular studies show that Sclater’s Tyrannulet represents a link, yet strongly differentiated in plumage, between the phenotypically similar southern rezseri and virescens and the northern wrichz. Acknowledgements I thank J. Fjeldsa for guidance, support and review of the manuscript. For companionship and help during field work I thank D. C. P. Neto, S. F. Balbino, J. Ribeiro, M. S. Brigida and N. Guedes. I thank D. M. Teixeira and J. B. Nacinovic (MNRJ), H. F. A. Camargo (MZUSP), M. LeCroy and G. Barrowclough (AMNH) and H. Schifter (NM) for providing me with all facilities to study the collections under their care. For critical review and linguistic corrections that greatly improved the first draft of this paper, I thank M. E. Petersen and D. W. Snow. My studies are supported by a doctoral scholarship of the Conselho Brasileiro do Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnolégico (CNPq). Financial support for field work and collection studies came from the National Geographic Society (Grant no. 4964-93), Frank M. Chapman Memorial Fund, World Wildlife Fund-US, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Danish Natural Science Research Council (Grant J. no. 11-0390), Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, and Universidade de Brasilia. References: Ab’Saber, A. N. 1977. Os Dominios morfoclimaticos da América do Sul. Primeira Aproximacgao. Geomorfologia 52: 1-21. Belton, W. 1985. Birds of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Part 2. Formicariidae through Corvidae. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 180: 1-242. Hellmayr, C. E. 1905. A new species of tyrant from Brazil. Bull. Brit. Orn. C1.15: 73. Hellmayr, C. E. 1927. Catalogue of the Birds of the Americas. Part V. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Zool. Ser. 13: 1-517. Ratter, J. A., Askew, G. P., Montgomery, R. F. & Gifford, D. R. 1978. Observations on forests of some mesotrophic soils in central Brazil. Revta bras. Bot. 1: 47-58. Ridgely, R. S. & Tudor, G. 1994. The Birds of South America. Vol. 2. Oxford Univ. Press. Sick, H. 1985. Ornitologia Brasileira: uma Introdugéo. Ed. Universidade de Brasilia, Brasilia. Stotz, D. F. 1990. The taxonomic status of Phyllomyias reiseri. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 110: 184-187. Teixeira, D. M., Nacinovic, J. & Schloemp, I. M. 1991. Notas sobre alguns passeriformes brasileiros pouco conhecidos. Ararajuba 2: 97-100. Traylor, M. A., Jr. 1979. Tyrannidae. Pp. 1-245 in M. A. Traylor, Jr. (ed.), Checklist of Birds of the World. Vol. 8. Mus. Comp. Zool., Harvard. Traylor, M. A., Jr. 1982. Notes on tyrant flycatchers (Aves: Tyrannidae). Fieldiana, Zool. 13: 1-22 Willis, E. O. & Oniki, Y. 1991. Avifaunal transects across the open zones of northern Minas Gerais, Brazil. Ararajuba 2: 41-58. Zar, J. H. 1984. Biostatistical Analysis. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Zimmer, J. T. 1955. Further notes on tyrant flycatchers (Tyrannidae). dm. Mus. Novit. 1749. Address: José Maria Cardoso da Silva, Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 P. Martuscelli 114 Bull B.O.C. 1996 116(2) Hunting behaviour of the Mantled Hawk Leucopterms polionota and the White-necked Hawk L. lacernulata in southeastern Brazil by Paulo Martuscelli Received 9 May 1995 ‘Two species of hawks in the genus Leucopternis occur in the Atlantic forest of southeastern Brazil: the larger, rather buzzard-like Mantled Hawk L. polionota and the smaller, more slender White-necked Hawk L. lacernulata. Both species are uncommon, the first one being considered near-threatened and the latter rare (Collar et al. 1992). Almost nothing is known of the biology of either species, except for a few anecdotal observations (Schubart et al. 1965, Sick 1993). During 1990 I was able to make several observations of the hunting behaviour of both species at Ilha do Cardoso State Park (c. 25°03’S, 47°53’W). The area is entirely covered by forest from the coastal plain to the island peaks, with a maximum altitude of 950 m (see Barros et al. 1991 for site description). ‘An individual Mantled Hawk was followed almost daily between 29 May and 11 June, except during rainy spells. In all I accumulated 34 h of observations. During this period the hawk used an area of 5 ha at the transition between the coastal plain and a small hill 80 m high, adjoining a road and other open spaces. Vegetation there was fairly low, the tallest trees reaching 10 m. Two different hunting strategies were observed: hunting passing birds from a perch, and ambushing by the side of a fruiting or flowering plant. In the study area the hawk was seen to use three perches, usually 5—7 m high, from which it watched for prey. After changing a perch, the hawk was not seen using it again. The longest period the hawk was known to use a perch was three days. The perched hawk was easily visible from a distance, as it used well exposed branches from where it had a broad view of its environs. The hawk took its prey after a rapid flight from its perch aimed at a passing bird, returning to its perch to eat it. These flights were usually shorter than 15 m. Of five observed hunting attempts, three were successful: a White-necked Thrush Turdus albicollis, a Squirrel Cuckoo Piaya cayana and a Red-tailed Amazon Amazona brasiliensis. 'The predation on the parrot was especially interesting, as the hawk used a perch close to the night roost that a pair of amazons were using every night, striking when they approached. The hawk caught one of the parrots in the air, both falling into the forest amid a violent struggle and loud cries by the amazon. On six different occasions the hawk perched beside a Norantea brasiliensis (Marcgraviaceae), a climbing shrub which was producing abundant inflorescences that attracted many birds. A fruiting tree, Schinus terebenthifolius (Anacardiaceae), was close by, also attracting birds. The hawk perched amid the sprawling branches of the Norantea, which were 8 m above the ground, watching the birds that came to feed P. Martuscelli 115 Bull B.O.C..1996 116(2) at the flowers, mostly tanagers and hummingbirds. It caught its prey after a short, quick flight from its perch, returning to it with the captured. prey. Of 24 attempts, the hawk was successful in three, capturing a White-tailed Trogon Trogon viridis, a Red-necked ‘Tanager Tangara cyanocephala and a Sayaca Tanager Thraupis sayaca. Apparently the same strategy was employed, by what was probably the same bird, in the successful capture of a Dusky-legged Guan Penelope obscura, which was eating the fruits of a Eugenia bimarginata (Myrtaceae), a shrub only 3 m high; this was observed outside the main study period. I saw only the moment of the strike, and am not sure if the hawk attacked from a perch or was soaring. An individual White-necked Hawk was followed between 13 and 22 June in the same area, totalling 15 h of observation. This hawk was observed once following an army ant Eciton burchelli swarm, with which was associated a flock consisting of White-backed Fire-Eye Pyriglena leucoptera, Plain-brown Woodcreeper Dendrocincla fuliginosa, House Wren Troglodytes aedon, Grey-hooded Attila Attila rufus, White-necked Thrush Turdus albicollis, Creamy-bellied Thrush T. amaurochalinus and Rufous-bellied Thrush T. rufiventris. These birds ignored the hawk, chasing insects side by side with it. The hawk perched at most 1.5 m from the ground, descending to pick insects with its bill. Large insects, such as grasshoppers and walking-sticks, were grabbed in the talons and eaten on the perch. The ants disturbed a 15 cm long land snail Megalobulimus paranaguensis, which was taken in the talons. The hawk flew with it to the top of a tree 8m high and dropped it to the ground. It then carried it up again and repeated the process twice until the shell was broken and it could eat the contents (Martuscelli 1991). On another occasion the hawk was observed walking on the lawn around the park’s headquarters, following a lawnmower together with Southern Lapwings Vanellus chilensis and thrushes, and picking up grasshoppers, but keeping its distance from the machine. Once the hawk was perched by the side of a tree where a couple of Brazilian Tanagers Ramphocelus bresilius were exploring an epiphytic bromeliad for food. The tanagers disturbed a big walking-stick and tried to subdue it as it walked from the bromeliad, when the hawk made a short flight, caught the insect, and flew off with it. ‘This hawk was also observed to use a similar strategy to the Mantled Hawk, perching by the side of a flowering tree, but its attacks were directed at the insects that were flying around it, mainly beetles and dragonflies. Another White-necked Hawk was found after the study period, more than 10 km away, in taller (20-25 m high) forest where the plain meets the mountain slope. This hawk was following a group of seven Brown Howler Monkeys (Alouatta fusca), capturing insects disturbed by the monkeys. This continued for 20 minutes, until the hawk departed. The Mantled Hawk displayed strategies similar to many buteonine hawks (Brown & Amadon 1989), hunting from a perch. Apparently birds are a major food item, a fact already mentioned in the literature (Brown & Amadon 1989, Sick 1993). The food habits of the P. Martuscelli 116 Bull B.O.C. 1996 116(2) White-necked Hawk are more surprising, as the species seems to specialise on invertebrates, mainly insects, using several techniques to take them, including the use of other animals (humans with lawn-mowers, monkeys and army-ants) as aids in finding them, and apparently preferring insects to birds. In Costa Rica, the Semiplumbeous Hawk Leucopternis semiplumbea is also known to associate with monkeys (Boinski 1988). Also, the behaviour displayed while preying on the snail, and the fact that other birds ignored the White-necked Hawk while hunting insects with it, strengthen the conclusion that the White-necked Hawk is an invertebrate specialist, apart from other hawks in its genus. Acknowledgements I wish to thank M. Milanelo for help and support during fieldwork. F. Olmos helped with drafting an initial version of the manuscript. References: Barros, F., Fiuza de Melo, M. M., Chiea, S., Kirizawa, M., Wanderley, M. G. & Jung-Mendacolli, S. L. 1991. Flora Fanerogamica da Ilha do Cardoso. Vol. 1. Instituto de Botanica de Sao Paulo. Boinski, S. & Scott, P. E. 1988. Association of birds with monkeys in Costa Rica. Biotropica 20: 136-143. Brown, L. & Amadon, D. 1989. Eagles, Hawks and Falcons of the World. 2nd edn. Wellfleet. Collar, N. J., Gonzaga, L. P., Krabbe, N., Madrono Nieto, A., Naranjo, L. G., Parker, T. A. & Wege, D. C. 1992. Threatened Birds of the Americas: the ICBP-IUCN Red Data Book. 1.C.B.P., Cambridge, U.K. Martuscelli, P. 1991. Predacao de Megalobulimus paranaguensis Pelsbry & Ihering, 1990 (Megalobulimidae, Molusca) por Leucopternis lacernulata. I Congresso Brasileiro de Ornitologia. Para, Brasil. Sick, H. 1993. Birds in Brazil: a natural history. Princeton Univ. Press. Schubart, O., Aguirre, A. C. & Sick, H. 1965. Contribuigéo para o conhecimento da alimentag¢ao das aves brasileiras. Arg. Zool. Sao Paulo 12: 95-249. Address: Paulo Martuscelli, Instituto Florestal de Sao Paulo, Caixa Postal 194, Peruibe (SP), 11750-970, Brazil. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 W.R. P. Bourne & M. B. Casement 17 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) The migrations of the Arctic Tern by W.R. P. Bourne & M. B. Casement Received 21 May 1995 The deduction by Villasenor & Phillips (1994) that Arctic Terns Sterna paradisaea must migrate unseen overland across North America, as already implied by the records plotted by Storr (1958), raises the question what may happen elsewhere. While information on the distribution of the species throughout the world has been summarised by Salomonsen (1967) and Dunn (1985), and the problem of their migration overland in the Old World has been discussed by Alerstam (1985), most attention has been paid to possible movements around the margins of the oceans, and less to any over either the land or open sea. It may therefore be useful to review some comparable records collected at sea over nearly half a century by the Royal Naval Bird-watching Society, both at the British North Atlantic Weather Ships and in their Sea Repors, summarised in its Annual Report Sea Swallow (SS) and Figure 1, and some similar inland observations in the Palearctic. The first problem which arises is the reliability of identifications. While nesting Arctic Terns in breeding plumage may be easy to identify where they characteristically assault observers and _ allied species are absent, in the Arctic, or where they moult in the pack-ice surrounding the Antarctic, their identification is more difficult along the intervening coasts, where they occur with a number of other closely-related “‘commic’”’ terns in a protean variety of non-breeding plumages; and despite improved identification (P. J. Grant et al. in Sharrock 1980, Harrison 1983) many birds often remain unidentified. The situation is however simplified by the rarity of allied species far out at sea, where for example of some hundreds of birds that Bourne saw well enough to identify reliably in the centres of both the North and South Atlantic Oceans all appeared to be Arctic, showing a short head and red bill but long tail and dark-edged wing in the air, and red bill, grey underparts and short legs when standing on flotsam in breeding plumage, and a light build and comparatively indistinct greyish markings in the minority in other plumages. Representative RNBWS records are plotted on Figure 1. Most observations come from the British Ocean Weather Ships stationed in area A (Fig. 1). The total numbers of terns seen here between 1966 and 1973 when there were still four ships on station are shown in Table 1, which indicates that Arctic Terns appear to predominate and other species are indeed scarce out at sea. Arctic Terns have been reported here in every month except January, but usually first appeared in late April, reached a climax in August, when most flew SW, and were last seen in October. About an eighth of a flock of 200 seen at Station India (59°N, 19°W) on 11 August 1971 were immature, with black bills and legs, white foreheads and underparts, and short tails, though there were many adults with red bills and dusky underparts (SS 22: 26). On the other hand, only about a quarter of a Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) 118 W.R. P. Bourne & M. B. Casement (@661 997) Sutids ut paysaTjoo “A (COS *ZL I" ANID p4lg JvqUa14c—)) ULUN{Ne UI paatesqo ‘Ky SUTOP UE IANS TV eae SOTIDAOIII YURISIP ‘(9Q6] “JV 72 WIRISIO[V) PE TWeekis) WEEN ‘d ‘(Z96L "ueIg) 9 sattaAooe1 TOuIs py eurgs ‘Avg evysyejopuey ‘dD (0Z6] 3Ury) Apmis yojig AydersoursdQ sUuo0Z pulAA spe], “gq ‘(T 219®.1) sdiyg 19yiva\A WUL[Y YON Jo uorLVd0] “VY :Bas ye AJQIN0G SuryoieM-pirg [BABN [RAoOY sy Aq papsooa1 useq dAvY sua} (JOLY AT[ensn ‘paynuap! usyM) ,OTUUOD,, UsYM syJUOTY “] 9INSIY oe W.R.P. Bourne & M. B. Casement 119 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) TABLE 1. Terns Sterna spp. at the North Atlantic Weather Ships 1966-1973 (from summaries by J. H. Agnew in Sea Swallow). Jan. .Feb. Mar. . Apr. May June July Aug. Sep: Oct. Arctic 1 1 1 1 1 Ul 40. 2324 36 4 Common 1 3 Roseate 1 Little 2 Sandwich 1 Unidentified 1 3 48 73 DUS i L682. unl 471 61 Totals 1 2 1 4 49 81 254 4009 186 65 long, straggling group of over 1000 terns and 100 Manx Shearwaters Puffinus puffinus followed White-sided Dolphins Lagenorhynchus acutus and Pilot Whales Globicephala melaena west there on 28 August 1973 were adult (SS 24: 29). Although Wynne-Edwards (1935) reported that they do not settle on the sea, a group sat on the water to bathe and preen on 17 August 1972, twice rising to mob Great and Arctic Skuas Catharacta skua and Stercorarius parasiticus (SS 23: 33), and they often sit on drifting objects. Individuals and smaller groups of “‘commic’’ terns may also be seen on migration across the whole width of the North Atlantic (Wynne-Edwards 1935, Bourne 1986, Danielsen et al. 1990), along the west coast of Europe, and over the Canary Current off West Africa and the Gulf Stream off eastern North America, where more have been recorded in the spring than the autumn (Lee & Cardiff 1993). Flocks have also often been seen where Salomonsen (1967: 7) speculated that they stop to feed along the equatorial counter-current in the tropical Atlantic, where one mixed flock of seabirds seen well at 03.2°S, 15.2°W on 26 April 1982 by W. F. Curtis was thought to include 75 Sooty Sterna fuscata, 25 Arctic, 5 Common S. hirundo, 3 Roseate S. dougallit, 20 unidentified ““commic’”’ terns, and 35 Brown Noddies Anous stolidus. A Common Tern ringed in Germany has been recovered at 0.8°N, 18.1°W in January (Muselet 1982), and a number of young Sooty Terns ringed on the Dry Tortugas off Florida in the same area throughout the year (Robertson 1969). “Commic”’ terns have also been found during recent voyages between Britain and the Falklands to be widespread on migration in the South Atlantic (Bourne & Curtis 1985; Fig. 1), though here their identification is further complicated by the possible presence of southern species such as the similar Antarctic Tern Sterna vittata, since although it is not normally reported north of 30°S there is a specimen in the British Museum (Natural History) said to have been taken between Ascension and St. Helena in the last century (Saunders 1876), though no others have been reported out at sea. We have fewer records elsewhere, but they confirm that some Arctic Terns reach Australasia, where for example Bourne saw two immature birds at W.R. P. Bourne & M. B. Casement 120 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) 35.6°S, 140.8°E over the edge of the continental shelf off Portland, Victoria, on 1 August 1974. If they stay so far out to sea this may explain a shortage of records in this area. They also occur in the eastern Pacific, where King (1970) reported that they were common on spring migration in area B of Figure 1 in late April and May 1964-65, with others collected further west. Arctic Terns also appear to cross the Old World as well as North America. Bianki (1967) reported that while most distant recoveries of birds ringed in Kandelaksha Bay of the White Sea (Fig. 1, C) and around the Baltic occurred in the Atlantic, with one in Western Australia and one in the east Antarctic, two fledglings were recovered in August in Russia and the Ukraine (Fig. 1, c). There are also reports from the Bosphorus (Ballance & Lee 1961) and possibly Cyprus (Flint & Stewart 1992) in September (Fig. 1), and old records from the Ukraine in October (Dementiev et al. 1951). On the return migration Ash (1983) reports a northerly movement inland from the east coast of Somalia in late April and May, when there are also records in Cyprus (Flint & Stewart 1992) and Turkey, where they have been photographed at nearly 2000 m on Lake Van (Ornithological Society of Turkey 1972, 1975; Fig. 1), though birds have remained in Somalia until July and October (Ash 1983), Masirah Island, Oman, until July and August (Oman Bird Records Committee, 1994; Fig. 1), and one has been collected with Common Terns at nearly 5000 m in Kashmir in July (Whistler 1936). Thus if the full extent of the transequatorial migration of the Arctic Tern is considered (Storr 1958, Salomonsen 1967, Dunn 1985), it appears that they are widespread in the local summer in both the north and south polar regions, and their main movement between them appears to occur over those parts of the intervening area with a comparatively stable meteorological regime of westerlies and trade-winds. They appear to avoid the area with alternating monsoons around S.E. Asia, where they may be replaced by the Aleutian Tern Sterna aleutica, which has recently been reported at Hong Kong in the autumn and in the Philippines in the spring (Oriental Bird Club Bull. 17: 50, Lee 1992; Fig. 1), and presumably winters somewhere to the south. Alerstam (1985) has already postulated in the light of such records that like many other Charadriiformes Arctic Terns must carry out their migrations by a series of long flights between a succession of good feeding places. These appear to include the areas of marine turbulence where nutrients and plankton are brought to the surface by vertical water movements, leading to the presence of many invertebrates and small fish around ice in the polar regions, along the marine fronts over the continental shelves, over eddies in the boundary currents offshore, and over upwelling along the subtropical convergences in middle latitudes and equatorial current systems. Their progress seems more leisurely in the autumn, when Bianki (1967) reported that birds ringed in the Kandelaksha Bay of the White Sea and the Baltic usually appear to move south down the east side of the Atlantic, though some may go south overland. Alerstam (1985) has described how those passing through the Baltic area fly WSW at W.R. P. Bourne & M. B. Casement 121 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) heights exceeding 1000m across Scandinavia, and Alerstam et al. (1986) how those ringed in western Greenland move SE towards western Europe, where numbers linger for a while offshore and according to RNBWS observations at the Weather Ships out at sea, presumably feeding before starting south. Observations with radar of a regular coasting movement attributed to terns in the autumn in Ghana (Grimes 1977) suggest that many of them may coast south offshore at this season as suggested by Storr (1958) and Salomonsen (1967), but the records summarised here and by Villasenor & Phillips (1994) also indicate that at least some must go south over Eurasia and North America, and in the Pacific as well. On the other hand, no similar coasting movements were detected with radar in Ghana in the spring (Grimes 1977), so it seems possible that after moulting in the Southern Ocean during the local summer the birds may then fly back north on a broader front from whatever point they may have reached, at least those in the Atlantic stopping to rest and feed after their migration and wait for good weather off western Europe and eastern North America before going on to the breeding grounds (Alerstam et al. 1986). This may explain some anomalous ringing recoveries, including two-year-olds bred in Britain which were recovered in Russia in June and July, other two-year-olds from the White Sea found in Greenland in July (Dunn 1985) and from Greenland found in Hudson’s Bay in July, a three-year-old from Greenland found in the Brazilian highlands in May, and a ten-year-old from Greenland found at over 2000 m in the Colombian Andes in June (Alerstam 1985). While Arctic Terns may often stop to feed with flocks of other species, on migration they are usually seen moving singly or in small parties on a broad front out at sea; they apparently cross any land in their way at altitudes of thousands of metres (Alerstam 1985). It seems probably that, like many other birds, they prefer to take off for the longer flights in good weather with tail winds, and fly high where the winds are stronger while they remain favourable, so that few are seen then. But they may descend, presumably because the winds are weaker at lower levels, and if necessary settle, when the winds become adverse (Alerstam 1985). Thus a wave of birds regularly crosses Britain with the onset of fine weather to the south in May, when a few descend briefly at such places as sewage farms (Hinde & Harrison 1949, Hinde 1951, personal observation), and there are larger influxes after westerly gales, as in 1947, 1985 and 1991 (Gibb 1948, Kramer 1995). The need to adjust the altitude of flight and heading to minimise drift by the wind may explain why most birds were reported heading SW against the prevailing westerlies at the North Atlantic weather ships in the autumn when the ringing returns suggest they should have been heading SE, but a fledgling from New England was recovered in northern Scotland (Hawkesley 1949), and north into the prevailing NE trades in the western Atlantic (Lee & Cardiff 1993) and east Pacific (King 1970) in spring, whereas few or none are to be seen at these places when they may fly high with the more favourable NE trade winds in autumn and westerlies in spring. W.R. P. Bourne & M. B. Casement 122 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) Acknowledgement We are indebted to Dr Euan Dunn for much assistance with the literature. References: Alerstam, T. 1985. Strategies of migratory flight, illustrated by Arctic and Common Terns Sterna paradisaea and Sterna hirundo. Contrib. Marine Science 27 Suppl.: 580-603. Alerstam, T., Hjort, C., Hégstedt, G., Jonsson, P. E., Karlsson, J. & Larsson, B. 1986. Spring migration of birds across the Greenland Inlandice,, Medd. Gronland. Bioscience 21: 1-38. Ash, J. S. 1983. Over fifty additions of birds to the Somalia list includig two hybrids, with notes from Ethiopia and Kenya. Scopus 7: 54-79. Ballance, D. K. & Lee, S. L. B. 1961. Notes on autumn migration at the Bosporus and in the Aegean. [bis 103a: 195-204. Bianki, V. V. 1967. (Gulls, shorebirds and alcids of Kandelaksha Bay.) Trudy Kandalak. gos. zapoved. 6. (In Russian, trans. Israel Program for Scientific Translation, Jerusalem, 1977.) Bourne, W. R. P. 1986. Late summer seabird distribution off the west coast of Europe. Trish Birds 3: 175-198. Bourne, W. R. P. & Curtis, W. F. 1985. South Atlantic seabirds. Sea Swallow 34: 18-28. Danielsen, F., Skov, H., Durinck, J. & Bloch, D. 1990. Marine distribution of seabirds in Northeast Atlantic between Iceland and Scotland, June—September 1987 and 1988. Dansk Orn. Foren.Tidsskr. 84: 45-63. Dementiev, G. P., Gladkov, N. A. & Spangenberg, E. P. 1951. (Birds of the Soviet Union, Vol. 3: 585-594.) Sovetskaya Nauka, Moscow. (In Russian, trans. Israel Program for Scientific Translation, Jerusalem, 1969.) D(unn), E. K. 1985. Movements of the Arctic Tern. In Cramp, 5S. et al. (eds), Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Vol. 4. Oxford Univ. Press. Flint, P. & Stewart, P. 1992. The Birds of Cyprus. BOU Check-list 6 (2nd edn). Gibb, J. A. 1948. Report on the inland passage of Arctic and Common Terns in the spring of 1947. Brit. Birds 41: 167-173. Grimes, L. G. 1977. A radar study of tern movements along the coast of Ghana. [bis 119: 28-36. Harrison, P. 1983. Seabirds: an identification guide. Croom Helm, Beckenham. Hawksley, O. 1949. Transatlantic Arctic Tern recoveries. Bird-Banding 20: 185-186. Hinde, R. A. 1951. Further report on the inland migration of waders and terns. Brit. Birds 44: 329-346. Hinde, R. A. & Harrison, J. G. 1949. Inland passage of waders and terns. Brit. Birds 42: 308-319. King, W. B. 1970. The Trade Wind Zone Oceanography Pilot Study Part VII: Observations of Sea Birds March 1964 to June 1965. U.S. Fish. Wildl. Serv., Spec. Sci. Rep. Fish. XFWS-A 586: 1-136. Kramer, D. 1995. Inland spring passage of Arctic Terns in southern Britain. Brit. Birds 88: 211-217. Lee, D. S. 1992. Specimen records of Aleutian Terns from the Philippines. Condor 94: 276-279. Lee, D. S. & Cardiff, S. W. 1993. Status of the Arctic Tern in the coastal and offshore waters of the southeastern United States. 7. Field Orn. 64: 158-168. Muselet, D. 1982. Les quartiers d’hivernage des Sternes pierregarins (Sterna hirundo) européennes. Oiseau 52: 219-230. Oman Bird Records Committee. 1994. Oman Bird List 4th edn. Privately printed, Muscat. Ornithological Society of Turkey 1972, 1975. Bird Reports 1968-69, 1970-73. Robertson, W. B. 1969. Transatlantic migration of juvenile Sooty Terns. Nature 223: 632-634. Salomonsen, F. 1967. Migratory movements of the Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea Pontoppidan) in the Southern Ocean. Biol. Meddr. Dansk Vid. Selsk. 24: 1-42. Saunders, H. 1876. On the Sterninae or Terns, with Descriptions of three new species. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 1876: 638-672. Sharrock, J. T. R. (ed.) 1980. Frontiers of Bird Identification. Macmillan, London. Storr, G. M. 1958. Migration routes of the Arctic Tern. Emu 58: 59-62. K. C. Parkes 123 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) Villasenor, J. F. & Phillips, A. R. 1994. A new, puzzling, American route of the Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea, and its implications. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 114: 249-258. Whistler, H. 1936. Arctic Tern in Kashmir. [bis (13)6: 600-601. Wynne-Edwards, V. C. 1935. On the habits and distribution of birds on the North Atlantic. Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist. 40: 233-346. Addresses: Dr W. R. P. Bourne, Department of Zoology, Aberdeen University, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen AB9 2TN, U.K. Commander M. B. Casement, Dene Cottage, West Harting, Petersfield, Hants GU31 5PA, U.K. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 Supernumerary rectrices by Kenneth C. Parkes Received 31 May 1995 In the past several years there has been a succession of papers on abnormal numbers of rectrices and remiges in birds, the most recent being that of Saini & Toor (1988). In that paper will be found a list of references to other papers on the subject, which will not be repeated here. Saini & Toor state that “‘cases of anisorectricial birds have been reported in 45 species belonging to 16 families (Hammer 1985)”. This wording gives the impression that this is the total number of such reports for all birds, whereas it is merely the figure for those birds that were handled by Hanmer and her colleagues in Malawi and Mozambique. It does not include abnormal rectrix numbers reported by other authors. I have been waiting in vain for any of this series of papers to mention that I published a note on an “‘anisorectricial’”’ specimen as long ago as 1950, but I can understand that authors based in Africa and Asia (as all of the authors of these recent papers have been) may not have access to the standard North American journals. I therefore depart from custom and repeat, in abridged form, the information published in that note (Parkes 1950). Specimen no. 15791 in the collection of Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, is a Yellow-winged or Carmiol’s Vireo Vireo carmioli collected by Austin Paul Smith at 9000 feet elevation on Volcan Turrialba, Costa Rica, on 24 November 1922. The specimen appears normal in all respects save that it possesses 15 rectrices, all fully grown with no basal sheathing. The three extra feathers are morphologically of the shape of the normal central pair, with the rachis centrally located. The follicles appear to have been duplicated laterally rather than dorsoventrally, making it difficult to determine which three of the five “central” rectrices are the supernumeraries. Saini & Toor also state that “‘normally, birds have a species-specific fixed number of primaries, secondaries and rectrices’’. This is probably true for most passerines; with sample sizes ranging from 50 to 2238 for 30 passerine species, Hanmer recorded only 20 individuals, of 14 K. C. Parkes 124 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) species, with supernumerary rectrices. Many but not all non-passerines tend to have fixed numbers of rectrices. In my 1950 note I cited a personal communication from Professor A. A. Allen to the effect that supernumerary rectrices “‘are not uncommon in the Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) and perhaps in other gallinaceous birds’’. Subse- quently Short (1967), in connection with his review of the genera of grouse, found that rectrix number in this subfamily (Phasianidae, ‘Tetraoninae) is exceptionally variable. In 168 museum specimens of Dendragapus obscurus he found individuals with 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 22 rectrices, although the earlier literature had given 20 rectrices as a generic character for Dendragapus. Short found geographic variation in this species such that the rectrix numbers in one subspecies group clustered around 18, and in another group around 20. Similarly, in 66 Canachites (now Dendragapus) canadensis he found 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 rectrices (modal number 16), and in 396 Bonasa umbellus 14, 16, 18, 19 and 20 (modal number 18). I suspect that a study of similar numbers of specimens of some other galliform species might well reveal this kind of variability. Other non-passerines are obviously more consistent. Saini & Toor found only one supernumerary rectrix among 206 specimens of “Ring” [=Collared] Dove Streptopelia decaocto, and none in 127 “Blue Rock Pigeon” [=Rock Dove] Columba livia. This would suggest stability in the number of rectrices in Columbidae, but Hanmer (1985) and her colleagues examined 7 African species of this family, with sample sizes from 8 to 193, and found at least 1 supernumerary rectrix in all species except Streptopelia decipiens (sample size 57). They had only 8 Treron australis, but one of these was their only columbid to exhibit 2 supernumerary rectrices. Somadikarta (1984) introduced the term ‘“‘polyrectricyly” for the “occurrence of more than a normal number of tail feathers in a bird’’. Although I find this word difficult to remember and impossible to pronounce, it is probably useful as an available noun for the phenomenon of supernumerary rectrices. Hanmer (1985) introduced the term “‘anisorectricial’’ for tails with abnormal numbers of rectrices, but the term is of dubious usefulness. Her Table 2 is a summary of families and genera in which “‘anisorectricial’’ birds were found at the Malawi and Mozambique study sites, including figures for percent aberrant. Those figures are misleading, however, as they include birds with rectrices both greater and fewer than the normal number, and one must consult her Table 1 to learn how many individuals had supernumerary rectrices, and then compute a separate percentage figure. The explanation for abnormal numbers of rectrices is unknown, although both Hanmer and Saini & Toor postulate vaguely that such numbers may be “of phylogenetic origin’, presumably reflecting a continuing evolutionary trend toward the reduction of rectrix numbers for those with abnormally few rectrices, and some sort of “‘throwback’’ phenomenon for those with supernumerary rectrices. But there is no evidence that the same mechanism is responsible for both missing and extra rectrices, and (especially in cases of odd-numbered and thus asymmetrical rectrices, In Brief 125 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) as in the Vireo mentioned above) I suspect that the explanation is more probably a developmental accident than any recapitulation of a more primitive number of rectrices. Somadikarta (1984) stated that “‘Further investigations will be needed to show whether polyrectricyly is caused by chromosomal anomaly’’. Such investigations will, of course, be difficult; it might, however, be possible to determine the genetic basis controlling rectrix number by selective breeding of a domestic species. References: Hanmer, D. B. 1985. Abnormal numbers of tail feathers. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 105: 91-95. Parkes, K. C. 1950. A vireo specimen with supernumerary rectrices. Condor 52: 138. Saini, H. K. & Toor, H. S. 1988. Aberrant primaries and rectrices in Columbidae. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 108: 139-141. Short, L. L., Jr. 1967. A review of the genera of grouse (Aves, Tetraoninae). Amer. Mus. Novit. 2289. Somadikarta, S. 1984. Polyrectricyly. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 104: 60-61. Address: Dr Kenneth C. Parkes, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 4400 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213, U.S.A. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 IN BRIEF A NEW RECORD OF THE SICKLE-WINGED NIGHTJAR ELEOTHREPTUS ANOMALUS FOR SOUTHERN BRAZIL The Sickle-winged Nightjar Eleothreptus anomalus is a bird of open areas, ranging from central Brazil to northeastern and _ eastern Argentina, including Paraguay and Uruguay. There are few recent records, and it is considered to be endangered (Bernardes et al. 1990, Collar et al. 1992). In Brazil, during the last 30 years, there are only four known records: in 1971 in Pantano Grande (Rio Grande do Sul); in 1978 at the Parque Nacional de Brasilia (Distrito Federal); in 1986 at the Reserva Biologica Cambui, municipality of Curitiba (Parana); and in 1988 in Laranjeiras, municipality of Piraquara (Parana) (Straube 1991, Belton 1994). On 27 August 1994 we found a specimen in a wetland in the Fazenda Santa Rita, municipality of Palmeira, Parana (25°18'S, 49°52’W); it had fallen to the ground with a broken wing, possibly as a consequence of collision with a power line which passed over the place at a height of approximately 10m. The area is characterized by extense fields, and patches of Araucaria angustifolia (Parana Pine) forest. The specimen was collected and proved to be an adult male with developed gonads; it has been deposited in the Museu de Historia Natural “‘Capao da Imbuia’”’, Curitiba (MHNCI 4240). An interesting aspect is that this record once again concerns a crippled individual. All the other recent records were traffic victims. In the surroundings of the Fazenda Santa Rita, as well as in the entire state of Parana, there has been drastic destruction of natural habitats, with total loss (e.g. in the case of agriculture), or drastic In Brief 126 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) changes as a consequence of drainage, cattle grazing or burning. In the metropolitan area of Curitiba, where all the previously known records of the species in Parana are concentrated, the surviving natural habitats are being rapidly destroyed, mainly as a consequence of the extraction of sand from the subsoil. The habitat loss in this area may become almost complete when two dams and a road, which are planned, have been built, thus extirpating the Sickle-winged Nightjar locally. We thank Julio de Moura Leite and Dante M. Teixeira for critically reading the present text, and the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq) for the financial help. We would also like to acknowledge the help of Jorge B. Nacinovic (MN) in the revision of this manuscript. References: Belton, W. 1994. Aves do Rio Grande do Sul: distribuigdo e biologia. Sao Leopoldo: Ed. UNISINOS. Bernardes, A. T., Machado, A. B. M. & Rylands, A. B. 1990. Fauna brasileira ameagada de extinggo. FUNDACAO BIODIVERSITAS para a Conservacgao da Diversidade Biologica, Belo Horizonte. Collar, N. J.. Gonzaga, L. A. P., Krabbe, N., Madrono Nieto, A., Naranjo, L. G., Parker III, T. A. & Wege, D. C. 1992. Threatened Birds of the Americas. The ICBP/IUCN Red Data Book. 3rd edn. International Council For Bird Preservation, Cambridge. Straube, F. C. 1991. Notas sobre a distribuicao de Eleothreptus anomalus (Gould, 1837) e Caprimulgus longirostris Bonaparte, 1825 no Brasil (Aves; Caprimulgidae). Acta Biologica Leopoldensia 12: 301-312. Museu de Historia Natural MARCOS R. BORNSCHEIN ‘““Capao da Imbuia’’, BIANCA L. REINERT Rua Prof. Benedito Concei¢ao 407, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil 82810-080 Sociedade de Pesquisa em Vida Selvagem e ROBERTO BOCON Educacao Ambiental (SPVS), Rua Gutemberg 345, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil 80420-030 29 June 1995 THE NEST OF BLACKISH-HEADED SPINETAIL SYNALLAXIS TITHYS On 8-9 January 1995 at Tambo Negro (4°24'S, 79°51'W) in Prov. Loja, Ecuador, I found three nests of Synallaxis tithys, a poorly known spinetail endemic to southwestern Ecuador and adjacent northwestern Peru. These appear to be the first records of nesting in this species. The first nest was found on 8 January in a vine tangle in the understorey of Ceiba trichistandra-dominated deciduous forest about 5 m above a dry streambed. My attention was first attracted to the nest by the trilled calls of an adult bird, which brought a 15 cm twig to the nest. The nest was placed between the main trunk of the tree and a low bough placed at 60° to it. The body of the nest was about 30 cm above the base of the fork and was wholly supported by the vines, and appeared to be the standard ball of sticks typical of Synallaxis spinetails Books Received 127 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) (Ridgely & Tudor 1994; The Birds of South America, vol. 2); it was about 40 cm wide at its widest point and about 30cm deep. On 9 January, once again attracted by the calling of the birds, I found two more nests; they were smaller and more concealed, both about 3m above either the streambed or the forest floor. During my visit the dry season was coming to an end and heavy rain had fallen in the area just before my arrival. That S. t7thys breeds at this time is to be expected, as recent studies have shown that many species breed in the rainy season in southwestern Ecuador (Best ez al. 1993, Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 113: 234-255). The nest sites were close to one another and the species was reasonably common in the area; this may have been due to concentration at the site caused by loss of habitat in the surrounding area. I would like to thank Brinley Best for his encouragement and his comments on the first draft of this note. 24 Juniper Close, CHRIS S. BALCHIN Towcester, Northants NN12 6XP, U.K. 3 July 1995 BOOKS RECEIVED Williams, T. D. 1995. The Penguins. Pp. xiv+295, 8 colour plates, text-figures, maps and sonagrams. ISBN 0-19-854667-X. Oxford University Press. £35. 25 x 20 cm. The second in the series of bird family monographs, organised on the same plan as that noticed in the previous issue of the Bulletin, also deals with a family of moderate size (17 species in 6 genera). There is, as would be expected, far more statistical data in the species accounts, summarising a vast amount of research over the last 35 years. The chapter on conservation is refreshingly outspoken in putting man in the dock for all the most serious threats facing penguins, as also most other forms of life. The colour plates by J. N. Davies, showing adults, immatures and chicks of all the species, are excellent. For those needing a less detailed account of the family, OUP have published a much briefer summary in paperback, Penguins of the World, by Pauline Reilly (1994), using the colour plates and other illustrations from volume 1 of the Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Holloway, S. 1996. The Historical Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland. Pp. viit+476, maps, text-figures and tables. ISBN 0-85661-094-1. T. & A. D. Poyser. £25. 26 X 19 cm. The last quarter of the 19th century was a period of rapid change, both in the environment and in the human attitude to birds. It was the time when “‘the persecution of birds and mammals was at its most thoughtless’, but also the time when, among a small but growing section of society, active protection was being promoted. It followed a period, beginning about 1840, when the number of local publications on birds began to increase rapidly, culminating in the county avifaunas that began with Harting’s Birds of Middlesex in 1866. By the early 20th century most of the English and Welsh counties had their known avifaunas published. This was therefore a good period to choose for a historical survey that might be compared in some detail with the later BTO 1968-72 breeding bird atlas. The author has drawn on all available published sources. In an introductory chapter he deals with the history of the Watsonian vice-county system of England and Wales, the Faunal Districts of Scotland, and the late 19th century counties of Ireland, which are Books Received 128 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(2) used as the basis of his maps for 1875-1900. For‘all authors of the main county and regional avifaunas for this period there are brief biographical details—a valuable addition for readers interested in the sociology of ornithology. The late 19th century environment is discussed in a 10-page chapter, and is followed by the species accounts which form the bulk of the book. Each species has a map, with a facing page of text. While the main focus is on the period 1875-1900, earlier and later changes in distribution are discussed in some detail, so that these accounts provide a useful, abundantly documented, picture of changes in breeding distribution over the last 200 years. The maps are, of course, a most important part of the whole. The main maps, based on the vice-counties and other areas mentioned above, make use of four shades of brown, brown hatching, and grey shading, to show six status categories: regular breeding with four categories of abundance (as assessed from the published accounts on which they are based), occasional breeding, and probable but not confirmed breeding. There are also small inset maps in black, reduced from the BTO atlas, to show breeding distribution in 1968-72. Unfortunately these are so small that a magnifying glass is needed to make out the details of distributions that are mainly coastal. But this will probably matter little to most readers, who are likely to possess the BTO atlas. Altogether, this is a useful addition to the British ornithological literature. Wege, D. & Long, A. J. 1995. Key Areas for Threatened Birds in the Neotropics. (BirdLife Conservation Series No. 5). Pp. 311, maps, tables and text-figures. ISBN 0-946888-31-0. BirdLife International. £24.25. 24.5 x 17 cm. This is an essential source of information for anyone concerned, whether generally or practically, with the conservation of the 290 species of mainland (non-Caribbean) neotropical birds considered at risk of extinction (over 25% of all such birds worldwide). The criteria for identifying a ‘key area’ are discussed in a short introductory chapter. Briefly, each threatened species should, where possible, be represented within at least 3 key areas, and the areas selected are those that are known or most likely to hold viable populations of the species in question, and if there is a choice are those which are the largest and most intact and, if possible, already have some degree of protection. The main bulk of the book is a country-by-country listing of the 596 key areas in 21 countries. The entry for each key area includes its geographical coordinates, information on its size (where known), habitats, and protected status, followed by an annotated list of the threatened species known to occur or to have occurred within it. In addition to those currently engaged in the conservation of the amazingly rich neotropical avifauna, no ornithologist intending to travel to South or Middle America should be without this book: it can especially be recommended to university expeditions hoping to make a worthwhile contribution in a long vacation. Byers, C., Olsson, U. & Curson, J. 1995. Buntings and Sparrows. Pp. 334, 39 coloured plates, numerous maps and text-figures. ISBN1-873403-19-4. Pica Press. £28.00. 24 x 17 cm. Following in what is now almost a tradition of well-illustrated (part or whole) bird-family guides, this covers the Old World buntings and Nearctic sparrows. Its scope is mainly Holarctic but extends beyond into the tropics by including all the African buntings (all in Emberiza), the South American species of 3 North American genera, and the Oriental Crested Bunting. The main omission, for taxonomic completeness, is thus the Neotropical species in genera not represented in the north, whose inclusion would have added greatly to the bulk of the book. The text is very thorough and sound; the plates, by Clive Byers, superb. NOTICE TO CONTRIBUTORS Papers, from Club Members or non-members, should be sent to the Editor, Dr D. W. Snow, The Old Forge, Wingrave, Aylesbury, Bucks HP22 4PD, U.K.., and must be offered solely to the Bulletin. ‘They should be typed on one side of the paper, with treble-spacing and a wide margin, and submitted in duplicate. The style and lay-out should conform with usage in this or recent issues of the Bulletin. A contributor is entitled to 10 free offprints (16 if 2 or more autinors) of the pages of the Bulletin in which his contribution, if one page or more in length, appears. Additional offprints or offprints of contributions of less than one page may be ordered when the manuscript is submitted and will be charged for. Authors may be charged for proof corrections for which they are responsible. MEMBERSHIP Only Members of the British Ornithologists’ Union are eligible to join the Club; applications should be sent to the Hon. Treasurer, as below, together with the annual subscription (£8.50 or, if preferred, U.S. $22 for 1996, postage and index free). Changes of address and any correspondence concerning membership should be addressed to the Hon. Treasurer. SUBSCRIPTION TO THE BULLETIN & OTHER PUBLICATIONS The Bulletin (Vol. 116 onwards) may be purchased by non-members on payment of the annual subscription (£22 or, if preferred, U.S. $45 for 1996, postage and index free). Applications should be sent to the Hon. Treasurer. Single issues may be obtained as back numbers. BACK NUMBERS OF THE BULLETIN Available on application to the Hon. Treasurer. PAYMENTS TO HON. TREASURER Payments should be sent to the Hon. Treasurer, S. J. Farnsworth, Hammerkop, Frogmill, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berks SL65NL, U.K., or credited direct to the Club’s bank account—No. 10211540, Sort Code 20 00 87, at Barclays Prime Account, Dale House, Wavertree Boulevard, Liverpool L7 9PQ, U.K., with confirmation to the Hon. Treasurer. All payments are net and should be in Sterling if possible. Payment in other currencies must include a further £4 for U.K. Bank Charges (except for annual rates in U.S. Dollars which are inclusive). CORRESPONDENCE Correspondence on all other matters should go to the Hon. Secretary, Cdz M. B. Casement, OBE, RN, Dene Cottage, West Harting, Petersfield, Hants. GU31 5PA, U.K. For details of Club Meetings see inside front cover. Registered Charity No. 279583 CONTENTS CLUB “NOTICES oe. ye Se Pe a ee ee Se ee ie POULSEN, B. O. Species composition, function and home-range of mixed-species bird flocks in a primary cloud forest in Ecuador... . GARRIDO, O. H. & REMSEN, J. v. A new subspecies of the Pearly-eyed Thrasher Margarops fuscatus (Mimidae) from the island of St: Lucia, Lesser Antilles). 6 eae es ee eee PRINCE, P. A. & CROXALL, J. P. ‘The birds of South Georgia.......... CLANCEY, P. A. Further on subspeciation in the Red-billed Francolin iPternistis, adspersus (NVaterhouse)), 18812) 2) ane CARDOSO DA SILVA, J. M. New data support the specific status of Reiser’s ihyrannulet,a\central Brazilianvendemic4= 2445. .447 eee MARTUSCELLI, P. Hunting behaviour of the Mantled Hawk Leucopternis polionota and the White-necked Hawk L. lacernulata in southeastern Brazil oer dec ei eyes Oeaels a PIA Se anc eae ee BOURNE, W. R. P. & CASEMENT, M. B. ‘The migrations of the Arctic Tern PARKES, KC) /Supernumerary rectrices . 2) ea In Brief BORNSCHEIN, M. R., REINERT, B. L. & BOGON, R. A new record of the Sickle-winged Nightjar Eleothreptus anomalus for southeastern’ Brazile ee See BALCHIN, Cc. S. The nest of Blackish-headed Spinetail Synallasxts tathys oo is Se he a eee BOOKSFRECERVED Pea emen en oii ticlie tiem oii ciroicul ticle Wi cM iroNciieiiicl olitell ere ito iio oti tateltt tate ee 104 109 114 117 123 125 126 127 The Bulletin is despatched from the printers on publication and is sent by Surface Saver Postal Services to all European destinations outside the U.K. and by Air Saver Postal Services to destinations outside Europe. Those whose subscriptions have not been received by the beginning of a month of publication will have their copies despatched by surface mail, after their current subscription has been paid. COMMITTEE D. Griffin (Chairman) (1993) N. H. F. Stone (1995) Dr D. W. Snow (Editor) (1991) Revd T. W. Gladwin (Vice-Chairman) (1993) Cdr M. B. Casement, OBE, RN S. J. Farnsworth (Hon. Treasurer) (1990) (Hon. Secretary) (1996) R. E. F. Peal (1993) Miss H. Baker (1994) Dr R. Prys-Jones (1995) Printed on acid-free paper. Published by the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB and printed by Henry Ling Ltd., at the Dorset Press, Dorchester, Dorset a ISSN 0007-1595 Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club Edited by Dr D. W. SNOW SONIAR™ Wire \ vA . P 3 A et ee eee MIB RARIED September 1996 Volume 116 No.3 FORTHCOMING MEETINGS Tuesday, 5 November 1996. Nigel Hunter will speak on “Birds of Botswana’. Nigel has spent the past 13 years in Botswana, including four years as Coordinator of Land Use Planning (1986-90), and the last five years as Director of Wildlife and National Parks (1990-95). He is currently back in the UK, working as Head of Wildlife Management at the Natural Resources Institute. Applications to the Hon. Secretary by 22 October, please. Tuesday 10 December 1996. Club Social Evening. By popular request, there will be an additional meeting. There will be no speaker, but Members are invited to bring along one or two slides (or a specimen!) of a bird of topical interest, and to speak for not more than five minutes about it. The aim will be to generate discussion, and to facilitate the exchange of information between Members. Applications to the Hon. Secretary by 26 November, please. Tuesday 21 January 1997. Professor C. J. Feare and Dr Elaine Gill will speak on “‘The biology of pink omelettes”. Chris began studying Seychelles Sooty Terns during an Aberdeen University Research Fellowship in the early 1970s, and never lost interest in these birds or the islands, during an ensuing career with the Ministry of Agriculture’s Central Science Laboratory (CSL). There, he studied the biology of pest birds, especially Starlings, but recently took early retirement to establish his own consultancy on bird management, to write books and to continue Sooty Tern studies. Elaine spent thirteen years studying the ecology of free-ranging ponies, on which she has written a book, before joining CSL to investigate the potential of naturally-occurring chemicals to deter birds and mammals from feeding on crops. Despite the absence of horses, she quickly adapted to spending her leave on tropical islands full of Sooty Terns. Applications to the Hon. Secretary by 7 January, please. Meetings are held in the Sherfield Building of Imperial College, South Kensington, London SW7, at 6.15 p.m. for 7 p.m. The nearest Tube station is at South Kensington, and car parking facilities are available; a map of the area will be sent to members, on request. The cash bar is open from 6.15, and a buffet supper, of two courses followed by coffee, is served from about 7.00. (A vegetarian menu can be arranged if ordered at the time of booking.) Informal talks are given on completion. Overseas Members visiting Britain are particularly welcome at meetings. For details in advance, please contact the Hon. Secretary: Cdr M. B. Casement, OBE, RN, Dene Cottage, West Harting, Petersfield, Hants. GU31 5PA. Tel/Fax: 01730-825280 for late bookings and cancellations. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 Apart from single copies made for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under UK law, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, except with prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the Editor; for address see inside back cover. 129 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) Bulletin of the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Vol. 116 No. 3 Published 30 September 1996 The eight hundred and fifty-seventh meeting of the Club was a Symposium on “Avian Taxonomy from Linnaeus to DNA”’, held jointly with the Linnean Society of London, at Burlington House, Piccadilly, on Saturday, 23 March 1996. The total number attending, including speakers, was 101. The following BOC Members were present: M. A. Apcock, P. J. BELMaAN, Miss H. Baker, I. BisHop, P. BuLL, D. R. CaLpEr, Cdr M. B. CasEMENT RN, Dr R. A.-CHEKE, I. D. CoLtins, G. S. Cow es, S. J. FARNSworTH, P. S. Gascoicng, F. M. GauNTLETT, Revd T. W. Grapwin, A. Grsss, Dr J. J. D. GrEENWoop, D. Grirrin, Dr C. J. Hazevoet, C. A. R. HeLm, S. Howe, J. R. Kinc, Dr R. Liversipce, N. S. MaLcoitm, Dr C. F. Mann, Dr J. F. Mong, R. G. Morcan, Mrs A. M. Moors, G. Moret, Mme M. Y. Moret, Mrs M. Mutter, R. E. F. Peat, Dr R. P. Prys-Jonges, N. REDMAN, Dr T. J. Roperts, G. SANGSTER, R. E. SHARLAND, Dr N. SKINNER, G. A. SmiTH, Dr D. W. Snow, N. H. F. Stone, Dr J. D. SumMeErs-Smitu, A. R. Swasu, C. F. TURNER, M. P. Watters, Mrs F. E. Warr, Dr R. WILKINSON. The programme opened at 10.00 with welcoming remarks by David Griffin (Chairman BOC), and an introduction by Dr J. J. D. Greenwood (Director BTO). The morning session, chaired by Dr C. Humphries (Botanical Secretary, Linnean Society), was on the theme of ““The legacy of Linnaeus and ensuing controversies’. Papers were given by: Dr R. Liversidge (Alexander McGregor Museum, Kimberley, South Africa)—‘‘Bird taxonomy from Linnaeus to DNA: an introductory critique”’ Dr R. Zink (University of Minnesota, USA)—‘‘The debate over species concepts and its implications for ornithology” Dr D. W. Snow—‘‘Should the biological be superseded by the phylogenetic species concept?” : Dr C. G. Violani (University of Pavia) and F. Barbagli (University of Florence)— “Salvadori, Giglioli and Arrigoni: aspects of the trinomial controversy in Italian ornithology’. The first afternoon session was chaired by Dr Robert Prys-Jones (Natural History Museum) on the theme of ““DNA and other novel methods’’. Papers were given by: Dr D. T. Parkin (University of Nottingham)—‘‘Molecular probes for identification of raptors” Dr K. E. Mikhailov (Palaeontological Institute, Moscow)—‘‘Bird taxonomy based on egg-shell structures”’ This was followed by tea and a poster session, on completion of which Dr J. J. D. Greenwood chaired the final session on “‘Applications’’, with papers given by: Dr A. G. Knox (Buckinghamshire County Museum)—‘‘The Impact of taxonomic changes on the western palaearctic avifauna”’ Dr D. A. Russell (American University of Cairo)—‘“The Horus falcon: X-ray identifications of Egyptian mummified birds’’ Dr N. J. Collar (BirdLife International)—‘‘Taxonomy and conservation: chicken and egg”. It is planned that some of these papers be published, either in the Bulletin or as a separate volume of Proceedings. The eight hundred and fifty-eighth meeting of the Club was held on Tuesday, 23 April 1996, at 6.15 p.m. 36 Members and 17 guests attended. Members attending were: D. GriFFIN (Chairman), D. J. FisHer (Speaker), P. J. BeL_Man, P. J. Butt, Miss H. Baker, Mrs D. M. Brapiey, Cdr M. B. Casement RN, Professor R. J. CHANDLER, G. D. Fre_p, F. M. Gauntett, C. A. R. Hevo, I. T. Lewis, K. Kazmierczak, Lt Col. P. S. Kerr-Smivey, R. H. Kerrie, B. A. E. Marr, Dr C. F. Mann, T. R. Miits, Dr J. F. Monk, D. J. Montier, Mrs A. M. Moors, R. G. Morcan, Mrs M. N. Mutier, Dr S. L. Orson, S. Parry, R. C. Price, Dr R. P. Prys- Jones, Meetings 130 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) Dr C. Rya.u, S. J. R. Rumsey, P. J. SELLar, Dr J. T. R. SHarrock, N. H. F. STONE, C. W. R. Storey, Dr D. H. THomas, M. P. Watters, Cdr F. S. Warp RN. Guests attending were: Mrs 8S. Grirrin, Mrs J. Butt, Mrs C. R. Casement, Major F. C. W. CourTENAY-THOmpson, Ms C. Dove, Dr D. Foskett, Mrs M. H. GauntTLett, Mrs J. M. Giapwin, L. Hawkins, Mrs S. Lewis, Mrs J. Mritis, Mrs M. Montier, Mr P. J. Moore, C. A. Mutter, Mr B. O’Brien, Mrs H. Price, R. RANFT. After supper, David Fisher spoke on ‘“‘Birds of Mongolia’, illustrating his talk with slides, taken whilst leading five Sunbird tours (1981-87) to Siberia and Mongolia. These visits took place during late May to early June, which proved the best period for migrants. The area has been little visited because, although an independent country, Outer Mongolia, also known as the People’s Republic of Mongolia, was under Soviet domination for most of this century, and therefore part of the Eastern Bloc until its recent collapse. Inner Mongolia is part of China. The habitat varies widely, with the flat Gobi Desert in the centre, bordered by spectacular mountain ranges, each with different avifaunas, and several large lakes. The Kentei mountains to the northeast are covered in coniferous and deciduous forests, similar to the Siberian forests further north, where breed many Palearctic families such as owls, woodpeckers, warblers and buntings. The Altai Mountains to the southwest have a strongly Himalayan avifauna, with vultures, snowcocks, wallcreepers, accentors and rosefinches well represented. Previous papers on the area include an expedition organised by the Russian Geographical Society, in 1923-26, and published in Jbzs in 1932. Alan Kitson spent several summers there in the late 1970s, and wrote a few identification articles in British Birds. The vegetation was generally very sparse, but provided essential cover for passing migrants. Even the small central park in the capital of Ulan Bator provided refuge for an astonishing variety and number of birds: scarce residents, such as Azure-winged Magpie and Azure Tit, and many migrants, including several species of thrush—Eyebrowed, Naumann’s, Dusky and the scarcer White's Thrush; also buntings (Yellow-breasted, Black-faced, Little and Chestnut-eared), and warblers. Counts of 50 Brown, 50 Red-breasted and 15 Sooty Flycatchers were made. Highlights were Demoiselle Cranes and Great Bustard en route to Hujurt and Karakorum, also raptors including ground-nesting Upland Buzzards. Grebes, cormorants, pelicans and spoonbills, herons and other waterfowl were prolific at Tatsin Tsaagan Nor, also 25-30 species of wader, and gulls including Great Black-headed, Black-headed, Brown-headed, Glaucous, and Relict Gull Larus relictus; the first nesting colony of the latter was discovered in Central Asia in 1968, and led to its recognition as a full species. In 1981, at least 7 displaying adults were seen; in 1982, c. 50 adults and a nesting colony was found; in 1983 the water levels were lower, with at least 10 adults, but no nesting confirmed; in 1985, the lake was dry. Other memorable records were made at visits to Orok Nor (nesting Whooper Swans, Bearded Tits, and Henderson’s Ground Jays), an area of Saxaul Forest (Saxaul Sparrow and Houbara Bustard); also the Valley of the Yol, Gobian Altai, with breeding Oriental Plover, Lammergeier, Kozlov’s Accentor, Altai Snowcock, Wallcreepers, several species of snowfinch; and Terelj (five species of woodpecker, Wryneck, Red-flanked Bluetail, Daurian Redstart, Siberian Blue Robin, White-cheeked Starling and White-throated Rock Thrush). It is clear that Mongolia provides an important staging-post for migrants overflying between Siberia and Southeast Asia, and has a rich breeding avifauna, which merits further exploration by ornithologists. The eight hundred and fifty-ninth meeting of the Club was held on Tuesday, 21 May 1996, on completion of the AGM, at 6.15 p.m. 26 Members and 7 guests attended. Members attending were: D. GriFFIN (Chairman), M. A. Apcock, P. J. BeLman, I. R. BisHop, Miss H. Baker, Dr K. B. Brices, Cdr M. B. CasEMENT RN, Dr R. A. F. Cox, S. J. Farnswortu, D. J. FisHer, A. Grpps, Revd T. W. GLapwin, R. H. Ketrie, Dr C. F. Mann, D. J. Montier, Mrs A. M. Moore, Mrs M. N. Mutter, R. E. F. PEAt, R. S. Prircuett, Dr R. P. Prys-Jones, Dr C. Ryaty, R. E. Scott, N. H. F. Stone, Dr D. W. Snow, M. P. Watters, R. W. Woops. Guests attending were: Dr B. Hucues (Speaker), Mrs G. BonHamM, Mrs F. FarRNSWorTH, Mrs S. Griffin, Mrs J. M. GLapwin, Mrs M. Montter, Mr P. J. Moore. Meetings 131 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) In the course of supper, the Chairman, Mr David Griffin, made a presentation on behalf of Members and friends, to the retiring Hon. Secretary, Mrs Amberley Moore. He recalled that Mrs Moore began as Hon. Secretary in 1989, in the middle of preparations for the Club’s Centenary celebration, and for the past seven years had not only maintained the smooth running of the Club and provided an excellent series of speakers, but she had also done much to promote the image of the Club with other societies, both at home and overseas. Her contribution to the life of the Club had been exceptional, and the Committee was very happy that she had agreed to continue serving the Club as Chairman of the Occasional Publications Sub-committee. At the same time as she had been Hon. Secretary of the Club, she had also been Secretary of the West African Ornithological Society, and she and her husband Peter evidently had fond memories of the many years they had spent in West Africa. She had spoken to the Club in January 1992 on “Ornithology in the search for the course of the River Niger’. Members and friends had therefore clubbed together to commission a painting of a scene on the River Niger, by the eminent artist Bruce Pearson. The Chairman then presented this beautiful and evocative painting to Mrs Amberley Moore, to the general and enthusiastic applause of all present. After supper, Dr Baz Hughes spoke on ‘“‘The White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala and the threat from the Ruddy Duck O. jamaicensis in Europe’. His presentation was illustrated with slides prepared by the RSPB and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust for the UK Ruddy Duck Working Group. The White-headed Duck is a member of the “‘stifftail’’ group, and the only representative present in Europe and Central Asia. The world population has declined from about 100,000, at the beginning of this century, to about 19,000. By 1977, the Spanish numbers had fallen to just 22 birds, due to persecution, hunters, and loss of habitat. This sparked a massive and costly conservation effort by Spanish Government and conservation organisations, and a rise in numbers to almost 800, by 1990. The future of this species in Spain was thought to be secure, but is now threatened by a new and pervasive threat—the spread of the Ruddy Duck, introduced from North America. The Ruddy Duck is native to North America, with a population of c. 600,000 and increasing; there is no evidence that this species has reached Europe without human help. In the 1930s, Ruddy Ducks were introduced to collections in Britain; some of these escaped and first nested at Chew Valley Lake, in Avon, in 1960. The population has since grown at an alarming rate, and is now continuing at a current annual increase of about 10%. The present UK population is estimated at 3500 wintering birds, with around 600 breeding pairs. They are now widespread in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with greatest concentrations in the West Midlands, Cheshire and Yorkshire. The substantial increase in numbers is due to a number of factors, contributing to a notably high reproductive capacity compared with other wildfowl. Ruddy Ducks are highly aggressive, particularly during the courtship and breeding season, readily attacking other species, and are thus a threat to competing species such as Little and Black-necked Grebes. More importantly, they readily hybridise with other stifftails, in particular the White-headed Ducks in Spain. There is strong circumstantial evidence to suggest that these Ruddy Ducks originate in the UK, although proof is hard to establish because Ruddy Ducks are very difficult to catch and tag, or ring. The UK Ruddy Duck Group was formed in February 1992, with objectives to advise aviculturists of the problem; to hold regular international meetings to discuss the threat; to initiate research into Ruddy Duck distribution and control measures; and to inform the public via press releases. Fifty delegates from ten countries attended an international meeting in the UK in March 1993, at which it was agreed that the range expansion of the Ruddy Duck in the western Palearctic had to be stopped, to ensure the future survival of the White-headed Duck. Research into possible control methods in the UK concluded that shooting during the breeding season was the most effective. The problem is being tackled on an international scale with control measures also being planned in France, Morocco, Netherlands and Portugal. Dr Hughes concluded with the question: in the face of overwhelming circumstantial evidence, can we shirk our international responsibilities and disregard the need to save the White-headed Duck? Anyone requiring further information on the Ruddy Duck issue should contact Dr Hughes at WWT (Slimbridge), tel: 01453 890333 Ext. 226. J. A. Fobling 132 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) The Prince and the Republican* by James A. Fobling The Andean Condor Vultur gryphus was the first bird species described by the father of zoological nomenclature, Carl Linnaeus, in 1758. The Araguaia Woodcreeper Hylexetastes brigidai was described by José Cardoso da Silva, Fernando Novaes, and David Oren in 1995. Those intervening years have seen over 50,000 generic, subgeneric, specific, and subspecific names proposed for birds, usually by single authors (although the present trend seems to call for a minimum of three authors, e.g. Udzungwa Forest Partridge Xenoperdix udzungwensis Dinesen, Lehmberg, Svendsen, Hansen, and Fjeldsa, 1994; Nechisar Nightjar Caprimulgus solala Safford, Ash, Duckworth, Telfer, and Zewdie, 1995). Linnaeus’s unillustrated description of Vultur gryphus totalled twenty-seven words and abbreviations, including two references and an indication of habitat. Hylexetastes brigidai was dealt with in nearly seven closely printed pages, including two sketchmaps, three pen and ink drawings, and nearly a page of references. The striking differences between the two descriptions highlight the tightening procedures which have accompanied the advances made in nomenclature over 237 years. Linnaeus had been an innovator, a free agent, whose system, simpler yet superior to anything that had gone before, was eagerly adopted by the world’s scientific community. If the ornithologists of the twentieth century wish to ensure that their new names are enshrined for posterity they must closely follow the diktats of the current International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN). The scientific names proposed for birds may be divided statistically as follows (percentages as totals of currently recognized taxa): (1) morphonyms (Greek morphe, form; onuma, name), generic 44.8%, specific 56.7%; (2) eponyms (Greek eponumos, called after), generic 6%, specific 19%; (3) aboriginyms (Latin aborigines, natives), generic 12. 1%, specific 3. 5%: (4) toponyms (Greek topos, place), generic 1.8%, specific 11.8%; (5) taxonyms (Greek taxis, arrangement), generic 9.9%, specific 3%; (6) bionyms (Greek bios, life), generic 9.7%, specific 2.4%; (7) ergonyms (Greek ergon, work), generic (7. 3%, specific 2%; (8) phagonyms (Greek phagein, to eat), generic 5. 6%, specific 0.4%; (9) gerynyms (Greek gerus, voice), generic 2.6%, specific 1.2%. Morphonyms refer to the plumage, colours, and physical character- istics of birds. The specific name Panurus biarmicus was possibly Linnaeus’s (1758) attempt at latinizing Eleazar Albin’s (1738) names “Parus beardmanica”’ and ‘“The Beardmanica’’ for the Bearded ‘Tit with reference to the black moustaches of the cock bird. However, according to Newton and Gadow (1896) the name is a toponym, after the region of Biarmia, an old term for the district of Perm in northern Russia. Tommy T'yrberg (pers. comm.) supports this etymology (from Old Norse “‘Bjarmaland’’, the part mythical area around the White Sea mentioned in several sagas and mediaeval chronicles). At first sight the *Based on a talk given to the British Ornithologists’ Club on 20 February 1996. F. A. Fobling 133 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) generic Anodorhynchus for the Hyacinthine Macaw A. hyacinthinus seems a pointless name (Greek anodon, toothless; rhunkhos, bill), since no recent birds have teeth. The name, however, refers to the un-notched bill of this huge parrot compared to other macaws Ara. Incidentally, Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire and Baron Cuvier claimed that embryo parakeets Psittacula showed traces of teeth such as occurred in ancient birds and their dinosaur cousins, a startling ‘discovery’ that led to the coining of Palaeornis (Greek palaios, ancient; ornis, bird) by Vigors (1825). The seemingly obvious and, therefore, pointless name Alaemon alaudipes (‘‘lark-footed [lark]’’) given to the Hoopoe Lark becomes more acceptable when it is realized that, because of its curved bill and striking pied wing-pattern, the species was originally described as a type of Hoopoe Upupa. Lastly in this category may be mentioned Larus atricilla (“black-tailed gull’), Linnaeus’s name (1758) for the Laughing Gull. The erroneous use of New Latin cilla for “‘tail’’? can be traced back to faulty mediaeval translation of Varro’s name motacilla for a wagtail, but in the case of this gull Linnaeus undoubtedly misread his own shorthand for atricapilla (“‘black-headed’’). Eponyms are coined after real, fictitious, or mythical people. Their use as specific epithets has always been ‘popular, and the trend is increasing. For example, just over 58 per cent of the new species described in the period 1981-1990 have been so named, and the figure rises to 75 per cent in the two major American journals for the years 1991-1993. The use of personal names in the formation of compound genus group names has long been objectionable, but Prince Charles Bonaparte revelled in such as Blythipicus, Graydidascalus, Fuliamyta, Reinwardtoena, Smithiglaux, and Thouarsitreron, to the disgust of more conservative workers. The practice of naming new birds of paradise and other beautiful species after kings and queens was anathema to the Prince’s fiercely republican sentiments. In proposing (1850) respublica for Wilson’s Bird of Paradise Diphyllodes he voiced a lack of respect for all the rulers of the world but, at the same time, expressed his disenchantment with the French Republic which he considered had been turned into a hell by the machinations and arrogance of soi-disant republicans. By coining this name he ensured that, since there could not be a paradisean republic, there could at least be a republican [bird of] paradise. In doing so, however, he ‘hijacked’ the specimen bought and donated by Edward Wilson and destined for the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and the Prince’s description was published barely six months before John Cassin’s D. wilsoni based on the unique specimen. Bonaparte’s precipitate action, the enthusiasm of a restless, driven man, was not appreciated by the American scientific community, who refused to use respublica for many years thereafter. Greek mythology has played a significant rdle in nomenclature, and the classics were widely trawled by early naturalists. The generic appellation Penelope Merrem 1786 for the Neotropical guans has always seemed arbitrary, although most authors agree that it refers to Penelope, wife of the hero Ulysses. Recent researches have revealed another spelling Penelophe, which makes sense (Latin pene, almost; Greek lophos, crest) and alludes to the fuller crest of the Marail Guan J. A. Fobling 134 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) P. marail. However, Teixeira (1995) suggests that the generic term could be properly derived from Penelope, who spun a braided web to deceive admirers during Ulysses’ absence at Troy, in allusion to the reticulated pattern on the breast and foreneck of many guans. Lesson (1828) proposed the specific term heliosylus (Greek helios, sun; sulao, to carry off) for the Forest Bittern Zonerodius, giving it the substantive name “Héron Phaéthon’’. Phaéthon, vainglorious son of Phoebus, importuned his father to drive the chariot of the sun. However, the task proved beyond him and, being unable to control the fiery steeds, the chariot careered from its chosen orbit, causing universal darkness and natural catastrophes. In dire retribution the unfortunate Phaéthon was struck down by a thunderbolt. (The modern teenage joyrider is let off with a caution or undertakes counselling!) Rules for the formation of eponyms have changed and been flouted over the years, and the apparent orthographical discrepancies which frequently occur have been compounded by the transliteration or spellings of, especially, Russian and Polish surnames, which have never been treated consistently, and current disagreements on the Swedish 6. Sibley and Monroe (1990) pointed out that the current ICZN rule regarding the replacement of the umlaut refers only to words of Germanic origin, and that Swedish eponyms such as loennbergi and sjoestedti should be spelled lonnbergi and sjostedti. Tyrberg (pers. comm.) does not agree with this interpretation, arguing that Swedish 6 has been transcribed into oe since the Middle Ages, being derived from a mediaeval ligature for ote, and questioning the need to change transcription rules which have been universally used for centuries. Aboriginyms or native names have been derived from over thirty modern languages as well as ancient Greek and classical Latin. Naturalists of the calibre of Brian Hodgson, Andrew Smith, and Thomas Horsfield made frequent use of local names, and other authors found treasure trove in the non-Linnaean works of Marcgrave, Azara, the Comte de Buffon, and Levaillant. Earlier works give the etymology of the genus Ducula as Latin dux, ducis, leader, chief. In fact, this is one of Hodgson’s Nepalese based names culled from the native “‘dukul”’ for the Mountain Imperial Pigeon D. badia. Bonaparte enters the fray again with Chettusza, his Franco/Italian rendering of a Russian name “‘keptuschka”’ for the Sociable Plover C. gregaria (an action that affronted Bowdler Sharpe, who pointedly refused to use the Prince’s ‘“nonsense-names’’ or amended them (Chaetusia) as he saw fit). In the never-ending quest for the true meaning behind Oceanodroma castro Alec Zino (pers. comm.) advises that “‘roque de castro’’, the name given to the Madeiran Storm-petrel on the Desertas, means “‘rock of the castle’ in Old Portuguese, but finds it difficult to believe that illiterate fishermen would have invented such a name. He believes the name may be an onomatopoeia from one of the bird’s incessant brooding calls, ‘“‘rrrrrr oquedecastro’’. A delightful tale from Japanese classical folklore is revealed by Gorsachius goisagi for the Japanese Night Heron. The all-powerful Emperor Daigo (fl. 900) ordered a vassal to capture a Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax. Upon hearing the imperial command the heron submitted itself to capture. The emperor was F. A. Fobling 135 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) pleased that the heron had confirmed his omnipotence over nature as well as man, granted it the title “‘king of the herons”’ and the position of fifth rank in his court (go 7, fifth rank; sagi, heron), and released it unharmed. The abomination Gorsachius, also spelled Gorsakius, is Bonaparte’s attempted latinization of the specific name. Toponyms or geographical epithets are still popular specifically (e.g. Chinese Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus sichuanensis, Emei Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus emeiensis [a nomen nudum in Beaman (1994)]), and certainly prove more useful as specific tags than eponyms, although the early years of descriptive ornithology succeeded in littering nomen- clature with unsuitable and erroneous toponyms. Of interest are the Lilac-tailed Parrotlet Towzt batavica, a Neotropical species probably shipped to Europe through the West Indies, but named after Batavia on Java in the East Indies; the Far Eastern Curlew Numenius madagascariensis, which has never occurred in Madagascar, and undoubtedly the victim of a typesetter’s error for macassarensis; and the Gentoo Penguin Pygoscelis papua, based on Sonnerat’s outrageous claim that he had seen no less than three species of penguin in New Guinea! The Bluethroat Luscinia svecica was discovered by Olof Rudbeck in Lapland in 1695. He was impressed by its beauty, inspired by the male being coloured like the Swedish flag (the yellow in the Swedish flag had a more orange hue in the seventeenth century), and named it Avis Carolina after the Swedish king Carl XI. By 1758 the absolute powers of the monarchy had been abolished, and Linnaeus, who normally followed his mentor Rudbeck closely but had strong links with the Hattarna parliamentary faction, doubtless considered Carolina to be politically incorrect, and based the name svecica on the Swedish flag. Under the heading taxonym (names concerning relationship and affinity) mention can be made of the use of anagrams (Nilaus from Lanius, Dacelo and Lacedo from Alcedo, Delichon from Chelidon), and the combinations of generic and substantive names beloved of French authors in the last century (producing such hybrids as Phylidonyris, Talegalla, Jacamaralcyon, and Jacamerops), and not forgetting Phedina, a true Bonapartism, combining a misspelled Greek adjective (phazos, brown) and part of an Italian substantive name (rondine, a swallow). The more prosaic genus Ninox, proposed for the Brown Hawk Owl N. scutulata by Hodgson in 1837, is a combination of the now synonymized genera Nisus, hawk, and Noctua, owl. Habitat names or bionyms were formerly more popular, but not always accurate. Vieillot (1825) named the Lark-quail Ortyxelos, “marsh quail’ (Greek ortux, quail; helos, marsh) since, never having seen a live specimen or knowing anything of its habits, he believed, from its long legs and semi-naked thighs, that it was related to the sandpipers Scolopacidae and inhabited marshes. The Yellow-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus goiavier was named “‘Le petit Goiavier” by Sonnerat (1776) because he observed it perching in guava trees near houses in Manila (French goyavier, guava tree). Ergonyms or behavioural names rank low in the statistical scale. Swainson’s (1832) genus Andropadus (Greek aner, andros, man; opados, ¥. A. Jobling 136 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) follower) was founded on Levaillant’s (1802) name ‘“‘L’Importun”’ for the Sombre Greenbul A. importunus, because it followed hunters and warned other birds and game by its incessant and wearisome calls. Gould’s (1839) Agriornis (Greek agrios, fierce; ornis, bird) reflected the savage habits of the Grey-bellied Shrike Tyrant A. microptera, which had a reputation amongst the natives of Chile for attacking and killing the young of other birds. Of minor importance are phagonyms (food or prey names), although such as Sphecotheres and the Edible-nest Swiftlet Aerodramus fuciphagus mirror fancy rather than fact, and it is now known that, despite their generic appellations, most antbirds (Myrmeciza, Myr- moborus, Myrmoderus, and so on) follow ant armies to feast on the other insects flushed by the advancing swarms rather than on the ants themselves. Despite the value of voice amongst birds gerynyms (voice names) figure rarely in nomenclature, although aboriginyms are frequently based on onomatopoeia. Many ‘epithets describe the sound of the voice or call itself (Hoopoe Upupa epops, Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus, Wattled Guan Aburria aburri). More obscure terms may be illustrated by the Chinspot Batis Batis molitor, so named for the song of the male being likened to the sound of grinding millstones (Latin molitor, miller), and the Ryukyu Robin Erithacus komadori, erroneously given a specific epithet based on the Japanese name for the Japanese Robin Erithacus akahige whose unmusical song is considered to resemble the neighing of a horse (koma, horse; tori, bird). ARkahige, ‘“‘red beard’’, is the traditional Japanese name for the black-throated Ryukyu Robin, but there is speculaion that this apparently erroneous name was originally akai-ke, ‘“‘red hair’? (Hiraoka Takashi pers. comm.). Finally, two years ago it was proposed that a new species of vireo, discovered in the Choco rainforests of Colombia, be named after the company or individual donating the most money towards its conservation and the preservation of its dwindling habitat. It remains to be seen if this strange alliance between worthy cause and market forces sets a precedent for nomenclature in ornithology in the twenty-first century. Perhaps Vireo icii will be indexed in a second edition of Sibley & Monroe? Address: James A. Jobling, 14 The Valley Green, Welwyn Garden City, Herts AL8 7DQ, U.K. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 These two are pomvled fom 5 m me CREAM-BELLIED MUNIA possesion of Sam Sus ant Lonchura pallidiventer Jakunta, 1990. He Heewe? ghd them fum Band jamarsin, _e Kalimantan Selatan - ( Borney ). teugtn 120 mu og hong 5E iy der - Less culmen Tt ey isverts clear p Cream farsus 13 ww Lewy th M5 yw wig 55 mw culumen 10 re largus (3 boy creann 6 Sugidly paler cote of belly ad vid ev teud- ~ Covevts cream awd bak on outside vwly, flande ewlirely wner heel black black wadovterd- cover ty +icke} wth black R.L. Restall 37 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) A proposed new species of munia, genus Lonchura (Estrildinae) by R. L. Restall Received 21 March 1996 There are 39 currently known species that comprise the genus Lonchura, accepting Lemuresthes, Heteromunia and Padda as subgenera. This total becomes 40 if one accepts the opinion of Sibley & Monroe (1990) that L. nigriceps is not conspecific with L. bicolor. Of these, 32 are to be found in Asia. From 1989 to 1995, I lived in Hong Kong and travelled extensively throughout the region in search of munias to observe and study, both in the field and in captivity. In this way I came across several new forms. Some were eventually dismissed as probable hybrids, produced by bird keepers in Europe and imported to Jakarta along with stocks of domesticated Australian estrildines and canaries. Some were described as new subspecies (Restall 1995a). One, the subject of this paper, is described here as a new species: Lonchura pallidiventer sp. nov. Holotype. Adult, AM.NH 831287, collected by the author in Jakarta, apparently from south-east Kalimantan, Indonesia, 1992. Syntype. Young adult (incomplete moult from juvenile plumage), AMNH 8311288, similarly acquired. Description. A rich brown medium-sized munia with a cream belly, white-spotted black flanks, and golden uppertail-coverts. The adult is 110-120 mm in length; wing-length 53-58 mm. The crown, nape and sides of the head are raw umber or cinnamon. The mantle and wings are Prout’s brown (121A in Smithe 1975), the wing-coverts and flight feathers edged with amber. The rump is orange-rufous changing to straw on the uppertail-coverts. The tail is Prout’s brown, the feathers edged with straw. The face, forehead, lores, base of mesial and bib are olive-brown. The breast is rich chestnut. When the bird is in calm repose the chestnut breast seems like a clear, well defined cushion, much as it does on the Chestnut-breasted Mannikin L. castaneothorax. The flanks, joining in a poorly-defined bar across the breast, are black, with white spots and scallops. The inner flanks, hidden or mostly hidden by the closed wings, are chestnut. The thighs are barred with black and chestnut or black and cream. The underwing-coverts are cream . The belly, ventral region and undertail-coverts are cream. There may be _ black sub-terminal crescents on the undertail-coverts. The irides are dark brown. The bill is pale violaceous grey. The legs and feet are grey. Plate 1. Cream-bellied Munias painted from life, May 1990. R.L. Restall 138 Bull, B.O.C. 1996 116(3) Males have a few grizzled lines, produced by black feather edgings, on the upper part of the cream belly, reduced or absent in the female. Females have slight pale barring on the lower rump. The colour plate also shows a difference in the inner flank spotting but this could be coincidental. Males tend to be larger, but not consistently so. The juvenile is probably similar to the young of other typical munias. The only individual I have seen is a bird that was well advanced in moult into its first adult plumage and I have painted the juvenile based on this. This bird appears to be ground cinnamon to light drab above, a pale pinkish buff on the lower face, throat and breast, and pale buff for the rest of the underparts. Distribution. From statements of an international bird dealer in Jakarta, and a trader in the Jakarta bird market, it seems that the birds come from somewhere in the hinterland of Banjarmarsin in southeast Kalimantan, Borneo. Origins of the birds under discussion. 1 first saw one of these birds in Singapore. It was a single specimen in the collection of Mr Patrick Tay, a businessman who owns a parrot farm and has an interest in munias. He had received the bird in a shipment from Jakarta. A year later, I discovered five individuals in a cage at Wida’s Bird Farm in Jakarta. ‘They had been reserved by the owner, Mr Sani Susanto, for his private collection. As he had not seen them before, he would not part with even one. Mr Susanto said they had very definitely come from southeast Kalimantan and had been shipped from Banjamarsin. I also examined some Dusky Munias L. fuscans he had received in the same shipment. This was in February 1990. In May I was able to return and brought with me the colour sketches I had made based on. notes taken previously, which I then corrected with live birds in the hand (Plate 1). ‘Two of the birds were distinctly larger and bolder than the remaining three and I had painted one of these with one of the smaller birds. 'This larger bird was a richer chestnut and had plain cream undertail-coverts. On that visit I was able to obtain two birds that a friend had bought for me in the Jakarta bird market a couple of weeks earlier. ‘The trader was well known to us. He said he had bought them from a man who lived in Banjamarsin and who regularly brought wild birds to sell for pocket money whenever he came over on the boat to Jakarta to visit his family. The two birds were virtually identical. At first I kept them with some White-bellied Munias L. leucogastra smythiesi, for comparative purposes, thinking they might be an undescribed subspecies of the White-bellied Munia. In this regard they quickly showed themselves to be quite different in appearance, posture, voice and behaviour. In posture they tend to sit upright, rather than across the perch as White-bellied Munias do. They proved to be females. In October 1990, a juvenile in emaciated condition, which died within two days, was taken from another of the hand-carried lots from Banjamarsin. Then in April 1991, two more birds turned up in the Jakarta bird market, once again brought by the visitor from Banjamarsin. These turned out to be two males, were in excellent condition and were singing well. Another turned up the following year. R. L. Restall 139 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) Figure 1. Advertisement song. The bird may bob up and down while bent over like this. This makes a total of 13 birds of this species that I saw over a period of four years. The surviving three birds in my possession were donated to the Zoological Society of San Diego, and are currently the subject of further study by Dr Baptista of the California Academy of Sciences. Calls. The contact note, when the birds are together, is pip or chip, and there are variations of tone from both sexes. The alarm call is a loud tchek! When nervous or apprehensive, such as when I am seen watching them through the window, the sentry bird (Restall 1995b) will utter a rapid tzk tik tik tik, accompanied by tail jerking from side to side and very quick wing-flicking. The male, when calling its mate, utters a pee, peet or cheet, the female’s reply is a pip or chip. Song and display. In undirected advertisement song (Fig. 1) the male stands at about 45 degrees to the perch, head horizontal, and sings at first a quiet tzk tik tik tik tik tik tik which changes to more of a tuk tuk tuk tuk. This becomes a few long weeee whistles, each tending to descend, changes to a long drawn out weeeeeoooooo000 legato (or long connecting note) first rising then descending, and ends with several wee wee wee wee notes. he whole may last from 8 to 15 seconds and may be repeated many times. The legato is sometimes loud and penetrating and may be the only part of the song heard even a short distance away: When displaying to the female the male is slightly more hunched, with the bill pointing slightly downwards. The nape, bib and upper throat feathers are erected, but the chest feathers are depressed. The rump is ruffled. The flanks and belly feathers are fully erected, clearly displaying the white spots on the black. In high intensity display (Fig. R.L. Restall 140 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) Figure 2. High intensity, directed song when a female is near by. 2) the bird stands well clear of the perch, with neck stretched and head almost horizontal, moving from side to side as necessary to follow the female. During the performance the bill is opened wide and half closed in regular movements. I have seen the male take a length of grass, holding it at one end, and jerk his head upwards a couple of times (Fig. 3). On this occasion the female approached but he dropped it and no display followed. On another occasion when a very active nest-building male saw his mate near by he flew to her with a length of paper in his bill and went immediately into display song, dropping the paper as he opened his bill. There appears to be little loss of the complete straw display as detailed by Baptista & Horblit (1990). The display begins with straw carrying followed by the head jerk, and tail twist. In the absence of any straw carrying, the hunch is perhaps the equivalent of the introductory bow. The inverted curtsey (Morris 1958) is minimal but not completely absent, and the song ends with a bow. I have not seen the tail spread, but the full fluffing of the rump is probably the equivalent. English name. | suggest Cream-bellied Munia. Discussion Considering the apparent origin of the birds, I compared them rather carefully with the White-bellied Munia L. leucogaster, which is the only munia in Kalimantan that is in any way similar. This I was able to do very well as I had four L. leucogaster smythiesi in the laboratory at the time. The significant differences in appearance are the total lack of any R. L. Restall 141 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) Hy Figure 3. Straw carrying, before singing. The male will bob up and down while carrying the straw. striations on the upper surfaces, rich orange lower rump and uppertail-coverts of the new taxon, and the pure cream of the belly and undertail-coverts which is unlike any other munia. In contrast the White-bellied Munia has striated upper parts, a white to pale cream belly, and fuscous or black undertail-coverts. The presence of the long drawn-out legato in the song structure places it probably within the Munia subgenus (which includes the Chestnut Munia L. atricapilla and the Great-billed Mannikin L. grandis). To my ear, the song is similar in structure to that of the Five-coloured Munia L. quinticolor. From a considerable experience with munias over some 40 years, studying them in field, aviary and laboratory, I have attempted to explain this taxon by hypothesising possible combinations of parentage R. L. Restall 142 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) that might produce a hybrid with the plumage characteristics displayed, but have failed to come up with one, however improbable. The juvenile, albeit in moult, failed to show any of the scalloping on the underparts typical of most munia hybrids. I have also scoured the avicultural press for photographs of munia hybrids, and have been unable to find any reference to a similar form. From the song, display and coloration of these birds, including the all-pale bill, I am inclined to align it with L. quinticolor and L. castaneothorax. Acknowledgements I am indebted to Dr Luis Baptista and Mr Derek Goodwin for their critical readings of the manuscript, and the many comments and advice they gave. The content and conclusions are entirely my own. References: Baptista, L. F. & Horblit, M. H. 1990. The inheritance and loss of the straw display in Estrildid finches. Avic. Mag. 96: 141-152. Morris, D. 1958. The comparative ethology of grassfinches (Erythrurae) and mannikins (Amadinae). Proc. Zool. Soc. London 131: 389-439. Restall, R. L. 1995a. Proposed additions to the genus Lonchura (Estrildinae). Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 115: 140-157. Restall, R. L. 1995b. Observations of unusual behaviour in munias Genus Lonchura. Avic. Mag. 101: 63-74. Sibley, C. G. & Monroe, B. L., Jr. 1990. Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World. Yale Univ. Press. Smithe, F. B. 1975. Naturalist’s Color Guide (with subsequent supplements). American Museum of Natural History, New York. Address: Aerocav 1330, P.O. Box No. 025304, Miami, FL 33102-5304, U.S.A. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 S. Keith & N. Bent 143 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) Breeding and longevity in captive Blue-shouldered Robin-Chats Cossypha cyvanocampter by Stuart Keith & Nancy Bent Received 25 Fuly 1995 Carefully documented breeding of captive birds provides a valuable supplement to our knowledge of the behaviour of birds in the wild, and for little-studied species it may be the only such information available. The account by Bent (1985) of the nesting of the Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat Cossypha cyanocampter in the Brookfield Zoo near Chicago over several years does much to increase our knowledge of the breeding habits of the species, which were summarized by Keith et al. (1992). For full details see Bent’s account in Brookfield Zoo Bison 2 (1), p. 3; salient points not mentioned in Keith et al. are listed below. The editors of The Birds of Africa regret that this paper was unknown to them before publication of Volume 4. The breeding cycle begins with the male singing loudly and displaying to the female. Commonest display involves fluffing up breast and belly feathers, fully exposing their orange-yellow colour, and shivering the wings so that the blue shoulder patches show. Meanwhile the female sings her own softer versions of the songs, and food-begs in the same manner as nestlings, crouching, shivering her wings and making plaintive cheeping noises. During courtship the female builds the nest. In the zoo she used several sites: a hanging basket provided by the zookeepers, a ledge in a dirt bank, and a bromeliad in a tree. The nest was a simple cup woven of hemp fibres, leaves and grass; some of this material was provided by the keepers. Incubation is by the female only. Period: 14 days. Nestlings are covered in rusty orange down. The female removes eggshells from the nest. The young are fed by both parents with baby crickets and mealworms provided by the zoo, supplemented by other insects the parents find for themselves. Young fledge in about 14 days; they continue to be fed by both parents on leaving the next, but the female often starts another nest immediately, in which case the male feeds the young by himself. Young essentially independent at 6 weeks. Information on longevity in birds is hard to come by, for obvious reasons. In recent years data for Africa have been provided by recapture of ringed birds, e.g. in Gabon (Brosset & Erard 1986), Kenya (Zimmerman 1972, Mann 1985), Malawi (Dowsett 1985), Malawi and Mozambique (Hanmer 1989), and Zimbabwe (Harwin et al. 1994). Before this, captive birds provided almost the only evidence. Keith et al. (1992) list a male Cossypha cyanocampter still alive and breeding after 24 years in captivity, as reported by Curio (1989). To this may be added a female in the Brookfield Zoo, caught in the wild at an unknown age, which died at a minimum age of 24 years, and a wild-caught male S. Keith G N. Bent 144 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) which died there at a minimum age of 19 years. Small passerines are being shown to live a good deal longer than was previously supposed. Keith et al. (1992) report a captive Common Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus which lived for 26 years 5 months and a wild bird which lived for 18 years. In urban areas in Zimbabwe, on the other hand, where these bulbuls are taken by cats and other predators, mean life expectancy is only 2.02 years, with a maximum of 9.92 years (Irwin 1981). The Brookfield Zoo has been very successful in raising Cossypha cyanocampter. One pair produced a lifetime total of 12 fledged chicks, another pair 15 chicks. One female continued to breed until about age 20. This demonstrated ability to breed non-seed-eating passerines in captivity is very encouraging when one considers the number of species that may soon come to depend on intervention by man for their survival. Cossypha cyanocampter is not at present endangered, although the forests it lives in are at risk, but many other small African thrushes survive in precariously low numbers. Acknowledgements We thank Karin Nelson, editor of The Bison, for allowing us to use some of the material from Nancy Bent’s earlier (1985) paper. Bent also wishes to thank Lucy Greer, Registrar at Brookfield Zoo, for her help in assembling data on the robin-chats, and the Bird Department at Brookfield Zoo for all their efforts at breeding the species. References: Bent, N. 1985. Blue-shouldered Robin-Chats. Brookfield Zoo Bison 2(1): 3. Brosset, A. & Erard, C. 1986. Les Oiseaux des Régions Forestiéres du Nort-Est du Gabon. Vol. I. Société Nationale de Protection de la Nature, Paris. Curio, E. 1989. Is avian mortality preprogrammed? Trends Ecol. Evol. 4: 81-82. Dowsett, R. J. 1985. Site fidelity and survival rates of some montane forest birds in Malawi, south-central Africa. Biotropica 17: 145-154. Hanmer, D. B. 1989. The Nchalo ringing station—bird longevity and migrant return. Nyala 14: 21-27. Harwin, R. M., Manson, A. J., Manson, C. & Mwadziwana, P. 1994. The birds of the Bvumba Highlands. Honeyguide 40, Supplement No. 1. Irwin, M. P. S. 1981. The Birds of Zimbabwe. Quest Publ., Harare. Keith, S., Urban, E. K. & Fry, C. H. 1992. The Birds of Africa. Vol. 4. Academic Press. Mann, C. F. 1985. An avifaunal study in Kakamega Forest, Kenya, with particular reference to species diversity, weight and moult. Ostrich 56: 236-262. Zimmerman, D. A. 1972. The avifauna of the Kakamega Forest, western Kenya, including a bird population study. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 149, Article 3. Addresses: Stuart Keith, 19356 Lee View Lane, Redding, CA 96003, U.S.A. Nancy Bent, Brookfield Zoo, Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield, IL 60513, U.S.A. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 U. G. Sorensen et al. 145 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) New and unusual records of birds in Cameroon by Uffe Gjol Sorensen, Jorgen Bech & Erling Krabbe Received 2 September 1995 During a visit to Cameroon in November—December 1993 seven species new to the country were recorded, including two afrotropical species (Augur Buzzard Buteo augur, Fire-bellied Woodpecker Thripias pyrrhogaster) and five palaearctic bird species (Imperial Eagle Aguila heliaca, ‘Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus, Broad-billed Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus, Isabelline Wheatear Oenanthe isabellina, Isabelline Shrike Lanius tsabellinus). These records, together with a series of range extensions and other notable records, are dealt with in the following. One week was spent in northern Cameroon with three full days in and around Waza NP (acacia savannah) and 13 day in Bénoué NP (woodland savanna). The remaining 22 weeks were spent in southwestern Cameroon with 5 days at Mount Kupé (mountain forest), 7 days in and around Korup NP (lowland rainforest) and three brief visits to the mangrove coast of the Gulf of Guinea (twice at Douala and once south of Korup NP). A significant part of the notable records are from either the north or the coast. These were the areas where the shortest times were spent, and it seems that only little ornithological work has been done in these areas during the early dry season. Most of the records concern palaearctic winter visitors, which only made up about 15% of the 462 species recorded during the visit. These are species that we are familiar with from extensive field-work in Europe and the Middle East and it seems likely that their occurrence in Cameroon has been overlooked in the past. The sequence and nomenclature follow Dowsett & Forbes-Watson (1993). PINK-BACKED PELICAN Pelecanus rufescens 20 at La Digue (Douala) on 21 Nov and 24 at the mangroves S of Korup NP on 5 Dec. Louette (1981) gives only March to July as the period of known occurrence of the species on the coast. WHITE-BACKED NIGHT HERON Gorsachius leuconotus One adult bird seen at dusk flying up the Bénoué River in Bénoué NP on 18 Noy. The species was probably heard at the same place after dusk the following evening. Louette (1981) describes the species as confined to the equatorial forest, and therefore this seems to be the first record from the woodland savanna in Cameroon. BLACK EGRET Egretta ardesiaca Three seen together in the interior part of the mangrove S of Korup on 5 Dec. This is the first record from the coast of Cameroon. Louette U. G. Sorensen et al. 146 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) (1981) describes the species as sparsely distributed in northern Cameroon only. Brown et al. (1982) describe it as common along coasts in West Africa, but their distribution map of the species excludes Cameroon. WESTERN REEF HERON Egretta gularis Seen on all three visits to the coast. At La Digue (Douala) five white-phase birds were seen on 21 Novy, and four white-phase and four dark-phase on 6 Dec; in the mangroves S or Korup NP one white-phase and eight dark-phase birds on 5 Dec. Apparently late records, or perhaps the species can be found all year round. Louette (1981) describes it as a regular bird at the coast during the period March to September only. YELLOW-BILLED HERON Egretta intermedia One was seen in the mangrove S of Korup NP on 5 Dec, and one at La Digue (Douala) on 6 Dec. The first records from the coast in Cameroon. Louette (1981) reports the species as limited to the inundation area in northern Cameroon. It is known from the West African coast west of Cameroon (Brown et al. 1982). GOLIATH HERON Ardea goliath One observed at Bénoué NP on 19 Nov. Apparently an early record as Louette (1981) describes the species as a dry season visitor from December to March. HAMERKOP Scopus umbretta One seen at La Digue (Douala) on 21 Nov; one at Mundemba (Korup NP) on 4 Dec, and 26 in the mangrove S of Korup NP on 5 Dec. These observations contradict the statement by Louette (1981) that the species is present on the coast only from January to June and then apparently leaves the country to the west. Rodewald et al. (1994) report the species throughout the year from Korup NP. AFRICAN OPENBILL STORK Anastomus lamelligerus 34 at the Bénoué River near Garoua on 11 Nov; three at Waza NP on 16 Nov; eight on Plaine du Tchad north of Waza NP on Novy 17. Louette (1981) mentions the species as a rainy season visitor only in the north, hence these early dry season observations seem to be unusual. GLOSSY IBIS Plegadis falcinellus Six seen at the Bénoué River at Garoua on 6 Nov; another 15 seen on Plaine du Tchad north of Waza NP on 17 Nov. These records are early, since Louette (1981) reports that the species occurs in the north only from January to April. NORTHERN PINTAIL Anas acuta One seen between Maroua and Waza on 14 Nov. Robertson (1992) suggests that the record of up to 50 Pintails from Waza in Dec 1990 was the first for Cameroon south of Lake Chad; but in 1987 up to 16,000 U. G. Sorensen et al. 147 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) Pintails were found on Lake Maga (10°30’N, 15°10’E) east of Waza NP (Monval & Pirot 1989). The species is very numerous at Lake Chad and the scarcity of records is likely to indicate only the lack of recent ornithological activities. NORTHERN SHOVELER Anas clypeata Four seen in Waza NP on 4 Nov. This is only the third record from Cameroon (Robertson 1992 & in. litt.), but being a fairly frequent winter visitor at Lake Chad (Monval & Pirot 1989) the species is likely to be regular in northern Cameroon. FERRUGINOUS DUCK Aythya nyroca One female seen in Waza NP on 15 Nov. Louette (1981) observed several hundreds in Waza in January 1976, but recent records are likely to be few due to the significant decline in the world population (Monval ‘& Pirot 1989). EGYPTIAN VULTURE Neophron percnopterus Recorded on two days in Waza NP: ten on 15 Nov and five on 16 Nov. These records, together with those of Thiollay (1978) and Robertson (1992), indicate that the species must be regarded as regular at Waza at least in the dry season. RUPPELL’S GRIFFON Gyps rueppellii The species is common in Waza NP and breeds on the cliffs at the park entrance. We also observed two pairs attending nests in tops of Acacia trees, with an apparently brooding bird present in the one of the nests. This may indicate that tree-nesting does occur in this species, although doubted by Brown et al. (1982). WESTERN BANDED SNAKE EAGLE Circaetus cinerascens One seen at Bénoué NP on 20 Nov. The few records from Cameroon are all from the savanna zone (Louette 1981, Robertson 1992). MARSH HARRIER Circus aeruginosus Two on 15 Novy and four on 16 Nov in Waza NP; seven on Plaine du Tchad north of Waza NP on 17 Nov; and one male between Garoua and Bénoué NP on 18 Nov. Contrary to Louette (1981), Thiollay (1978) found the species to be frequent in the north and Robertson (1992) showed that it is regular over a wide area of Cameroon. Our observations also indicate that it is of regular occurrence in the north. PALLID HARRIER Circus macrourus One male and one female/immature between Garoua and Maroua on 14 Nov. Single juveniles seen in Waza NP on 15 and 17 Nov. Louette (1981) describes the species as common in the north, but like Thiollay (1978) and Robertson (1992) we found it to be less common than Montagu’s Harrier. U. G. Sorensen et al. 148 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) MONTAGU’S HARRIER Circus pygargus Six seen (2 males, one melanistic phase) between Mora and Waza on 14 Nov. Up to 20 (mainly males) per day in Waza NP on 15-17 Nov. Like Thiollay (1978) and Robertson (1992) we found this species to be the commonest harrier in northern Cameroon—contrary to Louette (1981). LONG-LEGGED BUZZARD Buteo rufinus One seen on 15 Nov and another two on 16 Nov in Waza NP, and a single bird between Waza and Maroua on 18 Nov. Louette (1981) knew only the observations by Thiollay (1978) and believed the species to be uncommon in northern Cameroon. AUGUR BUZZARD Buteo augur An adult female of ssp. augur was seen in acacia savanna north of Bénoué NP along the road to Garoua on 20 Nov. This is the first record in Cameroon of this distinctive buzzard from East Africa; the nearest breeding areas of the species (and subspecies) are about 1600 km away in eastern Sudan or northeastern Zaire (Brown et al. 1982). WAHLBERG’S EAGLE Aquila wahlbergi One seen at Mt. Kupé on 23 Nov. Louette (1981) only mentions the species from the savanna zone, but it is known from Mt. Kupé (Chris Bowden pers. comm.) [LESSER SPOTTED EAGLE Aquila pomarina] None seen despite careful check of all Aquila eagles in Waza NP and Bénoué NP (in total 15 A. rapax, one A. heliaca and five A. wahlbergi). ‘The lack of records supports the conclusion of Christensen & Sorensen (1989), who question a claimed winter-area for the species in northern Cameroon/southern Chad (Vielliard 1972, Thiollay 1978). If the species did occur in northern Cameroon as a winter visitor its presence was to be expected at the time of our visit in mid-November. The Lesser Spotted Eagle, a transequatorial migrant, passes through the Middle East in late September—early October and arrives in its well documented winter-area in southern Africa in October (Christensen & Sorensen op. cit.). IMPERIAL EAGLE Aquila heliaca An immature seen in Waza NP on 17 Nov. This is the first record for Cameroon, and from sub-Saharan Africa west of Sudan. AFRICAN HAWK EAGLE Hieraaetus spilogaster Two adults together at Benoué NP on 20 Nov. There are very few records from Cameroon (Louette 1981, Robertson 1992). BOOTED EAGLE Hieraaetus pennatus Three (two light-phase, one dark-phase) on 15 Nov and two (both light-phase) on 17 Nov in Waza NP. One light-phase between Waza NP and Maroua on 18 Nov. There are only few previous documented U. G. Sorensen et al. 149 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) records from Cameroon (Thiollay 1978, Robertson 1992) and they are all from the north around Waza NP, where this species must be regarded as a regular winter visitor. LESSER KESTREL Falco naumanni A male on Plaine du Tchad north of Waza NP on 17 Nov. Louette (1981) claimed a complete lack of definite records in Cameroon and this led Robertson (1992) to list a record as the second from Cameroon as he knew of one earlier record. In fact Thiollay (1978) had already recorded the species, and estimated that more than 10% of the kestrels recorded during his raptor survey in northern Cameroon belonged to this species (out of a total of 331 birds). LANNER Falco biarmicus One at Nyasoso (Mt. Kupé) on 22 Nov. Louette (1981) mentions only one record outside the savanna zone. However, Holyoak & Seddon (1990) point out that the species is frequent in the montane region in western Cameroon. BARBARY FALCON Falco pelegrinoides An adult seen south of Waza on 17 Nov; the second record from Cameroon. Robertson (1992) photographed an adult at Waza on 20 Dec 1990. AVOCET Recurvirostra avosetta 200 seen on a mudflat in the mangroves S of Korup NP on 5 Dec; a high number for Cameroon and an unusual site. The species is not mentioned from the coast of Cameroon in Urban et al. (1986); Louette (1981) mentions it as rare in Cameroon with one record on the coast and a few in the north. ROCK PRATINCOLE Glareola nuchalis Two showing characters of ssp. nuchalis seen day-roosting on rocks in the river at Korup NP on 4 Dec. They were seen at close range and showed a well-defined white hindneck-collar without any rufous. The subspecies from western Cameroon is supposed to be liberiae, with a chestnut hindneck-collar (Urban et al. 1986), but Louette (1981) considered most specimens from western Cameroon to be intermediates, being closest to nominate nuchalis. WHITE-FRONTED PLOVER Charadrius marginatus Two at the Bénoué River in Bénoué NP on 19 Nov. The few inland records in Cameroon are all from the Bénoué plain (Louette 1981, Robertson 1992). BLACK-TAILED GODWIT Limosa limosa One seen in Waza NP on 16 Nov and a flock of 14 at the Bénoué River at Garoua on 18 Nov. Louette (1981) described the species as common near Lake Chad but otherwise only known from a few records from the coast. U. G. Sorensen et al. 150 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) BAR-TAILED GODWIT Limosa lapponica Singles seen at La Digue (Douala) on 21 Nov and 6 Dec. Louette (1981) mentions that there are only few records from Cameroon. SPOTTED REDSHANK Tinga erythropus One seen on Plaine du Tchad north of Waza on 17 Nov. Few records are known from Cameroon, all from the north (Louette 1981, Robertson 1992). MARSH SANDPIPER T'ringa stagnatilis ‘Two seen at the Bénoué River at Garoua on 18 Nov; one on a mudflat in the mangroves S of Korup NP on 5 Dec. Louette (1981) mentions one specimen from the coast and a few other records elsewhere. TEREK SANDPIPER Xenus cinereus An adult seen at the Bénoué River at Garoua on 13 Nov; the first record from Cameroon. Urban et al. (1986) mention only few previous records from West Africa and they are all from the Sahel zone (Senegambia, Mali, N. Nigeria, Chad). RUDDY TURNSTONE A renaria interpres One seen at La Digue (Douala) on 21 Nov. Louette (1981) mentions only one previous record from the coast. BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER Limicola falcinellus A juvenile seen on the mudflats at la Digue (Douala) on 21 Nov; the first record from Cameroon and the first from the coast of West Africa. Urban et al. (1986) mention four records from the Sahel (two Mali, one Nigeria and one Chad). There is a recent record from the coast of Gabon (Christy 1990). BLACK-HEADED/SLENDER-BILLED GULL Larus ridibundus/genet One in winter plumage on 6 Dec at La Digue (Douala). The bird was too distant for proper identification to species. There are two records of L. ridibundus from Cameroon (Robertson 1993). GULL-BILLED TERN Sterna nilotica One seen in the mangroves S of Korup NP on 5 Dec. The first record from the coast in Cameroon. Louette (1981) mentions only a few records from northern Cameroon. The species is known from the West African coast west of Cameroon (Urban et al. 1986). ROYAL TERN Sterna maxima 300 on 21 Nov and 900 on 6 Dec at La Digue (Douala); 600 in the mangroves S of Korup NP on 5 Dec. The numbers from both localities classify these as of international importance (>500 birds) for the West African population (Rose & Scott 1994). As we only visited a fraction of the mangroves in Cameroon, they are likely to be a very important wintering area for the afrotropical population. U. G. Sorensen et al. 151 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) COMMON TERN Sterna hirundo One seen at La Digue (Douala) on 21 Nov. Louette (1981) mentions only records from March to July. WHISKERED TERN Chilidonias hybridus At the Bénoué River at Garoua the species was seen on all three visits: 90 on 13 Nov, 12 on 18 Nov and 9 on 9 Dec. A single was seen between Garoua and Bénoué NP on 18 Nov. Louette (1981) does not mention records from Cameroon, but there are a few recent observations (Keen 1993). WHITE-WINGED BLACK TERN Chilidonias leucopterus 50 seen at the Bénoué River at Garoua on 13 Nov. Louette (1981) only mentions records from Lake Chad, where the species is very common. CHESTNUT-BELLIED SANDGROUSE Pterocles exustus Ten on 15 Nov and seven on 14 Nov in Waza NP. Four came to drink from a sandbank in the Bénoué river at Bénoué NP on 19 Nov. Louette (1981) knew only one observation from Cameroon, but Robertson (1992) found the species to be the commonest sandgrouse in Waza NP with up to 200 per day. The record at Bénoué NP represents a major southward extension of the occurrence of the species. EUROPEAN TURTLE DOVE Streptopelia turtur Two on 15 Nov and 75 on 16 Nov in Waza NP; 100+ at Plaine du Tchad north of Waza on 17 Nov. There are few autumn records of the species from Cameroon; it is undoubtedly under-recorded. ADAMAWA TURTLE DOVE Sireptopelia hypopyrrha Nine at Bénoué NP on 18 Nov, in small flocks along the road during the late afternoon. In Cameroon this restricted-range species is known from the Adamawa plateau and the Bénoué plain, but there are few records (Louette 1981, Robertson 1992). RED-EYED DOVE Streptopelia semitorquata Singles at the Bénoué River at Garoua and north of Garoua on 13 Nov. Five at 50-55 km north of Garoua on 14 Nov. Louette (1981) mentions only one record from the Bénoué plain. RED-FRONTED PARROT Poicephalus gulielmi One at Nguti and four near Baro on 28 Nov. Both records are from western Cameroon, where Louette (1981) mentions that the species may be absent. Rodewald et al. (1994) report the species as uncommon in Korup NP. SENEGAL PARROT Poicephalus senegalus One in Waza NP on 16 Nov may be the first record from the Park, where Louette (1981), however, presumed the species to occur. U. G. Sorensen et al. 152 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) EUROPEAN CUCKOO Cuculus canorus One at Mt. Kupé on 25 Nov. There are few records from Cameroon (Louette 1981) and this is the first from Mt. Kupé (C. Bowden pers. comm.). WOODLAND KINGFISHER Halcyon senegalensis One on 18 Nov and two on 19 Nov at Bénoué NP. The records may be a little late, as Louette (1981) states that the species occurs in the north only during the rains (July—October). BROAD-BILLED ROLLER Eurystomus glaucurus Two on 18 Nov and four on 19 Nov at Bénoué NP. Louette (1981) does not report the species from northern Cameroon outside the rainy season (July—October). BLACK-AND-WHITE-CASQUED HORNBILL Ceratogymna subcylindricus One between Kumba and Neguti on 27 Nov. Rodewald et al. (1994) mention one previous record from western Cameroon. WILLCOCK’S HONEYGUIDE Indicator willcocksi One between Garoua and Maroua on 14 Nov. Louette (1981) mentions only one previous Cameroonian record of the species in dry woodland in the north. LITTLE SPOTTED WOODPECKER Campethera cailliautii A female seen in the northern part of Korup NP on 1 Dec, and a male in secondary forest near Baro on 2 Dec. This is the first record for Korup NP, but there are records from the nearby Rumpi Hills (Rodewald et al. 1994). BROWN-EARED WOODPECKER Campethera caroli One seen west of Baro in the northern part of Korup NP on 29 Nov. Louette (1981) had records only east of Mt. Cameroon, but the species is mentioned as rare in the northern part of Korup by Rodewald & Green (1993). FIRE-BELLIED WOODPECKER Thripias pyrrhogaster In a stand of trees in secondary forest near Baro outside the Korup NP the species was recorded on three days: a male on 28 Nov, two (one male) on 2 Dec and a male on 3 Dec. The records confirm the occurrence of the species in Cameroon. Two old records from Mt. Cameroon of this lowland forest species from West Africa were accepted by Louette (1981) but rejected by Fry et al. (1988). Rodewald et al. (1994) mention the species as hypothetical in Korup NP. It is interesting to note that we recorded its allospecies, the Yellow-crested Woodpecker T. xantholophus, at a nest-hole in the same stand of trees at Baro. SHORT-TOED LARK Calandrella brachydactyla One bird was seen feeding on bare ground in Waza NP on 17 Nov. This is the second record from Cameroon, the first being a specimen U. G. Sorensen et al. 153 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) collected at Efulen on 24 October 1926 (Louette 1981). The species is a widespread winter visitor in the northern part of the Sahel zone (Keith et al. 1992). EUROPEAN SAND MARTIN Riparia riparia 100 over the Bénoué River at Garoua on 13 Nov; one north of Garoua on 14 Nov; 160 on 15 Nov and 100 on 16 Nov in Waza NP; a single on Plaine du Tchad north of Waza on 17 Nov; and 90 between Garoua and Bénoué NP on 18 Nov. Louette (1981) presumed that this migrant is widespread in Cameroon, but stated that definite records were few. MOSQUE SWALLOW Hirundo senegalensis Two seen in Waza NP on 16 Nov are apparently the first records in the north of Cameroon. Louette (1981) expected the arid-country subspecies senegalensis to be found in the north due to nearby records in both Nigeria and Chad. Another subspecies, saturatior, is found from the Adamawa plateau southward (Louette 1981). AFRICAN ROCK MARTIN Hirundo fuligula Six over a boulder-strewn hill about 25 km N of Maroua on 18 Nov probably represent the first record in northern Cameroon. Louette (1981) expected the species to be found there, but did not know of any records. WIRE-TAILED SWALLOW Hiurundo smithii Four over a dried-out riverbed in Bénoué NP on 19 Nov. This is a northward extension of the known occurrence of the species in Cameroon. Louette (1981) knew of no records north of the Adamawa plateau, but Mahé (1988) mentions the species as common in Bénoué NP in February 1987. BLACK-HEADED WAGTAIL Motacilla flava feldegg ‘Two individuals of the black-headed race feldegg were recorded in Waza NP on 16 Nov. All other Yellow Wagtails recorded (125+) were of the flava/thunbergi complex. Louette (1981) does not mention feldegg from Cameroon, but it is common in northeastern Nigeria and at Lake Chad (Keith et al. 1992), so its occurrence in northern Cameroon is to be expected. WHITE WAGTAIL Motacilla alba Two in Waza NP on 16 Nov; the third definite record from Waza and Cameroon (Louette 1981). AFRICAN PIED WAGTAIL Motacilla aguimp ‘Two at a bridge across the Bénoué River in Bénoué NP on 19 Nov. Louette (1981) mentions only one record from the Bénoué Plain. TREE PIPIT Anthus trivialis Two records from the Bénoué Plain: one seen north of Garoua on 14 Nov and two in Bénoué NP on 19 Nov. Louette (1981) mentioned U. G. Sorensen et al. 154 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) only records from the Adamawa Plateau but expected the species to turn up elsewhere. RED-THROATED PIPIT Anthus cervinus Four seen on Plaine due Tchad north of Waza on 17 Nov, and one in Bénoué NP on 19 Nov. There are few previous records in Cameroon (Louette 1981, Robertson 1992), all from the north. ISABELLINE WHEATEAR Oenanthe isabellina ‘Two seen in Waza NP on 17 Nov represent the first from Cameroon. ‘The species winters in the Sahel zone across Africa (Keith et al. 1992) and its occurrence in the extreme north of Cameroon is not unexpected. RED-BACKED SHRIKE Lanius collurio A female in Waza NP on 15 Nov. Louette (1981) presumed the species to be regular in the north, but the only definite records he mentions are two November specimens. ISABELLINE SHRIKE Lanius isabellinus One on Plaine du Tchad north of Waza on 17 Nov is apparently the first record from Cameroon. Louette (1981) regarded this as a subspecies of L. collurio; the only definite records he mentions are specimens from across the border in Chad, but he presumed it to be regular in Cameroon. WOODCHAT SHRIKE Lanius senator An adult on Plaine du Tchad north of Waza and one immature in Waza NP, both on 17 Nov. There are few records from Cameroon (Louette 1981), but these records together with those of Robertson (1992) suggest that the species is regular at Waza and probably elsewhere in the north. MASKED SHRIKE Lanius nubicus In Waza NP one was seen on 15 Nov and two on 16 Nov. Singles were seen on Plaine du Tchad north of Waza on 17 Nov and between Waza and Maroua on 18 Nov. Previously only four records were known from Cameroon (Robertson 1992), all from Waza NP or nearby localities. The species is likely to be regular there. [COLLARED FLYCATCHER Fcedula albicollis| A female-type of a Palaearctic Ficedula flycatcher at Benoué NP on 19 Nov showed characters of the Collared Flycatcher Ficedula albicollis (Jonsson 1992). There are no other records of this species from Cameroon, but as the field identification of Ficedula species in female-type plumage is notoriously difficult we regard this record as only a ‘probable’. References: Brown, L. H., Urban, E. K. & Newman, K. 1982. The Birds of Africa. Vol 1, Ostrich to falcons. Academic Press. Christensen, S. & Sorensen, U. G. 1989. A review of the migration and wintering of Aquila pomarina and Aquila nipalensis orientalis. In: B.-U. Meyburg & R. D. U. G. Sorensen et al. 155 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) Chancellor. 1989. Raptors in the Modern World. Proceedings of the III World Conference on Birds of Prey and Owls. Christy, P. 1990. New records of Palearctic migrants in Gabon. Malimbus 11(2): 117-122. Dowsett, R. J. & Forbes-Watson, A. D. 1993. Checklist of Birds of the Afrotropical and Malagasy Regions. Volume 1: Species limits and distribution. Tauraco Press, Liége, Belgium. Fry, C. H., Keith, S. & Urban, E. K. 1988. The Birds of Africa. Vol. III, Parrots to Woodpeckers. Academic Press. Holyoak, D. T. & Seddon, M. B. 1990. Notes on some birds of Western Cameroon. Malimbus 11(2): 123-127. Jonsson, L. 1992. Birds of Europe with North Africa and the Middle East. Christopher Helm. Keen, S. 1993. Cameroon. September 16th—December 3rd 1992. Birdtrip. Privately published report. Keith, S., Urban, E. K. & Fry, C. H. 1992. The Birds of Africa. Vol. IV, Broadbills to chats. Academic Press. Louette, M. 1981. The birds of Cameroon. An annotated check-list. Verhandlingen van de Koninklijke Academie voor Wetenschappen, Letteren en Schone Kunsten van Belgié. Klasse der Wetenschappen 47(163). Mahé, E. 1988. Contribution 4 la liste des oiseaux de Parc National de la Benoué Nord, Cameroun. Malimbus 10: 218-221. Monval, J.-Y. & Pirot, J.-Y. (eds) 1989. Results of the IWRB International Waterfowl Census 1967-1986. IWRB Spec. Publ. no. 8. Slimbridge. Rodewald, P., Dejaifve, P.-A. & Green, A. A. 1994. The birds of Korup National Park and Korup Project Area, Southwest Province, Cameroon. Bird Conservation International 4(1): 1-68. Robertson, I. 1992. New information on birds in Cameroon. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 112(1): 36-42. Robertson, I. 1993. Unusual records from Cameroon. Malimbus 14(2): 62-63. Rose, P. M. & Scott, D. A. 1994. Waterfowl Population Estimates. [WRB Publication 29. Thiollay, J. M. 1978. Les plaines du Nord Cameroun. Centre d’hivernage de rapaces paléartiques. Alauda 46: 314-326. Urban, E. K., Fry, C. H. & Keith, S. 1986. The Birds of Africa. Vol. I1, Francolins to Pigeons. Academic Press. Vielliard, J. 1972. Données biogéographiques sur l’avifaune d’ Afrique Centrale. Alauda 40: 63-92. Addresses: Uffe Gjol Sorensen, Mollegade 21, 1.tv., DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark. Jorgen Bech, Skt. Nikolajve; 5B, DK-1953 Copenhagen V, Denmark. Erling Krabbe, Gurreholmvej 6, DK-3490 Kvistgard, Denmark. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 A. Townsend Peterson 156 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) Geographic variation in sexual dichromatism in birds by A. Townsend Peterson Received 9 October 1995 ‘The tendency for insular bird populations to “‘lose’’ bright male plumages, leaving males dull-plumaged and similar to females, is well documented (Bateson 1913, Mayr 1942, Lack 1947), with examples occurring on nearly every major island group supporting an endemic avifauna. This phenomenon has been explained chiefly by one mechanism: The loss of sexual dimorphism through feminization of the male plumage seems to develop only in well-isolated and rather small populations ... It ... seems to occur only in localities where no other similar species exist, i.e., where a highly specific male plumage is not needed as a biological isolating mechanism between two similar species. Ernst Mayr (1942) Later authors have for the most part followed Mayr’s lead (e.g. Lack 1947, Sibley 1957, Grant 1965), although some additional explanations (discussed below) have been advanced for specific cases. A brief review of examples of this phenomenon led me to see that Mayr’s explanation does not adequately account for the diversity of situations in which geographic variation in sexual dichromatism occurs. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to review geographic variation in sexual dichromatism in birds, and to develop potential explanatory hypotheses. Methods Examples of geographic variation in sexual dichromatism were assembled from a variety of sources: published accounts including taxonomic treatments, regional works [especially the atlases of speciation in Africa of Hall & Moreau (1970) and Snow (1978)], and the many reports on the results of the Whitney South Sea Expeditions and the Archbold Expeditions; examination of specimens in the Field Museum of Natural History, American Museum of Natural History, U.S. National Museum of Natural History, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science, and University of Kansas Natural History Museum; and consultation with knowledgeable ornithologists. The list presented herein is certainly incomplete—my hope is simply that it is a sufficiently large and representative sample that insights into the phenomenon will be possible. To preserve clarity of patterns, I limited the examples analysed in the present paper to those occurring within biological superspecies (Mayr 1963). Decisions as to what constitutes a superspecies were often somewhat arbitrary; however, borderline cases were excluded. Species A. Townsend Peterson 157 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) exhibiting variation in coloration of one sex not in the direction of the coloration of the other sex, including many examples of heterogynism (Hellmayr 1929, Mayr 1963), were excluded because no variation existed in the degree of dichromatism. Examples in which geographic variation in age of attainment of adult plumages caused variation in sexual dichromatism were included only when the variation was extreme, and not simply variation in the proportion of males in subadult plumages. When possible, the direction of change and the minimum number of evolutionary derivations were inferred based on outgroup comparisons and geographic considerations. If all other members of the species group or genus showed one general pattern of sexual dichromatism and the same pattern was found in some but not all populations of the species of interest, then that pattern was assumed to represent the primitive state. If different populations gained or lost bright coloration on different parts of the body, or if populations showing variation in dichromatism were geographically separated by populations showing the primitive state, then each population was counted as an independent evolutionary derivation. A set of abbreviations was employed to summarize patterns of variation. Males are listed first, then females. “‘B’’ and “D”’ refer to “bright-plumaged’”’ and ‘“‘dull-plumaged’’, respectively, and “‘+” indicates “‘brighter-plumaged than’. For example, a population with bright males and dull females is B/D; a population with brighter- plumaged females relative to the first is B/D+; one with females identical to bright-plumaged males is B/B; and so on. Descriptions of populations as bright- or dull-plumaged are relative—a “‘bright’’ swift is much duller than a “‘dull’’ trogon. Also, the abbreviation for a population’s dichromatism is dependent on the type of dichromatism found in the remainder of the populations of that superspecies— a sexually monochromatic species with one population in which males are brighter would be D/D; however, a sexually monochromatic species with one population in which females are duller would be B/B. Results Examples of geographic variation in sexual dichromatism in 158 species of birds representing 43 families are summarized in the Appendix. Within particular species, multiple derivations of variant populations were common. Several patterns were present: between-population variation was discrete (stepped) in some examples (e.g. Foudia rubra, Petroica multicolor), and clinal in others (e.g. Ficedula hypoleuca, Molothrus aeneus, Dendroica pinus). Within-population variation was continuous in some species (e.g. Pyrocephalus rubinus), and polymor- phic in others (e.g. Terpsiphone mutata). Both types of within- population variation occurred in different populations of Tourmaline Sunangels Heliangelus exortis (Bleiweiss 1985a). Of the 158 instances of geographic variation in sexual dichromatism, at least 107 involved changes in male plumage brightness (left half of A. Townsend Peterson 158 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) TABLE1 | Geographic situation and directionality of change in plumage brightness for each sex, based on examples of geographic variation in sexual dichromatism in the Appendix for which directionality could be determined Male Female Geographic ee eT Pil nt wy __ eee ta ne situation B>D D-B B>D D-B Insular 29 7 3 11 Allopatric 12 1 1 1 Allopatric—parapatric 2 0 0 8 Parapatric + 2 1 5 Parapatric—clinal 1 0 0 2 table in the Appendix), whereas at least 90 examples were of changes in female plumage brightness (right half of table). Hence, variation in the coloration of either sex was about equally likely. However, in species for which the direction of change could be determined, the direction (i.e. bright to dull, dull to bright) was decidedly nonrandom (Table 1). Males were nearly five times more likely to lose bright plumage than to gain it (compared with uniform distribution, y7=24.9, df=1, P<0.05); females were more than five times more likely to gain bright plumage than to lose it (y7=15.1, df=1, P<0.05). This significant interaction between sex and directionality of change of coloration (y°=38.2, df=1, P<0.05) clearly reflected the fact that males of most species are bright-plumaged to begin with, and that females of most species are initially dull-plumaged. The geographic situation of examples of variation in levels of sexual dichromatism had little bearing on the directionality of change. Although males of island populations were more likely to lose than to gain bright coloration (Table 1), no significant interaction between geographic situation (insular vs. continental) and gain vs. loss of bright coloration in males existed (y?=0.33, df=1, P>0.05). Hence, males of island populations were not more likely to ‘lose bright coloration than males in other geographic situations. Species including both resident and migratory populations showed predictable patterns of geographic variation in sexual dichromatism. For example, the northern, migratory populations of the Shiny Cowbird Molothrus aeneus are dimorphic, but the southern, resident populations have the sexes alike and females brightly coloured like the northern males; many other examples of this pattern exist (e.g. Parula americana—P. pitiayumi, Dendroica pinus, D. graciae—D. adelaidae, D. discolor—D. vitellina, Icterus cucullatus, Agelaius phoeniceus). The association between permanent residency and bright (male-like) female plumage is striking and consistent in each of these taxa. Moreau (1960) presented evidence for an association between levels of dichromatism and mating system—polygynous species having dull-plumaged females, and monogamous species often having bright-plumaged females. A. Townsend Peterson 159 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) Discussion A wide variety of adaptive hypotheses has been used to account for particular examples of geographic variation in sexual dichromatism; others not proposed specifically regarding this phenomenon can be applied to it in an equally valid manner. ‘These ideas include contrasting selection pressures for migratory vs. permanent resident populations (Hamilton 1961), parasite-mediated sexual selection (Hamilton & Zuk 1982), interspecific female mimicry (Roskaft et al. 1986), reduced need for species recognition characters in insular populations (Mayr 1942, 1963), reduced need for predator signalling (Baker & Parker 1979), and absence of nutritional elements necessary for bright coloration (Abbott et al. 1977). Each of these hypotheses yields a slightly different set of predictions regarding the phenomenon; more than one, of course, may be acting in such a heterogeneous assemblage of species as that treated herein. Several depend critically on the assumption that bright plumage is costly, and that it will be lost in the absence of selection pressures in its favour. Rather than entering into an overly nebulous discussion of how particular examples might fit the predictions of particular hypotheses, I will take a different direction in the discussion of my results. The genetic basis for plumage dichromatism appears to be quite simple in birds. Experiments by Morgan (1919) on hen-feathered breeds of chickens Gallus domesticus indicate that dichromatism in that species is controlled by but two loci which act via hormonal influences. Furthermore, rare variant morphs in populations of several of the species listed in the Appendix may well represent the expression of alleles for characters affecting plumage dichromatism: e.g. Columba iriditorques, Pyrocephalus rubinus, Trochocercus cyanomelas—T. nitens, and Terpsiphone viridis. Hence, characters related to sexual dichroma- tism may often have a simple Mendelian basis, or at least a simple sex-linked Mendelian basis, and different alleles of these genes may often be found segregating in natural populations of birds. This observation leads me to suggest a possible alternative explanation for many of the occurrences of geographic variation in sexual dichromatism. Genetic drift in small, isolated populations of birds could lead to the loss or fixation of alleles for bright or dull male or female plumages, and could account for many of the odd patterns of variation documented in the Appendix. Inclusion of ideas from models of interactions between genetic drift and Fisherian runaway sexual selection (e.g. Lande 1980, 1981) could explain elevated evolutionary rates and the apparent concentration of examples in polygynous and lekking species. This alternative hypothesis has the advantages of not invoking novel selection pressures, of explaining all directionalities of change in particular geographic situations (e.g. acquisition of bright plumage in island populations), and of being able to explain the frequency of examples of this phenomenon in insular situations. Some hypotheses mentioned above may indeed prove to be the correct explanations for the evolution of particular examples of variation in sexual dichromatism; for example, the ideas of Hamilton (1961) and A. Townsend Peterson 160 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) Moreau (1960) appear to have explanatory power for migrant vs. resident populations of warblers. However, I suggest that the drift hypothesis may be applicable in more situations than the selective mechanisms. Inspecting the few phylogenetic hypotheses available for groups included in the Appendix, it is clear that sexual dichromatism evolved dynamically in many lineages. For example, comparing sexual dichromatism characters with a recent hypothesis for the evolutionary history of the ducks (Livezey 1991) indicates several lineages in which dichromatic species arose from nondichromatic dull species, lineages in which dichromatism was lost, and indeed the full spectrum of possible changes. These conclusions are clearly preliminary, but the pattern of dynamic evolution of sexual dichromatism is clear. Further explor- ations of these ideas can be based on this and other phylogenetic hypotheses now available in the scientific literature. Evolutionary changes in secondary sexual characters such as plumage coloration also may be important in the speciation process. This dimension of the phenomenon of geographic variation in sexual dichromatism is underemphasised in this paper because I limited the list in the Appendix to examples at the superspecies level or lower, that is, before the speciation process is completed by the establishment of sympatry. Populations under sexual selection that gain or lose patches of bright plumage may become reproductively isolated from one another rapidly, thus accelerating the process of formation of biological species in a manner more or less analogous to the mechanisms proposed by Kaneshiro (1980, 1983). Clear examples of secondary contact of D/D populations with B/D source populations include the rock- buntings Emberiza tahapisit and E. socotrana, and the pardalotes Pardalotus punctatus and P. quadragintus. A final comment refers to the likelihood that Mayr’s (1942, 1963) species recognition hypothesis would explain a significant number of the occurrences of geographic variation in sexual dichromatism. Many problems and inconsistencies plague it: (1) it can explain neither the acquisition of bright, species-specific female plumages in many insular bird species, nor (2) the occurrence of these phenomena in many continental species as well; (3) it invokes the idea of high costs of bright plumage as a reason for its loss in insular populations; (4) it requires that sexual selection for bright and gaudy male plumages not exist, so that relaxed selection for species-recognition characters can lead to loss of bright plumages; and (5) it requires the tenuous assumption that birds need bright and obvious plumage patches to be able to recognize and identify conspecifics. Hence, this hypothesis is unlikely to explain generally the occurrence of geographic variation in sexual dichromatism in birds. Acknowledgements I am very grateful to W. Beecher, C. T. Collins, J. Diamond, J. Fitzpatrick, S. M. Goodman, N. Klein, S. M. Lanyon, M. Marin, E. Mayr, C. Staicer, D. E. Willard, G. E. Woolfenden, and especially D. F. Stotz for advice on examples of variation in dichromatism. Thanks to the curators of the collections mentioned in the Methods for A. Townsend Peterson 161 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) access to specimens under their care, and to S. M. Lanyon, R. O. Prum, M. B. Robbins, C. Staicer, D. M. Watson, and especially D. H. Clayton for helpful discussion of various drafts of the manuscript. A special thank you goes to R. M. Salazar S. for support and encouragement during the latter stages of this study. References: Abbott, I., Abbott, L. K. & Grant, P. R. 1977. Comparative ecology of Galapagos ground finches (Geospiza Gould): evaluation of the importance of floristic diversity and interspecific competition. Ecol. Monogr. 47: 151-184. Amadon, D. 1943. Birds collected during the Whitney South Sea Expedition. 52. Notes on some non-passerine genera, 3. Amer. Mus. Novit. 1237. Amadon, D. 1950. The Hawaiian honeycreepers (Aves, Drepaniidae). Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. 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Bretagnolle & C. Attié 196 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) increases by 10.5% with age (see Table 1). Wing and tail lengths also increase, but to a lesser extent (Table 1 for means and statistics). The first two characters may be unique to bailloni, although P. 1. polynesiae (from the Gambier Is: Bretagnolle pers. obs.) and the Yelkouan Shearwater P. yelkouan (Yésou et al. 1990, R. Zotier pers. comm., and pers. obs.) show a similar pattern. But the increase in bill depth occurs in all lherminiert, and assimilis for which fledgling skins could be examined (although in slightly smaller proportions), as well as in other petrels (e.g. Genevois & Bretagnolle 1995, and references therein). Other changes also occur in bailloni, in bill colour (blue and black in fledglings versus pure black in adults) and the shape of blue and black patches on the upper half of the tarsus (tarsus in fledgling bailloni as that described for atrodorsalis in Shirihai et al. 1995). It is noticeable that the five characters listed above are the most important characters that have been cited as separating atrodorsalis from other shearwaters, including bailloni. Fledgling of bazlloni on Réunion occurs mainly, if not only, between December and April (Jouanin 1970, 1987, Jadin & Billet 1986, Attié & Bretagnolle unpubl. data), although there are two skins in Paris Museum, labelled as fledglings (but without any trace of down), that were collected in August. If moult of fledglings occurs before (or around) the following breeding period (which starts on Réunion in late August), fledgling bazlloni will thus remain in their juvenile-like plumage (i.e. black and white, with blue legs) from December until August or September, which suggests that separation at sea between atrodorsalis and fledgling bailloni may be extremely difficult. Incidentally, the period during which fledgling bazlloni are in their juvenile-like plumage exactly matches the dates that were reported by Shirihai et al. (1995) for atrodorsalis, although the seasonal pattern may also reflect their lack of data between August and December. This new information with regard to coloration, biometrics and breeding phenology of bailloni from Réunion Island may therefore raise doubts about the identity of the two birds described in Shirihai et al. (1995) under the new species, atrodorsalis: the holotype (the “Durban bird’), and the BMNH specimen (No. 1866.7.21.10), labelled as juvenile from Réunion. Given the similarity between these two birds, Shirihai et al. (1995) concluded that the BMNH skin was an overlooked atrodorsalis, not a bailloni. We would like to offer the alternative, and maybe more parsimonious explanation, that the BMNH specimen is indeed a juvenile of bailloni as it is labelled (see also Bourne 1995). The taxonomic status of the Durban specimen will be discussed in more detail.in a companion paper (Colston et al., to be submitted). Acknowledgements We thank P. Duncan for improving an earlier draft, and M. Attié and J.-C. Stahl for their help during field work in 1995. W. R. P. Bourne and C. Jouanin agreed to comment the manuscript. P. Colston, C. Jouanin and A. J. Bartle kindly allowed access to Museum collections in their care. In Brief 197 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) References: Attié, C., Stahl, J.-C. & Bretagnolle, V. (Ms submitted). A third record for the century of the Mascarene Petrel Pseudobulweria aterrima from Réunion Island, and comments on its current status. Bourne, W. R. P. 1995. The Eilat shearwater. Sea Swallow 44: 60. Bretagnolle, V. In press. Acoustic communication in a group of non-passerine birds, the petrels. Jn D. E. Kroodsma & E. H. Miller (eds), Ecology and evolution of acoustic communication in birds. Cornell Univ. Press. Bretagnolle, V. & Attié, C. 1991. Status of Barau’s Petrel (Pterodroma baraui): colony sites, breeding population and taxonomic affinities. Col. Waterbirds 14(1): 25-33. Genevois, F. & Bretagnolle, V. 1995. Sexual dimorphism of voice and morphology in Thin-billed Prions, Pachyptila belcheri. Notornis 42: 1-10. Jadin, B. & Billiet, F. 1979. Observations ornithologiques a la Réunion. Le Gerfaut 69: 339-352. Jouanin, C. 1970. Note taxonomique sur les petits Puffins Puffinus lherminieri de ? Océan Indien occidental. Oiseau 40: 303-306. Jouanin, C. 1987. Notes on the nesting of Procellariiformes in Réunion. Pp. 359-363 in A. W. Diamond (ed), Studies of Mascarene Island Birds. Cambridge Univ. Press. Jouanin, C. & Mougin, J.-L. 1979. Order Procellariiformes. In E. Mayr & G. W. Cottrell (eds), Check-list of the Birds of the World. Vol. 1 (2nd edn.) Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard. Shirihai, H., Sinclair, I. & Colston, P. 1995. A new species of Puffinus shearwater from the western Indian Ocean. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 115: 75-87. Warham, J. 1990. The Petrels: their Ecology and Breeding Systems. Academic Press. Yésou, P., Paterson, A. M., Mackrill, E. J. & Bourne, W. R. P. 1990. Plumage variation and identification of ‘““Yelkouan Shearwater’. Brit. Birds 83: 299-317. Addresses: V. Bretagnolle, CEBC-CNRS, 79360 Beauvoir sur Niort, France. C. Attié, Villiers en Bois, 79360 Beauvoir sur Niort, France. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 IN BRIEF EXTRALIMITAL RECORD OF THE SPOT-WINGED FALCONET SPIZIAPTERY X CIRCUMCINCTUS Spiziapteryx circumcinctus is distributed from Bolivia and Paraguay to the centre of Argentina and has its southern limit in the northern part Rio Negro eastwards to the southern part of the province of Buenos Aires (Short 1975, Remsen & Traylor 1989, Narosky & Di Giacomo 1993). Throughout this range it occurs in arid woodlands, mainly dry forests and savannas (Short 1975, Blake 1977). On 11 January 1991 I observed an individual in an area of scattered trees in the vicinity of ““Brazo Rico’’ (c. 185m above sea level), in the southern part of the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, province of Santa Cruz, southern Argentina. The main field characters of the species were clearly observed: body size about that of American Kestrel Falco sparverius, pale and predominantly — streaked underparts, rounded and white-spotted wings, dark tail barred with white, and conspicuous white rump contrasting with browner upperparts. The known range of the species has recently been extended to northern Bolivia (Remsen & Traylor 1989) and the eastern Argentine provinces of Corrientes (Contreras 1986) and Entre Rios (Abadie In Brief 198 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) 1993). ‘The bird that I saw may well have been just a wandering individual, not necessarily evidence of a.southward range extension. The locality is more than 1000 km distant from the southern limit of the known range of the species, and in a quite different environment, viz. the andinopatagonian subantarctic forests. Other birds recorded in this area, such as Enicognathus ferrugineus, Campephilus magellanicus, Pygarrhichas albogularis and Pyrope pyrope, are evidence of the andean affinity of the local avifauna. I am grateful to Alejandro Giraudo and Gustavo Marino for their encouragement and for providing important data, to Bianca L. Reinert, Julio de Moura Leite, David W. Snow and Dante M. Teixeira for critically reading the manuscript. The Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq) is thanked for the financial help formerly offered to my researches, and Jorge B. Nacinovic for the revision of this manuscript. References: Abadie, E. I. 1993. Aves nuevas 0 poco comunes de Entre Rios. Nuestras Aves 29: 31. Blake, E. R. 1977. Manual of Neotropical Birds. Vol. 1. Chicago Univ. Press. Contreras, J. R. 1986. Sobre la presencia del Halconcito Gris, Spiziapteryx circumcinctus (Kaup) en la provincia de Corrientes, Argentina (Aves: Falconidae). Hist. Nat. 6: 91-92. Narosky, T. & Di Giacomo, A. G. 1993. Las aves de la provincia de Buenos Aires: distribucion y estatus. L.O.L.A. (Literature of Latin America), Buenos Aires. Remsen, J. V. & Traylor, M. A. 1989. An Annotated List of the Birds of Bolivia. Buteo Books, Vermilion. Short, L. L. 1975. A zoogeographic analysis of the South American Chaco avifauna. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 154: 163-352. Museu de Historia Natural MARCOS R. BORNSCHEIN ‘“‘Capao da Imbuia’’, Rua Prof. Benedito Conceicao 407, Curitiba, Parana-Brazil, 82810-080. 4 July 1995 RANGE EXTENSIONS OF SOME COTINGAS FROM RONDONIA, BRAZIL During an eight-day rapid ornithological assessment in April 1995 in the Parque Estadual, Guaraja-Mirim (10°50’S, 64°85’W), Rondonia, Brazil, I recorded range extensions for four cotingas. PURPLE-BREASTED COTINGA Cotinga cotinga On 23 April, at the edge of a terra firme forest clearing. I observed for 5 minutes an adult male Purple-breasted Cotinga. It was perched motionless in dead bare branches in the forest sub-canopy, before flying off. This represents a large range extension of c. 1050 km southwest from the previously known locality near the mouth of the Rio Madeira, and suggests that the species is likely also to occur in lowland rainforest in nearby northeastern Bolivia, only c. 50 km away. BLACK-NECKED RED-COTINGA Phoenicircus nigricollis On 29 April I observed and tape-recorded the call of an adult male Black-necked Red-Cotinga. The bird was feeding in the mid-storey of In Brief 199 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) terra firme forest about 15 m up, perched on a large horizontal bough. This represents a range extension southwest along the Rio Madeira of c. 550 km. It was to be expected; Snow (1982, The Cotingas) noted that the apparent absence of the species from Bolivia and southeastern Peru was probably due to insufficient collecting in these countries’ lowland forests. PURPLE-THROATED COTINGA Porphyrolaema porphyrolaema I observed and tape-recorded Purple-throated Cotingas on six different days; all records involved male birds. ‘The nearest known locality is about 200 km northeast at Fazenda Rancho Grande, near Ariquemes (10°17'S, 62°52’W). Although this species has not yet been recorded in nearby Bolivia, Ridgely & Tudor (1994; The Birds of South America, Vol. 2) note that it should occur in the extreme northwest. These records indicate that it will probably also be found to occur in northeastern Bolivia. POMPADOUR COTINGA Xipholena punicea I saw an adult male on 21 April and a female-plumaged bird on the 23rd, and heard another on the 24th. There are very few records of this species from the State of Rondonia and only one locality known from nearby northeastern Bolivia (Ridgely & Tudor, loc.cit.). Conjunto Acariquara, ANDREW WHITTAKER Rua Samaumas 214, Manaus, Amazonas, 69085-410, Brazil. 25 July 1995 A NOVEL FORAGING ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SOUTHERN RIVER OTTERS LUTRA LONGICAUDIS AND GREAT EGRETS CASMERODIUS ALBUS The association between Cattle Egrets Bubulcus ibis and foraging ungulates is well documented and has been subject to detailed investigation (Burger & Gochfeld 1982, Behaviour 79: 212-229). A record also exists of an association between a foraging Black Bear and a Cattle Egret (Smith 1985, Wilson Bull. 97: 395). However I can find no record in the literature of an association between an egret and an otter. Egret associations are typically terrestrial; for example Cattle Egrets following large terrestrial mammals through vegetation and preying on small organisms flushed from cover. I report here a foraging association between a Southern River Otter Lutra longicaudis and a Great Egret Casmerodius albus, observed on four separate occasions at Aviarios del Caribe Nature Reserve, Costa Rica. The only recorded associations between birds and otters in the literature are predation by otters on birds (Vanwagenen et al., 1981, f. Mammalogy 62: 433-434) and scavenging by otters and herons on salmon carcasses (Hewson 1994, 7. Zool. 235: 53-65). The commensal association described below is therefore novel. In Brief 200 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(3) The Aviarios del Caribe reserve is located in the Rio Estrella estuary, on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. It contains a system of canals and lagoons supporting abundant fish life. ‘The observations reported here were made between 2 and 20 July 1995. Great Egrets were a common sight feeding along the water margins, whilst otters were sighted regularly in the deeper parts of the canals. It was observed that upon the arrival of an otter in the vicinity of the Great Egret, rather than avoiding the disturbance, the egret walked or flew to an area of shallows immediately adjacent to the foraging otter. The egret then took several prey in rapid succession presumably because small fish had been driven into the shallows by the activity of the otter. On one occasion as the otter moved down the canal the egret followed: this continued for approximately 200 m. I estimate that the egret’s success rate was much higher at these times than when stalking prey alone in the shallows. It is possible that both otter and egret were independently tracking a moving shoal of fish; but considering the egret’s primary attraction to disturbed water caused by the otter, this seems unlikely. It was not clear whether the four observations of this phenomenon were of different Great Egrets, or whether the same individual was responsible. ‘These observations are interpreted as a learned association between the specific disturbance produced by a feeding otter and a local abundance of food. Other disturbances, such as canoe traffic or human weed-cutting, rapidly disturbed egrets, causing them to take flight. This suggests that disturbance per se was not attractive to egrets. Commensalism with otters may be a widespread but, until now, unrecorded foraging technique used by the Great Egret. I am most grateful to the Carlos de Sola Wright Memorial Fund and Merton College, Oxford for providing financial assistance for the expedition during which these observations were made. Thanks also to Nick Grassly for his comments concerning this manuscript. Department of Zoology, Oxford University, ROBERT McCALL South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, U.K. 28 November 1995 NOTICE TO CONTRIBUTORS Papers, from Club Members or non-members, should be sent to the Editor, Dr D. W. Snow, The Old Forge, Wingrave, Aylesbury, Bucks HP22 4PD, U.K., and must be offered solely to the Bulletin. They should be typed on one side of the paper, with treble-spacing and a wide margin, and submitted in duplicate. The style and lay-out should conform with usage in this or recent issues of the Bulletin. A contributor is entitled to 10 free offprints (16 if 2 or more authors) of the pages of the Bulletin in which his contribution, if one page or more in length, appears. Additional offprints or offprints of contributions of less than one page may be ordered when the manuscript is submitted and will be charged for. Authors may be charged for proof corrections for which they are responsible. MEMBERSHIP Only Members of the British Ornithologists’ Union are eligible to join the Club; applications should be sent to the Hon. Treasurer, as below, together with the annual subscription (£8.50 or, if preferred, U.S. $22 for 1996, postage and index free). Changes of address and any correspondence concerning membership should be addressed to the Hon. Treasurer. SUBSCRIPTION TO THE BULLETIN & OTHER PUBLICATIONS The Bulletin (Vol. 116 onwards) may be purchased by non-members on payment of the annual subscription (£22 or, if preferred, U.S. $45 for 1996, postage and index free). Applications should be sent to the Hon. Treasurer. Single issues may be obtained as back numbers. BACK NUMBERS OF THE BULLETIN Available on application to the Hon. Treasurer. PAYMENTS TO HON. TREASURER Payments should be sent to the Hon. Treasurer, S. J. Farnsworth, Hammerkop, Frogmill, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berks SL65NL, U.K., or credited direct to the Club’s bank account—No. 10211540, Sort Code 20 00 87, at Barclays Prime Account, Dale House, Wavertree Boulevard, Liverpool L7 9PQ, U.K., with confirmation to the Hon. Treasurer. All payments are net and should be in Sterling if possible. Payment in other currencies must include a further £4 for U.K. Bank Charges (except for annual rates in U.S. Dollars which are inclusive). CORRESPONDENCE Correspondence on all other matters should go to the Hon. Secretary, Cdr M. B. Casement, OBE, RN, Dene Cottage, West Harting, Petersfield, Hants. GU31 5PA, U.K. For details of Club Meetings see inside front cover. Registered Charity No. 279583 CONTENTS CLUBUNO TICES Re hao) e sone neko RO ES oak howe rr JOBLING, J. A. “The Prince and the’ Republican ...... . 2. 3s eee RESTALL, R. L. A proposed new species of munia, genus Lonchura (Estrildinae) e005 6s ap ie Ps WS os, ee KEITH, S. & BENT, N. Breeding and longevity in captive Blue-shouldered Robin-Chats Cossypha cyanocampter..). =. 04.242) ee SORENSEN, U. G., BECH, J. & KRABBE, E. New and unusual records of birds in: Cameroomn 3 ecience 2k Se ee ee eo PETERSON, A. T. Geographic variation in sexual dichromatism in birds VAN BALEN, S. & NIJMAN, v. Notes on the breeding of the Crested Jay Platylophus galericulatus 0 nob he eee HELME, N. A. New departmental records for Dpto. La Paz, Bolivia, from the: Pampas: del Heath 2.3). 0) eso cna ee oe ee LUCKING, R. S. Polygyny in the Seychelles Sunbird WNectarinia DUSSUMICTE Bore Se iid SUS AES GB UH Uh ecre ee rrr SHIRIHAI, H. & CHRISTIE, D. A. A new taxon of small shearwater from the Indian Ocean. (6). 5o 26 Se is es Ne SAFFORD, R. J. & SMART, L. M. ‘The continuing presence of Macgregor’s Bird of Paradise Macgregoria pulchra on Mount Albert Edward, Papua New Guinea. 00) PCH ee aS A KRATTER, A. W. & GARRIDO, 0. A new subspecies of Margarops fuscus (Scaly-breasted Thrasher) from St. Vincent, Lesser Antilles...... BRETAGNOLLE, V. & ATTIE, C. Coloration and biometrics of fledgling Audubon’s Shearwaters Puffinus lherminieri from Réunion Island, Indian Ocean ec shes Me Ns ea oe ed ae a rrr In Brief BORNSCHEIN, M. R. Extralimital record of the Spot-winged Ealconet Spiziapterny x cincumcinctus. ai) 4) eee WHITTAKER, A. Range extensions of some cotingas from Rondonias Brazalis)5 oe a ee McCALL, R. A novel foraging association between Southern River Otters Lutra longicaudis and Great Egrets Casmerodius albus..0 32s on ess Son eee 180 186 189 194 17 198 198 The Bulletin is despatched from the printers on publication and is sent by Surface Saver Postal Services to all European destinations outside the U.K. and by Air Saver Postal Services to destinations outside Europe. Those whose subscriptions have not been received by the beginning of a month of publication will have their copies despatched by surface mail, after their current subscription has been paid. COMMITTEE D. Griffin (Chairman) (1993) R. E. F. Peal (1993) Revd T. W. Gladwin (Vice-Chairman) (1993) Miss H. Baker (1994) Cdr M. B. Casement, OBE, RN Dr R. Pr¥s-Jones (1995) (Hon. Secretary) (1996) N. H. F. Stone (1995) S. J. Farnsworth (Hon. Treasurer) (1990) D. J. Montier (1996) Printed on acid-free paper. Published by the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB and printed by Henry Ling Ltd., at the Dorset Press, Dorchester, Dorset QL 67 B 863, BiKDS ISSN 0007-1595 Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club Volume 116 No. 4 Edited by Dr D. W. SNOW EN HSONTA >~ , FEB 10 1997 — LIBRARIES December 1996 FORTHCOMING MEETINGS Tuesday 21 January 1997. Professor C. J. Feare and Dr Elaine Gill will speak on “The biology of pink omelettes’’. Chris began studying Seychelles Sooty Terns during an Aberdeen University Research Fellowship in the early 1970s, and never lost interest in these birds or the islands, during an ensuing career with the Ministry of Agriculture’s Central Science Laboratory (CSL). There, he studied the biology of pest birds, especially Starlings, but recently took early retirement to establish his own consultancy on bird management, to write books and to continue Sooty Tern studies. Elaine spent thirteen years studying the ecology of free-ranging ponies, on which she has written a book, before joining CSL to investigate the potential of naturally-occurring chemicals to deter birds and mammals from feeding on crops. Despite the absence of horses, she quickly adapted to spending her leave on tropical islands full of Sooty Terns. Applications to the Hon. Secretary by 7 Fanuary, please. NOTE: The meeting provisionally planned for 25 February has been cancelled. Tuesday 18 March 1997. Major Frank Courtenay-Thompson will speak on “Three years birdwatching in Saudi Arabia’. Appointed there in 1970 as Military Adviser, Frank set about reviving his childhood enthusiasm for birds, and sought advice and support from among the then very small expatriate population. This resulted in the formation of the Saudi Arabian Natural History Society, and the production of the first bird list for the Kingdom. Together with an American doctor, he built up a collection of photographic slides, totalling over 150 identifiable species. Applications to the Hon. Secretary by 4 March, please. Tuesday 8 April 1997. Dr C. J. Hazevoet will speak on “‘Birds of Cape Verde Islands’’. Dr Hazevoet has been resident in the Cape Verde Islands for the larger part of the past eight years. He took the initiative for the National Parks and Protected Areas Programme, which has resulted in important sites for seabirds and endemic landbirds being declared Nature Reserves by law, in 1990. His work in the islands includes both scientific research and educational activities. He is a research associate at the Institute for Systematics and Population Biology of the University of Amsterdam and the National Agricultural Research Institute of the republic of Cape Verde. Applications to the Hon. Secretary by 24 March, please. Meetings are held in the Sherfield Building of Imperial College, South Kensington, London SW7, at 6.15 p.m. for 7 p.m. The nearest Tube station is at South Kensington, and car parking facilities are available; a map of the area will be sent to members, on request. The cash bar is open from 6.15, and a buffet supper, of two courses followed by coffee, is served from about 7.00. (A vegetarian menu can be arranged if ordered at the time of booking.) Informal talks are given on completion. Overseas Members visiting Britain are particularly welcome at meetings. For details in advance, please contact the Hon. Secretary, Cdr M. B. Casement, OBE, RN, Dene Cottage, West Harting, Petersfield, Hants. GU31 5PA. Tel/Fax: 01730-825280 for late bookings and cancellations. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 Apart from single copies made for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under UK law, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, except with prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the Editor; for address see inside back cover. 201 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) Bulletin of the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Vol. 116 No. 4 Published 13 December 1996 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The Annual General Meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Club was held in the Ante-room of the Sherfield Building, Imperial College, London SW7 on Tuesday, 21 May 1996 at 6 p.m. Mr D. Griffin was in the Chair. 18 Members were present. The Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 23 May 1995, which had been published (Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 115: 193), were approved and signed by the Chairman. The Report of the Committee for 1995, which had been published (Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 116: 1-2), was presented. A minor correction was made to the statement concerning Bulletin Sales (page 2), with an amendment to read: ‘““‘Non-member Subscribers were 134, 17 in the U.K., and 117 overseas”. Mrs A. M. Moore proposed, and Mr S. J. Farnsworth seconded acceptance of the Report. This was agreed unanimously. The Chairman thanked Mrs Moore for her tireless work arranging meetings and for ensuring the smooth running of Club affairs, over the past and preceding seven years. Of special value to the Club had been her contribution to the work of the Publications Sub-committee, and for her representation of the Club at international meetings, both in this country and overseas. The Editor apologised for the exceptional lateness of the December issue of the Bulletin 115(4), which had been mainly due to seasonal difficulties over Christmas. He proposed no significant changes, and to keep within the range of 64-72 pages per issue. He had received an encouraging number of papers, especially from neotropical countries, a trend which he thought would continue. But these were mainly short papers and he would welcome a few longer ones. He was normally able to achieve publication within 12 months of receipt. The Chairman thanked the Editor for his report, and for another excellent volume of the Bulletin in 1995. ‘There being no other nominations for these posts, the following were declared re-elected: Hon. Treasurer: Mr S. J. Farnsworth Hon. Secretary: Commander M. B. Casement, OBE, RN. As notified in the AGM Agenda, published in Bull. B.O.C. 116(1), the Committee had accepted in full the advice received from the Charity Commissioners. In order that the Editor remain eligible to receive an honorarium for his editorial work, the Committee proposed that: (i) The editor shall cease to be a trustee of the Club, (ii) ‘The editor shall attend Committee meetings as necessary to give advice on matters concerning the Bulletin, but without the right to vote on any issue, (111) Rule (4) be amended accordingly. Meetings 202 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) No objections had been received, and this proposal was accepted unanimously by all those present. Amendments to Rules of the Club. In order to implement this change as soon as possible, Members had been notified by means of a leaflet inserted with Bull. B.O.C. 116(1), of the Committee’s proposed amendment to the Club Rules, as a Special Resolution, in accordance with Rule (18). No objections had been received, and the amendment to the Rules of the Club was proposed by the Chairman, seconded by Revd 'T. W. Gladwin (Vice-Chairman), and agreed by all those present. (For text of this amendment, see below.) In anticipation that this resolution would be approved at this AGM, the Committee had proposed that the seat on the Committee vacated by the Editor, be filled by Mr D. J. Montier. There being agreement by all those present, Mr D. J. Montier was declared elected as a Member of the Committee. Mr S. J. Farnsworth tabled the draft 1995 accounts but said that these were not ready for approval, because the figures required amendment to reflect the recently increased valuation of the Herbert Stevens Trust Fund. In summary, the accounts showed an increased balance over that forecast due to: Trust income, which had exceeded the target figure, good sales of BOC publications, and a small saving in printing costs. Looking to the future, an increase in printing costs for the Bulletin was expected. ‘The Committee had agreed to postpone approval of the 1995 accounts until the 19 July meeting, when a specially re-convened AGM would be held at 6 p.m. In conclusion, the Chairman thanked the Officers and Committee for their support during the year, as well as Dr R. A. Cheke as convener of the Occasional Publications Sub-committee, Mrs Mary Muller for producing the annual Index of the Bulletin, Professor Richard Chandler for providing special facilities at Imperial College, Mr Ron Kettle for arranging slide projection at meetings, and Mr Pat Sellars for organising the sound equipment. No other business had been notified in accordance with Rule 12. The meeting closed at 6.20 p.m. The Annual General Meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Club, adjourned from 21 May 1996, was resumed at 6.15 p.m. on 16 July 1996 in the Senior Common Room, Sherfield Building, Imperial College, London SW7. Mr D. Griffin was in the chair and 14 Members were present. The Accounts for 1995 were presented by the Hon. Treasurer, who said that the Club finances were in a healthy state, and that publications, especially Extinct and Endangered Birds in the Collections of the Natural History Museum, were selling well. He proposed these Accounts be received and adopted. This proposal was seconded by the Revd T. W. Gladwin, and carried unanimously. The Chairman thanked the Hon. Treasurer and the Trustees of the Herbert Stevens Fund for their work, and also Mrs F. E. Warr for her valuable help with sales of back numbers of the Bulletin. No other business had been notified in accordance with Rule 12, and the meeting closed at 6.35 p.m. Meetings 203 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) Text of agreed Rule changes (changes to the existing rules are underlined.) BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB FOUNDED 5 OCTOBER 1892 Registered Charity No. 279583 TITLE and OBJECTS The objects of the Club, which shall be called the “British Ornithologists’ Club’’, are the promotion of scientific discussion between Members of the British Ornithologists’ Union and others interested in ornithology, and to facilitate the publication of scientific information connected with ornithology. RULES Approved by the Annual General Meeting on 21 May 1996. MANAGEMENT Delete references to Editor and amend to read (alterations underlined): (4) (a) There shall be a Management Committee, elected from among the Members, which shall have general control and management of the admin- istration of the Club. This Committee shall consist of a Chairman and a Vice-Chairman, each elected for terms of four years; an Honorary Secretary and an Honorary Treasurer each elected for a term of one year; and five other Members of the Committee, each of whom shall be elected for terms of four years. With the exception of the Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer, the Officers and other Members of the Committee shall be ineligible for re-election within one year to the same office or position... . Insert new sub-para: (b) Sub-committees and other Officers. At the discretion of the Committee: (i) additional officers may be appointed, (1) sub-committees may be formed, as and when necessary, to act in an advisory capacity for the management of the Club’s activities. The Chairman and/or Members of such sub-committees may attend meetings of the Committee, by invi- tation, as ex-officio Members, but without the right to vote on any issue. ‘BULLETIN’ OF THE CLUB 14. (a) (b) Insert new sub-para: (c) There shall be an Editor of the Bulletin, appointed by the Committee for a term of four years. The Editor may receive an annual honorarium for such work, which shall be determined by the Committee from time to time. The Editor may attend any meeting of the Committee, as an ex-officio Member, (in accordance with Rule (4b) above) for the purpose of offering advice on all editorial matters, but executive authority rests with the Committee, as Trustees of the Club. NOTE. The Members of the Management Committee are legally the Trustees of the Club. Meetings 204 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) The eight hundred and sixtieth meeting of the Club was celebrated with a visit to Selborne on Friday, 31 May 1996. The meeting started at 10.30 a.m. 17 Members and 9 Guests attended. Members attending were: D. GRIFFIN (Chairman), Miss H. Baker, P. J. BELMAN, Cdr M. B. CASEMENT RN, A. Gisps, The Revd T. W. GLapwin, C. A. R. Hevm, I. T. Lewis, N. S. Matcoitm, Dr J. F. Monk, D. J. Montier, Mrs A. M. Moore, Mrs M. Mutter, Dr R. P. Prv¥s-Jones, N. J. REpMaNn, N. H. F. Stoner, M. P. WatLrTers. Guests attending were: Mrs C. CasEMENT, Mrs B. Grpps, Mrs J. M. GLapwin, Mrs S. GrIFFIN, Mrs S. Lewis, Mrs D. C. Monk, Mrs M. Montirr, P. J. Moore, Mrs S. STONE. The Club had originally made arrangements to celebrate its 21st anniversary with a “Selborne Excursion” on Saturday 12 July 1913. Unfortunately in consequence of the death, following a carriage accident, of the Club’s Chairman, Dr Philip Sclater, on 27 June, ‘the excursion was cancelled. Eighty -three years later, and in fine weather, the Club arrived in Selborne to visit The Revd Gilbert White’s home, The Wakes, and other places featured in his classic work The Natural History of Selborne which was hugely instrumental in reviving British ornithology. The Club was kindly welcomed to The Wakes by Mrs Anna Jackson. After morning refreshments in the tea parlour, the Director, John Garnett, gave a most informative introductory talk. The Natural History of Selborne, he claimed, is the third most published book after The Bible and the works of Shakespeare. Further areas of Gilbert White’s garden are being restored to include the same species and varieties of plants, some now rare, which he cultivated. Despite efforts to replant it, the Great Yew of Selborne which stood in St. Mary’s churchyard for an estimated 1400 years, died after being uprooted by the gale of 25 January 1990. It is being succeeded by a cutting taken from the tree immediately after its fall. After inspecting the house and gardens, including The Oates Museum, the Club retired for lunch at The Queens, formerly The Queen’s Arms Hotel, where luncheon had been booked in 1913. Members and guests variously spent the afternoon walking to Seiborne Hill and Com- mon, now mostly designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), via the Borstal Paths and Zig-Zag which was made by Gilbert White and his brothers; exploring the village and St. Mary’s Church; and enjoying the gardens at The Wakes. The magnificent stained glass windows 1n St. Mary’s Church, including the Gilbert White Memorial Window (1920) in which most of the birds referred to in his writings are identifiably represented, were much admired. Gilbert White’s grave was also visited by most of the party. Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus and Hobby Falco subbuteo flew overhead, a Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos sang briefly, and Treecreepers Certhia familiaris were observed feeding young in the dead trunk of the Great Yew. The meeting finished with afternoon tea back in the tea parlour at The Wakes and a vote of thanks to John Garnett and his staff for their kind hospitality. Members and guests who attended the meeting each received a speciaily bound copy of a Guide to Selborne and Synopsis of the Life of Gilbert White which had been prepared for the 1913 excursion by Major W. H. Mullens and was published in October of that year as Bulletin CXC (Vol. XXXITI:1-27). The eight hundred and sixty-first meeting of the Club was held on Tuesday, 18 June 1996 at 6.15 p.m. 20 Members and 12 Guests attended. Members attending were: D. GRIFFIN (Chairman), P. D. Gortup (Speaker), M. A. Apcock, Miss H. Baker, Mrs D. M. BrapLey, Cdr M. B. CASEMENT RN, Professor R. J. CHANDLER, Dr R. A. CHEKE, D. J. Fisher, A. Gispss, Revd T. W. Giapwin, R. H. KettLe, Dr C. F. Mann, Dr J. F. Monx, D. J. Montrer, Mrs A. M. Moore, R. G. Morecan, Dr R. P. Prys-Jones, N. H. F. Stone, Professor W. E. WaTERs. Guests attending were: Mrs C. R. CasEMENT, D. Couzens, Mrs F. FARNSwortH, Dr D. Foskxetr, Mrs S. Grirrin, Mrs J. M. GLrapwin, Mrs BRENDA Hammonp, Mrs D. C. Monk, Mrs M. Montier, P. J. Moore, Mrs S. L. Stone, D. WarERs. After supper Paul Goriup, who is Chairman of the Steppe and Grassland Bird group of BirdLife International and [UCN—the World Conservation Union, spoke about his favourite subject: ‘““The beauty of bustards’’, illustrated with a splendid series of colour slides showing the wide range of their spectacular courtship displays. The bustards (Otididae) form a distinctive family of birds loosely related to rails and cranes (Gruiformes). They occur (or occurred) throughout most of the Old World where Meetings 205 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) there are steppe and steppe-like habitats, especially in Africa, which is the centre of speciation and dispersion. The family includes the world’s heaviest flying landbirds as well as species no larger than a partridge. That the 22 or so species fall into eight genera, of which five are monospecific, testifies to the diversity of form (and indeed of behaviour) that is found in such a relatively small family. Six bustard species are known to be threatened. By far the most important cause for the overall decline of bustard numbers and fragmentation of their distribution is loss of habitat, especially from gradual degradation of steppic vegetation through overgrazing, overburning and intensifying cultivation. Other, often terminal, causes of bustard declines are hunting (shooting and falconry), trapping, and any forms of disturbance which interrupt their display or breeding activities. Future conservation measures for bustards will revolve around habitat protection and restoration, research (including rearing and releasing captive-bred birds into restored habitats), reduction of persecution, and enhanced public awareness of the birds and their habitats. The eight hundred and sixty-second meeting of the Club was held on Tuesday, 16 July 1996 on conclusion of the adjourned Annual General Meeting, at 6.30 p.m. 24 Members and 18 Guests attended. Members present were: D. GRIFFIN (Chairman), Dr R. WILKINSON (Speaker), Miss H. Baker, P. J. BeELMaNn, I. R. BisHop, D. R. CALDER, Cdr M. B. CasEMENT RN, Dr R. A. CHEKE, S. J. FARNSWORTH, Professor C. J. FEarRE, G. D. FiELp, A. GrBss, Revd T. W. GLapwin, R. H. Kettre, Dr C. F. Mann, D. J. Montier, Mrs A. M. Moors, R. G. Morean, Mrs M. N. Mutter, S. J. Parry, Dr R. P. Prys-Jones, R. E. Scotr, R. E SHARLAND, N. H. F. STONE. Guests attending were: Miss G. BonHam, Mrs J. B. CaLpEr, Mrs C. R. CASEMENT, Dr E. Grit, Mrs J. M. GLapwin, Mrs M. Monrtirr, P. J. Moore, S. TONGE. After supper Roger Wilkinson, who is currently Curator of Birds at Chester Zoo and Secretary of the West African Ornithological Society, spoke about ‘“‘Zoo breeding programmes for endangered species’. The following is a brief synopsis of his talk. Zoos are increasingly working with threatened species, and the World Zoo Conservation Strategy makes conservation their main mission. With millions of visitors each year, zoos are in a unique position to influence public opinion, and conservation education is another priority. Thirdly, zoos are increasingly involved with scientific research on endangered species both in the wild and in the zoo. Zoo-based breeding programmes are not an alternative to conservation in the wild. For some threatened species, zoo breeding is inappropriate; but for others it is an essential element of the conservation recovery programme. Dr Wilkinson gave an illustrated overview of breeding programmes for endangered birds including examples from waterfowl, ibis, cranes, pheasants, pigeons and parrots. Money raised within zoos is being used for field conservation work for many threatened parrot species including the critically endangered Red-vented Cockatoo and the Mauritius Parakeet. Waldrapp Ibis, now numbering perhaps less than 170 in the wild, have a zoo population of over 1700. A science of reintroduction is beginning to emerge. This needs to be further developed with, for example, controlled experimental releases, varying different parameters that may affect the success of reintroduction. Examples were given of research on releases of Waldrapp Ibis and Siberian Cranes. Husbandry techniques need to be developed for the maintenance and breeding of some bird species. The Hawaiian Bird Programme, involving five USA zoos, is one example of a programme where zoos are now developing husbandry skills with “‘surrogate”’ species on which programmes for endangered birds could be based. Andean Condors similarly served as a model for the Californian Condor. From eight Californian Condors taken from the wild in 1980 a population of 89 birds had been established by 1994. By that time 13 Californian Condors had already been released into the wild. Examples of birds currently being maintained in zoos, but extinct in the wild, include the Guam Rail and Guam Kingfisher. Both are extinct on Guam because of predation by the introduced Brown Tree Snake. Experimental reintroduction of the Guam Rail is now taking place on the nearby snake-free island of Rota. The aim of conservation breeding programmes is to support wild populations and not to offer an alternative to conservation in the wild. Forward-thinking zoos are working to become further integrated with the global network of conservation organisations. Accounts 206 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) The eight hundred and sixty-third meeting of the Club was held on Tuesday, 17 September 1996 at 6.30 p.m. 18 Members and 7 Guests attended. Members present were: D. GRIFFIN (Chairman), .J. W. BARRINGTON, P. BuLL, D. R. Caper, Cdr M. B. CASEMENT RN, S. J. FARNSwortuH, D. J. Montier, Mrs A. M. Moore, R. G. Morean, Mrs M. N. Mutter, P. J. O_tver, R. E. F. Peat, Dr R. P. Pr¥s-JONEs, R. E. Scott, P. J. SELLar, Dr D. W. SNow, N. H. F. STONE, Professor W. E. WaTERS. Guests attending were: R. PRYTHERCH (Speaker), Mrs J. C. Butt, Mrs J. B. CALpeEr, Mrs M. Montter, P. J. Moore, Mrs M. Outver, Dr P. RAsmMussEN. After supper, Robin Prytherch gave an illustrated talk entitled ‘‘Buzzards in Avon—a success story’, of which the following is a synopsis. The study commenced in the early 1980s whilst organising a survey of breeding Buzzards in Avon for the Bristol] Ornithological Club. This survey spanned 1980-84, with many sites checked in only one of those years, so a study site (of 75 km?) was selected asa control to check if the population there was increasing, stable or decreasing (the first was suspected). The habitat was mainly of mixed woodland and fields, both pasture and arable. This provided many suitable nest-sites and an abundant supply of food—of young rabbits, small rodents and birds, and invertebrates (mainly earthworms) in winter. The presence or absence of all pairs in this area was checked, and new pairs were looked for in each year. By the time this survey was completed, he had become so absorbed by the birds in this study area that he decided to look more closely at their social behaviour, especially in the air. He demonstrated examples, using an excellent series of slides of his field-sketches, since these activities are very difficult to photograph. By close study of differing, often distinctive, plumage patterns, it became possible to differentiate, not only between male and female adults, and first-year birds, but also to recognise many individuals, and thus to determine the differing behaviour and inter-relationships between each. Breeding pairs of Buzzards are very territorial and exclude intruders, often chasing them out with much vigour. The territory holders use a variety of displays, before, during and after these encounters. This study revealed interesting behaviour activities, which have not previously been described. Present literature suggests that aggression is between pairs, but this is rarely so; non-breeding intruders are the stimulus for aggression and displays. By many hours of watching and recording these behaviour patterns, it was possible each year to construct a map of all the territories and the numbers present, and a dramatic build-up of the population was observed. From 12-13 pairs in 1982, numbers increased to 17 pairs in 1984, and 26 pairs in 1991. Thereafter, numbers increased by six pairs each year to reach 44 pairs in 1994, 52 pairs in 1995 and 56 pairs in 1996. The 1996 figure is equivalent to 1.3 km? per pair, one of the densest populations ever recorded in the UK. Productivity over the last eight years has declined from about 1.5 chicks per pair (all pairs) to about 1.0 chick per pair. Productivity of successful pairs has also declined, but not so markedly. Territory size and nest spacing have both decreased so that, as density has increased, productivity has declined. A study of individual lifetime productivity revealed that this varied widely; in long-lived birds it has ranged from 8 to 27 fledged chicks. One female, which lived for 16.3 years, fledged at least 16 chicks with four mates. British Ornithologists’ Club Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 1995 Statement of Committee Members’ responsibilities The Committee is required to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity at the end of the financial year and of the surplus or deficit for that period. In preparing the financial statements, suitable accounting policies have been adopted and consistently applied to the best of the Committee’s knowledge and belief, by reference to reasonable and prudent judgements and estimates. Applicable accountancy standards have been followed. The Committee members are responsible for maintaining adequate accounting records for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and for preventing and detecting fraud and other irregularities. The Committee members are also required to indicate where the financial statements are prepared other than on the basis that the Charity is a going concern. Accounts 207 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) Income and Expenditure Account for the year ended 31 December 1995 1995 1994 £ £ £ £ INCOME Subscriptions INT eA EES eee oS oo oc case esas snc Meee woe See ale nase eke ah Cee ew Sak Seat eeeneatneuenee’s 4,893 5,032 Non-member subscribers ...... ss 2,762 3,002 Inland Revenue tax recovered......... 3 (Weeds of Covenants subscriptions) |e ooo. occ ccccc ce eteeewencucees seen roseoecsenes eee 311 346 7,966 8,380 Donations 20 31 Investment income EPRSCC VEN SMD TUISC) HUN Gece cs sesor arse ee cere eresce see seser esse sees sscncaseavecsuceseas 7,090 5,931 Barrington Trust Fund (COIF Income Shares).............:sseseeeeeeeeeeeeeeees 36 34. Interest received: Barclays Prime A CCOUM te crascc ees cacce set cnenscccmns sevens cusecantesecensecanestanctee 125 95 COTE Deposit Account\Nos 1m csi nan -ceccccacacsecucacenscetsessseencuosscecurecs 2,561 1978 9,812 8,038 Publications BOC Bulletin: 469 912 226 130 583 — 55 _ SAwianioystematics andl axOnOmyer cee. cesce nes oneness meee auees eaten 1,155 742 ais IraSaPSCOVERY and) CONSELVAtON! frees cseeeeee rae nonce nee reas 134 102 SExtinctandibndan gered Birds med osc secs-- «aaa sseresnecenctee senses sencencrenseres 1,458 2,259 4,081 4,145 Cost of sales Qpennin pps tock soe coe eccc eet aoeae eae Oe ae ee (100) (100) (8) SST Gael Sr ot a ee eee ee ieee ee ee 100 100 Meetings Ordinary Meetings .... 3,470 4,327 SCENE ALY AD) MN EL sees sees oan ce cee awasedeae co ana thse ce Oise Suse eR 8 6 rat 3,478 age 4,333 Miscellaneous income CN eS oan cote ses ston debate catcwsaasesauvescstesesed eae ccteete Sot net ereeereret 67 107 Club brooches 167 524 Miscellaneous 40 269 carry F 274 900 TOTAL INCOME 25,631 25,827 EXPENDITURE SuUbscriplon Te crivitmie mls eens cans esa ecewseece Cee Renee CH ee 245 112 Meetings Ordinary Meetings: Restaurant/Room Hire...............:s:seccecccerseeeeceeteees 3,296 4,411 Speakers{INotices! C&C: 3-522. .c24-ccaces ste ao scons nce Rates secs 372 259 Bar facthity charges: ::0:222222 2222: - fee A eee nT 254 286 Tae 3,922 4,956 Bulletin BOC pub teatro and printing vizi-c-;.100 3 Secondary 12 180 1-2 North-east 3 7 Secondary 20-22 180 1-2 North-west >100 fine ‘rootlets’ up to 130 mm in length, perhaps belonging to the fern Lygodium sp. Nest 2 was discovered on 3 June; it too was situated in the apex of the branching fronds of a palmate palm Licuala sp., and was located within 1 m of a forest trail. Again, the nest consisted of a dome and was constructed from dry palm Licuala sp., rattan Calamus sp. and bamboo Bambusoideae leaves. It was lined with similar material to the first nest. Nest 3, discovered on 8 June, was built in a rattan Calamus sp., within 3m of an old logging road. The nest consisted of a steep-sided bowl and lacked a roof. It was constructed from dry dicotyledonous, palm Licuala sp. and rattan Calamus sp. leaves, and lined with leaf veins. Nest 4 was discovered on 7 June and was built amongst both living and dead rattan Calamus sp. stems, through which a palmate palm Licuala sp. was growing, within 1 m of a forest trail. Like the first two nests, it was domed. For full details of nest site and dimensions, see Tables 1 and 2. Eggs On 2 June nest 1 was freshly lined and was empty; by 11.30 hrs on 3 June it contained a single egg. During the afternoon of 8 June I flushed the female off the nest which was then found to contain two warm eggs. The eggs measured 29 X 22 and 29 x 23 mm. Both eggs were creamy white, speckled with chestnut. On 3 June nest 2 contained four ovate eggs. All four eggs measured 29mm in length, three measured 25 mm at their widest point and one 24 mm. The eggs were creamy white; two were entirely unmarked, whilst two had indistinct brown speckles at their broad end. On 7 June nest 4 contained three eggs, but their size and coloration was not noted at the time. On inspecting the nest on 9 June the remaining egg was white, covered with brown blotches, and measured 28 X 22 mm. Nest attendance During 12 hours of uninterrupted observation of nest 1 on 27 June, the pair visited the nest 40 times, comprising 23 lone visits by the female, 15 lone visits by the male, and one visit by the pair together. The male twice visited the nest but neither brought food nor removed faecal sacs. On both occasions he looked into the nest as if inspecting the contents. The female made only one such visit. At 08.28 hrs Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) J.C. Eames EEE MS pues OCT x 06 09 x OOT O8T x 09 x OIC sol SOP ‘ds smupjo) + cl OCI x OTT OOT x O9T V/N OLT x OSE x — SLI dno ‘ds sno) e AN USEC OOL x OST 09 x OFT OOT x O01 OCC x DOT x ONC 891 SULOP, ‘ds vjonaT 6 MS CES O€L x Or OCI x OST 06-04 x OTT Ofc x OST x OFT Gel! SOP. ‘ds vjpnavT I re ee 2S ae ee a ee Se (uuu) (uut) yoodse (tu) (uw) punois adeys (ut) 1Ys19Y ‘OU 1S9NJ yipIm x yidap yIpIM x YIsuo] ystoy x YPM 1yst1ey x WO1} USIP pue o11G Jaquiryd WO} eI (uu) sdURUA yiprm x yidaq NN eee ese ee SS Se SS S1SOU 1701/9 VIJIq JO SUOISUALUIP PUP SoiINnj}eay ¢ A 1Td VL F. C. Eames 219 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) two Rufous-throated Fulvettas Alcippe rufogularis visited the palm in which the nest was located. Neither adult was at the nest. One of them, which was not visible but in the vicinity, reacted by giving the subdued weo call (see below) but did not approach the nest. Nest predation At 06.30 hrs on 27 June nest | was visited by a Northern Tree Shrew Tupia belangeri. The tree shrew approached the nest from the ground and climbed the stem of the palm, at first by-passing the nest entrance but then finding its way onto the roof of the nest. It then descended to the front of the nest, entered it, and almost immediately began devouring a living pullus from the seclusion of the nest chamber. Nest 3 was checked for only the second time on 28 June, when it was found to be partially destroyed and not in use. There was no evidence that this nest had been used for nesting during the survey period. By 28 June nest 4 contained merely the decomposed heads of two pulli and a single pullus wing in pin, clearly indicating predation. Nestling care, diet and growth After only a few minutes the tree shrew, which had raided nest 1, abandoned the partially eaten pullus and possibly as a result of the calls of the adults, it left the nest-palm. Both adults then flew up to the nest and shielded the nest with their bodies, partially opening their wings. The tree shrew subsequently returned to the nest about 15 minutes later but I drove it off to prevent predation of the remaining living pullus. During 12 hours of nest observation, both sexes fed the young and removed faecal sacs. The number of visits per hour varied between 0 and 6, with a mean of 3. Of 36 food items observed, 21 (60%) were Annelid worms, 2 consisted of white grub-like larvae (Figure 2) and 13 items were unidentified, many of which may have been Annelid worms. Feeding visits were quite brief, lasting 2-3 seconds. On the occasion of the first visit of the female, following the nest predation, she ate the prey items (Annelid worms) herself. The female was seen to remove faecal sacs seven times, the male only once (Figures 3 and 4). The female was twice observed, and the male once, eating something from inside the nest, possibly the contents of ruptured faecal sacs. The female attempted to remove the dead pullus from the nest at 15.38 hrs but failed after one attempt; she finally removed the corpse at 16.35 hrs on 27 June. Its weight pulled her down to the ground; after recovering herself she flew off low across the forest floor carrying the dead pullus in her bill. On 25 June, nest 1 contained two well-grown pulli, whose feathers were just beginning to emerge from pin. On 28 June, the surviving pullus in nest 1 weighed 54g. By 8 June, nest 3 contained a single pullus and the following day this had increased to two pulli, the second of which had hatched that morning. Additionally, and unconnected with any of the four nests, a fully fledged P. ellioti was observed on 3 June. F.C. Eames 220 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) yee tly Figure 1. Male Pitta ellioti at the nest. (Photo: J. C. Eames.) Y \ ; a: ee Zz \ ‘ & 2 A 7 of Figure 2. Female Pitta ellioti feeding young with a white grub. (Pheto: J. C. Eames.) Nestling behaviour When nest 1 was approached on 25 June, the pulli retreated to the rear of the nest, prostrated themselves on the floor and then raised their abdomens and ‘bristled’ their pin feathers in what was obviously a defensive posture, rather reminiscent of a porcupine Hystrix sp. The F. C. Eames 224 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) Figure +. Male Pitta ellioti removing faecal sac. Note that the pullus is presenting its cloaca to the male. (Photo: J. C. Eames.) surviving pullus repeated this stance when the nest was approached on 28 June. When it was handled prior to being weighed, it immediately ejected a faecal sac which burst on the dorsal side of the abdomen. On 27 June, whilst waiting to be fed, the surviving pullus frequently tried to catch airborne insects, including flies which were presumably J. C. Eames 290 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) attracted to its decomposing sibling. Periodically it closed its eyes and became inactive, presumably sleeping; on other occasions it was quite active, moving around the inside of the nest. On two occasions, immediately after being fed, the pullus turned around and presented its cloaca to the adult in attendance, it then ejected a faecal sac which was removed directly from the cloaca by the adult (Figure 4). Calls of adults and young Both adults were in the immediate vicinity of nest 1 during its predation. Immediately one of the adults began uttering a rather subdued weo, as if made through the teeth of a comb screened with tissue paper. Shortly afterwards the female flew to and perched on a liana about 4m from the nest and 1 m above the ground, from where she repeated this call. ‘The male continued calling from around the nest. During this bout of calling, the calls of both adults changed to a loud, exclamatory skew. Whilst approaching the nest both adults uttered soft coo-like calls. In response to the calls of the approaching adults the pullus made a soft chip note and a ‘tweeting’ of the kind typically associated with young birds or nestlings. ‘The pullus frequently called and became active in response to other background forest noises. The adults gave the typical skew call when alarmed and at dusk from the vicinity of the nest. The trisyllabic territorial call rendered as tu-wi-whil (Lekagul & Round 1991) was not recorded from the vicinity of the nest. Discussion ‘The discovery of three active nests during the first ten days of June provided the opportunity for an in-depth study of the breeding biology of P. ellioti. However, being otherwise committed I was able to make only brief but detailed observations at one nest, whilst the other nests were only intermittently observed. In the following discussion comparisons are drawn between the Bar-bellied Pitta’s nests and those of other pitta species for which data were available. Three of the P. ellioti nests were of a similar dome-like construction. Lacking a roof nest 3 was a little atypical, but since it had been lined it can be assumed that it had been completed. All four nests were constructed of similar materials and had similar dimensions (Table 1). Their mean measurements for depth X width X height were 183 x 245 x 200 mm. The mean entrance width xX height measured 103 x 80 mm. The mean platform length X width was 132 x 100 mm and the mean nest chamber depth X width was 133 x 116 mm. There are few detailed descriptions of pitta nests but fortunately one such case is that of P. gurneyi, which is one of the species most closely related to P. elliott. These two species are of a similar size, the plumage patterns of the males are very similar and plumage patterns and coloration of the females virtually identical. Both species inhabit lowland broad-leaved evergreen forest, P. gurneyi exclusively so (Round & Treesucon 1986). A nest of P. gurneyi was described as a flattened dome 180 mm deep, with an external horizontal diameter of 190mm and an internal ¥. C. Eames 223 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) TABLE 3 Statistics for nests of three Pitta species % No. of feeds Annelid No. of faecal Hatching Earliest Latest observed worms sacs removed/ Species date nest visit nest visit (g:2) in diet hour P. ellioti 8-9/6 06.15 h 18.18h 13):22 60 0.83 P. gurneyi 15-17/6 06.18h 18.28h 35:28 73 0.91 P. caerulea 31/7-2/8 >06.00h <19.00h 93:73 (visits) 34 0.55 diameter of 160 mm. The entrance was approximately 140 mm wide and 110 mm high. Thus it was similar in size and shape to the nest of P. ellioti. The materials used were also similar; the Gurney’s Pitta nest was constructed of bamboo leaves and the leaves of unidentified broad-leaved plants, the floor being a shallow cup lined with black rootlets (Round & Treesucon 1986). No consistency was evident in the choice of nest site amongst the four P. ellioti nests since altitude, aspect and slope varied (‘Table 1). All four nests were situated close to or on trails, reflecting observer bias as no off-trail nest searching was attempted. Three of the nests were located in disturbed secondary forest and one nest in primary forest. The Gurney’s Pitta nest was in secondary forest with tree height in the range 15-20 m, 50 m from a logging road. Four nests of the Giant Pitta P. caerulea, a larger sundaic species, were located in secondary forest and a fifth nest in a fragment of primary forest 10 m from the forest edge (Round et al. 1989). Thus, all three species are able to nest in secondary forest formations, which suggests that in terms of nest site they are to some degree adaptable and ecologically tolerant. Any possible significance in the proximity of nests to forest edge is unknown. Two of the P. ellioti nests were built in palmate palms Licuala sp., the third in a rattan Calamus sp., and the fourth in a rattan Calamus sp. through which a palmate palm Licuala sp. was growing. The nest of P. gurneyi was in the rattan Salacca rumphiu, whilst the nests of P. caerulea were in Calamus sp., Licuala sp. and a rattan Daemonorops sp. A nest of the Blue-rumped Pitta P. soror has been recorded in a rattan of the subfamily Calamoideae (Lambert et al. in press). Thus, the locations of the four P. ellioti nests in palms, within the subfamilies Coryphoideae and Calamoideae, are apparently typical for the genus. In all three P. ellioti clutches the eggs were of a similar size and ground coloration, but they varied in the degree and extent of their markings. In the three active nests, clutch-sizes ranged from 2 to 4 eggs, compared to 3 for P. gurneyi and 2 for P. caerulea. As would be expected, the eggs of P. caerulea at 30 X 35mm were considerably larger than those of P. ellioti, but coloration and pattern were similar. Table 3 compares some additional behavioural and seasonal variables between the three species, for P. gurneyi and P. caerulea based on data J. C. Eames 224 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) presented in Round & 'Treesucon (1986) and Round et al. (1989). The hatching dates for P. ellioti and P. gurneyi are within one week of each other, whereas the P. caerulea hatching date was 6 weeks later. The observation of a fully fledged juvenile P. elliott on 3 June, the same date that a nest was found with four eggs, suggests the possibility that this species is double brooded. In all three species the period of activity at the nest began shortly after dawn and ended at dusk. Based on a single day’s observation, the female P. ellioti made 62% of feeding visits; the female P. gurneyi made 44%, and the female P. caerulea 43% of all visits. Annelid worms were the major food item in the diet of nestling P. ellioti and P. gurneyi but constituted only one third of the diet in P. caerulea. ‘The most significant dietary item of P. caerulea not recorded in the diet of the two smaller species were snails (Gastropoda), which accounted for 34% of the diet. ‘The certain predation of two of the four P. ellioti nests is interesting. ‘The discovery of dismembered remains of a nestling in nest 4 rules out predation by a snake, which would swallow the prey whole, or a bird which would either do the same or would fly off with it to feed elsewhere. It therefore seems probable that nest 4 was also predated by a mammal. It was suggested that a nest of P. gurneyi was predated by a snake or humans (Round & ‘Treesucon 1986). Acknowledgements I am grateful to my field companions Le Sau, Le Trong Trai, Le Van Cham and Nguyen Cu. Thanks to Shanthini Dawson for providing useful comments on an earlier draft of this paper. References: Collar, N. J., Crosby, M. J. & Stattersfield, A. J. 1994. Birds to Watch 2: The World List of Threatened Birds. BirdLife International Conservation Series no. 4. Delacour, J. & Jabouille, P. 1931. Les Ozseaux de lV’ Indochine Francaise. Vol. 3. Exposition Coloniale Internationale, Paris. Eames, J. C., Robson, C. R., Nguyen Cu & Truong Van La 1992. Forest Bird Surveys in Vietnam. 1.C.B.P. Study Report no. 51, Cambridge. Lambert, F. L., Eames, J. C. & Nguyen Cu 1995. Three nesting records of the Blue-rumped Pitta Pitta soror from Vietnam. Forktail 11 (in press). Lekagul, B. & Round, P. D. 1991. A Guide to the Birds of Thailand. Saha Karn Bhaet Ltd., Bangkok. Round, P. D. & Treesucon, U. 1986. The rediscovery of Gurney’s Pitta Pitta gurneyi. Forktail 2: 53-66. Round, D. P., Treesucon, U. & Eames, J. C. 1989. A breeding record of the Giant Pitta Pitta caerulea from Thailand. Forktail 5: 35-47. Address: Jonathan C. Eames, BirdLife Vietnam Programme, 17M 13 Lang Trung, Dong Da, Hanoi, Vietnam. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 D. }. Pearson & F. S. Ash 225 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) The taxonomic position of the Somali courser Cursorius (cursor) somalensis by Dit. Rearson OF 1 So Ash Received 9 November 1995 The nominate race of the Cream-coloured Courser Cursorius cursor breeds in North Africa and the Middle East and on Socotra. It winters in the Sahara, and south to the Gambia, Mali, Chad, central Sudan, northern Ethiopia and Eritrea, and has occurred in Somalia (mainly the northwest: Ash & Muiskell 1983) and northern Kenya (Shekkerman & van Wetten 1987). A similarly patterned but smaller courser is resident on arid plains in eastern Ethiopia, Somalia and northern and eastern Kenya (for distribution see Fig. 1). Two races are involved, somalensis Shelley 1885 in Ethiopia and northern Somalia, and the slightly darker littoralis Erlanger 1905 in southern Somalia and Kenya. These were described as races of the Cream-coloured Courser, under the systematic Figure 1. Distribution of Cursorius c. cursor (hatched area top left) and Cursorius (c.) somalensis (hatched area centre right) in east Africa. ®: isolated southern records of C. c. CUrSOr. D. F. Pearson & F. S. Ash 226 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) TABLE 1 Comparisons of wing, tarsus and culmen lengths (range and mean, mm) in four taxa of coursers (Cursorius s. somalensis, C. s. littoralis, C. c. cursor and C. rufus) n Wing ‘Tarsus Culmen somalensis M 8 131-139 (134.8) 52-60 (55.8) 21-24 (23.0) F + 129-135 (132.3) 52-56 (54.0) 23-25 (23.8) littoralis M 2 124, 137 49, 52 24, 23 F 3 133-140 (135.7) 53-59 (55.3) 23-26 (24.3) MF 6 124-140 (134.0) 52-59 (53.5) 23-26 (24.0) c. cursor M 7 152-163 (157.6) 53-59 (55.7) 22-26 (23.7) F 5 151-160 (155.8) 51-57 (53.8) 22-25 (23.6) rufus M 5 136-143 (139.2) 47-49 (47.6) 20-21 (20.6) F 6 131-138 (135.3) 44-48 (47.0) 20-21 (20.7) name C. gallicus (over which cursor Latham has precedence; see [bis 1923, p. 429), but were subsequently regarded by some authors (e.g. van Someren 1922) as comprising an endemic east African species C. somalensis. More recently, they have usually been treated as races of C. cursor (see e.g. Vaurie 1962, Snow 1978, Britton 1980, Cramp & Simmons 1983, Urban et al. 1986). Hayman et al. (1985) drew attention to several points of difference between somalensis (and littoralis) and Palearctic C. cursor. At the same time, they pointed out resemblances of size, underwing pattern and juvenile plumage to Burchell’s Courser C. rufus of southern Africa, and they chose to treat the east African form under this species rather than under cursor. It should be mentioned here that C. cursor and C. rufus share the same head and crown pattern, and have in fact sometimes been combined as a single species (e.g. White 1962). But such lumping seems inappropriate, for the two differ considerably in their adult and juvenile plumages, and their ranges are far apart. We have examined somalensis and littoralis specimens in the British Museum collection, and compared measurements and_ plumage patterns with those of C. c. cursor and C. rufus. The results of these comparisons are detailed below. While we agree with Hayman et al. that the east African forms should be regarded as specifically distinct from C. cursor, we do not recommend combining them with C. rufus. Instead, we propose that they be treated as races of an endemic east African species Cursorius somalensis (Shelley 1885). Measurements Wing, tarsus and bill measurements of four taxa are compared in Table 1. In wing-length, somalensis and littoralis are similar to rufus, but considerably smaller than cursor. Structurally, however, they differ from both cursor and rufus in having relatively longer legs and a longer bill. In flight, their feet project much further beyond the tail than in either cursor or rufus, a feature illustrated in Hayman et al. (1985, Plate 18). D. F. Pearson & F. S. Ash 227 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) Adult plumage Head and body: The head and crown patterns of the forms considered here are very similar. White superciliary stripes extend back to meet around the nape. These are bordered below by narrow black post-ocular lines, while the crown is tawny or rufous in front and grey behind. The upperparts of somalensis are pale tawny brown, those of littoralis slightly darker brown. Both are less pale and less sandy above than cursor, but paler and less richly tawny than rufus. Below, the east African birds are pale brown, grading to whitish on the lower belly and crissum, similar in pattern to cursor. They differ from rufus, in which a blackish band separates a clear white lower belly and crissum from a bright tawny chest and upper belly. The underparts of rufus are in fact more like those of the Indian C. chalcopterus and the smaller Afrotropical C. temmincki, which have a similar head pattern, although with a wholly rufous crown. Upperwing: The east African forms resemble curvsor in having a plain innerwing and contrasting black outerwing, with only a very narrow whitish trailing edge to pale secondaries. C. rufus is more patterned, and has darker grey secondaries, with a broad white bar along the trailing edge. These differences are illustrated on Plate 18 of Hayman et al. (op. cit.). Underwing: In cursor the underwing appears all dark. ‘The coverts, axillaries and secondaries are jet black with only a narrow whitish bar along the secondary tips. In somalensis and littoralis the pattern is quite different. The coverts and axillaries are pale grey-brown, so that a pale innerwing contrasts with a blackish outerwing. The secondaries are greyish with a narrow whitish bar along the trailing edge. In rufus, black is confined to the outerwing (as in somalensis), but the innerwing pattern is rather different, for brown wing linings and axillaries contrast with dusky greater coverts, and the secondaries are mainly white. The underwing patterns of somalensis, cursor and rufus are compared in Figure 2a. ‘Tail: The upper tail pattern of somalensis and littoralis differs from that of both cursor and rufus (Fig. 2b). The feathers are mainly pale brown, with a dusky subterminal area on the central feather (t1), more distinct and broader blackish tips to the remaining feathers, and white confined to the distal part of the outer web of the outer feather (t6) and the sides of the tip of t5. In cursor, tl is plain sandy-buff. The remaining feathers resemble those of somalensis, but the blackish bars are narrower and subterminal. C. rufus has a dusky subterminal mark on tl like somalensis, but the feather bases are greyer. There is much more pure white at the tips of t3 to t5, and t6 is almost wholly white. Juvenile plumage The juvenile plumage of somalensis and littoralis bears a stronger resemblance to that of rufus than to cursor. The upperparts are strongly blotched and barred with dark brown, whereas in cursor they are only finely barred and generally much paler. In somalensis, the distal half of the tail is barred, whereas in cursor it is plain apart from fine D. F. Pearson & F. S. Ash 228 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) Figure 2. A comparison of Cursorius rufus (left), C. somalensis (centre) and C. cursor (right): top, adult underwing; middle, adult uppertail; bottom, juvenile uppertail. subterminal lines on tl and t2 and a single broad dark subterminal mark on t3-t6. In rufus, barring is more confined to the tail tip and 1s absent from t6 (Fig. 2c), and the general colour of the tail is greyer than in somalensis. Underwing patterns differ between juveniles of these forms in much the same way as between adults (see Hayman et al., p. 250). Discussion The similarities and differences between somalensis (including littoralis), cursor and rufus may be summarised as follows: 1. Adults of all three share the same head and crown pattern and have plain upperparts. D. F. Pearson ©& F. S. Ash 229 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) bo Adults of somalensis and cursor have similar plain underparts, while rufus has a black band across the belly. 3. Adults of somalensis and cursor have a similar upperwing pattern, while that of rufus is obviously different. 4. All three have a different adult tail pattern. 5. All three have a different underwing pattern, but that of cursor is most distinct. 6. Juveniles of somalensis and rufus have a similar, strongly barred body plumage, while those of cursor are paler and plainer. 7. All three have a different juvenile tail pattern, but tails of somalensis and rufus are both barred. 8. C. rufus and somalensis are about the same size, while cursor is considerably larger. 9. C. cursor and rufus are similarly proportioned, while somalensis has relatively longer legs and bill. Thus, somalensis differs structurally from both cursor and rufus. Its pale underwing is quite unlike that of cursor, while its plain adult belly differs markedly from that of rufus. In details of adult and juvenile wing and tail pattern it is also quite distinct from the Palearctic and southern African birds. In our view it should be recognised as a separate species. Acknowledgements The authors are grateful to R. Prys-Jones for facilities afforded at the British Museum (Natural History), Tring, and to A. J. Prater for valuable comments on an earlier draft of this paper. References: Ash, J. S. & Miskell, J. E. 1983. Birds of Somalia. Scopus, Special Suppl. No. 1. Britton, P. L. (ed.) 1980. Birds of East Africa. EANHS, Nairobi. Cramp, S. & Simmons, K. E. L. 1983. Birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. 2. Oxford Univ. Press. Hayman, P., Marchant, J. & Prater, T. 1985. Shorebirds. Croom Helm. Shekkerman, H. & van Wetten, J. C. J. 1987. An ornithological winter survey of Lake Turkana, Kenya. WIWO Report No. 17. Zeist, Netherlands. Snow, D. W. (ed.) 1978. An Atlas of Speciation in African Non-passerine Birds. Trustees of the British Museum (Nat. Hist.), London. Urban, E. K., Fry, C. H. & Keith, S. G. 1986. The Birds of Africa. Vol. 2. Academic Press. van Someren, V. G. L. 1922. Notes on the birds of East Africa. Novit. Zool. 29: 1-246. Vaurie, C. 1962. The Birds of the Palearctic Fauna. Non Passeriformes. H. F. & G. Witherby. White, C. M. N. 1962. A Revised Check List of African Non-passerine Birds. Government Printer, Lusaka. Addresses: D. J. Pearson, 4 Lupin Close, Reydon, Southwold, Suffolk IP18 6NW, U.K. J. S. Ash, Godshill Wood, Fordingbridge, Hants SP6 2LR, U.K. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 N. Krabbe et al. 230 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) Birds of montane forest fragments in Chuquisaca Department, Bolivia by Niels Krabbe, Bent Otto Poulsen, Amy Frolander, Marcelo Hinojosa B. & Carmen Quiroga O. Received 17 November 1995 ‘The eastern slopes of the Andes of Bolivia comprise two significantly different regions. In the north the “‘Yungas’’ range from La Paz Department southeastwards to the Sibiria watershed near Comarapa at the boundary between Cochabamba and Santa Cruz Departments. In the south the “Valles” encompass large parts of Cochabamba, Chuquisaca, Santa Cruz and 'Tarija Departments (Fig. 1). Whereas the “Yungas’? region is characterized by humid, evergreen forest, the ‘““Valles’’ region is covered by a mosaic of deciduous forests, shrublands in the partly rain-shadowed inter-Andean valleys, and semi-evergreen forests on cloud-enshrouded scarps. ‘The temperate semi-humid forest habitat in the ‘‘Valles’’ is isolated from that of the Yungas by the semi-arid Cochabamba basin (at 2500 m) and holds far fewer species of birds, probably as a consequence of its isolation and lower humidity Soll | La ad Muy Us Yungas BOLIVIA Sucre 6 Figure 1. Map of Bolivia and Chuquisaca Department (dotted outline). Vertical hatching: the humid, montane parts of ‘““Yungas”’ and the semi-humid, montane parts of “Valles”. N. Krabbe et al. 231 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) Rio Grande Sucre @ lp Tarabuco e : Sopachuy POTOSI a Azurduy Camargo z 4 a Culpina CHUQUISACA as oo eslenles om ose SY TARIJA Rio Pilcomayo Figure 2. Map of Chuquisaca Department. Squares: cities and principal villages. Numbers 1-6 refer to the localities L1—L6 in the text. (Fjeldsa & Krabbe 1990, Fjeldsa & Maier 1996). The ornithologically least-known department of the ‘“‘Valles’’ is Chuquisaca (Fig. 2), the size of Costa Rica, and the only one without any protected areas. As of just seven years ago, only 293 species of birds had been recorded there (Remsen & Traylor 1989). Large tracts of forest still remain in the subtropical zone near Rio Grande and south of Azurduy (Fjeldsa & Maijer 1996, pers. obs.; Fig. 2). In the temperate zone, however, only small, isolated patches of forest remain, most in remote areas. As a consequence of the rapid disappearance of these poorly known temperate forests, a team from the Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen (ZMUC), and the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Universidad San Andres, La Paz (MNHN), was encouraged by the newly established Ministerio de Desarrollo Sostenible y Medio Ambiente to collect avifaunal information as part of a basis for future protective measures. During March and April 1995 the birdlife was investigated in five remnant dry and semi-evergreen forest patches in the temperate zone of Chuquisaca Department and one dry forest in immediately adjacent Potosi Department (Fig. 2). Further records were obtained en route N. Krabbe et al. 232 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) between these sites. Altogether 191 species were recorded. Included in this total and described in further detail below are six altitudinal records, two new departmental records, 38 departmental second records (four documented by tape-recordings and three by specimens for the first time), and nine otherwise noteworthy records. Our high number of second records for Chuquisaca of species that are widespread and common elsewhere illustrates how poorly the avifauna of this region is known. Of the 293 species listed for Chuquisaca Department by Remsen & ‘Traylor (1989), the major contributions were 150 species recorded by Bond & Meyer de Schauensee (1942, 1943) and 94 recorded by Remsen & Traylor (1983, 1989), and Remsen et al. (1985, 1986, 1987). There were few subsequent records (Cabot 1990), until Fjeldsa & Maier in the autumn of 1991 surveyed on foot a 400-km transect of mainly subtropical, but also patches of temperate forests of southern Chuquisaca, and listed sight records of 87 new departmental species (Fjeldsa & Maijer 1996). In March 1992 Maier made another trek from Narvaez in Tarija Department to Villa Charcas in Chuquisaca Department. The results from this trip are included in Fyeldsa & Maier (1996). Unfortunately, the results of Fjeldsa & Maijer are published as a report and therefore are of rather difficult access. We thus consider it important to present a complete list of our records. Some records deserve further comments and are dealt with separately. We also present a detailed description of the habitats to create a reference basis for following the future human impact on this threatened high-altitude ecosystem. Study areas Wi: 12) road } km) ‘north-west, ot) “Marabuco,’ . 19509'S)6459aWe 3300-3400 m; 8-10 February and 21—22 March. A c. 50 ha patch of dry Polylepis tomentella ssp. tomentella (Rosaceae) woodland (Kessler 1995). Tree height: 1-3 m, most individuals 1-2 m. Distance between trees c. 2m. Kessler (1995) characterized the habitat as open dwarf-forest with a ground coverage of 20%, but locally 90%. Human impact: grazing goats and introduced Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae) planted among Polylepis in two places. Many trees were sprouting from a thick basis near the ground, indicating previous and recent exploitation, probably for firewood. Laegaard (1992) and Kessler (1995) both stress that man-made fires are the most important factor in the creation and maintenance of puna and paramos below the upper limit of Polylepis (c. 4800 m). However, no signs of recent fires were observed 1n the present habitat. L2: Cerro Palmarcito, 18°35'S, 64°52'W, 2300-2800 m; 13-18 March. A c. 10 ha stand of the endemic palm Parajubaea torallyi (Arecaceae) mixed with evergreen Podocarpus (Podocarpaceae) and deciduous forest along a permanent stream. Bordered below by extensive dry Acacia (Mimosaceae) forest mixed with columnar, 3 m cacti. ‘The adjacent brushy slopes were dominated by Dodonea N. Krabbe et al. 233 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) (Sapindaceae). Somewhat drier than site 3, more humid than sites 1, 5 and 6. Tree heights: 20-25m palms, 10-15 m Podocarpus and deciduous trees, 8-12 m stands of Acacia and 2m Dodonea bushes. Epiphytes dominated by drought-resistant T7llandsia usneoides (Brome- liaceae) and congeners, together with cacti and lichens. Soil gravelly and sandy with a thin layer of dry leaf-litter. Human impact: grazing cows and exploitation of palm nuts evidenced by piles of cracked seeds, clusters of sprouting palmlets and liberation of adult palms by cutting down nearby competing trees. L3: 9-10 road km north of Sopachuy, 19°26'S, 64°28’W, 2300-2500 m; 23-28 March. Fifty to one hundred hectares of morxe or less patchy, mostly deciduous forest, including some Alnus (Betulaceae) and mixed with many Podocarpus trees. ‘Tree height: 10-15 m. Under forest cover a 10-15. cm thick layer of black, organic soil present. Outside forest cover, only heavily disintegrated, leached, red soil or bare rock present. In open areas no sign of regeneration. Human impact: firewood gathering, grazing cattle and goats. L4: 1.5-2km south of Portillo, 20°43’S, 64°42’W, 2900-3000 m; 2—5 and 8-10 April. ‘Two patches, each 1-2 ha, of disturbed Alnus forest. The patch at 3000 m was fringed at one side by dispersed, old trees of Polylepis. Also 4.5 km southeast of Portillo, 20°44'S, 64°41'W, 2500-2600 m. A c. 5 ha Podocarpus forest, bordered above by disturbed Alnus forest and grassy slopes, below by grassy slopes and a nar- row riparian forest. These sites were the most humid of those visited, with some Podocarpus trees having thick mats of moss on their branches. Tree heights: 5-6 m Alnus and 10-12 m Podocarpus, a few as tall as 20 m. Human impact: firewood gathering and grazing sheep, goats and cattle. Shrubby slopes were allowed to regenerate to a certain height before being cut, stacked and burnt on the future pasture. L5: Parinolqui Pampa, Department of Potosi, 20°44'S, 65°34'W, 3000-3100 m; 6-8 April. c. 50-75 km? of dry, thorny Prosopis ferox (Mimosaceae) woodland on level and slightly undulating ground. Tree height: 2-—3m Prosopis, some 4—5m. Width of crowns 3-7 m and distance between crowns 1-15m, but often only 5-7 m. Many Tillandsia epiphytes on the terminal branchlets. The understorey composed of grass, herbs and cacti. Distribution of size classes of trees rather homogeneous, suggesting human impact. Grazing cattle were observed in the lower undulating parts, and two trucks seen loaded with firewood undoubtedly came from Parinolqui Pampa, the only forested area in the region. L6: Cerro Huayra Huasi, 20°22’S, 65°08’W, 3450 m; 10-11 April. c. 50 km? of Polylepis tomentella ssp. tomentella (Kessler 1995) dwarf woodland on nearly bare soil in a very dry region. T’ree height: 1—2 m, some 3—4 m. In a few places trees were 2—4 m apart, but generally they were further apart. Human impact: trees cut down in the past and present, probably for firewood. Some regeneration now occurs from the stumps. Grazing sheep and goats. L7: Rio Grande-Sucre along road from Cochabamba (89 km), 1500-2000 m; 7 March. Scattered, dry vegetation. N. Krabbe et al. 234 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) L8: Sucre—Tarabuco (63 km), 2900-3300 m; 8 March. Arid, open country with scattered grain fields. . L9: 'Tarabuco—Presto (35 km), 2500-3300 m; 11 March. Arid, open country with scattered trees, scrub and grain fields. L10: Presto—Rodeo (40 km), 2500-3700 m; 11-12 March. Riparian arable land, quebradas with small patches of Podocarpus, Alnus and shrubs. L11: Rodeo—Molani including Molani (12 trail km), 2500-3400 m; 12-13 and 18-19 March. Farmland and an 800m long, narrow stream-side thicket of Podocarpus and Alnus, mixed with scattered Parajubaea torallyi palms. L12: Molani—Cerro Palmarcito, 1600-2500 m; 13 and 18 March. Dry, thorny forest with cattle. L13: 'Tarabuco—Zudanes (48 km), 2000-3300 m; 22 and 28 March. Arid, open country with scattered trees and bushes. Several steep, rocky canyons. L14: Zudanes—Tomina (43 km), 2100-2500 m; 22 and 28 March. Arid, open country with scattered trees and bushes. The road passes along the edge of a large area of only slightly disturbed, subtropical dry forest. L15: Tomina—San Pedro (62 km), 1800-2100 m; 22 and 28 March. Semi-humid farmland with riparian bushes and trees. In some places patches of semi-humid forest. L16: Sucre—20 km south of Puna (180 km), turnoff from Potosi at km 131, 2800-3700 m; 31 March and 12 April. Open, arid country. L17: Pond 20 km south of Puna at 19°52'S, 65°33'W, 3450 m; 31 March and 12 April. L18: 25 km south of Otavi, at 20°12'S, 65°14’W, 3360 m; 1 April. Fairly open thorny scrub mixed with a few cacti and trees. L19: Culpina—Incahuasi (12 km), 2900-3000 m; 1, 5, 8 and 11 April. Dry quebrada with bare ground and scattered bushes. Irrigated farmland on plain around Incahuasi. L20: Incahuasi—Portillo (37 km); 3000-3600 m; 1, 2, 8 and 11 April. Open, arid country with thin grass-cover. A few scattered patches of semi-humid Alnus shrubbery near Portillo. 1.21: Camargo—-E] Puente on Cotagaita road (45km), 2500 m; 6 April. Large riparian trees, mainly Schinus molle. Vineyards. 22: Department of Potosi: Cotagaita-Cancha Pata Pampa (61 km), 2600-3000 m; 6-7 April. Dry, sandy area with cacti, thorny brush and scattered trees. Species list Abundances estimated for the six forest patches: X (one record only, status uncertain), R (rare, only recorded a few times, always in small numbers (<10 individuals)), U (uncommon, recorded most days, but always in small numbers), FC (fairly common, recorded daily in smal! numbers), C (common, recorded (seen or heard) daily in fairly large numbers (>10 individuals)). For other localities the actual number seen is given in parenthesis. The large number of second records from the N. Krabbe et al. 235 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) | TABLE 1 Andean humid and semi-humid forest species that are distributed in the ‘““Yungas”’ and across the semi-arid Cochabamba basin to “‘Valles” (Yungas—Valles), or are endemic to southern Bolivia/northern Argentina (Boliviano—Tucumano). Some of these species are chiefly submontane, but they all reach as a minimum the lower limit of the montane zone (2300-2500 m) Species Yungas—Valles Boliviano—Tucumano Penelope dabbenei X Columba fasciata xX Amazona tucumana X Glaucidium jardini xX Eriocnemis glaucopoides xX Piculus rubiginosus Synallaxis azarae Knipolegus signatus Pyrrhomyias cinnamomea Mecocerculus leucophrys Troglodytes solstitialis Myioborus brunniceps X Thlypopsis ruficeps Chlorospingus ophthalmicus Atlapetes torquatus Atlapetes fulviceps Poospiza erythrophrys AAA KA bd ww department are marked with an asterisk and followed by the reference to the first record. Specimens are deposited in Coleccion Boliviano de Fauna (CBF), a section of MNHN, or in ZMUC, abbreviations which precede the catalogue number in the species list. A “‘b’’, appended to the locality, indicates that no specimen, but at least one blood sample was obtained. All blood samples are deposited at the ZMUC and are available to researchers (see Arctander & Fyjeldsa 1994). The sequence of species follows Meyer de Schauensee (1970). Table 1 lists Andean humid and semi-humid forest species that are distributed from ‘“‘Yungas’’ into ‘‘Valles’’, or are endemic to ‘‘Valles”’ and the Tucuman Province of northern Argentina. Some of these species are chiefly submontane, but all species reach as a minimum the montane zone (lower limit 2300-2500 m). More details about the southward reduction in numbers of humid forest species can be found in Fjeldsa & Maijer (1996). Nothoprocta pentlandu LA X, L3 FC; L4 FC; L111 (2); L13 (1); L:15 (1); 2350-2800 m. Nothoprocta ornata* Cabot & Serrano (1988). L1 U; L6 X; 3350-3500 m. Nothura darwin Li U; L3 U; L4 U; L15 (1); 2250-3350 m. Anas flavirostris L17 (2 with pull. 31/3). Syrigma stbilatrix* Fjeldsa & Maijer (1996). L15 (5). Theristicus melanopis 7 (22 road km south of Rio Grande) (2); 1800 m. Vultur gryphus L1 U; L2 FC; L3 R; L4 U; L111 (2); L16 (1); L22 (1); 2300-3400 m. Cathartes atta 303 WA; M842)4 Eid Gi)? hA2, WO). b13,(8) 14 (2) 51.155); N. Krabbe et al. 236 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) L19 (1); L21 (1); L22 (2); 2300-3100 m. Coragyps atratus* Fjeldsa & Mazer (1996). L2 (6); L10 (20); L15 (1); 1800-2100 m. Sarcoramphus papa* Fjeldsa & Maier (1996). L2 U; 2700 m. Accipiter cf. ventralis L2 U; L4 X; L15 (2); 2000-2500 m. Buteo cf. polyosoma L4 U; L5 U; L6 Rowe 9, (2). L20 (1); L22 (1); 2800-3100 m. Buteo magnirostris [3 ius 2300-2400 m. Buteo brachyurus?* Fjeldsa & Maier (1996). L12 R; 1600 m. Geranoaetus melanoleucus L.2 FC; L4 U; L8 (1); L10 (3); 1:18 (1); 2300-3360 m. Buteogallus urubitinga* Remsen et al. (1985). L2 R; 2500 m. Circus cinereus L13 (1); L16 (76, 133, 136 and 162 km from Sucre) (4); L19 (2); 3000-3200 m. Phaleoboenus megalopterus* Cabot & Serrano (1988). L4 U; L6 U; L15 (2); L20 (2); L22 (1); 2000—3500 m. Polyborus plancus L3 U; 2300-2500 m. Falco peregrinus LA9 (1); 3000 m. Falco femoralis L5 U; L11 (2); L12 R; L:20 (3); 2500-3420 m. Falco; sparverius, V2) BC. Tay (1); id (2). L.15. @)peeeD ean: 2000-2500 m. Penelope dabbenez L2 U; L3 U; L4 FC; 2300-3000 m. Vanellus resplendens 19 (1); L22 (1); 3000 m. Charadrius collaris LA7 (1 31/3); 3450 m. Pluvialis dominicus L17 (6 31/3, 10 12/4), 3450 m. Oreopholus ruficollis* Fjeldsa & Maijer (1996). 8 km north of Otavi (12); 3400m. Calidris bairdia L17 @ 31/3, 35 12/4); 3450m-rinea melanoleuca LA7 (4 31/3, 7 12/4); 3450 m. Tringa flavipes L17 (4 12/4); 3450 m. Phalaropus tricolor LA7 (88 12/4); 3450m. Huimantopus himantopus LA7 (4 31/3, 7 12/4); 3450 m. Columba fasciata* Fjeldsa & Mayer. (1.996)...102.U;. 3, EC:.L4_C; L11_(7):115.(30);.2300=3000 maa: Columba maculosa L1 U; L6 U; L7 (1); L10 (4); L11 (8); L15 (4); L22 (2); 2000-3400 m. Zenaida auriculata L2 C; L3 FC; L4 FC; L6 FC; L9 (2); L11 (7); L.14 (4); L15 (7); L719 (3); L21 (4); 2300-3500 m. Leptotila verreauxt L2 C; L3 FC; L4 FC; L7 (4); LY (1); L11 (3); L21 (1); 22 (1); 1800-3000 m. Leptotila megalura L.15 (3); 1800-2200 m. Columbina pieut 2) PEs V4 EC:1L7/ (4); 212-16) 13' 2) EIPa DeLisi 7 19 (2); L20 (7); L21 (2); 1600-3000 m. Metriopelia ceciliae L2 U; L9 (2); Lil (3); L13 (6); Li4 (2); L21 (1); 2500-3000 m. Metriopelia melanoptera L1 U; L4 FC; L5 C; L6 FC; L17 (1); 18 (3); L204); L22 (5); 2800-3500 m. Ara rubrogenys L2 U, L11 (9); 2000-2600 m. Aratinga mitrata L2 C; L11 (+100); L12 (>50); 1800-2500 m. Aratinga acuticauda_1L3C; LAO (19); ETI (@20)2 71 t2io Geat5 0): (eels 200): 1600-2500 m. Pyrrhura molina L4A U; 2500 m. Bolborhynchus aurifrons L6 FC; 3400-3450 m. Bolborhynchus aymara L2 FC; L4 U; L5 FC; L9 (heard); 1,10°(3); (L112 (44)3 930 (8) e244); 12013); 4 122) a) 2200-3100 m. Amazona tucumana L2 U; L4 C; L11 (2); 2300-2700 m. Coccyzus americanus 1.15 (1 23/3); 2100 m. Guira guira* Remsen et al. (1986). L15 (10); 2250 m. Piaya cayana 12 (2); 2100-2200 m. Otus choliba L2 U; 2300-2400 m. Otus hoyi* Fyeldsa & Maier (1996). L3 X; LAs (ZMUC 91843) X; 2300-2500 m. Glaucidium jardini LA4 X: 3000 m. Athene cunicularia L5 X; 3100 m. Caprimulgus longirostris* Fjeldsa & Maijer (1996). L4 X; 2500-3000 m. Streptoprocne zonaris L3 X; 2500 m. Aeronautes andecolus L2 U; L3 X; L5 X; L11 (43); L12 (3); Li3 (10); L21 (1); 2400-3100 m. Colibri coruscans L1b FC; L2 U; L4 U; Lo R; L10 (3); L20 (2); 2500-3400 m. Colibri serrirostris L2 X; 2700 m. Amazilia chionogaster L2b FC; L3b FC; L11 (1); L15 (1); L21 (1); 2100-2500 m. Oreotrochilus estella* Fjeldsa & Maier (1996). L4 U; N. Krabbe et al. 237 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) L6 FC; 2900-3500 m. Oreotrochilus adela L1 R; L6 R; 3350-3450 m. Patagona gigas L1 FC; L4 FC; L5 U; L18 (1); L22 (1); 2800-3400 m. Eriocnemis glaucopoides L4 (CBF 02779) FC; 2500m. Sappho sparganura 1 FC; L2b FC; L3b FC; L4 FC; L6 U; Ls (1); L11 (1); 2300-3500 m. Microstilbon burmeisteri L2 R; L3 (CBF 02780) U; L4 U; 2300-2500 m. Nystalus maculatus L10 (1); L12 (1); L14 (1); L15 (1); 2000-2600 m. Picumnus dorbygnianus 2 U; L3 X; 2300-2400 m. Colapies rupicola L1 U; L2 U; L5 U; L16 (4); L20 (3); 2700-3300 m. Colaptes melanolaimus L4 U; L21 (1); 2500-3000 m. Piculus rubiginosus L4 X; 3000 m. Melanerpes cactorum* Remsen et al. (1986). L12 (1); L14 (1); 1800-2000 m. Veniliornis frontalis L3 (CBF 02781) U; L4 (CBF 02782) U; 2300-2500 m. Picoides lignarius L4 U; L5 U; L12 X; 2200-3100 m. Campephilus leucopogon* Fjeldsa & Maier (1996). L3 R; 2450 m. Geositta tenuirostris L4 U; 3100 m. Geositta rufipennis* Cabot (1990). L1 U; L6 X; L118 (2); 3300-3400 m. Geositta cunicularia L8 (2); L13 (3); L17 (1); L.19 (2); 3000-3450 m. Cinclodes fuscus L1 U; L4 R; L6 U; L19 (1); L:20 (2); 2800-3450 m. Cinclodes atacamensis* Fjeldsa & Maier (1996). L6 U; 3400-3500 m. Upucerthia jelskii* Fjeldsa & Maier (1996). L5 U; L6 U; 3100-3500 m. Upucerthia andaecola 1 Pee PC MhoOshEs 1072). Tes" ()VE204 GC); 12600-3500 ma Upucerthia harterti L2 (CBF 02783) FC; L11 (2); 2350-2500 m. Rurnarus rufus 1) U:3- U9 (2) Wit 7) ban Raw141): wis"); L19 (2); L21 (3); 1600-3350 m. Leptasthenura aegithaloides* Remsen et al. (1986). L6 (CBF 02784) FC; 3400-3500 m.. Leptasthenura yanacensis* M. Kessler in Fjeldsa & Maier (1996). L6 R; 3450-3500 m. Leptasthenura fuliginiceps L1 FC; L4 FC; L5 X; 2800-3400 m. Synallaxis frontalis L2 (CBF 02785) FC; 2400 m. Synallaxis azarae L3 (CBF 02786) FC; L4 U; 2300-3000 m. Cranioleuca pyrrhophia L2b C; L3 (ZMUC 91742, CBF 02787) C; L4 C; L5 (ZMUC 91741) U; 2300-3100 m. Asthenes dorbignyi L1 FC; L2 R; L4 FC; L5 (ZMUC 91747 PCV GE CHE 10K) LAT GB); 5 137 63)s Wi Gk Wiss(Z~MUe 91748) (2); L22 (CBF 02788) (7); 2500-3500 m. Asthenes wyatti* Fjeldsa & Maijer (1996). L1 U; 3400 m (song and calls tape-recorded). Phacellodomus maculipectus L.2 U; L3 (ZMUC 91752, CBF 02789) FC; L4 (ZMUC 91751) FC; 2300-3000 m. Phacellodomus striaticeps L1 FC; L4 FC;\bL5 (ZMUC 91753-54, CBF 02790), FC; Lo FC; L8'(2);-h11 (7); L12 U; L13 (4); L:22 (2); 2500-3500 m. Thamnophilus caerulescens L3 FC; 2300-2500 m. Thamnophilus ruficapillus L2 FC; L3 FC; L11 (2); 2300-2550 m. Scytalopus superciliaris zimmeri LA (ZMUC 91755-57, CBF 02791) FC; 2500-3000 m. Melanopareia maximiliani L2 FC; L3 U; L4 FC; 111 (8); 2300-3000 m. Pachyramphus polychopterus L2 U: L3 FC; 2300-2500 m. Pachyramphus validus L2 R; LA X. 2500-3000 m. Phytotoma rutila L5 U; L6 U; L9 (2); L14 (1); L15 (3); L18 (5); L19 (1); 2000-3450 m. Agriornis montana L4 FC; L6 De) St (2), 19 CL) 2 SETAC TO) i119) (al) 4120" @):.3. 2800=3 500im: Muscisaxicola cinerea 1.20 (CBF 02790, 20°41'S, 64°47'W) (4); 3250 m. Muscisaxicola rufivertex* Fjeldsa & Maier (1996). L6 X; 3400 m. Muscisaxicola maculirostris* Cabot (1990). L1 U; L5 C; L6 FC; L18 (1); L22 (2); 3100-3500 m. Polioxolmis rufipennis* Fjeldsa & Maijer (1996). L1 U; 3400 m. Knipolegus aterrimus L1 R; L2b FC; L3 FC; L4 N. Krabbe et al. 238 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) Us pk st. @x a1 OFC); E11, (6) 1406) ets ()s (a2 TG aE 2G). 2000-3350 m. Knipolegus signatus L3 (CBF 02795) U; L4 U; 2300-2900 m. Ochthoeca oenanthoides* Remsen et al. (1987). L1 FC; L5 C; L6 (CBF 02794) FC; L20 (2); 3100-3500 m. Ochthoeca leucophrys LA FC; L4 FC; L6 (CBF 02794) FC; 3000-3450 m. Satrapa icterophrys L2 R; 2500m. Suirirt suirirt L12 (2); 2200 m. Tyrannus melancholicus* Fjeldsa & Maier (1996). L3 U; L7 (1); L12 (1); L15 (4); L21 (1); 1700-2500 m. Pitangus sulphuratus L7 (1); L15 (8); 2000-2250 m. Empidonomus aurantioatrocristatus L12 (1); 2200 m. Myiarchus tuberculifer L2 R; L3 U; L4 FC; 2400-3000 m. Myzarchus tyrannulus L12 (3); 1800-2200 m. Pyrrhomyias cinnamomea L2 FC; L3 FC; L11 (1); 2300-2500 m. Myiophobus fasciatus L2b FC; L3b FC; 2300-2500 m. Hirundinea ferruginea L2 FC; L4 U; L10 (1); L12 (3); L13 (2); L15 (5); L21 (3); 1800-2800 m. Stigmatura budytoides L2b FC; Lil (1); L12 (16); 1800-2500 m. Anairetes parulus* Fjeldsa & Maier (1996). L1 U; L4 U; L6 FC; 3000-3500 m (dawn song tape-recorded at L1). Anairetes flavirostris L1 U; L4 U; L5 FC; L11 (3); L18 (1); L22 (1); 2500-3300 m. Hemitriccus margaritaceiventer L2 (CBF 02796) U; 2400 m. Mecocerculus leucophrys L2b FC; L3b FC; L4 C; L6 R; L11 (7); 2300-3000 m. Mecocerculus hellmayri L2 (CBF 02799) U; L3 (ZMUC 91749, CBF 02800) FC; L4 FC; L20 (1); 2300-3000 m. Phylloscartes ventralis L3 (CBF 02797) U; 2300 m. Sublegatus modestus? L12 (3); 1800-2200 m. Elaenia albiceps L1b U; L2 (CBF 02801) C; L3 (ZMUC 91758-59) C; L4 FC; L10 (3); L11 (13); L12 (5); L22 (2); 2200-3350 m. Elaenia parvirostris L3s (ZMUC 91760) X; L4 U; 2300-2500 m. Elaenia strepera L2 (ZMUC 91761, CBF 02802) FC; L3 (CBF 02803-5) FC; L11 (2); 2300-2400 m. Camptostoma obsoletum L2 (CBF 02798) (1); L3 U; L15 (1); 2000-2300 m. Notiochelidon cyanoleuca* Cabot (1990). L3 FC; L9 (15); AO Yi) 2 LenS) 2 1513.5. BG) Eels Gas ed OQ) 2300-250 0}aar Petrochelidon pyrrhonota L19 (11/4) (1). Petrochelidon andaecola L2 C; LAS) 39°2700)m. Cyanocorax chrysops’ 124 w+, 14 Wye aaa: 1700-2500 m. Troglodytes aedon L3b FC; L4 U; L11 (2); L22 (3); 2300-3000 m. Troglodytes solstitialis L4 FC, 2500-3000 m. Mimus dorsalis L5 FC; L8 (1); L9 (3); L13 (3); L19 (1); L22 (3); 2300-3100 m. Turdus chiguanco L1b FC, L2 FC; L3 U; L4 FC; L6 U; L8 (2); L9 (1); L11 (2); L13 (3); L14 (1); L15 (4); L20 (1); L22 (1); 2000-3450 m. Turdus nigriceps L.2 U; L3 (ZMUC 91738, CBF 02806-7) FC, L4 FC; 2300-2500 m. Turdus rufiventris L3 X; L15 (1); 2250-2300 m. Turdus amaurochalinus L2b FC; L15 (4); L21 (1); 2000-2400 m. Polioptila dumicola 1.2 FC; L12 (6); L14 (1); 1600-2400 m. Anthus correndera L20 (2); 3200 m. Cyclarhis gujanensis L2 U; L3 U; L4 U; L12 (3); 1600-3000 m. Vireo olivaeceus* Remsen et al. (1987). L2b FC; L3b U; 2250-2400 m. Molothrus cf. bonariensis L15 (2); 2200 m. Molothrus badius L1 U; L3 U; L6 U;.L.9 (5); 1.1,0)(10); 111 4); L13 ©); E14 4); L15 (11); L.18 (5); L.19 (10); 2300-3400 m. Oreopsar bolivianus L9 (c. 20 road km north of Tarabuco) (6); L13 (ZMUC 91739, 19°05'S, 64°51°W, 2750 m) (6); L16 (km 18, 68 and 74 from Sucre) (11); 2500-2750 m. Icterus chrysopterus* Fjeldsa & Maijer (1996). L4 U; 2500 m. Myzoborus brunniceps L2 (CBF 02808) C; L3b C; L4 FC; L11 (3); L15 (1); N. Krabbe et al. 239 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) 2000-3000 m. Diglossa sittoides L1 U; L4 U; 2900-3350 m. Oreomanes fraseri L1 U; 3300-3400 m. Pipraetdea melanonota L3 (CBF 02809) FC; L4 FC; 2300-3000 m. Thraupis bonariensis LA U; L2 FC; L3b FC; Pane eon Ws opr: neon) eas) ee GL) 5/2). 18.13): 2250-3360 m. Thraupis sayaca L2 (CBF 02810) FC; L3b FC; L14 (2); L15 (9); 1800-2500 m. Piranga flava LA2 (1); 2200m. Thlypopsis ruficeps L3 FC; L4 FC; 2400-3000 m. Chlorospingus ophthalmicus L3 FC; L4 (CBF 02811) FC (only in Podocarpus); L11 (2); 2300-2500 m. Saltator aurantirostris L1 FC; L2b FC; L3b C; L4 U; L5 U; L6 U; LY (2); L.10 (4); L11 (15); L12 (1); L14 (1); L15 (9); L.21 (1); 1600-3400 m. Saltator rufiventris* Fjeldsa & Maier (1996). L4 (CBF 02812) U; 2800-3000 m. Pheucticus aureoventris L2 FC; L4 U; LI11 (2); 2400-3000 m. Sporophila caerulescens* Fjeldsa & Maijer (1996). L2b C; L3b C; L11 (9); L14 (1); L15 (7); 2300-2500 m (song tape-recorded at L2 and L3). Catamenia inornata* Fjeldsa & Maier (1996). L1 U; L4 U; 2800-3400 m (song tape-recorded at L4). Catamenia analis L1 FC; Pe aoe Ae ee or. ole hOClS)); Seah) eS ll): eZ OM El): 2500-3400 m. Sicalis olivascens* Remsen et al. (1987). L1 FC; L4 U; WGC Sy (6) 5c 9Ni(S) el OM@G): Tell) les): (ho): ale2 OW 2); 2500-3450 m. Sicalis luteocephala LA (CBF 02813-14) U; L5 R; L6 X; L9 (7 sites) (23); L10 (4 sites) (24); L11 (2); L13 (ZMUC 9174445) (3 sites) (>10); L19.(ZMUC 91743, CBF 02815) (3 sites), (18); L203 sites) (13); 2500-3400 m. Sicalis flaveola L2 FC; L3 FC; L8 (10); L9 Ges 115) pei 240 7) sah 4) ses) eS (3.6) F e190 @2).; 1224@2): 1600—2500 m. Phrygilus atriceps L1 U; L6 FC; L11 (2); L18 (3); L22 (2); 2500-3450 m. Phrygilus plebejus* Remsen et al. (1987). L1 C; L4 Beas Cy 16 Bas. (5); WlOn@ Isls A0) 3.18.4), 20;, CA) all (2); L22 (9); 2800-3500m. Phrygilus unicolor L4 R; L6 FC; 3000-3500 m. Phrygilus alaudinus LA FC; L3 R; L4 R; L8 (2); L19 (2); L20 (3); 2400-3350 m. Phrygilus fruticeti* Remsen et al. (1987). L1 FC; L5 R; L6 U; L18 (3); 3300-3450 m. Diuca diuca* Fjeldsa & Maayer)-(1996)) 15. .(ZMUC,,. 9174.6) 4C€3,, 1618 (CBE 402816) ...(8); 3100-3360 m. Lophospingus griseocristatus L2 U; L3b C; L5 FC; L7 (2); E91)s Ee): lel 4) 115465) 3120 (40); 122 (5); 2000=3100 mm. Atlapetes fulviceps L2 U; L3b FC; L4 C; L11 (2); 2300-3000 m. Buarremon (Atlapetes) torquatus L3b U; L4 FC; 2300-2500 m (change of genus: see Remsen & Sol Graves in press). Zonotrichia capeusisw le Cre BE? 3) CAC: 5 Be: wo perce) (8) bl 8): L12 (15); L13 (©35); 1:14 (5); L:15 (12); 1:18 (2); £20 (7); 1800-3500 m. Arremon flavirostris L2 (ZMUC 91740, CBF 02820) U; 2400 m. Ammodramus humeralis L.2 FC; 2400 m. Poospiza hypochondria L1 FC; EAE bo, Re E10 (1) edd) Ae (2)1620 (1). 2000=3 350im: Poospiza torquata L2 (CBF 02818) FC; L3 FC; L11 (2); 2300-2500 m. Poospiza melanoleuca L2 (CBF 02819) U; 2250-2500 m. Poospiza misronijo Ne) NW; Isa (Avie TOL s0: CBE O28I7) EC: melts): 2300-2500 m. Poospiza erythrophrys L2 U; L3 FC; L4 FC; 2400-3000 m. Embernagra platensis L4 R; L10 (1); Lil (2); 2500-2800 m. Carduelis magellanica L1 C; L2b C; L3 C; L4 FC; L5 FE; EGBE. EA 1d); EAs S yale t43GB) 1 58); A Sa) es 1 9.2) 21520 (3); L22 (3); 2200-3500 m. Carduelis atrata* Fjeldsa & Maijer (1996). N. Krabbe et al. 240 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) L1 U; 3350m. Passer domesticus L19 (plain north of Incahuasi) (1); Culpina C; Camargo C; 2440-3000 m. Noteworthy records WHISTLING HERON Syrigma sibilatrix On 28 March a flock of 5 was seen foraging on locusts 15 road km north of Sopachuy (c. 19°24’S, 64°28'W) on a pampa at 2500 m. Previously recorded up to 1700 m on the Andean slope in southern Bolivia (Fjeldsa & Maier 1996). RED-FACED GUAN Penelope dabbenei No observations in Bolivia have been published of the species since Bond & Meyer de Schauensee (1943) reported it from only four localities in. the country. However, Fjeldsa & Maier (1996) encountered the species daily at 1700-2700 m in Chuquisaca and also estimated the population size north of Rio Pilcomayo. BLACK-NECKED STILT Himantopus himantopus First record from Potosi Department. RED-FRONTED MACAW Ara rubrogenys Nine individuals of this threatened CITES Appendix I parrot, numbering only a few thousands (possibly only a thousand) (Collar et al. 1992), were seen on 13 March at 2500 m near Molani. On 14 March six birds were seen between Molani and Palmarcito, four on 15 March at Palmarcito, five on 16 March at Palmarcito, two on 18 March between Palmarcito and Molani and three on 19 March at Molani. All observations were of pairs or singles. The main distribution is within Cochabamba Department, and a recent study provides numbers, distribution and information on ecology within this area (Christiansen & Pitter 1992-1993a,b, Pitter & Christiansen 1995). ALDER PARROT Amazona tucumana In early April we observed daily a flock of 80 1n the Podocarpus forest near Portillo. Fjeldsa & Maier (1996) saw 900 roosting in March 1992 in these mountains (Monte Chapeados). A group of 6 was observed closely for an hour. A constantly begging juvenile was regularly fed by at least one of the adults, which all appeared to feed entirely in the tips of Podocarpus branches. Alder Parrot is a CITES Appendix I south Bolivian/Tucuman forest endemic. Published records from Bolivia comprise only the observations of Fjeldsa & Maier (1996) and two localities by Bond & Meyer de Schauensee (1942). CLOUD-FOREST SCREECH-OWL Otus hoyi One specimen (ZMUC 91843) of this newly described species (Konig & Straneck 1989) was obtained on 9 April 1995, the first specimen from Chuquisaca. Fjeldsa & Maijer (1996) listed the few N. Krabbe et al. 241 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) existing skins and discussed the species’ affinities with ‘Tropical Screech-Owl Otus choliba. BLUE-CAPPED PUFFLEG FEriocnemis glaucopoides In mature Podocarpus forest at L4. It had not previously been recorded from this habitat (Fjeldsa & Krabbe 1990, Fjeldsa & Maier 1996). SPOT-BACKED PUFFBIRD Nystalus maculatus One was seen on 11 March | km due north of Presto at 2600 m, the highest known elevation for the species. The species is widespread in adjacent lowlands and ascends to above 2000 m and rarely to 2300 m (Fjeldsa & Mayer 1996). The only other records for Chuquisaca are 30 km SE Carandayti (Remsen et al. 1986) and a few seen September 1991 in thornscrub in the hills on both sides of Rio Pilcomayo (Fjeldsa & Maier 1996). GOLDEN-OLIVE WOODPECKER Piculus rubiginosus One male was carefully described at L4 in a patch of Alnus at 3000 m. ‘The species is primarily premontane and ascends at least to 2300 m in Peru and Yungas of Bolivia, but its elevational distribution is poorly known in Valles of s Bolivia and the similar Tucuman of nw Argentina (Fjeldsa & Krabbe 1990). CREAM-BACKED WOODPECKER Campephilus leucopogon Seen on 28 March at 2450 m at L3. Previously known up to 1730 m (Tarija Department) and only from a single locality at 1150m in Chuquisaca (Fjeldsa & Maijer 1996). WHITE-BROWED TAPACULO Scytalopus superciliaris zimmer Before the fieldwork of Fjeldsa & Maijer (1996), known only from four specimens and one locality in Chuquisaca (Bond & Meyer de Schauensee 1940, 1942, Peters 1951). Fjeldsa & Maijer (1996) found this endemic form to be widespread, but not abundant, in the semi-humid zone of southern Chuquisaca and Tarija Departments. We collected four specimens (CBF 02791, ZMUC 91755-7) accompanied by tape-recordings and blood samples, including the first known juvenile (ZMUC 91755), at L4, at 2500m in Podocarpus and at 2900-3000 m in Alnus forest and immediately adjacent bunch-grass. PEARLY-VENTED TODY-TYRANT Hemitriccus margaritaceiventer One of a presumed pair observed was collected (CBF 02796) on 16 March (L2) at 2400 m. Previously known up to c. 2000 m (Ridgely & Tudor 1994). GIANT CONEBILL Oveomanes fraseri Three small groups seen at L1 on 8, 10 and 22 March 1995 are the first records from Chuquisaca. The species is fairly widespread, but vulnerable due to restriction to Polylepis forests, which are heavily fragmented from human exploitation. N. Krabbe et al. 242 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) RUFOUS-BELLIED SALTATOR Saltator rufiventris ‘Three were seen in and around the Alnus patch at Portillo on 10 April. Fjeldsa & Maijer (1996) found this rare and threatened bird (Collar et al. 1992) at a few localities in Chuquisaca. One specimen collected (CBF 02812) on 8 April 1995 in a hedge around a vegetable garden at Portillo represents the first specimen from the department. CITRON-HEADED YELLOWFINCH Sicalis luteocephala In contrast to its local distribution in Cochabamba Department (Fjeldsa & Krabbe 1990), this species is fairly common and widespread in the drier parts of Chuquisaca, where we recorded it at 23 different sites. It was previously known from only 16 sites, the majority in Cochabamba (Fjeldsa & Krabbe 1990, Fjeldsa & Maier 1996). We saw them both in and away from villages, always in areas with some denudation of the soil and shallow, narrow quebradas, where they nested in holes. ‘They were also seen nesting in stony bridges and rock crevices. Although most adults were feeding nestlings, one was constructing a nest on 22 March; the two females collected (CBF 02814, 02815) on 10 March and 5 April had brood patches, and a barely fledged juvenile (ZMUC 91745) was collected on 22 March. COMMON DIUCA-FINCH Diuca diuca Barely fledged young collected (CBF 02816) at L18 on 1 April and at L5 on 7 April (ZMUC 91746), prove breeding in Bolivia, and include the first specimen for Chuquisaca. The only other Bolivian records are specimens from Oploca, Potosi Department (Ridgely & Tudor 1989) and sight records from Culpina in Chuquisaca (Fjeldsa & Maijer 1996). GRASSLAND SPARROW Ammodramus humeralis Five singing birds were seen and tape-recorded in open tall grassland at 2500 m on 13 and 18 March 1995. In Venezuela known up to 1750 m (Meyer de Schauensee & Phelps 1978), elsewhere not above 1100 m (Ridgely & Tudor 1989). Acknowledgements Our investigation was funded by the Center for Research on Cultural and Biological Diversity of Andean Rainforests (DIVA), an interdisciplinary project of collaboration between university institutions of Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Denmark. We are indebted to Alejandra Sanchez de Lozada and Eliana Flores of the Ministerio de Desarrollo Sostenible y Medio Ambiente for help, permission and encouragement to conduct this research. We also thank the director Lilian Villalba and the curator Jaime Sarmiento (MNHN) for help in all situations and support in obtaining an export permit for specimens. Special thanks are due to Omar Rocha O., who spent an immense amount of time helping us to buy a car for the expedition. We thank J. Fjeldsa and S. Maier for their comments on the paper and we are grateful to J. V. Remsen, Jr. and T. S. Schulenberg for reviewing the manuscript. References: Arctander, P. & Fjeldsa, J. 1994. Avian tissue collections for DNA analysis. [bis 136: 359-360. Bond, J. & Meyer de Schauensee, R. 1940. Descriptions of new birds from Bolivia. Part [1].—Mesomyodi. Notulae Naturae 44: 1-4. N. Krabbe et al. 243 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) Bond, J. & Meyer de Schauensee, R. 1942. The birds of Bolivia. Part 1. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 94 (1941): 307-391. Bond, J. & Meyer de Schauensee, R. 1943. The birds of Bolivia. Part 2. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 95: 167-221. Cabot, J. & Serrano, P. 1988. Distributional data on some non-passerine species in Bolivia. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 108: 187-193. Cabot, J. 1990. First record of Upucerthia validirostris from Bolivia and new Bolivian distributional data. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 110: 103-107. Christiansen, M. B. & Pitter, E. 1992-1993a. Aspects of breeding behaviour of Red-fronted Macaws, Ara rubrogenys, in the wild. Gerfaut 82-83: 51-61. Christiansen, M. B. & Pitter, E. 1992-1993b. Aspects of behaviour of juvenile Red-fronted Macaws, Ara rubrogenys, in the wild. Gerfaut 82-83: 63-69. Collar, N. J., Gonzaga, L. P., Krabbe, N., Madrono Nieto, A., Naranjo, L. G., Parker, T. A. III & Wege, D. C. 1992. Threatened Birds of the Americas. The ICBP/IUCN Red Data Book. I\CBP, Cambridge. Fjeldsa, J. & Krabbe, N. 1990. Birds of the High Andes. Zoological Museum, Univ. of Copenhagen. Fjeldsa, J. & Maier, S. 1996. Recent ornithological surveys in the Valles region, southern Bolivia, and the possible role of Valles for the evolution of the Andean avifauna. DIVA Technical Report 1. National Environmental Research Institute, Ronde, Denmark. et Kessler, M. 1995. Polylepis-Wdlder Boliviens: Taxa, Okologie, Verbreitung und Geschichte. J. Cramer, Berlin. Konig, C. & Straneck, R. 1989. Eine neue Eule (Aves, Strigidae) aus Nordargentinien. Stuttg. Beitr. Naturkde. Ser. A. 428: 1-20. Laegaard, S. 1992. Influence of fire in the grass paéramo vegetation of Ecuador. Pp. 151-170 in H. Balslev & J. L. Luteyn (eds), Paramo. An Andean Ecosystem under Human Influence. Academic Press. Meyer de Schauensee, R. 1970. A Guide to the Birds of South America. Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh. Meyer de Schauensee, R. & Phelps, W. H., Jr. 1978. A Guide to the Birds of Venezuela. Princeton Univ. Press. Peters, J. L. 1951. Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 7. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard. Pitter, E. & Christiansen, M. B. 1995. Ecology, status and conservation of the Red-fronted Macaw Avra rubrogenys in south-central Bolivia. Bird Conservation International 5: 61-78. Remsen, J. V., Jr. & Traylor, M. A., Jr. 1983. Additions to the avifauna of Bolivia, part 2. Condor 85: 95-98. Remsen, J. V., Jr. & Traylor, M. A., Jr. 1989. An Annotated List of the Birds of Bolivia. Buteo Books, Vermillion, South Dakota. Remsen, J. V., Jr., Traylor, M. A., Jr. & Parkes, K. C. 1985. Range extensions for some Bolivian birds, 1 (Tinamiformes to Charadriiformes). Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 105: 124-130. Remsen, J. V., Jr., Traylor, M. A., Jr. & Parkes, K. C. 1986. Range extensions for some Bolivian birds, 2 (Columbidae to Rhinocryptidae). Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 106: 22-32. Remsen, J. V., Jr., Traylor, M. A., Jr. & Parkes, K. C. 1987. Range extensions for some Bolivian birds, 3 (Tyrannidae to Passeridae). Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 107: 6-16. Remsen, J. V. & Sol Graves, W. in press. Distribution patterns of Buarremon brush-finches (Emberizinae) and interspecific competition in Andean birds. Auk. Ridgely, R. S. & Tudor, G. 1989. The Birds of South America. Vol. 1. Univ. Texas Press. Ridgely, R. S. & Tudor, G. 1994. The Birds of South America. Vol. 2. Univ. Texas Press. Addresses: Niels Krabbe, Bent Otto Poulsen & Amy Frolander, Centre for Research on Cultural and Biological Diversity of Andean Rainforests (DIVA), Section of Ornithology, Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Kobenhavn @, Denmark. Marcelo Hinojosa B. & Carmen Quiroga O., Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Universidad Mayor de San Andres, Casilla 10077, La Paz, Bolivia. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 J. F. R. Colebrook-Robjent & 7. E. Griffith 244 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) Forbes’s Plover Charadrius forbesi breeding in Central Africa by F. F. R. Colebrook-Robjent & 7. E. Griffith Received 8 December 1995 On 7 October 1990 we found a nest of Forbes’s Plover Charadrius forbesi with 3 eggs at the Zambezi rapids, Mwinilunga, North Western Province, Zambia, 11°08’S, 24°10'E. This very local species has been reported from scattered localities in Zambia, the Lukanga Swamp, Central Province, being the limit of its southerly range (Benson ef¢ al. 1971). ‘There were no previous breeding records, but Tree (1969) reviewing the status of waders in Zambia suggested that this species might breed at Mpulila Pan, Ndola, where collected specimens showed slight gonad activity in August 1963. ‘The nest was discovered in mid-morning. We had been walking in line over an expanse of exposed, whale-backed, black rock, at no great height above, and 300 m from, the Zambezi River. We saw a Forbes’s Plover fly low towards and then between us, and settle on a somewhat higher level rock slab. We hid ourselves as best we could in the sparse and scattered cover of short, whispy dry grass, after which the plover ran down the rocky slope and settled on its eggs. The nest site was situated on a 30° angle of sloping rock of a cul-de-sac, i.e. it was not on the main, rather uniform expanse of rock, but at one side of this feature. The nest consisted of a shallow cup of dark grey, very small, coarse and angular stones (grit), varying in size from 10 X 8 down to 3.5 x 3 mm, the structure measuring 70 mm in diameter and 20 mm in depth. The 3 eggs measured and weighed 29.2 x 23.4 (8.69), 28.8 X 23.4 (8.3 g) and 28.7 < 23.8 (8.9 g) mm. The eggs are beautiful and distinctive. ‘Their shape is short blunt oval, texture matt, the ground creamy-pink which is handsomely blotched warm brownish- wine over shell smears of lilac-grey. Incubation had only recently begun. Once the nest had been found the incubating bird showed little fear and readily returned to the eggs despite our close proximity. Discussion This is the first breeding record for Central Africa, 18 nests with eggs having been found in Nigeria, West Africa. Brown (1947, and in Bannerman 1951) was the first to discover the nest of C. forbesz, on the top of a granite inselberg, 500 ft above the canopy of surrounding woodland, in the Ilorin district. Later, in 1954, Serle (1956) collected C/3 of this species at Enugu, a distance of approximately 2500 (+100)km from the present record. The less than adequate description of 3 eggs in Urban et al. (1986) was taken from Serle (1956) who, however, fully described his eggs together with their precise measurements and illustrated his paper with a photographic plate. Authors have emphasised the similar appearance between Forbes’s Plover and Three-banded Plover C. tricollaris. Bock (1958) down- graded forbes: to a subspecies of the latter, this decision being followed F. F. R. Colebrook-Robjent GS F. E. Griffith 245 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) er ed #1 bid Figure 1. Eggs of Forbes’s Plover. Zambezi Rapids, Zambia, 7 October 1990. cos by Johnsgard (1981), and Jehl (1968) does not mention or list forbesz in his study of the downy young of shorebirds. Snow (1978) places C. tricollaris and forbesi in a species-group, commenting on “‘the evolution of the two species from a single widespread common ancestor’ (p. 183). Urban et al. (1986) go further and consider them to be members of a superspecies and Marchant et al. (1986) also consider them to be close relatives. We do not agree with any of the foregoing, rather we concur with Sibley & Monroe (1990) that these two species are “different morphologically’ (p.217). We are especially impressed by the differences in the eggs, as previously pointed out by Serle (1956). However, in our opinion, the choice of the egg specimen of C. tricollaris photographed alongside the egg of forbest in Serle’s paper is unrepresentative. This egg is clearly depicted as subelliptical in shape and densely and evenly covered in scrawls, which makes it appear more like Cursorius africanus than a typical egg of C. tricollaris. One of us (J.C.R.) has examined 64 eggs of C. tricollaris in Zambia and none have been subelliptical, but all were pyriform or pointed oval. The eggs of tricollaris are indeed well marked with fine scrawls or hair lines of black or dark brown, but seldom evenly spread over the surface and most often concentrated in one, two or three heavy bands around the egg. The ground varies from cream to pale ivory-yellow. The egg specimen of forbesi in Serle’s plate is a good example and is much like our own from Zambia, though ours are shorter and more rounded. The best and fullest description of the eggs of tricollaris is by James (1922), based on the study of 200 nests which he had found in South Africa. By J. F. R. Colebrook-Robjent & JF. E. Griffith 246 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) comparison the average size of 60 eggs of C. tricollaris from Zambia is 29.1 x 22.1 mm and the average weight of 14 freshly laid eggs was 7.69 g (6.9-8.8). All clutches were invariably of two eggs, as were the many more found by James. In contrast, Brown (1948) found clutches of C. forbesi to be either of two or three eggs, ours and Serle’s being of the latter size. Egg characteristics are similar in some undoubtedly closely related species of Charadrius. An obvious example of similar, but not identical, eggs, are those laid by Kittlitz’s Plover C. pecuarius and its Atlantic island relative C. sanctaehelenae. More significant, perhaps, is another example shown by the huge geographical range of the Kentish Plover C. alexandrinus combined with its relatives marginatus, pallidus and ruficapillus, the eggs of which all show much the same characteristics. Though we make no claim that eggs are always an infallible guide to relationships, we emphasise that the eggs of C. forbesi show no similarities to those of C. tricollaris and do not support a close relationship between these two species. - Acknowledgements We thank D. R. Aspinwall for commenting on an early draft of this paper and J.C.R.’s collector Lazaro Hamusikili for his usual excellence in the field. References: Banneman, D. A. 1951. The Birds of West Africa. Vol. 8 Crown Agents, London. Benson, C. W., Brooke, R. K., Dowsett, R. J. & Irwin, M. P. S. 1971. The Birds of Zambia. Collins. Bock, W. 1958. A generic view of the plovers (Charadriinae Aves.) Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. 118: 25-97. Brown, L. 1947. Birds and I. Michael Joseph, London. Brown, L. H. 1948. Notes on the birds of Kabba, Hlorin and N. Benin provinces of Nigeria. [bis 90: 525-538. James, H. W. 1922. Notes on the breeding habits of South African Sandplovers. Oologist’s Record I: 1-6. Jehl, J. R. 1968. Relationships in the Charadrii (Shorebirds): a taxonomic study based on color patterns of downy young. San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist. Mem. 3 Johnsguard, P. A. 1981. The Plovers, Sandpipers and Snipes of the World. Univ. Nebraska Press. Marchant, J., Prater, T. & Hayman, P. 1986. Shorebirds: an Identification Guide to Waders of the World. Christopher Helm, London. Serle, W. 1956. Exhibition of eggs of Charadrius forbesi (Shelley). Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 76: 79. Sibley, C. G. & Monroe, B. L. 1990. Distribution and Taxonomy of the Birds of the World. Yale Univ. Press. Snow, D. W. (ed.) 1978. An Atlas of Speciation in African Non-passerine Birds. British Museum (Nat. Hist.), London. Tree, A. J. 1969. The status of Ethiopian waders in Zambia. Puku 5: 181-205. Urban, E. K., Fry, C. H. & Keith, S. 1986. The Birds of Africa Vol. 2. Academic Press. Addresses: Major J. F. R. Colebrook-Robjent, Musumanene, P.O. Box 630303, Choma, Zambia. J. E. Griffith, Pentrecaeau Uchaf, Llandeilo Graban, Powys LD2 3YX, U.K. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 C. B. Frith 247 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) Further notes on little-known plumages of the Crested and Loria’s Birds of Paradise Cnemophilus macgregoru and C. loriae by Clifford B. Frith Received 8 November 1995 The congeneric Crested and Loria’s Birds of Paradise Cnemophilus macgregorii and C. loriae are two conspicuously sexually dimorphic species of the three constituting the subfamily Cnemophilinae of the Paradisaeidae, confined to mountains of New Guinea. The third species is the Yellow-breasted Bird of Paradise Loboparadisea sericea. For details of adult male and female plumages, geographical distributions and altitudinal ranges see Gilliard (1969), Cooper & Forshaw (1977) and Beehler et al. (1986). Adult female and immature male plumages of the two Cnemophilus species were long known to be generally uniform brownish-olive (C. macgregorii) and greenish-olive (C. loriae), until a grey plumage was discovered in a few specimens of each species the significance of which was and presently remains difficult to assess (Frith 1987, Frith & Harrison 1989). An advanced nestling Crested Bird of Paradise photographed at the nest with its mother was clearly in a uniform grey plumage contrasting conspicuously with its brownish-olive parent (Frith, in Coates 1990), suggesting the possibility of a distinctive juvenile plumage in this species. A specimen collected at Mt. Hagen and described as juvenile (Gilliard 1954) has a short wing and is in a generally grey-green plumage with downy underparts and with the tail feathers obviously pointed at their tips. As the Yellow-breasted Bird of Paradise has distinctive juvenile plumage (which all typical birds of paradise, of the Paradisaeinae, do not) it was considered possible that all three member species of the Cnemophilinae have a juvenile plumage different to that of their respective adults (Frith & Harrison 1989). The ‘grey’ plumage of an unsexed specimen (19.9.1963) identified as a Crested Bird of Paradise C. macgregori was first noted by me in 1971 as a result of a casual examination of birds of paradise in the Alexander Koenig Museum, Bonn, Germany. I was unable to personally re-examine this specimen but C. J. O. Harrison did so at the Natural History Museum, Tring, in 1988 and the ‘grey’ plumage of this specimen was attributed to C. macgregoru (Frith & Harrison 1989). Female-plumaged individuals of C. macgregorii and C. loriae are extremely similar. A live bird and a photograph of it was misidentified by no less an authority on the birds of paradise than Fred Shaw-Mayer (in Gyldenstolpe 1955 and Sims 1956), but this error was subsequently pointed out by E. Thomas Gilliard and Ernst Mayr and corrected in a subsequent book by the photographer (Loke 1957). Nevertheless female-plumaged birds of both species are sufficiently different to be identified in the hand by workers specializing in the group. C. B. Frith 248 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) In 1995 I made a study tour of the majority of all major bird of paradise collections about the world and was able to examine 138 specimens of C. macgregoriz, comprising 62 adult males, 12 subadult males (some adult feathering in otherwise brownish-olive female-like plumage), 24 immature males (in female plumage), 34 females and 6 unsexed birds in female plumage. A total of 268 C. loriae specimens was examined, comprising 118 adult males, 24 subadult males (some adult black feathering in otherwise green female-like plumage), 37 immature males (in female plumage), 83 females and 6 unsexed birds in female plumage. The results were as follows. Cnemophilus macgregoriu When the Alexander Koenig Museum specimen 19.9.1963 from Wurup, Kubor Range, identified as C. macgregorii was re-examined, it was immediately apparent that it is not C. macgregori but is in fact a specimen of C. loriae. The grey-plumaged Alexander Koenig Museum — specimen 29.12.1963 from Tomba, Mt. Hagen, was also re-examined and confirmed to be C. macgregorit, as described by Frith & Harrison (1989). In view of the mis-identification just mentioned it was in fact, then, the only specimen of this species known in any plumage other than that of the normal adult male and female/immature male plumage. During recent studies of extensive C. macgregorii material two additional interesting specimens were examined. In describing these two specimens the capitalised names (and numbers) of colours used are those of Smithe (1975) and uncapitalised colour names are used if those of Smithe are considered inappropriate. Crested Bird of Paradise C. macgregori specimen P15, 183/3 and/or 66.2 of the Zoological Museum of Hamburg, Germany, was collected by D. v. Holst in December 1963 at ‘““Waghi-Tal, NO New Guinea etwa 5,50°S, 144,15°O”’. It is said by the preparator to be an adult female and it is in a most interesting plumage: Chin, throat and breast a smoky greyish-brown very like Grayish Horn Color (91) with darker feather tipping giving a faint scaled appearance. Remaining underparts distinctly paler, being closest to Drab-Gray (119D) but washed in places, and much so on the flanks, with Grayish Horn Color. Thigh feathering Grayish Horn Color with a rufous wash to it. Top of head Dark Brownish Olive (129) and lores and sides of head Brownish Olive (29). ‘The mantle is Dark Brownish Olive with slight and variable deep russet and olive washes, and the back, rump and upper tail are Russet (34) with variable olive suffusion, the feather centres being more pure Russet. Visible closed wings are mostly Russet with a rich Chestnut (32) wash, notably on leading edges of inner primaries and the secondaries. Crest feathers are Maroon (31). Thus this bird, apparently an adult female, is not in a truly grey plumage but is generally fawn below and russet-olive above. Its upperparts are therefore not very different from normally female-plumaged birds. The Hamburg bird and the Alexander Koenig Museum specimen 29.12.1963 were examined together at Tring. The Hamburg specimen is generally like the Bonn one but is a good deal browner (rather than C. B. Frith 249 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) grey) throughout, especially on all upperparts and the chin, throat, breast and flanks. In addition a mounted unsexed specimen of C. macgregori (CG 1898 1381) in the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, collection from “‘Astrolabe’’ (Astrolabe Mountains, Papua New Guinea) was examined and found to be in an interesting ‘fawn’ plumage similar to that of the Hamburg specimen. This Paris specimen could not be examined comparatively with other pertinent specimens but judging from photographs taken of both it 1s perhaps a little darker and browner throughout than the Hamburg specimen. Cnemophilus loriae Given that specimen 19.9.1963 of the Alexander Koenig Museum is not C. macgregori as described by Frith & Harrison (1989) but 1s in fact C. loriae, the completely grey plumage in C. loriae was, then, known in two specimens, the other being specimen 0547 from the collection at the Baiyer River Sanctuary in Papua New Guinea. Two specimens were also known in intermediate plumage between the normal ‘green’ female and the ‘grey’ (Papua New Guinea Museum 20743 & 20773) (Frith 1987). Unfortunately the Batyer River Sanctuary specimen was recently destroyed by fire, along with all other bird skins held there, leaving the Alexander Koenig Museum specimen 19.9.1963 the only one in the complete ‘grey’ plumage. In the course of my studies, however, I discovered two additional C. loriae specimens in interesting plumage. Skin P15, 182/2 and/or 66.3 in the Zoological Museum Hamburg was collected at ‘‘Bulldog/Lake Kamu River etwa 7,35°S, 146,30°O” by D. v. Holst on 20 July 1963. It has a single blue-black feather in the rear crown and is therefore clearly a male that would have presumably acquired subadult plumage with its next moult. As males of most sexually dimorphic birds of paradise appear to take five or more years to acquire the first signs of adult plumage (Aruah & Yaga 1992), this individual is probably at least four to five years old. It is ina plumage intermediate between the normal ‘green’ female and the ‘ grey plumage. It is not, however, ‘grey’ with some green feathers, as previously described for another specimen (Frith 1987), but the overall plumage (i.e. each feather) 1s intermediate in colour: Underparts far less green than in typical female-plumaged C. loriae, the chin, throat and breast being Grayish Olive (43) with darker, Olive (30), tipping to feathers giving a marked scaled appearance. The abdomen and belly are considerably paler, being Smoke Gray (44), darker in places with a wash of Grayish Olive and a slight yellowish wash lowermost and centrally. Flanks darker, being strongly washed with Grayish Olive. Thigh feathering pale Olive- brown (28). Top and sides of head darker than chin and throat, being Brownish Olive (29) with darker feather tipping, almost blackish-grey, giving a scaled appearance. Back and rump Olive with the centres of larger mantle and back feathers strongly over-pigmented with Olive-Brown to give a grossly scalloped appearance. Upper tail Olive-Brown with strong Raw Umber (23) wash and the visible closed wing predominantly Raw Umber to dark Raw Umber. In general this C. B. Frith 250 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) bird looks more like the ‘grey’ plumage of C. loriae than the typical ‘green’ female plumage. The second specimen in interesting plumage was Natuurhistorisch Museum, Leiden specimen 19100, a male, collected at Araboebivak on 4 November 1939. It is juvenile to immature in age and is in a plumage much greyer than that typical of adult females and female-plumaged young males. It is a mid-grey colour throughout, save for rufous leading edges to wing primaries and a slight rufous wash on the upper tail. It is darker on the back, which is closest to, but darker than, Glaucous (79). Underparts are closest to Smoke Gray, being darker on the chin, throat and upper breast. Conclusions Of the three members of the Cnemophilinae, L. sericea has a juvenile olive-brown plumage with cinnamon (123A) underparts broadly streaked by darker feather edging that is distinctly different to its adult plumages. Cnemophilus macregorti, and probably also C. loriae, has a generally uniform grey juvenile plumage that may persist as immature plumage in some populations or in some individuals of some populations. Some individuals of C. loriae are, moreover, known in which the plumage is intermediate between the normal, generally ‘green’ plumage of females and immature males and the recently described ‘grey’ plumage. Such birds may have some grey feathers among the green ones or may have the whole plumage intermediate in colour. In C. macgregorii two specimens are known in a different plumage, one being generally fawn but with some upperparts washed brown-olive or olive, and the other a slightly darker fawn throughout. The significance of the ‘grey’ plumages in both Cnemophilus species, and particularly of the fawn ones in C. macgregorit, remains inadequately understood. Acknowledgements I sincerely thank Dr R. van den Elzen of the Alexander Koenig Museum, Bonn, Dr H. Hoerschelmann of the Zoological Museum, Hamburg, Dr René Dekker of the Natuurhistorisch Museum, Leiden, and Dr Eric Pasquet of the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, for access to specimens in their care, and Professor Dr D. S. Peters, Frauleins Martina Ktsters and Karin Bohm of the Natur-Museum Senckenberg, Frankfurt, for loan and work facilities there. Drs Bruce M. Beehler, Dawn W. Frith and Colin J. O. Harrison kindly commented constructively on a draft of this note and Dawn W. Frith assisted greatly with all aspects of museum work. References: Aruah, A. & Yaga, A. 1992. Acquisition of adult male plumage in some birds of paradise at Baiyer River Sanctuary. Muruk 5: 49-52. Beehler, B. M., Pratt, T. K. & Zimmerman, D. A. 1986. Birds of New Guinea. Princeton Univ. Press. Coates, B. J. 1990. Birds of Papua New Guinea. Vol. 2. Dove Publictions, Alderley, Queensland. Cooper, W. T. & Forshaw, J. M. 1977. The Birds of Paradise and Bower Birds. Collins, Sydney. V.Nijman & R. Sézer 251 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) Frith, C. B. 1987. An undescribed plumage of Loria’s Bird of Paradise Loria loriae. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 107: 177-180. Frith, C. B. & Harrison, C. J. O. 1989. An undescribed plumage of the Crested Bird of Paradise Cnemophilus macgregori. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 109: 137-140. Gilliard, E. T. 1969. Birds of Paradise and Bower Birds. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London. Gyldenstolpe, N. 1955. Notes on a collection of birds made in the Western Highlands, Central New Guinea, 1951. Arkiv for Zoologi 8: 1-181. Loke, W. T. 1957. A Company of Birds. Michael Joseph, London. Mayr, E. & Gilliard, E. T. 1954. Birds of central New Guinea. Results of the American Museum of Natural History expeditions to New Guinea in 1950 and 1952. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 103: 317-374. Sims, R. W. 1956. Birds collected by Mr F. Shaw-Mayer in the central highlands of New Guinea 1950-1951. Bull. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.) Zool. 3: 389-438. Smithe, F. B. 1975. Naturalist’s Color Guide. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York. Address: Clifford B. Frith, P.O. Box 581, Malanda, Queensland, Australia 4885. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 Sexual dimorphism in the Javan Hawk-eagle Spizaetus bartelsi by Vincent Nyman & Resit Sozer Received 4 December 1995 The Javan Hawk-eagle Spizaetus bartelsi is considered to be one of the world’s least known raptors (van Balen & Meyburg 1994). It is endemic to the island of Java, Indonesia, where it is confined to the lowland and montane forest areas. Although in the last few years new information has been accumulated on its distribution and status (van Balen & Meyburg 1994, Sézer & Niyman 1995b) and some data have been added to our knowledge of aspects of its behaviour (van Balen et al. 1994, Niyman & Sézer 1995a), the knowledge we have of the species remains limited. Very little is known about demography and population dynamics, as is the case with many other rain-forest raptors (cf. Thiollay 1994). The total number of breeding pairs throughout the island is estimated at between 81 and 108 (Sézer & Nijman 1995a). By virtue of this low number, continuing habitat loss and trade the species is considered to be endangered according to the IUCN threat criteria (Collar et al. 1994). Birds of prey are amongst the few groups of birds in which reversed size dimorphism has evolved, the female being larger than the male. The size differences in some species may be slight and barely noticeable, while in others the female may weigh almost twice as much as her mate (e.g. European sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus; Opdam 1975). This degree of size difference between the sexes is also linked to V. Nyman & R. Sézer 252 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) bill length (mm) 36 °o male A sex unknown ® female 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 hind claw (mm) Figure 1. Sexual dimorphism in Javan Hawk-eagle Spizaetus bartels: expressed in bill length-hind claw length differences. feeding habits. In general, the faster and more agile the prey, the greater the degree of dimorphism in the raptor. Thus, there are no consistent size differences between the sexes in carrion feeders or, if there are, the male is bigger than the female, as in non-raptorial birds; and the most dimorphic of all are the predators on birds (Newton 1979). In general, the more dimorphic a raptor species is the larger the prey is relative to the body size of the raptor. Hitherto, sexual dimorphism has not been reported for the Javan Hawk-eagle, but it is known for other members of the same genus (e.g. S. ornatus, Klein et al. 1988, Dunning 1994; S. nipalensis, Dunning 1994). In this paper we present data on sexual dimorphism in the Javan Hawk-eagle, based on study of bird skins and, to a lesser extent, field data. Measurements were taken of 23 skins, held in the collections of the National Museum of Natural History, Leiden, the Netherlands (hereafter RMNH) and the Zoological Museum, Bogor, Indonesia (MZB). The sample consisted of 16 males, 6 females and one of unknown sex (a downy chick in the collection of the RMNH was excluded from the sample). As shown in Figure 1, the segregation of male and female Javan Hawk-eagles, expressed in hind claw/bill length, is complete. The segregation is also evident when expressed in tail/wing length (Sézer & Niman 1995a). A skin of unidentified sex (MZB No. 17347), an immature with an estimated age of three years, is grouped with the males. In the field the distinction between male and female, especially when seen together or shortly after one another, is also clear. The female is larger and more robust, although still with the slender appearance characteristic of the species. V. Nyman & R. Sézer 253 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) The degree of difference in the hind claw and bill between the sexes suggests that there are probably differences in the diets of male and female. Unfortunately the diet of the Javan Hawk-eagle 1s little known. Reported items include: large fruitbat Cynopterus sp., stink-badger Mydaus javanensis, a squirrel, rat-sized mammals, lizard and snake, and chicken Gallus sp. Sody (1920) stated that a juvenile Javan Hawk-eagle (identified by him as a Changeable Hawk-eagle Spizaetus cirrhatus) kept by him as a pet refused to take mammalian meat. The matter remains open for further research. Acknowledgements In Java, the research was made possible due to the co-operation of the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHPA) and the Indonesian Institute for Science (LIPI). We are grateful to Dr R. W. R. J. Dekker (RM NH), and the director and staff of the Zoological Museum Bogor, for allowing us to examine the bird skins under their care. Dr A. J. Fielding commented on an earlier draft. We thank Kees Roselaar for his help. References: Balen, S. van & Meyburg, B.-U. 1994. The Java Hawk Eagle Spizaetus bartelsi: Results of recent research on distribution, status and ecology. Pp 89-96 in B.-U. Meyburg & R. D. Chancellor (eds), Raptor Conservation Today. Proc. IV World Conference on Birds of Prey and Owls, Berlin, 10-17 May 1992. World Working Group on Birds of Prey and Owls and Pica Press, Berlin & London. Balen, S. van, Dewi, D. & Jepson, P. R. 1994. Observations at a Java Hawk-eagle nest. Trop. Biodiversity 2: 329-331. Collar, N. J., Crosby, M. J. & Stattersfield, A. J. 1994. Birds to Watch 2: The world list of threatened birds. BirdLife Conservation Series No. 4, BirdLife International, Cambridge. Dunning, J. B. (ed.) 1994. CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Ann Arbor, London & Tokyo. Klein, B. C., Harper, L. H., Bierregaard, R. O. & Powell, G. V._N. 1988. The nesting and feeding behavior of the Ornate Hawk-Eagle near Manaus, Brazil. Condor 90: 239-241. Newton, I. 1979. Population Ecology of Raptors. Poyser, Berkhamsted. Nyman, V. & Sézer, R. 1995. Aggressive behaviour displayed towards the Javan Hawk-eagle. Kukila 7: 152-154. Opdam, P. 1975. Inter- and intraspecific differentiation with respect to feeding ecology in two sympatric species of the genus Accipiter. Ardea 63: 30-54. Sody, H. J. V. 1920. Iets over den Ruigpoot-kuifarend (Spizaetus limnaetus Horsf.). Trop. Nat. 9: 9-12. Sdzer, R. & Nijyman, V. 1995a. Behavioural ecology, distribution and conservation of the Javan Hawk-eagle Spizaetus bartelsi Stresemann, 1924. Verslagen en Technische Gegevens 62: 1-122. Institute for Systematics and Population Biology, University of Amsterdam. Sézer, R. & Nijman, V. 1995b. The Javan Hawk-eagle: new information on its distribution in Central Java and notes on its threats. Trop. Biodiversity 3: 49-55. Thiollay, J.-M. 1994. A world review of tropical forest raptors. Current trends, research objectives and conservation strategy. Pp 231-239 in B.-U. Meyburg & R. D. Chancellor (eds), Raptor Conservation Today. Proc. IV World Conference on Birds of Prey and Owls, Berlin, 10-17 May 1992. World Working Group on Birds of Prey and Owls and Pica Press, Berlin & London. Address: Vincent Nijman & Resit Sézer, Institute of Systematics and Population Biology, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94766, 1090 GT Amsterdam, The Netherlands. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 W.R. F. Dean 254 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) The distribution of the Masked Weaver Ploceus velatus in Angola by W. R. F. Dean Received 5 December 1995 The Masked Weaver Ploceus velatus has a fairly restricted distribution in Angola. The species is mainly confined to semi-arid southern and southwestern Angola, and along the coastal plain below the escarpment from Namibe Province to about Luanda, Bengo Province. In the course of preparing an annotated check-list of the birds of Angola, I have examined the records of P. velatus critically and have concluded that the Angolan distribution of P. velatus may be summarised as follows:- Ploceus velatus finschi is a common resident in riverine woodland in savanna and broad-leaved woodlands from southwestern Namibe Province north along the coastal plain to Luanda, generally west of 14°E; P. velatus caurinus occurs from the Namibian border through Cunene Province, southern and western Huila Province and western Benguela Province, generally south of 16°S, but extending north to about 12°S in the west (Clancey 1974). There are peculiarly isolated populations at Lakes Cameia (11°38’S, 20°54’E) and Dilolo (11°31'S, 22°02'E), Moxico Province, referred to P. velatus tahatali by Pinto (1965) but more likely to be P. velatus shelleyi (Louette 1984). Pinto (1965) considered P. velatus to be common in the area, at least around Lake Dilolo. In a careful review of the identity of swamp-dwelling weavers in Angola, Louette (1984) concluded that some of the specimens collected by Pinto at L. Cameia and L. Dilolo and at present in the Centro de Zoologia, Lisbon, are P. velatus, probably P. velatus shelleyi. However, he was unable to examine the specimens collected at L. Dilolo and listed by Pinto (1965), since these are (presumably) in the collection of the Instituto de Investigacao Cientifica de Angola (IICA) in Lubango, now inaccessible due to the civil war in Angola. The specimens may be in the collection at the Museu do Dundo (now Chitato) but, if so, are not listed by Pinto (1973). The Lakes Cameia and Dilolo specimens apparently represent the furthest north occurrences of P. velatus in eastern Angola. The record of a breeding colony of P. velatus on the Luachimo River at Dundo (Chitato), Lunda Norte Province (Gunther & Feiler 1986) is questionable. This record, if verified, would extend the distribution east and considerably north of any previous locality for P. velatus in Angola (see Map 331 in Hall & Moreau 1970). Benson et al. (1971) did not record P. velatus in northwestern Zambia, but it does occur throughout western Zambia, south of Lakes Cameia and Dilolo (R. J. Dowsett, pers. comm., citing unpublished Zambian atlas data). However, Schouteden (1964, 1965a, 1965b) did not record P. velatus in any of the districts of Zaire adjacent to northeastern Angola, so the Lakes Cameia and Dilolo populations of P. velatus would appear to be W. R. ¥. Dean 255 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) truly isolated. In view of this isolation, it 1s imperative that breeding males of the Ploceus species at Lakes Cameia and Dilolo are collected and examined. Furthermore, the L. Cameia and L. Dilolo specimens were collected in reeds. If the birds are nesting in reeds at L. Cameia and L. Dilolo (unusual for P. velatus; see Clancey 1974, Louette & Benson 1982), it is even more important that the identity of the Cameia and Dilolo specimens be firmly established. It is possible that the birds may be a new taxon of swamp-dwelling weaver, larger than the P. reichardi group (suggested by M. Louette, 2 Jitt.). It seems certain that the breeding colony of weavers on the Luachimo River observed by Gunther & Feiler (1986) was not P. velatus. No specimens of the breeding birds were collected, and there is no other evidence to support the identification of the breeding birds as P. velatus (R. Giinther pers. comm., A. Feiler in litt.). The only black-faced weaver known to occur in northern Lunda Norte is P. cucullatus (Traylor 1963), but P. melanocephalus duboisi has been recorded at Lusambo, Sankuru District, Zaire (Schouteden 1964) and could occur in Lunda Norte. The only other masked weavers that could conceivably be confused with P. velatus in the field are P. intermedius and P. pelzelni, neither of which occurs anywhere near northern Lunda Norte. Furthermore, the locality of the breeding colony is in an area where the mean annual precipitation exceeds 1400 mm. Ploceus velatus tends to be a species widespread in arid regions (Clancey 1974), and, with the exception of the isolated population in Moxico Province, is apparently restricted to the area of Angola where the mean annual precipitation is <400 mm. The distribution of P. velatus in Angola is thus substantially that shown by Clancey (1974), and supported by Louette (1984). Ploceus velatus is unlikely to occur in northeastern Angola. Acknowledgements I thank Dr P. A. Clancey and Dr M. Louette for comments on this note, and Dr Rainer Gunther and Dr Alfred Feiler for their helpful responses to my request for further information on Ploceus velatus in Angola. References: Benson, C. W., Brooke, R. K., Dowsett, R. J. & Irwin, M. P. S. 1971. The Birds of Zambia. Coilins. Clancey, P. A. 1974. Miscellaneous taxonomic notes on African birds XX XVIII. Further on the races of the Masked Weaver Ploceus velatus Vieillot, with special reference to the status of Hyphantornis shelleyi Sharpe, 1890, and Ploceus finschi Reichenow, 1903. Durban Mus. Novit. 10: 67-79. f Gunther, R. & Feiler, A. 1986. Zur Phanologie, Okologie und Morphologie angolanischer Vogel (Aves). Faun. Abhand. Mus. Tierk. Dresden 13: 189-227, 14: 1-29. Hall, B. P. & Moreau, R. E. 1970. An Atlas of Speciation of African Passerine Birds. British Museum (Nat. Hist.). Louette, M. 1984. The identity of swamp-dwelling weavers in northeast Angola. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 104: 22-24. Louette, M. & Benson, C. W. 1982. Swamp-dwelling weavers of the Ploceus velatus/vitellinus complex, with the description of a new species. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 102: 24-31. N. F. Collar & A. F. Pittman 256 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) Pinto, A. A. da R. 1965. Contribugao para o conhecimento da avifauna da regiao nordeste do Distrito do Moxico, Angola. Bol. Inst. Invest. Cient. Angola 1: 153-249. Pinto, A. A. da R. 1973. Aves da colecgao do Museu do Dundo. Publ. Cult. Comp. Diam. Angola 8 7: 129-178. Schouteden, H. 1964. La faune ornithologique de la Province du Kasai. Doc. Zool. 6. Schouteden, H. 1965a. La faune ornithologique de la Province du Kwango. Doc. Zool. 8. Schouteden, H. 1965b. La faune ornithologique des territoires de Dilolo et Kolwezi de la Province du Katanga. Doc. Zool. 9. Traylor, M. A. 1963. Check-list of Angolan birds. Publ. Cult. Comp. Diam. Angola 61: 1-250. Address: Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7700 South Africa. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1994 Amazona kawalli is a valid name for a valid species by N. 7. Collar GS A. 7. Pittman Received & December 1995 Grantsau & Camargo (1989) gave the name Amazona kawalli to a form of parrot very close to the Mealy Amazon A. farinosa but which they judged to possess several distinctive diagnostic features. ‘The new form was described on the basis of one dead captive bird, two live captive birds, and two old, misattributed museum specimens. Vuilleumier et al. (1992) implied that Grantsau & Camargo (1990) provide additional data in a table of measurements, but in fact these measurements are present, albeit not in tabular form, in the original description. This unusual circumstance (descriptions of new species of parrot are not frequent) resulted in modest publicity (e.g. Low 1990, Anon. 1991, Arndt 1991) but not outright acceptance. Vuilleumier et al. (1992) felt that “‘there is not enough evidence at present to decide what the status of this form is’’, and listed it as a species inquirenda. More emphatically, Bosch (1991), having first speculated whether subspecific rank would not be more appropriate, came to agree with the late H. E. Wolters (of Museum Koenig, Bonn, and a member of the Standing Committee on Ornithological Nomenclature of the International Ornithological Congress), to whom he referred the description, and who considered that Rawalli merely represented individual variation within A. farinosa. This was also the judgement, quoted by Grantsau & Camargo (1989), of Pinto (1935; also Pinto & Camargo 1954), in whose care the two museum specimens of kawalli remained for many decades. Largely because of these doubts, and despite its inclusion by Sibley & Monroe (1993), who may not have been aware of the caution being expressed in some quarters, the new form was not considered in recent reviews of threatened species (Collar et al. 1992, 1994), despite its potential categorisation as Data Deficient or near-threatened. However, the problem was clearly of continuing concern in taxonomic, conservation and avicultural terms, so, with the discovery of two specimens N. F. Collar S A. F. Pittman 257 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) attributable to kawalli in European museums, we took steps to investigate the matter further. Two European specimens of Amazona kawalli The most distinctive feature of prepared specimens of Rawalli (in its separation from farinosa) is red chiefly on the inner proximal webbing of several outermost tail feathers. However, because tails of museum skins are normally preserved in the closed position, it 1s possible that examples of the species have remained undetected in collections, labelled as either Amazona farinosa or Scaly-naped Amazon A. mercenaria, which is also very similar and indeed shares the general tail pattern. In September 1990 the aviculturist for whom the new form is named, N. Kawall, himself picked out a (female) specimen of Rawalli amongst the series of mercenaria held at the Natural History Museum (BMNH) in Tring, U.K. This bird (BMNH 1891.4.1.48) had been received alive by the Zoological Society of London on 2 May 1882 and had died there on | June 1883, the skin being labelled both “‘Chrysotis mercenaria’ and “Chrysotis ochrocephala var.’’, although it was exhibited under the former name (Anon. 1883). After Kawall’s reidentification, it was duly transferred to a separately labelled tray, but its presence was not otherwise advertised. NJC encountered this specimen by chance in 1992 while working on other material. Then, while visiting the Zoological Museum in Berlin (ZMB) in June 1995, J. Cuddy and AJP found a specimen corresponding closely to Amazona kawalli while checking the series of farinosa. This bird, a male (ZMB 23.1.160), bore a red type label inscribed ‘‘Amazona farinosa aberr. rubricauda Str.’. Inquiry duly revealed that a description of this specimen, using the formulation quoted, had been furnished by Stresemann (1924), who reported that it, too, was a captive bird that had lived in Berlin Zoo from June 1910 until its death in September 1923. Comparisons of the two “‘new” specimens We obtained the loan to BMNH of Stresemann’s specimen for comparison with the skin identified by Kawall. In October and November 1995, we reviewed this material and checked it against samples of each of five usually recognised subspecies of A. farinosa and the small available series of A. m. mercenaria. We took no steps, however, to obtain the loan of one of the paratypes in Sao Paulo, basing our judgement simply on the original description. Grantsau & Camargo (1989) identified eight characters that they believed to be diagnostic of Rawalli when compared with farinosa. These were (1) bill dull yellow and grey (in living birds); (2) white strip of bare skin bordering base of bill (dull yellow after death); (3) dark grey periorbital ring (in living birds); (4) edge of folded wing light yellowish-green with no trace of red; (5) general colour much purer green; (6) colour of outer tail-feathers patterned with red and blue; (7) N. F. Collar & A. F. Pittman 258 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) proportion of terminal yellowish-green forming tail-band reduced (c. 20 mm instead of c. 40 mm); (8) apparently smaller size. We assessed these parameters in the two ‘‘new”’ skins of kawalli and added to them the colour of the crown, the colour of the legs, and the number of rectrices. We ourselves noted that there were possibly consistent features in the crown and leg colour, while the number of rectrices was mentioned by Stresemann (1924), who counted 14 in the Berlin male. (Stresemann also incidentally remarked on the absence of red on the wing edge of his specimen, and the reduced width of its tail band; he did not comment on its bare facial patch, possibly assuming that this was the result of a particular behaviour in captivity). The two kawalli are extremely similar in appearance, but the male appears to be larger, with a discernibly stouter bill (in both depth and breadth), and has a far more obvious facial patch; the female has the leading primary of one wing (the right) yellow, and the shafts of some feathers under the eye are rufous, giving each cheek a slightly ruddy tinge. The following is a composite description of the two birds. The bill is dull creamy white on the lower mandible, pale slate on the upper mandible but with the base below the cere creamy white (and slightly raised to form a plate). Apart from bare skin on the cere, around the eye and bordering the bill, the head is green, the feathers on the mid-crown with slight black edging, becoming increasingly pronounced on the nape and mantle, so that the mantle has a scaly appearance (and the green in this one area possesses a slight floury tone). The feathering around the periorbital skin is a brighter, slightly bluish, green. The sides of the neck, the throat and the upper breast are bright iridescent green, becoming matter and slightly darker on the lower breast and belly, with very faint irregular barring or scaling caused by thin dark edges to feathers (virtually invisible in the female). The abdomen and thighs are slightly lighter green, and the undertail-coverts are greenish-yellow. The wing-coverts are green, with an indistinct yellowish patch along the edge below the carpal joint. The primaries (only partly accessible) are green on the proximal and bluish on the distal half of the outer vane, black on the inner vane. The speculum is red. The back and rump are green, the uppertail-coverts likewise but with very slight yellowish-green iridescent edges. The tail is green for three-quarters its length, with a greenish-yellow terminal band. At least two (and in the case of the male four) of the outermost rectrices have red on the inner half of both vanes, in some cases bordered distally with brownish-black (there is a fringe of blue on the outer vane of one outermost rectrix of the male). The plumage differences of these birds from farinosa are consistent with those given by Grantsau & Camargo (1989), and are presented with our own data for both farinosa and mercenaria in ‘Tables 1 and 2 (Table 2 including measurements from a third “‘new’’ specimen of kawalli reported below). As must be clear from the evidence both above and below, we conclude that all three “new” specimens should be formally reassigned to the new species Amazona kawallt. A third specimen (in Brazil) and published photographs Grantsau & Camargo (1989) mentioned that Kawall had indicated to them the presence of a specimen of Rawalli in the Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, in Belém, Para, Brazil. They did not, however, make further reference to this bird, other than to report its provenance as Santarém, Para. However, D. C. Oren (in litt. 1995) kindly reports that Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) wy N iwttman > ALS. Pi CS N. F. Collar }SOUWI9}NO JO JUBA I9jNO uo any{q ‘say yea} 1ayno dAYy jo Jyey [eastp jo qed a9uutr uO pad ‘U9015-YSIMoO][oA yyy [easip ‘use13 pasiadsi9zur yorlq syjy-ino} [eurxoid (1)9 (DOL ZT MOT[IA/pot uaai3 usais = ayed “]yeus ou ylep -YsStuUMO1Iq DIADUAIAAUL “UL * siayieo} 19]no uO any;q pue pet YUM ‘us015-YsIMmo][aA Jojienb [eistp ‘use1d ajed usu]Nd UO ayeIs sioqienb-3a1y} jeunxoid (DIL S(DL+E1 u9913-YsIMo][ad uaa13 udeis «“[]RUUS A]IIRy sad ayed ‘aqrym-Aueaio uMOoiq ayed 1ypomvoy * Br us013 (UMO.19-pruu Awueaio WS] paryy [eysip ‘usa1d u9013-MoT[aA usaid MO][OA YIM Mp Ayryoied ‘aivys yor[q yep sp.iryj-om) [euurxoid (DOL S(4)Z1 ayed pasuly ‘pat snooneys Ainoy aulos) UddId —-ayed ‘ad1R] ou ayed Apsow sayqeiiea -YStUMOIG psoulinf *f -B uso13 uMO.ID Awiea1o YS] paryi [easip ‘usaid u90.13-MOT[aA usa13 pury uo WMp Ayryojed ‘ajeys yorlq yiep spiryj-om} [eurxoid (F)Z1 ajed pasutsy ‘par snooneps Ainoy ystdoid ‘uso1d ~—ayed ‘ad1R] ou ayed Ayjsow sayqeiiea -YsIuUMOIG pypUusour “f{ By us013 UMOI9 Auuva.1o ISI] paryy [easip ‘usa1d u99.1d-Mo][ad use1d pury uo Mp Aypryoyed ‘o3Ry]s yoryq yep sparyj-omy eurxoid (ZL M(E)OI ajed pasutsy ‘pat snooneps Atnoy — ystAoad ‘uda13 aed ‘asie] ou ayed Ayysow sayquiiea -YstuMo1q woudoys ‘f° B uaai5 AuuBalo ; 1Y4S1[ paryy [eIstp ‘usa41d uaaid Tp Apryoyed ‘aieys yoryq yep sparyi-om} [eurxoid (D8 “b)TZL usaid-YysIMmo]]aA — snooneys Ainoy uaaid-ysinjq — aed ‘asury ou ayed Apjsow sayquiaea -YSIUMOIG sdaauasia fB uda1d Awivalo WYSI] pAryy [easip ‘usa13 udo1d [Hop Apryoyed ‘ayeys yoryq yalep sparyy-om} [euurxosd (S)ZI uda.id-YsIMo][aA = snooney[s Ainoy — any,q-Yystusa.13 ayed ‘odiry ou ayed Ayjsouw soyquiaea -YSIUMOIG anjpuaqons {BE usaqed [re 7, SoLI901 Anojoo Apog UMOID —-BULT AR[NOG yoird ANO[OS [Ig INOJOD Ba] jo toquinyy adpa dul [eloryy ‘OPE OE 168 BOFL ELE COGT LOPIEL € COG Di4mUarsam “WF ‘O91? GINZ Sb Lb L681 W/Vmvy “fF :1'9° S661 “GSETES ECOL “8C7U'S'E'CCOL “OSTI'S' ECHL “LETTS E°CCGH Vsourvf “f “H “bLE OE 168 ‘bL61'S'S9 “OIE OF 168 “191219 “94907 168 avppmaqones “f° ‘LSE VW V9OCOL Of T1716 ‘Ob TV 16 ‘88717 16 VIvUdoun “fF ‘OLE OL 168 ‘LIE OL 168 ‘L81'1'9'06 ‘F'67' STL “EET SS '6F6I Sfaruade “f “H ‘9OFVELE COL “6LETVI6 ‘IS ETV 16 ‘CIE OE 168 “CLE OE 168 woudvys “f “Pp :(Yyjonvy urjtog oy ydeoxX9 HNING [[B) paifnsuoo [etary ‘usuut99ds oY) YIM Jo, PUR PoAOWA.! UDDG PRY SOY] PY] 9YI JO OUO ‘77/HA2LbY Py Ulpeg 9ya Jo asvo aya ul ‘suatutoads Jo JOGUINU 94} SI SJoyoRAq UL AOqQUUNU dy) ‘SodL994 JO JaquINuU 1OF ULUN]OS UT ‘VuOZvULF JO SoLodds doa.iyy JO asevuNyd ayy UT UOSTIRdWUOD JO slog 1a ravi N. F. Collar & A. F. Pittman 260 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) TABLE 2 Mean measurements (in mm), with standard deviations and ranges, of three species of Amazona, taken from the same specimens used for Table 1, with the inclusion of those for MPEG 14.804 from Table 3. All bills were measured cere to tip, and all wings curved. Bill Wing Tail Amazona mercenaria (n= 3) 29.2, s.d. 1.15 PDT Soe ff Al 98.7, s.d. 4.4 (28.1-30.4) (215-229) (93.7-101.5) Amazona farinosa (n=24) 37.9, s.d. 2.19 251.9, s.d. 10.67 136.5, s.d. 9.59 (33.8—43.0) (232-274) (121.0-153.4) Amazona kawalli (n=3) 37.6, s.d. 1.68 252.3, s.d. 10.59 117.0, s.d. 3.43 (36.2-39.5) (241-262) (113.9-120.7) TABLE 3 Measurements (in mm) of three specimens of Amazona kawalli. ‘Those for the MPEG bird were taken by D. C. Oren. All bills were measured cere to tip, and all wings curved. Sex Bill Wing Tail ZMB 23.160 male 39.5 262 11329 BMNH 1891.4.1.48 female 36.2 241 116.5 MPEG 14.804 female 37.25 254 120.7 the specimen, an adult female (MPEG 14.804), was collected not at Santarém but at Itaituba (4°17'S, 55°59’W), Para, on 7 November 1955, by J. Hidasi; its label also states ‘“‘forest’”’ and ‘“‘fruits’’. It possesses all eight characters mentioned in Grantsau & Camargo’s diagnosis. In addition, Oren notes that its grey periorbital ring is smaller in extent that the white one of farinosa; that the feathers above and behind the eye have a definite bluish tinge to them, almost forming a superciliary stripe; and that the width of the tail-band is 30 mm as against the 60 mm or so that are usual for farinosa. His measurements of it are in ‘Table 3. At least three colour photographs of specimens of Rawalli have been published, one of them in several places. This last, taken by T. Brosset, can be seen in Bosch & Wedde (1981), Pinter (1988), Anon. (1991), Alderton (1991) and Arndt (1991). According to Low (1990) it depicts a bird living in London Zoo from at least the early 1970s until the mid-1980s, exhibited as a farinosa but which she had judged ten years earlier (in Low 1980) to be a mercenaria (although she specifically noted, as ‘‘an interesting feature’’, “‘the wide area of bare white skin on each side of the lower mandible’’). T. Brosset (verbally 1995) has confirmed that he took this photograph in London Zoo in 1975; Bosch & Wedde (1981) captioned it as A. farinosa virenticeps, Pinter (1988) as A. f. farinosa. However, at least four diagnostic features are evident: the facial skin at the base of the bill is bare and white, the periorbital ring is grey (and small), the tail shows red bases to the outer feathers, and the N. #. Collar & A. F. Pittman 261 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) terminal band is only about one-quarter the tail length. Moreover, the bill is apparently grey and yellow, the leading edge of the wing looks to have no red, and the coloration seems to lack typical favinosa mealiness. As Low (1992) remarks that Rawalli is not known outside Brazil, we conclude that this bird is dead, but we have not been able to establish the fate of the skin. The second photograph appears next to the first in Anon. (1991) and Arndt (1991). It is a head and shoulders shot by S. Patzwahl which also shows the bill colour, facial patch and small grey periorbital ring. However, as this is one of Kawall’s captive birds (T. Arndt verbally 1995) it cannot be considered as independent evidence with which to verify the original description. The third photograph is in Low (1992) and was taken by the author herself in poor light conditions during a visit to N. Kawall (R. Low verbally 1995). On the opposite page is a farinosa, taken in much fuller light, whose single most striking difference lies in its large, creamy white periorbital ring. The shot of Rawalli depicts an inconspicuous mid-grey periorbital ring and a bare, off-white facial patch, and indeed a series of photographs of several different birds taken by AJP in July 1991 and May 1993 at N. Kawall’s aviaries clearly shows these features. However, the periorbital ring consistently appears to be pale grey; Grantsau & Camargo (1989) may be mistaken in calling it dark grey. These various photographs also reveal some consistent pattern of slaty grey and creamy yellow on the bill; the feet pale grey; and a very indistinct blackish tinge to the feathers running from the front of the periorbital ring to the cere (this feature is barely present in the two European specimens and appears to be formed by rudimentary rictal bristles). The validity of the species We find that the formal plumage description of the holotype in Grantsau & Camargo (1989) conforms very largely with our own composite description above, and with evidence we adduce from other sources. More importantly, of the eight characters which Grantsau & Camargo (1989) use to distinguish Rawalli from farinosa, we find four to be borne out in the material we examined (see Table 1). These are the existence of bare skin at the base of the bill, the generally (if only slightly) purer green coloration (only the mantle has some of the floury tone that characterises most of the upperparts of farinosa), the colour and pattern of the outer tail feathers, and the reduced width of the terminal tail-band. We find that a fifth, the colour of the leading edge of the wing, is borne out at least in the populations where farinosa and kawalli are sympatric (all South American farinosa have red edges). We could not conclusively judge two others, the colour of the bill and the colour of the periorbital ring, which are perhaps best assessed in living birds (although D. C. Oren was able to confirm these features in the MPEG specimen). The curious creamy white plating on the upper mandible below the cere, and the creamy white of the lower mandible (visible in the specimens and in photographs), certainly suggest a N. J. Collar & A. F. Pittman 262 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) possibly distinctive character; and on photographic evidence the periorbital colour is clearly pale grey. We find no strong evidence of a significant size difference (mean bill and wing lengths are virtually identical in farinosa and kawalli), but instead consider that the relative shortness of the tail in Rawalli (no overlap with favinosa) can give this impression and should be used as a diagnostic feature (see Table 2). Of the three additional features that we compared—leg colour, head colour and a number of rectrices—we find no ground for confident discrimination. It is, however, just worth noting that several specimens of farinosa showed traces of red and/or blue in the outer tail feathers. Both outermost rectrices on one (89.1.30.316) of the five guatemalae examined have blue outer vanes and a spot of red on the greenish-yellow of the inner vane near its centre (this also being noted by Salvadori 1891). Three of five nominate farinosa examined have some slight but distinct blue edging on the outer vane of the outermost feather (again as noted by both Salvadori 1891 and Forshaw 1989), and one of these (1922.3.5.1235) has a second outermost feather with the proximal half indigo and the fringes of the distal half tinged pink. Three virenticeps have a small red patch on the yellow half of the outermost rectrices, one (1949.58.133) with blackish-blue or brownish patches in the centres of several other feathers. Nevertheless, none of these specimens approaches the vivid tail pattern shown by the two kawalli, and none shows the other key features (facial patch, reduced tail-band). Altogether, therefore, we believe that the case for accepting Amazona kawalli as a good species, on all the evidence above, is overwhelming. We conclude that six of the eight characters claimed to distinguish kawalli from farinosa (facial patch, periorbital colour, general coloration, wing edge colour, tail coloration, tail band width) are certainly valid, while one (overall size) is more properly related to diagnosably different tail length, and the last (bill colour) requires conclusive demonstration. On this basis the idea that Rawalli is an aberrant form of farinosa cannot be sustained. The idea that Rawalli might only be a race of farinosa is also unsustainable, as the two birds are too closely sympatric. If we assume that the bird seen by Ribeiro (1920)—in a reference traced by Stresemann (1924)—was indeed kawalli, we now have four localities from which the form is known: Ribeiro’s Foz do Castanho (now Foz Roosevelt on the Rio Roosevelt at its confluence with the Aripuana, southern Para, at around 7°35’S, 60°20'W: Paynter & Traylor 1991, P. E. Vanzolini verbally 1995), Mato-Piri on the Jurua (apparently at 6°30'S, 69°30'W, if indeed it is or was around “‘ten leagues” —i.e. c. 50-60 km—below Eirunepé: Paynter & Traylor 1991), Itaituba (4°17'S, 55°59'W) and Santarém (2°26'S, 54°41’W). According to D. F. Stotz (in litt. 1995), the Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), Chicago, possesses material of farinosa from Tapaiuna (also written Itapaiuna), which is both closer to Santarém than Fordlandia (mentioned by Grantsau & Camargo 1989) and also on the right bank of the 'Tapajos (Vanzolini 1992), and from Urucurituba, which is “not far’ from N. #. Collar & A. F. Pittman 263 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) Itaituba (Vanzolini 1992). Amazona farinosa has been found in the Tapajos National Park, close to Itaituba (Oren & Parker in prep.). Moreover, Gyldenstolpe (1945, 1951) referred to a specimen of farinosa from Caxiricatuba on the lower Tapajos, very close to Santarém. Grantsau & Camargo (1989) themselves mention specimens of farinosa from Eirunepé, only 60km from the type-locality of Rawalli, and Gyldenstolpe (1945, 1951) also had a specimen from there (under its former name of Joao Pessoa). All this evidence points to the geographical overlap between kawalli and farinosa being complete. Finally, any suspicion that Rawalli could somehow represent a lowland form of Amazona mercenaria can be dispelled by reference to Tables 1 and 2. Although the latter possesses a similar tail pattern and overall body plumage, it is altogether a smaller bird with a notably smaller, all-dark bill, a fully feathered face, and red in the edge of the wing. The validity of the name Despite finding that Ribeiro (1920) had mentioned once seeing a red-tailed farinosa in the field, and despite noting the absence of red on the edge of the wing and the relative shortness of the tail and consequently smaller breadth of the terminal band, Stresemann (1924) decided against identifying the Berlin Zoo specimen as a new race of farinosa, referring to it instead as a “curious mutation” (““merkwirdige Mutation’’); but to call it to wider attention he gave it the name Amazona farinosa aberratio rubricauda. Unfortunately, no wider attention was caught, and in reviewing the articles of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature we conclude that it consequently has no claim to validity. Thus Article 45f (iv) confirms that the name rubricauda is infrasubspecific; and although Article 10c indicates that such a name becomes available when used for a species or subspecies, Article 23j states that it remains unavailable until it is actually used as a specific or subspecific name, at which point it takes the date and author of the publication which so uses it. If, therefore, another name is meanwhile applied to the taxon with appropriate supporting evidence, as kawalli has been, then any pre-existing infrasubspecific name, used specifically or subspecifically for that taxon after the use of the other name, must become a junior synonym. Thus we judge that Rawalli must stand, even if rubricauda is now used elsewhere. This view appears to be reinforced by Article 45g, which indicates that a clearly intended infrasubspecific name—one qualified as a ‘“‘variety’’ or “form”, but on the evidence of Article 45f (11) also including ‘“aberration’’—remains unavailable if before 1985 it was never adopted as a specific or subspecific name or treated as a senior homonym. There then remains the question of the most appropriate English name for the species. The name Kawall’s Amazon has already been used (e.g. Anon. 1991, Arndt 1991, Low 1992) and it may be sensible to retain it. However, there has in recent years been a strong trend away from the adoption of personal possessive names for species, which can sometimes hinder the ability to motivate local people for their conservation. An English name that reflects a key locality or habitat, or N. F. Collar S A. F. Pittman 264 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) else indicates a diagnostic feature, is often to be preferred. The apparent confinement of A. kawalli to the Amazon Basin does not help (‘Amazon Amazon’’); its habitat remains to be established but may not be distinctive; and any distinguishing features need to be reasonably obvious in the field. Among the options based on the latter, ‘“‘Red-tailed”’ is already taken, while “Short-tailed’’ would run the risk of confusion with the Short-tailed Parrot Graydidascalus brachyurus (many bird lists use “‘parrot’”’ rather than “‘amazon’’ for the genus Amazona), but ‘‘White-faced’? may be worth consideration. We propose waiting for comments on diagnostic field characters when the species is next encountered in the wild. Conservation Amazona kawalli is clearly a very difficult species to detect, being extremely close to A. farinosa and coming from what is still a very poorly known region of South America. It may well be a rarer bird than farinosa, which itself does not appear to be very common in the Amazon Basin. There may, however, prove to be some _ habitat specialisation that separates the two. Nevertheless, Rawalli is now known from three and probably four localities within the Amazon Basin, spanning 1700km. It seems improbable that the records in question represent the only populations of the species; others can be expected in due course, perhaps not only between the two outermost sites but also beyond them. Careful examination of skins of farinosa and mercenaria in museums may also throw up such records. On the other hand, we cannot automatically assume that kRawalli is secure simply because it occupies a longitudinally extensive range. The disappearance of the Wattled Curassow Crax globulosa from along the Amazon and its tributaries, caused by hunting and habitat loss (Collar et al. 1992), is a warning against complacency over the security of Amazonian birds, especially those that are (or may be) confined to the immediate environs of big rivers. We believe the most appropriate of the new IUCN categories for Amazona kawalli is ‘“‘Data Deficient’, which means that there is at present inadequate information to make a direct or indirect assessment of its risk of extinction, and which therefore draws the attention of researchers to the importance of obtaining fuller data in order to include or discount it as a threatened species. Acknowledgements We are greatly indebted to Prof. B. Stephan of the Zoological Museum in Berlin for most courteously agreeing to send Stresemann’s specimen for our inspection, to Michael Walters and Effe Warr of The Natural History Museum for extensive help in various relevant matters, and to David Oren of the Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil, for supplying information on the specimen of kawalli held there. Robert Prys-Jones and Michael Walters kindly commented on a late draft. Joe Cuddy set this study in motion by his discovery of the Stresemann specimen. Thomas Arndt, Thomas Brosset, Rosemary Low, José Maria Cardoso da Silva and Doug Stotz also greatly helped us in various ways. N. F. Collar S A. F. Pittman 265 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) References: Alderton, D. 1991. The Atlas of Parrots of the World. T.F.H. Publictions, Neptune City, NJ. Anon. 1883. List of the Vertebrated Animals now or Lately Living in the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London. 8th edn. Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer, London. Anon. 1991. Amazona kawalli Grantsau und Camargo 1989: Kawall-Amazone. Papageien 1/91: 16. Arndt, T. 1991. Lexicon of Parrots, entry 335. Arndt Verlag, Bretten. Bosch, K. 1991. Eine neue Amazonenart? Gefied. Welt 115: 190-191. Bosch, K. & Wedde, U. 1981. Amazonen. Horst Miller Verlag, Walsrode. Collar, N. J., Gonzaga, L. P., Krabbe, N., Madrono Nieto, A., Naranjo, L. G., Parker, T. A. & Wege, D. C. 1992. Threatened Birds of the Americas: The ICBP/IUCN Red Data Book (3rd edn, part 2). International Council for Bird Preservation, Cambridge, U.K. Collar, N. J., Crosby, M. J. & Stattersfield, A. J. 1994. Birds to Watch 2: the world list of threatened birds. BirdLife International (BirdLife Conservation Series 4), Cambridge, U.K. Forshaw, J. M. 1989. Parrots of the World. 3rd edn. Blandford Press, London. Grantsau, R. & Camargo, H. F. de A. 1989. Nova espécie de Amazona (Aves, Psittacidae). Rev. Bras. Biol. 49: 1017-1020. Grantsau, R. & Camargo, H. F. de A. 1990. Eine neue Papageienart aus Brasilien, Amazona kawalli (Aves, Psittacidae). Trochilus 11: 103-108. Gyldenstolpe, N. 1945. The bird fauna of Rio Jurua in western Brazil. Kungl. Svenska Vetenskapsakad. Hanal. (3)22, no. 3. Gyldenstolpe, N. 1951. The ornithology of the Rio Purus region in western Brazil. Ark. Zool. (2)2, no. 1. Low, R. 1980. Parrots, their Care and Breeding. Blandford Press, Poole, Dorset. Low, R. 1990. New species of amazon parrot described. Avicult. Mag. 96: 190-191. Low, R. 1992. Parrots in Aviculture: a photo reference guide. Blandford, London. Oren, D. C. & Parker, T. A. (in prep.) Avifauna of Tapajos National Park and vicinity, Amazonian Brazil. Paynter, R. A. & Traylor, M. A. 1991. Ornithological Gazetteer of Brazil. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Mass. Pinter. H. 1988. Amazon Parrots. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. Pinto, O. M. O. 1935. Aves da Bahia. Rev. Mus. Paulista 19: 1-325. Pinto, O. M. de O. & Camargo, E. A. 1954. Resultados ornitologicos de uma expedi¢ao ao Territorio do Acre pelo Departamento de Zoologia. Pap. Avuls. Dep. Zool. 11(23): 371-418. Ribeiro, A. de M. 1920. Revisao dos psittacideos brasileiros. Rev. Mus. Paulista 12(2): 1-82. Salvadori, T. 1891. Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum. Vol. 20. Trustees of British Museum, London. Sibley, C. G. & Monroe, B. L. 1993. A Supplement to Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World. Yale Univ. Press. Stresemann, E. 1924. Eine Amazona farinosa (Boddaert) mit roter Schwanz-basis. Orn. Mitt. 32: 43-44. Vanzolini, P. E. 1992. A Supplement to Ornithological Gazetteer of Brazil. Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de Sao Paulo. Vuilleumier, F., LeCroy, M. & Mayr, E. 1992. New species of birds described from 1981 to 1990. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 112A: 267-309. Addresses: N. J. Collar, BirdLife International, Wellbrook Court, Girton Road, Cambridge CB30NA, U.K. A. J. Pittman, 3 Raleigh Court, Lymer Avenue, London SE19 1LS, U.K. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 M.A. Patten & F. C. Wilson 266 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) A dark-morph Sharp-shinned Hawk in California, with comments on dichromatism in raptors by Michael A. Patten S Fohn C. Wilson Received 9 December 1995 On 12 November 1994 at 10.30 hrs, Wilson studied and photographed an unusual dark raptor in Hart Park, Bakersfield, Kern County, California. The bird was an obvious Accipiter in general shape, but it was mottled chocolate brown on the underparts. An examination of photographs (Fig. 1) and of the written description suggested that it was a dark-morph Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus. Wilson’s notes were as follows: An odd Accipiter perched in a horizontal branch of a bare cottonwood (Populus sp.) bordering the north side of the Kern River. The sky was clear, except for slight haze; there was no wind. Initial distance to the bird was about 100 m, but it was eventually approached to within 40 m. Viewed through 8 x 42 Bausch and Lomb Elite binoculars and photographed with a Nikon N8008 camera with a Nikon 300 mm lens and 2 x teleconverter. The bird was observed in excellent light for 20 min. Size was difficult to judge, but the round-headed appearance, relatively squared tail, and thin tarsi suggested Sharp-shinned Hawk. The overall color of underparts was dark chocolate brown. The breast and belly were somewhat mottled with a darker brownish. The thighs, cap, nape, and wings were a darker brown. The underside of the tail appeared to be somewhat striated with a wide dark brown tip and at least two visible cream-colored bands about half the width of the terminal band, with each bordered by a thin dark brown band. The iris was yellow, similar in color to that of an immature Sharp-shinned Hawk. There were short golden-yellow supercilia extending os Figure 1. Dark-morph Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus at Hart Park in Bakersfield, California, U.S.A., 12 November 1994. Photograph by John C. Wilson. M.A. Patten & F. C. Wilson 267 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) from just in front of the eyes to an equal distance behind the eyes. The supercilia were bordered inferiorly by a thin dark brown line. The cere was pale yellow. The legs and feet were bright yellow. During its stay on the perch this bird was studied by David G. Yee as well, including views through a Kowa telescope at 30 x for 10 min. The bird eventually dropped to the ground, at which point a few pale (perhaps even whitish) feathers were noted on the back. The bird remained on the ground for 20 min, such that observation time totaled nearly one hour. Dark morphs are known in some South American populations of Sharp-shinned Hawk, such as A. s. ventralis (Blake 1977, Hilty & Brown 1986, Palmer 1988; del Hoyo et al. 1994 consider ventralis to be specifically distinct). However, dark morphs are not known in A. s. velox, the widespread North American subspecies, nor in A. s. perobscurus, the subspecies found on the Queen Charlotte Islands (Clark & Wheeler 1987). Whereas perobscurus has decidedly darker underparts than velox (Friedmann 1950), both of these subspecies show an underpart pattern very different from that shown by the Bakersfield bird: rather than being essentially uniform brown below, immatures of these subspecies show varying degrees of heavy brown streaking and/or mottling on whitish underparts. The description and photographs argue against this bird being ventralis (1.e. it is not clear, rufous-brown below) or being a darker individual of perobscurus (i.e. it is well outside the known range of variation for that subspecies). A positive racial determination cannot be made without a specimen; nevertheless, we believe it most parsimonious to conclude that the Bakersfield Sharp-shinned Hawk represents the first documented dark-morph A. s. velox, rather than either a dark A. s. ventralis thousands of miles from its home or California’s first record of A. s. perobscurus. Dichromatism (and polychromatism) is prevalent in numerous taxa, including birds (Huxley 1955, Paulson 1973). Presumably, dark-morph individuals arise in a population via melanistic mutations. If a selective advantage is conferred on these individuals, through crypticity or frequency-dependent selection for example, then assuming all other things are equal, the prominence of dark-morph individuals should increase in a population. If a particular morph has an advantage that morph would become the most abundant in a population at the exclusion or near-exclusion of the disadvantaged morph, as in the classic example of peppered moths (Biston betularia) in Britain (see Ridley 1993). ‘The frequency and persistence of dichromatism in groups such as raptors is therefore puzzling. Whereas dichromatism is prevalent in Buteo, for example, it is absent or scarce in other genera. Some genera show dichromatism only in certain species or subspecies, as is the case with Accipiter, a genus in which only eight of the 45-50 species show dichromatism (del Hoyo et al. 1994). Another example is provided by the harriers Circus spp.: some populations of Circus are highly dichromatic, but there is only one record of a dark-morph Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus for North America (Howell et al. 1992). Light-morph individuals prevail in most species and subspecies of raptors (including Accipiter), but in some instances a subspecies or population comes to be dominated by dark-morph individuals, as is the case with “Harlan’s’? Hawk Buteo jamaicensis harlam (Mindell 1983). M.A. Patten S F. C. Wilson 268 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) One mechanism whereby polymorphism is maintained in a population is via apostatic selection (Clarke 1962, Endler 1991). Unlike in the peppered moth example, where a selective advantage is conferred on individuals with cryptic coloration, apostatic selection is “frequency dependent selection in which a predator selects the most abundant morph in a polymorphic population resulting in a balanced polymorphism” (Lincoln et al. 1982). Thus, a “‘given phenotype is favored in direct proportion to its rarity through frequency-dependent predator pressure” (Paulson 1973). Apostatic selection, therefore, is selection exerted by predators against the more common morph of a given prey species. The definition of apostatic selection was broadened by Payne (1967) to be “‘selection of individuals which contrast in appearance [with each other] within a population”. He further suggested that apostatic selection could be effected on predators by prey, thus altering the predator-driven definition originally proposed. Paulson (1973) extended Payne’s redefinition by presenting the ‘‘avoidance-image hypothesis’, which predicts that balanced polymorphism will prevail if prey exert selection pressure via avoidance of familiar predator forms. Both Payne and Paulson treated avoidance-image as apostatic selection, but because the avoidance-image hypothesis predicts predator selection by prey, it is in this respect antithetical to the classic definition of apostatic selection. Thus, the term ‘‘counterapostatic selection” may be more appropriate for the avoidance-image hypothesis. In any event, the avoidance-image hypothesis requires avoidance- learning of familiar colours by prey and frequency-dependent selection, both of which have been demonstrated in wild populations (e.g. Hori 1993, Craig 1994); thus, the hypothesis seems plausible. A rare predator morph would have higher fitness by virtue of its rarity so that, all other things being equal, this rare phenotype would increase to commonness in a population (assuming phenotypic expression is heritable, as it is in raptor dichromatism; Paulson 1973). However, such increases have not been documented in a natural population of raptors, as light-morph individuals predominate in most wild populations. Dark-morph individuals seem to be maintained in a population through balanced polymorphism, but they seldom increase to commonness. Nevertheless, there exists empirical evidence that appears to support the avoidance-image hypothesis, suggesting that counterapostatic selection is a valid mechanism for the maintenance of dichromatism in raptors and other predatory birds (Paulson 1973, Arnason 1978, Furness & Furness 1980; cf. Rohwer 1983). However, if one assumes a selective advantage for dichromatic predators, counterapostatic selection seems not to provide an answer for the general lack of dark-morph Accipiters. Indeed, because Accipiters tend to inhabit forested areas, dark coloration would logically seem to provide a selective advantage by reducing plumage contrast. However, species in this genus feed primarily by surprise attack on ground-feeding mammals and birds (Bielefeldt et al. 1992). Because of this foraging behaviour, we believe that counterapostatic selection would exert little influence on dichromatism within this genus. Instead, we suggest that dichromatism is rare in Accipiters because the M.A. Patten & F. C. Wilson 269 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) contrasting plumage of light-morph individuals assists them in prey capture. For certain predators, conspicuous coloration may enhance prey capture by stirring up a flock or causing movement in alarmed prey species (Wilson et al. 1988). It would be an advantage to have more contrasting plumage because prey species would flee or flush more readily from a conspicuous predator, providing a more readily visible target. Thus, given the hunting behaviour of Accipiters, it is advantageous to be conspicuous, and dichromatism in Accipiters is likely to remain rare. Alternatively, the lack of dichromatism in Accipiter may be a result of high capture efficiency, a hypothesis suggested by Rohwer (1983) to explain the lack of dichromatism in the Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus. 'This hypothesis states that predators that are extremely efficient are not selected to be polychromatic because they do not benefit from the potential advantage afforded by polychromatism. Not only is this hypothesis invalid for Accipiter because its foraging behaviour likely does not favour such selection, it need not be invoked for Peregrine Falcon either, as this is a species that feeds mainly by aerial diving, and pale underparts may be an advantage by enhancing camouflage (Cowan 1972, G6otmark 1987). Thus, we would not expect counterapostatic selection to affect this species. Conversely, Buteos hunt mainly by soaring, and are thus readily visible, providing a perfect scenario for counterapostatic selection to be effective. Acknowledgements We thank Richard A. Erickson and Matthew T. Heindel for examining the photographs and for valuable discussion, and William S. Clark, Richard A. Erickson, Gita R. Kolluru, and Robert N. Rosenfield for comments on a draft of this note. References: Arnason, E. 1978. Apostatic selection and kleptoparasitism in the Parasitic Jaeger. Auk 95: 377-381. Bielefeldt, J., Rosenfield, R. N. & Papp, J. M. 1992. Unfounded assumptions about diet of the Cooper’s Hawk. Condor 94: 427-436. Blake, E. R. 1977. Manual of Neotropical Birds. Vol. 1. Univ. Chicago Press. Clark, W. S. & Wheeler, B. K. 1987. A Field Guide to Hawks of North America. Houghton Mifflin, Boston. Clarke, B. 1962. Balanced polymorphism and the diversity of sympatric species. Taxon. Geogr., Syst. Assoc. Publ. 4: 47-70. Cowan, P. J. 1972. The contrast and coloration of seabirds: an experimental approach. Ibis 114: 390-393. Craig, C. L. 1994. Limits to learning: effects of predator pattern and colour on perception and avoidance-learning by prey. Anim. Behav. 47: 1087-1099. del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. (eds) 1994. Handbook of Birds of the World. Vol. 2. New World Vultures to Guineafowl. Lynx Edn., Barcelona. Endler, J. A. 1991. Interactions between predators and prey. Pp. 169-196 in J. R. Krebs & N. B. Davies (eds), Behavioural Ecology. 3rd edn. Blackwell Sci. Publ., London. Friedmann, H. 1950. Birds of North and Middle America. U.S. Natl. Mus. Bull. 50, Part XI. Furness, B. L. & Furness, R. W. 1980. Apostatic selection and kleptoparasitism in the Parasitic Jaeger: a comment. Auk 97: 832-836. Goétmark, F. 1987. White underparts in gulls function as hunting camouflage. Anim. Behaw. 35: 1786-1792. Hilty, S. L. & Brown, W. L. 1986. A Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Princeton Univ. Press. In Brief 270 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) Hori, M. 1993. Frequency-dependent natural selection in the handedness of scale-eating cichlid fish. Sczence 260: 216-219. Howell, S. N. G., Webb, S., Sibley, D. A. & Prairie, L. J. 1992. First record of a melanistic Northern Harrier in North America. West. Birds 23: 79-80. Huxley, J. 1955. Morphism in birds. Acta XI Congr. Internat. Orn.: 309-328. Lincoln, R. J., Boxshall, G. A. & Clark, P. F. 1982. A Dictionary of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics. Cambridge Univ. Press. Mindell, D. P. 1983. Harlan’s Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis harlani): a valid subspecies. Auk 100: 161-169. Palmer, R. S. (ed.) 1988. Handbook of North American Birds. Vol. 4. Yale Univ. Press. Paulson, D. R. 1973. Predator polymorphism and apostatic selection. Evolution 27: 269-277. Payne, R. B. 1967. Interspecific communication signals in parasitic birds. dm. Nat. 101: 363-375. Ridley, M. 1993. Evolution. Blackwell Sci. Publ., London. Rohwer, S. 1983. Formalizing the avoidance-image hypothesis: critique of an earlier prediction. Auk 100: 971-974. Wilson, R. P., Ryan, P. G., James, A. & Wilson, M.-P. T. 1988. Conspicuous coloration may enhance prey capture in some piscivores. Anim. Behav. 35: 1558-1559. Addresses: Michael A. Patten, Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, U.S.A. John C. Wilson, 2100 18th Street, Bakersfield, California 93301, U.S.A. © British Ornithologists’ Club 1996 IN BRIEF THE CORRECT CITATION OF THE BLUE-CHINNED SAPPHIRE CHLORESTES NOTATUS The name of this bird was accredited in Peters (1945) to “C. Reichenbach 1795”’, and this appears to have been followed, e.g. by Meyer de Schauensee (1966). However, C. Reichenbach did not exist. Until 1908, this species was generally cited as Chlorestes caeruleus (Vieillot), i.e. Tvochilus caeruleus Vieillot 1817 (vol. 7, p. 361), though in fact the earliest use of this name appears to be Audebert & Vieillot 1802 (vol. 1, p. 40). Berlepsch (1908, p. 266 footnote), apparently on the basis of a letter from C. W. Richmond to Ernst Hartert, pointed out that this name was predated by notatus. The first reference in literature to the species appears to be “‘No. 48 Trochilus ...’? Richard & Bernard (1792, p. 117). On this was based Trochilus notatus G.C. Reich (1793). Berlepsch used this, the earliest name, but quoted the date as 1795. This date was repeated by Peters (1945) who also made the error of transliterating Reich as Reichenbach. I have examined a microfilm copy of Reich’s rare paper, and confirm the name and that the date there quoted is 1793. There is no reason to suppose that this date is incorrect, and if Berlepsch had reason to believe that the date of publication was actually later than the date cited, he would probably have commented. It seems likely, therefore, that the date 1795 is a misprint. The correct citation of Chlorestes notatus should therefore be: G. C. Reich, 1793, Magazin des Thierreichs (Erlangen) 1, Abth. 3, p.129. Based on Richard & Bernard 1792, Cat. Ois. env. de Cayenne a la Soc. par M. le Blond yin! Actes Soc Hist. Nat! Parse.) 1 1d. In Brief aif Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) References: Audebert, J. B. & Vieillot, L. P. 1802. Oiseaux Dorés. Paris. Berlepsch, H. Graf von. 1908. On the birds of Cayenne. Novit. Zool. 15: 103-164, 201-324. Meyer de Schauensee, R. 1966. The Species of Birds of South America and_ their Distribution. Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. Peters, J. L. 1945. Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 5. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard. Richard & Bernard [initials unstated]. 1792. Cat. Ois. env. de Cayenne a la Soc. par M. le Blond. Actes Soc. Hist. Nat. Paris, i, 1: 116-119. Reich G. C. 1793. Magazin des Thierreichs (Erlangen) 1, Abth. 3: 129. Vieillot, L. P. 1817. Nouveau Dictionnaire d’Histoire Naturelle. Paris. Bird Group, Natural History Museum, MICHAEL WALTERS Tring, Herts HP23 6AP, (ORI 6 December 1995 THE EGGS OF CARPOCOCCYX RENAULDI: A CORRECTION Some years ago (Walters 1973, Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 93: 174), I described a clutch of four eggs which had been presented to The Natural History Museum by the late L. W. Hill (not Hall, as there misprinted) of “Birdland”’, Bourton-on-the-Water, as having been laid by Renauld’s, or the Coral-billed Ground-cuckoo Carpococcyx renauldi. It now seems clear that these eggs were in fact misidentified, as their size relative to body size is quite out of proportion to those of other related species. At that time, I queried the identity of an egg reported in Meise (1964, Sch6nwetter’s Handbuch der Oologie, pt. 10), but it would seem that this is in fact likely to be correct. This egg could not be found in 1973, but what appears to be the same specimen has subsequently come to light in the NHM collection. It was laid on 3 July 1927 in the aviary of Alfred Ezra, and given to Walter Rothschild. Sch6nwetter’s measurements, as quoted by Meise (1964), were 44.4 x 34.0 mm. I subsequently measured it and found it to be 44.5 x 34.2 mm. This is close enough to demonstrate that it may well be the same egg. Furthermore, curation of the NHM collection has revealed another egg, this time an oviduct specimen, collected by Sir Walter Williamson on 12 June 1918 at Pak Jung, E. Thailand, which measures 42.7 X 38.1. Although Williamson had queried the identity of the species for unclear reasons, it seems likely to be correct. The size of c. 42-44 x 34-38 mm for the eggs of this species seems, therefore, more likely to be correct than the figures (60-63 x 43- 45 mm) previously given. Bird Group, Natural History Museum, MICHAEL WALTERS Tring, Herts HP23 6AP, UK. 6 December 1995 In Brief 272 Bull. B.O.C. 1996 116(4) ON THE DIAGNOSIS OF ARAMIDES CAJANEA AVICENNIAE STOTZ, 1992 Described from the mangroves of coastal Brazil in southern Sao Paulo State, Avramides cajanea avicenniae Stotz, 1992 was characterized as having “‘the back Plumbeous ... and occiput with brown wash much reduced and greyer or absent’’ (Stotz 1992, Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 112: 231-234). Examining 73 specimens of the nominate form in the Museu Nacional (MN), Rio de Janeiro, and in the Museu de Historia Natural “Capao da Imbuia’ (MHNCI), Curitiba—Parana, from different parts of Brazil, we found that the coloration of the head of A. c. cajanea varied from a strong brown distributed over the entire upper head to a gradually restricted and duller brown which is limited to the neck, culminating in a few specimens with a pure grey pattern similar to that of the type of A. c. avicenniae (deposited in the Museu de Zoologia of the University of SAo Paulo, MZUSP 67212). Three of the analysed specimens of A. c. cajanea do not show any trace of brown on the head (Para, MN 25131; “Distrito Federal’ [=Rio de Janeiro], MN 28571; Espirito Santo, MN 25133, MN 26662). Possibly one specimen from Mato Grosso do Sul (MN 20113) can also be added to this list, as it is apparently a juvenile in the process of substitution of the brown feathers of the head for grey ones. For this reason we suggest that the diagnosis of A. c. avicenniae should be restricted to the coloration of the back. A female (MHNCI 187) confirms the presence of A. c. avicenniae in the state of Parana (Caiobéa—Passagem, 25°52'S, 48°36’W, municipality of Guaratuba). An unexamined specimen from Rio de Borrachudo that Stotz (loc. cit.) thought belonged to A. c. avicenniae was the only previous indication of its occurrence in Parana. We thank Mr Heraldo Britski, who authorized our access to the ornithological collection of the MZUSP, and Julio de Moura Leite (MHNCI) and Emygdio L.A. Monteiro Filho (Universidade Federal do Parana) for their critical remarks and suggestions concerning this text. The Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnolégico (CNPq) is thanked for the financial help formerly offered to our researches. We also would like to acknowledge the help of Jorge B. Nacinovic (MN) and Douglas F. Stotz in the revision of this manuscript. 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EAMES, J. C. Observations on the nesting behaviour of the Bar-bellied Pitta Pitta ellaota oo snk eo ae eee eee PEARSON, D. J. & ASH, J. S. ‘The taxonomic position of the Somali courser @ursorius (cursor) somalensts. 0050.00 oa 3 ls de eee KRABBE, N., POULSEN, B. O., FROLANDER, A., HINOJOSA B., M. & QUIROGA O., C. Birds of montane forest fragments in Chuquisaca Department, Boliviae seein Se eed OOS ake ote eile a RT ae Oke COLEBROOK-ROBJENT, J. F. R. & GRIFFITH, J. E. Forbes’s Plover Charadrius orbest breeding in Central Africal 4-4 ile ie eee FRITH, C. B. Further notes on little-known plumages of the Crested and Loria’s Birds of Paradise Cnemophilus macgregoru and C. loriae ... NIJMAN, V. & SOZER, R. Sexual dimorphism in the Java Hawk-eagle Spizaetus barvtelst.. ee ie ie eae aa ee DEAN, W.R.J. ‘The distribution of the Masked Weaver Ploceus velatus in 7% 0% °X0) ©: eRe At ee one ae eee rd ah TMS REM Oo nic Bis oo COLLAR, N. J. & PITTMAN, A. J. 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MACKWORTH-PRAED CLUB 1956-1959 1959-1962 1962-1965 1965-1968 1968-1971 1971-1974 1974-1977 1977-1980 1980-1983 1983-1986 1986-1989 1989-1993 1993— 1947-1948 1947-1948 1948-1949 1948-1949 1949-1953 1953-1956 1956-1959 1959-1962 1962-1965 1965-1968 1968-1971 1971-1974 1974-1977 1977-1980 1980-1983 1983-1986 1986-1989 1989-1990 1990-1993 1993— 1945-1947 1947-1952 1952-1961 1962-1969 1969-1974 1974-1975 1976-1990 1991— 1919-1920 1920-1922 1922-1923 1923-1929 1929-1935 il Honorary Secretaries Dr A. LANDSBOROUGH THOMSON 1935-1938 Miss E. FORSTER 1960-1962 C. R. STONER 1938-1940 Dr J. G. HARRISON 1962-1964 N. B. KINNEAR 1940-1943 C. J. O. HARRISON 1964-1965 Dr G. CARMICHAEL LOW 1943-1945 M. W. WooDcockK 1965-1969 Lt.Col. W. P. C. TENISON 1945-1947 D. R. CALDER 1969-1971 Capt. C. H. B. GRANT 1947 R. E. FE PEA 1971-1989 W. E. GLEGG 1947-1949 Mrs A. M. MOORE 1989-1995 Miss G. M. RHODES 1950 Cdr. M.B. CASEMENT O.B.E., R.N. 1996— N. J. PR WADLEY 1950-1960 Honorary Treasurers C. W. MACKWORTH-PRAED 1935-1936 P. TATE 1962-1974 Maj. A. G. L. SLADEN 1936-1942 M. St. J. SUGG 1974-1978 Miss E. P. LEACH 1942-1949 Mrs D. M. BRADLEY 1978-1990 C. N. WALTER 1950-1962 S. J. FARNSWORTH 1990— 1996 COMMITTEE Elected 21 May 1996 D. GRIFFIN, M.A. Chairman (1993) S.J. FARNSWORTH Hon. Treasurer (1990) R.E.F PEAL (1993) Dr. R. P. Prys-JONEs (1995) D. J. MONTIER (1996) Reverend T. W. GLADWIN Vice-Chairman (1993) Cdr. M. B. CASEMENT, O.B.E., R.N. Hon. Secretary (1996) Miss H. BAKER (1994) N.H-E STONE (1995) CHANGES IN MEMBERSHIP 1996/97 New Members (59) C. G. AHLUND R. P. FRITH H-R. Luo G. SANGSTER R.J. L. ARBERY P. GASCOIGNE A. McBRIDE T. SCHULENBERG J. BABINGTON Dr. A. F A. HAWKINS J.T. McBribE Jnr. J. SERLES T. BAGWORTH Dr. S. HAywoopD Professor R. MASSA U. G. SORENSON W. M. BALMER M.R. HILL J. G. E MEEs J. M. THIOLLAY J. W. BARRINGTON G. P. JACKSON M. M.S. NETO D. VAN CUTSEN T. BEER Dr J. A. JACKSON M. NOGALES Dr. R. R. VEIT C. BROWN K. KAZMIERCZAK G. J. OREEL C. WALKER Prof. B. BRUDERER Dr. J. B. KERSLEY Dr. W. G. PORTEOUS Cdr. E S. WARD, RN P CaRR S. KINGS M. K. POULSEN D. WARDEN B. CHILDRESS M. B. LANCASTER L. RACHELI R.S. R. WILLIAMS A. G. CLARKE L. LARSSON G. RICHARDSON T. N. WORFOLK J. B Davies M.R. LAWN C. ROBERTS S. XIROUCHAKIS A. N. FERNBY P. M. LEONARD EF RODRIGUEZ-GODOY D. ZUCCON R. P. FFRENCH J.T. LEVERICH _ B.W. ROWLANDS Deaths. It is with great regret that we record the deaths of the following six Members, in 1966: Dr. D. R. Aspinwall, Dr. G. C. Elsworthy, K. W. Henshall, J. L. McKean, J. G. Parker (Committee Member 1979-83), and Sir William Wilkinson. Resignations in 1996 (and 1997 shown in bold) PJ. Ashton, Dr. A.M. Barclay, P.W.P. Browne, R.D. Chancellor, D.St. J. Court-Smith, A-.R. Daniel, LS. Davidson, A.R. Dean, Dr. A. Gretton, Dr. D.C. Houston, T.J. James, Dr. Md Ali Reza Khan, Lt Cdr Lawrence of Mar, R.G.A. Leman, R.A. Newland, O. Samwold, Miss S. Sassoon, B. Stewart-Cox, P. Palsson, W.T. Tucker, R.E. Warriner, H.E. Wilson and B.D. Webster (23). Removed from membership under Rule (7) — 1996 R. Beecroft, C.P. Bell, P Bennett, Dr. M. Berezantseva, PW. Bison, Major B. D. McD Booth, DrT.L Bucher, G. Cattaneo, G.W. Cottrell Jnr, Dr. PDemarchi, Dr. PJ. Devillers, Ms I.Franke, J Gordon, W. Hesketh, M.C. Higgins, Major F Johnson, W.C.P Johnson, Dr.A.M. Jones, Dr. R.S. Kennedy, S. Koike, Miss J. Meredith-Middleton, A. Montemaggiore, Dr D.B. Peakall, Prof. A. Pettet, Dr. C.PE. Redfern, K.W.Robertson, Dr. C.L V Saari, D. Salt, PD. Sell, C. Sims, Dr. S.N. Stuart, D. Todd, H-Y. Tsai, R_L. Walker, and C.J. Whittles. (35). 1V BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB LIST OF MEMBERS. paid up as at 31 December 1996 (Updated from information available as at 28 April 1997). The Bulletin is mailed regularly to the addresses shown on this List, so it is important that all changes, errors and omissions are notified to the Hon. Secretary, as soon as possible, please. New Members joined in 1997, are indicated in bold type - 1997 (sic). Where no other country is shown, the address given is in the United Kingdom. 1986 1995 1983 1996 1984 1988 1994 1980 1989 1993 1978 1980 1990 1983 1980 1997 1976 1986 1978 1996 1969 1997 1985 1986 1986 1991 1996 1995 1995 1951 1996 1992 1995 1989 1992 1987 1979 1989 1976 1997 1976 ADCOCK, M.A.; “The Saltings” 53 Victoria Drive, Great Wakering, SOUTHEND-ON- SEA, Essex. SS3. OAT ADDY, J.; 81 St. Mary’s Road, Wheatley, DONCASTER, S. Yorks. DN1 2NT AGUILLO CANO, I. F; Apartado 129, 26200 HARO (La Rioja), Spain AHLUND, C.G.; Flaggvagen 19, S-18352 TAB 4, Sweden AIDLEY, Dr. D. J.; The O1d Woolpack, Morley St. Botolph, WYMONDHAM, Norfolk. NRI8 9AA ALBERTI, P.;Via B Cellini 10, 21052 BUSTO ARISIZIO, _ Italy ALEXANDER, G.; 6 Arliss Road, Maybush, SOUTHAMPTON. SO1 6DG ALLISON R.; Skerry Corner, The Grove, VERWOOD, Dorset, BH13 6EZ ALLPORT, G.; 48 Marshall Road, CAMBRIDGE. CB1 4TY ALSTROM, P.; Kungsgatan 3, 462 33 VANERSBORG, Sweden ALTMAN, Dr. A. B.; PO Box 441, GREAT BARRINGTON, MA 01230, USA AMADON, Dr. D.; American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th St, NEW YORK, NY 10024, USA ANDERTON, W. N.; 16 Skipton Road, Embsay, SKIPTON, N. Yorkshire. BD23 6QL ANDREW, P.; PO Box 153, NORTH SYDNEY, NSW 2060, Australia ANTRAM, EB. S.; PO Box 340, Belconnen, CANBERRA 2616, Australia ARBERY, R.J.L.; 29 Mackenzie Gardens, BRECHIN, Angus, DDG 6DG. ARITA Ichiro.; 23 ban Igo 5E Minami Aoyama 4 chome, Minato-ku, TOKYO 107, Japan ARLOTT, N. A.; Hill House, School Road, TILNEY ST. LAWRENCE, Norfolk. PE34 4RB ASH, Dr. J. S.; Godshill Wood, FORDINGBRIDGE, Hants. SP6 2LR BABINGTON, J.; 76 Knighton Road, St. Judes, PLYMOUTH, S. Devon. PL4 9DA BACKHURST, G. C.; PO Box 15194, NAIROBI, Kenya BAGWORTH, T.; Calf of Man Bird Observatory, c/o Kionsleau, Plantation Road, PORT St. MARY, Isle of Man. IM9 5AY BAKER, Mrs E. M.; PO Box 23404, DAR-ES-SALAAM, Tanzania BAKER, Miss H.; 60 Townsfield, RICKMANSWORTH, Herts. WD3 2DD (Committee 1994—) BAKER, N. E.; Aquila Engineering Services, PO Box 23404, DAR-ES-SALAAM, Tanzania BALEN, S. van; PO Box 47, BOGOR 16001, Indonesia BALMER, W.M.; c/o 6 Woodlands Avenue, Penwortham, PRESTON. PR1 9JP BARBAGLI, F; Largo XVI Luglio 27,5100 AREZZO, Italy BARLOW, C.R.; PO Box 296, Atlantic Hotel, BANJUL, The Gambia BARLOW, Capt Sir Thomas Bt. D.S.C., R.N.; 45 Shepherds Hill, Highgate, LONDON. N6 5QJ BARRINGTON, J.W.; 47A Reeves Avenue, Kingsbury, LONDON. NW9 8LN BARRITT, Captain M. K., R.N.; 1 Boyle Close, UXBRIDGE, Middx. UB10 0XB BARTHEL, P.H.; Uber dem Salzgraben, D-37574 EINBECK-DRUBER, Germany BATES, J M.; Bird Division Field Museum of Nat. Hist., Roosevelt Rd. at Lakeshore Drive, CHICAGO, IL 60605, USA BAUMANN, S.; An dem Wehe 4, D-26197 GROSSENKNETEN, Germany BAYLIS, A. H.; 135 Fairbridge Road, LONDON. NI9 3HF BEAMAN, M.A. S.; Two Jays, Kemple End, Birdy Brows, STONEYHURST, Lancs. BB6 9QY BECK, B. H.; 25 St. Thomas, West Parade, BEXHILL-ON-SEA, E. Sussex. TN39 3YA BECKING, J. H.; Ericalaan 7, 6703 EM WAGENINGEN, Netherlands BEER, T.; Tawside, 30 Park Avenue, BARNSTAPLE, North Devon, EX31 2ES. BELMAN, P. J.; Number Two, School Passage, SOUTHALL, Middx. UBI 2DR. 1979 1994 1986 1994 1982 1985 1991 1986 1966 1981 Vv BETTON, K. F; 8 Duke’s Close, Folley Hill, FARNHAM, Surrey. GU9 ODR. (Committee 1985-1988) BIERREGAARD, Dr. R. O.; Biology Dept, University of N. Carolina, CHARLOTTE, NC 28223, USA BINDEMAN, Mrs J.; 41 Lovett Road, Byfield, DAVENTRY, Northants. NN11 6XF BISHOP, I R.; Walter Rothschild Zoological Museum, Akeman St., TRING, Herts. HP23 6AP BISHOP, K D.; Semioptera, Lot 15, Kerns Road, KINCUMBER, NSW 2250, Australia BOCK, Prof. W. J. Ph. D.; Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, NEW YORK, NY 10027, USA BONFIELD, C. L.; Yew Tree Cottage, Great Easton, DUNMOW, Essex. CM6 2HQ BORELLO, Mrs W D.; PO Box 603, GABORONE, Botswana . BOSWALL, J. H. R.; Birdswell , Stoney Steep, Wraxall, BRISTOL. BS19 1JZ (Committee 1973-1976) BOUGHTON, R.C.; Croftfoot, ENNERDALE, Cumbria. CA23 3AZ 1956-70, 1984 BOURNE, Dr. W R. P; 3 Contlaw Place, Milltimber, ABERDEEN. AB1 0DS 1993 1995 1953 1985 1994 1990 1989 1966 1987 1996 1997 1981 1991 1976 1989 1995 1976 1988 1963 1997 1977 1981 1982 1970 1971 1993 1986 1988 1973 1963 1980 1987 1996 1977 1985 BRACE, Dr. R. C.; Dept of Life Science, Nottingham University, University Park, NOTTINGHAM. NC7 2RD BRADEN, G.T.; 95 Hidden Farm, Road, ALTA LOMA, CA 91737-1619, USA BRADLEY, Mrs D. M.; 6 Ariel Court, Ashchurch Park Villas, LONDON. W12 9SR (Committee 1968-1972, 1975-1978, Hon. Treasurer 1978-1989) BRADLEY, Mrs P. E.; Box 907, Grand Cayman, CAYMAN ISLANDS, British West Indies BRADLEY, R.; 24 Kingston Avenue, BLACKPOOL, Lancs. FY4 2QA BRADSHAW, C. G.; 6 Collet Walk, Parkwood, GILLINGHAM, Kent. ME8 9QL BRIGGS, Dr. K. B.; 2 Osborne Road, FARNBOROUGH, Hants. GUI4 6PT BRITTON, P. L.; All Souls & St. Gabriel’s School, PO Box 235, CHARTER TOWERS, Queensland 4820, Australia BROAD, D.; 15 Cotsford Avenue, NEW MALDEN, Surrey. KT3 5EU BROWN, C.; 1989 Colonial Parkway, FT. WORTH, TX 76110, USA BRUDERER, Prof. Bruno.; Eichhofstrasse 12, CH - 6205 EICH, Switzerland BRYANT, Dr. D. M.; Dept of Biology, University of Stirling, STIRLING. FK9 4LA BUCKNELL, N. J.; 10 Cleeve Court, Streatley, READING. RG8 9PS BULL, Dr. J.; 1148 Virginia St, FAR ROCKAWAY, NY 11691, USA BULL, P.J.; 35 Melbury Avenue, NORWOOD, Middx. UB2 4HS BURNHAM, Dr. W.; 5666 W. Flying Hawk Lane, BOISE, Idaho 83709, USA BYNON, Dr. J.; Lippitt’s End, Mott Street; High Beach, LOUGHTON, Essex. IG10 4AP CABOT, J; Pabellon del Peru, Avda Maria Luisa S/N, 41013 SEVILLE, Spain CALDER, D. R.; Melrose House, Ridgway, PYRFORD, Surrey GU22 8PN (Committee 1967-69, 1984-87, Hon. Secretary 1969-71, Chairman 1980-83) CARR, P: 6 Grenadier Close, Locks Heath, SOUTHAMPTON, Hants SO31 6UE CARSWELL, Dr. M_J.; 38 Park Avenue, ORPINGTON, Kent. BR6 9EH CARTER, A. G.T.; 10 Eversleigh, Buckingham Close, GUILDFORD, Surrey. GU1 1TR CARTER, C.; PO Box 50246, SIMON’S TOWN, Cape 7995, South Africa CARTHY, D P.; Data Processing Unit, Dept of Dentistry, Hong Kong University, 34 Hospital Road, Hong Kong CASEMENT Cdr. M. B., O.B.E., R.N.; Dene Cottage, West Harting, PETERSFIELD, Hants. GU31 5PA (Committee 1990-94, Hon. Secretary1996-) CHANDLER, Prof. RJ.;2 Rusland Avenue, ORPINGTON, Kent. BR6 8AU CHAPMAN, S. E.; “Steeplefield”, Marlpost Road, Southwater, HORSHAM, Sussex. RHI3 7BZ CHAPMAN-KOFRON, Ms A.; CSIRO Tropical Forest Research Centre, PO Box 780, ATHERTON, QLD 4883, Australia CHATFIELD, D. G. P.; Rhiwenfa, Rhiw, PWLLHELI, Gwynedd. LL53 8AE CHAYTOR, Dr. R. G.; Triangle, Keenley, ALLENDALE, Northumberland. NE47 9NT CHEKE, Dr. R. A.; N.R.I., Central Avenue, Chatham Maritime, CHATHAM, Kent.. ME4 4TB (Committee 1991-95) CHESHIRE, N. G.; 4 Willora Road, EDEN HILLS, South Australia 5050, Australia CHILDRESS, B.; 4 Finstock Heath, Witney Road, FINSTOCK, OXON OX7 3DE CHRISTMAS, T. J.; 2 Dymock St., LONDON. SW6 3HA CHRISTY, P.; 9 Rue des Promenades, 79.500 MELLE, France 1938 1985 1997 1989 1992 1995 1989 1986 1987 1979 1976 1986 1981 1980 1975 1986 1973 1981 1991 1986 1989 1978 1958 1946 1980 1988 1988 1986 1996 1983 1986 1973 1975 1987 1986 1985 1970 1974 1965 1952 1962 1986 1995 1995 1995 1986 1994 vi CLANCEY, P. A, D.Sc.; Suite 19, Caistor Lodge, 264 Musgrave Road, Berea, DURBAN 4001, South Africa (Hon. Life Member) CLARIDGE, J. C. R..; 17 Moana Road Plimmerton, via WELLINGTON, New Zealand A.G. CLARKE, A.G.; C/Republica Dominicana No. 61, Barrio de Fatima, 38500 Gitmar, Tenerife, CANARY ISLANDS, Spain CLARKE, M. C.A.; Hilltop, Newton, Martley, WORCESTER. WR6 6PR CLARKE, P. B.; Pipers, East Hoathley, LEWES, Sussex. BN8 6QX CLAY, M_J.; 3 Crawford Close, Earley, READING. RG6 7PE COLEMAN, B.; Hewelsfield, Snowdenham Links Road, BRAMLEY, Surrey. GU5 0BX. COLEMAN, J. R.; Watercoombes, West Milton, BRIDPORT, Dorset. DT6 3S] COLLINS, I. D.; Bryher, 10 Row Lane, Seend Cleeve, MELKSHAM. SN12 6PR COLLINS, R E. C.; Seatonden, Seaton, Ickham, CANTERBURY, Kent. CT3 1SL COLSTON P.R.; 3 Lammas Road, CHEDDINGTON, Bucks. LU7 ORY CONTENTO, G.;Via Monti 3, 34074 MONFALCONE (GO), Italy COOMBER, R.E; 1 Haglane Copse, Pennington, LYMINGTON, Hants. SO41 8DT COWAN, Dr. P. J.; Gleann Cottage, Glenlomond, KINROSS. KY13 7HF COWLES, G S. Tetherstones, 23 Kirkdale Road, HARPENDEN, Herts. ALS 2PT COX, Dr. R.A. F; Linden House, Long Lane, Fowlmere, ROYSTON, Herts. SG8 7TG THE EARL OF CRANBROOK, Ph.D.; Great Glemham House, Great Glemham, SAXMUNDHAM, Suffolk. P17 1LP CROCKER, N,J.; Salida, The Street, Ubley, BRISTOL, Avon. BSI8 6PN CROCKETT, D.E.; 21 McMillan Avenue, Kamo, NORTHLAND, New Zealand CROSBY, M. J.; 30 Molewood Close, CAMBRIDGE. CB4 3SH CROSS, J.K.; 62 Hulbert Road, Bedhampton, HAVANT, Hants. PO9 3TG CROUCHER, R.A. N.; Uplands Lodge, Manor Road, SMETHWICK, W. Midlands. B67 6SA (Committee 1980-84) CUDWORTH, J.; 17a Prospect Road, OSSETT, Yorks. WF5 8AE CUNNINGHAM VAN SOMMEREN, G. R.; PO Box 24947, Karen, NAIROBI, Kenya (Hon. Life Member) CURTIS, W. FE; Farm Cottage, Church Lane, Atwick, DRIFFIELD, E. Yorks. YO25 8DH DA FONSECA, P. S. M.; Rua Diamantina 20/201, 22461-050, RIO DE JANEIRO RJ, Brazil DAULNE, J-M.; Rue Laforge 11, B-6997 MORMONT-EREZEE, Belgium DAVIES, J.; 83 Rectory Lane, Leybourne, WEST MALLING, Kent. MEI9 5HD DAVIES, J. P.; 4 Davenport Close, TEDDINGTON, Middlesex. TW11 9EF DAVIES, Dr. M. G.; Summerleas, Crapstone Road, YELVERTON, Devon. PL20 6BT DAVIS, C. J; 4 Muller Road, Horfield, BRISTOL. BS7 0OAA DAVISON, Dr. G. W.H.; WWF (Malaysia), Locked Bag No 911, Jalan Sultan P.O., 46990 PETALING JAYA, Malaysia DEAN, Dr. WR.J. Karoo Tierberg Research Centre, PO Box 47, PRINCE ALBERT 6930, South Africa DEMEY, R.; van der Heimstraat 52, 2582 SB DEN HAAG, Netherlands DENNIS, M.K.; 173 Collier Row Lane, ROMFORD), Essex. RM5 3ED DENTON, M L.; 77 Hawthorne Terrace, Crosland Moor, HUDDERSFIELD, Yorks. HD4 5RP DESFAYES, M.; Prevan, CH 1920 FULLY, Switzerland DICK, J A., Dr. ER.C.S.; 33 St. Mary’s Road, Wimbledon, LONDON. SW19 7BP DICKENSON, E.C.; Norman Chapel, Aston Magna, MORETON-IN-THE MARSH, Glos. GL56 9QN DICKINSON, H. J.; Abinger Cottage, Paston, NORTH WALSHAM, Norfolk. NR28 9TB DOWSETT, R. J.; 12 Rue des Lavandes, GANGES F-34190, France DUCKETT, J. E.; 94 Lorong Chong Khoon Lin 6, Ukay Heights, 68000 AMPANG, Selangor DE, Malaysia DUNN, J.E; University Computing Centre, Edward Wight Building, Dunbar St., ABERDEEN. AB9 2TY DVORAK, M.; Anschutzgasse 30/3, A-1150 WIEN, Austria EAMES, J.C.; BirdLife Vietnam Programme, 17 M 13 Lang Trung, Dong Da, HANOT, Vietnam EARP, MJ.; 40 Station Road, WEST HORNDON, Essex. CM13 3TW EASTWOOD, C. H.B.; PO Box 921, PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea 1994 1995 1967 1985 1963 1973 1986 1988 1986 1988 1981 1996 1996 1979 1978 1976 1986 1943 1991 1991 1984 1995 1978 1996 1965 1994 1981 1959 1992 1976 1988 1996 1991 1974 1966 1966 vu ECCLES, S.D.; 8904 Narem Place, ANNANDALE, VA 22003, USA ECK, S.; Siidtiroler Str.1, D-01257 DRESDEN, Germany EDDIE, W. M. M.; 20 Gosford Place, EDINBURGH. EH6 4BH EDEN, R. M. G.; Haliki, Lower Beach Road, West Bexington, DORCHESTER, Dorset. DT2 9DG ELGOOD, J H.; Flat 27, The Anchorage, 157 Mudeford, CHRISTCHURCH. BH23 4AG (Committee 1967-1970, 1986-1990, Vice-Chairman 1971-1974, 1989-90, Chairman 1974-1977) ELKINS, D.A.; Le Frugier, St Mesmin, 24270 LANOUAILLE, France ERRITZOE, J.; Taps GL Praestegaard, DK 6070 CHRISTIANSFELD, Denmark FANSHAWE, J. H., BirdLife International, Wellbrook Court, Girton Road, CAMBRIDGE. CB3 0NA FARNSWORTH, S. J.; Hammerkop, Frogmill, Hurley, MAIDENHEAD, Berks. SL6 5NL (Committee 1989-90, Hon. Treasurer 1990-96) FEARE, Prof. C J.; 2 North View Cottages, Grayswood Common, HASLEMERE, Surrey. GU27 2DN. FERGENBAUER-KIMMEL. Dr. A.; Donrather Str. 2, D-53797 LOHMARL, Germany FERNSBY, A.N.; PO Box 34540, ERASMIA 0023, Transvaal, South Africa FFRENCH, R.P. Toftingal, Lauriston Road, GATEHOUSE OF FLEET, Dumfries & Galloway, DG7 2BE FIELD, G. D.; 37 Milton Grove, NEW MILTON, Hants. BH25 6HB FISHER, Dr. C.T.; Section of Birds and Mammals, Liverpool Museum, William Brown St., LIVERPOOL L3 8EN FISHER, D. J.; 56 Western Way, SANDY, Beds. SGI9 IDU FISHPOOL, Dr. L. D. C.; 12 Mountain St, Chilhaom, CANTERBURY, Kent. CT4 8DQ FITTER, R. S. R.; Drifts, Chinnor Hill, OXFORD.OX9 4BS (Committee 1959-62, Vice- Chairman 1962-65, Chairman 1965-68) (Hon. Life Member) FITZPATRICK, Dr. S.; Biological and Biomedical Sciences Dept.University of Ulster at Jordanstown, NEWTOWN ABBEY, Co. Antrim. BT37 0QB FLYNN, J. A.; 6 Linkfield Court, 78 Auckland Road, LONDON. SEI9 2DQ FOWLER, Dr. J. A.; Hafod Heli, High Street, BORTH, Dyfed. SW24 5JE FRANCIS, J.E.; 65 Fleet Street, LONDON. EC4 1HS FRASER, M.W.; c/o The Manse. DIRLETON, E. Lothian, EH39 5EL, Scotland FRITH, C.B.; Prionodura, PO Box 581, MALANDA, Queensland 4885, Australia FRY, Prof. C. H.; Bridge End House, Kentmere, STAVELEY, Cumbria. LA8 9JP FULLAGAR,, Dr. P.J.;5 d’Arcy Place, CHIFFLEY, ACT 2606, Australia GALEY, C. P.; 219 Ainsdale Dr.ive. Werrington, PETERBOROUGH, Cambs. PE4 6RL GALLAGHER, Major M. D.; c/o Box 668, MUSCAT 113, Oman GALLNER,, Dr. J. C.; 16 Rue Pavillon, 13001 MARSEILLE, France GALSWORTHY, A. C, CMG.-.; 11 Church Path, Merton Park, LONDON. SW19 3H] GARDNER-MEDWIN, Dr. D.; Flocktous, Station Road, Heddon-on-the-Wall, NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE. NE15 0EG GASCOIGNE, P.; 12 Wilcox Drive, UNDERWOOD, Notts, NG16 56W GAUNTLETT, F M.; 55 Larkfield Avenue, HARROW, Middx. HA3 8NQ GIBBS, A.; 48 Bolton Road, CHESSINGTON, Surrey. KT9 2JB GIBSON, Dr. J. A.; Foremount House, KILBARCHAN, Renfrewshire. PA10 2EZ GIL, D.; Bute Medical Building, University of St. Andrews, FIFE. KYI6 9TS 1962-70, 1988 GILLHAM, E. H.; 31 Coast Dr.ive, Lydd-on-Sea, ROMNEY MARSH, Kent. 1975 1994 1983 1970 1995 1981 1991 1953 TN29 9NL GILSTON, H.; Chemin des Mouettes 16, CH 1007, LAUSANNE, Switzerland GJERSHAUG, J.O.; Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Tungasletta 2, 7005 TRONDHEIM, Norway GLADWIN, The Rev. T. W.; 99 Warren Way, Digswell, WELWYN, Herts. AL6 ODL (Committee 1990-93, Vice-Chairman 1993-) GOODALL, A. E.; 46 Adrian Road, ABBOTS LANGLEY, Herts. WD5 0AQ GOODCHILD, Dr. J.; 150 Ruggles St. WESTBOROUGH, MA 01581 USA GOODMAN, S. M.; Dept of Zoology, Field Museum of Nat. Hist., Roosevelt Road at Lakeshore Drive, CHICAGO, IL 60605, USA GORIUP, P. D.; 36 Kingsfisher Court, Hambridge Road, NEWBURY, Berks. RG14 5SJ GORTON, E.; 249 Wigan Road, Westhaughton, BOLTON, Lancs. BL5 2AT 1977 1986 1995 1968 1994 1977 1984 LOT, 1963 1983 1986 1974 1990 1964 1986 1987 1981 1981 1978 1979 1956 1985 1977 1990 1960 1977 1974 1953 1974 1985 1997 1995 vill GOSLER, Dr. A. G.; c/o E.G.I, Dept of Zoology, South Park Road, OXFORD. OX1 3PS GOULDING, R..V. G.; 239a Carr Road, NORTHOLT, Middx. UB45 4RL GRAHAM, A.M.; 11 Armada Drive, TEIGNMOUTH, S. Devon, TQ14 INF GRAY, B.; 6 Totland Court, Victoria Road, MILFORD-ON-SEA, Hants. SO41 ONR (Committee 1977-80 Vice-Chainnan 1980-83, Chairman 1983-86) GREEN, G. E.; 33 Long Plough, Aston Clinton, AYLESBURY, Bucks. HP22 5HD GREEN, Prof. J.; 17 King Edwards Grove, TEDDINGTON, Middx. TW11 9LY GREENLAW, Dr. J. S.; 2813 SW 43 Lane, CAPE CORAL, FL 33914, USA GREENWOOD, Dr. J. G.; Science Dept, Stranmills College, BELFAST. BT9 5DY GREENWOOD, Dr. J.J.D.; B T.O. The Nunnerv. Nunnery Place, THETFORD, Norfolk. IP24 2PU GREGORY, P.A.; PO Box 1068, Katherine 0850, Northern Territory, Australia GREGORY, S. M. S.; 35 Monarch Road, Kingsthorpe Hollow, NORTHAMPTON. NN2 6EH GRIFFIN, D.; 51a Palace Road, EAST MOLESEY, Surrey. KT8 9DN (Committee 1983- 86, 1989-90, Vice-Chairman 1986-89, 1990-93, Chairman 1993-) GRIFFITH, J. E.; Ty-Pwll, Llyswen, BRECON, Powys. LDR O0OUY GRIMES, Dr. L. G.; St Nicholas Court, St Nicholas Church St., WARWICK. CV34 4JD GROSSMAN Dr. H.; Wietreie 78, D 2000 HAMBURG 67, Germany GULLICK, T. M.; c/o Mrs M. Parker, 5 Tile Barn Close, FARNBOROUGH, Hants. GUI4 8LS HAFFER,, Dr. J.; Tommesweg 60, D-45149 ESSEN, Germany HALE, Prof. W. G.; 5 Ryder Close, Aughton, ORMSKIRK, Lancs. L39 5HJ HALL, Prof. G. A..; Dept.of Chemistry, PO Box 6045, West Virginia University, MORGANTOWN WV 26506-6045, USA HANMER, Mrs D. B.; PO Box 3076, Paulington, MUTARE, Zimbabwe HARLEY, B. H.; Martins, Great Horkesley, COLCHESTER, Essex. CO6 4AH HARMAN, A. J. E.; 20 Chestnut Close, HOCKLEY, Essex. SS5 5EJ HARPUM, Dr. J.; 58 Shindington Road, CHELTENHAM, Glos. GL53 OJE HARRAP, S.; 1 Norwich Rd., Edgefield, MELTON CONSTABLE, Norfolk. NR24 2RP HARRISON, Dr. C.J.O.; 19 Kennington Road, Kennington, OXFORD. OX1 5NZ (Committee 1963-64, 1965-68, 1974-77, Hon. Secretary 1964-65) HARRISON, I. D.; Llyswen, Lon y felin, ABERAERON, Dyfed. SA46 OED HARVEY, W. G; c/o FCO (Nairobi), King Charles St., LONDON. SWIA 2AH HARWIN, Dr. R. M.; 3 Benatar Way, Alexandra Park, HARARE, Zimbabwe HASEGAWA, H.; Dept of Biology, Faculty of Science, Toho University, Miyama-cho, FUNABASHI, Chiba 274, Japan HAUBITZ, Dr. B.; Bergenerstr 26, D 30625 HANNOVER, Germany HAWKINS, Dr A. EA., BP 8511, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar HAYMAN, PJ.; Strawberry Cottage, Norton Rd., Bury St. Edmunds, TOSTOCK. IP30 9PT 1987, 1997 HAYWOOD), Dr. S. DPhil,; 4, Ruelle Grosdos, 89 390 Cry sur Armancon, France. 1991 1986 1994 1989 1987 1991 1981 1994 1986 1989 1996 1990 1985 1981 HAZEVOET, C. J.; H. Coenradistraat 27-2, 1063 XP AMSTERDAM, Netherlands HEARD, G. E.; 4 Lambley Lane, GEDLING, Notts. NG4 4PA HELBIG, Dr. A. J.; Universitat Greifswald, Vogelwarte Hiddensee, D-18565 KLOSTER/ HIDDENSEE, Germany HELM, C.A.R.;The Banks, Mountfield, ROBERTSBRIDGE, E. Sussex. TN32 5JY HENDERSON, A. C. B.; Farthings, The Forstal, Preston, CANTERBURY, Kent. CT3 1DR. HENDERSON, D.; PO Box 29, LEGANA, Tasmania 7277, Australia HENSSEL-RASMUSSEN, S.; Bakkehaven 18, DK-4180, SOR@, Denmark HERBER, K.; 22 Rusham Park Ave., EGHAM, Surrey. TW20 9NB HERON, K.; Tatchley Retreat, 332 Prestbury Road, CHELTENHAM, Glos. GL52 3DD HILL, A.; Albrecht Haushofer Str. 10, 3200 HILDESHEIM, Germany HILL, M.R.; 3 Chard Road, COVENTRY. CV3 2PW ‘i HIRSCHFELD, E.; Sédra Furstadsgatan, S-21143 MALMO, Sweden HOCKEY, Dr. P. A. R.; PEI.A.O. University of Cape Town, RONDESBOSCH 7700, South Africa HODGSON, M C.; CDC. Jakarta, c/o Commonwealth Development Corp., 1 Bessborough Gardens, LONDON. SW14 2JQ 1986 1957 1933 1992 1973 1972 1980 1989 1970 1981 1978 1985 1981 1994 1995 1975 1987 1997 1997 1986 1984 1978 1983 1973 1970 1951 1985 1991 1980 1992 1996 1965 1986 1983 1992 1960 1990 1997 1982 1981 1988 1996 1995 1984 1973 1989 ix HOFFMANN, T.W.; Haus Sonnenberg, CH 8914 AEUGST, Switzerland HOGG, P.; 44 West End, Kemsing, SEVENOAKS , Kent. TNI5 6PY (Committee 1962-66, 1972-74, Vice-Chairman 1974-77, Chairman 1977-80) HOLLOM, P. A. D.; Inwood Cottage, Hydestile. GODALMING, Surrey. GU8 4AY (Committee 1938-41, 1947-49, 1959-63 - Hon. Life Member) HOLLOWAY, S. J.; Orchard Cottage, Elmsdale Crescent, ADMASTON, Telford. TF4 O0OAQ HOLMES, D. A.; c/o Bull, The Old Rectory, Cold Overton, UPPINGHAM, Leics. LE15 7QA HOLYOAK, D T.; 8 Edward St., Tucking Mill, CAMBORNE, Cornwall. TRI4 8PA HOMBERGER, Dr. D.G.; Zoology & Physiology Dept, Louisiana State University, BATON ROUGE, LA 70803-1725, USA HOOGENDOORN, W;; Notengaard 32, 3941 LW DOORN, Netherlands HORNE, Ms J. EF M.; Box 1121, NANYUKI, Kenya HOUNSOME, Dr. M.V.; Manchester University Museum, Oxford Road, MANCHESTER. M13 9PL HOVEL, Ing. H. G.; 55 Einstein Str., 34602 HAIFA, Israel HOWARD), R. P; Hogg House, Lower Basildon, READING, Berks. RG8 9NH HOWE, S.; Alma House, 12 William Sreet, TORPHINS, Grampian. AB3 4JR HOWELL, S.; 4990 Shoreline Hwy, STINSON BEACH, CA 94970, USA HUNTER, N.D.; 8 Ennismore Avenue, Chiswick, LONDON. W4 1SF INGELS, Dr. ].; Galgenberglaan 9, B9070 DESTELBERGEN, Belgium INSKIPP, T.P.; c/o World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219c Huntingdon Road, CAMBRIDGE. CB3 ODL JACKSON, G.P.; 45 Thistle Close, THETFORD, Norfolk. IP24 27B JACKSON, Dr. J.A.; Dept of Biological Sciences, Box 7, MS State University MISSISSIPPI 39762, USA JAMES, S. L.; PO Box 898/13, ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates JENNINGS, M. C.; 1 Warners Farm, Warners Drove, SOMERSHAM, Cambs. PE17 3HW JENSEN, H.; Tolstoje Alle 26, DK 2860 SOEBORG, Denmark JEPSON, P. R.; ICBP Indonesia Programme, PO Box 212/800, JL Cilosari Block B XII No.1, BOGOR BARU Bogor 16001, Indonesia JOBLING, J., A.; 14 The Valley Green, WELWYN GARDEN CITY, Herts. AL8 7DQ JOHNSON, E. D H.; Crabiére Cottage, Grande Route des Mielles, ST OUEN, Jersey JE3 2FN, Channel Islands JOHNSON, H. P. H.; 17 Via Bontempi, PERUGIA, Italy JOHNSTON, D.; 4 Burn Street, Longtown, CARLISLE, Cumbria. CA6 5X W JONES, Ms R. M.; 51 Lee Terrace, Blackheath, LONDON. SE3 9TA JONGELING, T. B.; Peterhouse Girls’ School, Springvale Estate, Private Bag 3774, MASONDERA, Zimbabwe KANG NEE, Dr.; Block 647,Yishun Street 61, #07-366, Singapore 2776 KAZMIERCZAK, K.: 9 Norwich Road, NORTHWOOD, Middx. HA6 1ND KEITH, G. S.; 19356 Lee View Lane, REDDING, CA 96003, USA KELSEY, Dr. F D.; White Cottage, Church Lane, Cley-next-the-Sea, HOLT, Norfolk. NR25 7UD KELSEY, Dr. M. G.;c/o White Cottage, Church Lane, Cley-next-the-Sea, HOLT, Norfolk. NR25 7UD KENNERLY, P.; 57 Grange Road, #06-01 Lucky Tower, Singapore 249569 KENT, J. de R.; Mews Cottage, Church Hill, MIDHURST, Sussex. GU29 9ONX KERR-SMILEY, Lt.-Col. P. S.; Towranna Farm, Huntingfield, HALESWORTH, Suffolk. IP19 OQP KERSLEY, Dr. J.B, FRCS, ; 41 Moor Green Lane, Mosely, BIRMINGHAM, B13 8NE KETTLE, R.H.; 75 Dupont Road, LONDON. SW20 8EH (Committee 1988-91) KING, J.; 96 Forbes Avenue, POTTERS BAR, Herts. EN6 5NQ KING, J. R.; Point Reyes Bird Observatory, Stinson Beach, CA 94970, USA. KINGS, S.; 14 High Circle, Balerno, EDINBURGH, EH14 7HG KNIGHT, J.; 26 McKenzie Drive, Balloch, ALEXANDER, Strathclyde. G83 8HL KNIGHT, J. E.; 33 North Road, Stokesley, MIDDLESBOROUGH, Cleveland. TS9 5DZ KNOX, Dr. A. G.; Glebe House, 77 Leighton Road, WINGRAVE, Bucks. HP22 4PA KOGA, K,; 16-25 Akan Town, HOKKAIDO, 085-02 Japan 1987 1989 1985 1997 1996 1996 1985 x KRAMER, D.; 7 Little Headlands, Putnoe, BEDFORD. MK14 8JT LACK, Dr. P. C.; c/o B.T.O., The Nunnery, Nunnery Place, THETFORD, Norfolk. IP24 2PU LAMBERT, E R.; c/o 15 Bramble Rise, Westdene, BRIGHTON, Sussex. BNI 5GE LANCASTER, M.B.; 42, School Lane, ADDLESTONE, Surrey, KT15 1TB f LARSSON, L.; Kallstorpsmottagningen, Stro6msviksvagen 16, S-461 59 TROLLHATTAN, Sweden LAWN, M.R.; 20 Croft Road, GODALMING, Surrey. GU7 1BY LAWSON, I. B.; 20 Glen Walk, 12 Sugar Farm Trail, Sunningdale, DURBAN 4051, South Africa 1959-74, 1986 LEES-SMITH, D T.; 134 The Avenue, Starbeck, HARROGATE, N. Yorks. 1985 1997 1997 1975 1985 1988 1994 1991 HG1 4QF LEMAUVIEL, Y.; Ul Jeziorna 3M1, 02-911 WARSAW, Poland LEONARD, P.M.; Kafue Fisheries, Box 31522, LUSAKA, Zambia. LEVERICH, Joseph T.; 51 Welles Ave, DORCHESTER, MA 012124, USA LEVEQUE, R.; Feld 16, CH 6204, SEMPACH, Switzerland LEWIS, I. T.; Gables, Fordcombe. Nr. TUNBRIDGE WELLS, Kent. TN3 ORY LIM, K.K.; 177 Jalan Loyang Besar, Singapore 509432. LIN, W-Y.; 7 LN 228 Sec 2, Hsin-I Rd., TAIPEI, Taiwan R.O.C. 106 LINDBLAD), O.; Skaldevagen 58 S-35239 VAXJO, Sweden 1968-71, 1989 LINDSAY, J.D.; 8 Petworth House, Great Holm, MILTON KEYNES. MK8 9ED. 1993 1985 1982 LINDSAY, Dr. N. J.; 13 Dove St., Saltaire Village, SHIPLEY, W. Yorks. BD18 3EY LISTER, S.M.; 31 Lisle Street, LOUGHBOROUGH, Leics. LE11 OAY LITTLEMORE, F P; Plemstall, 264 Dunchurch Road, RUGBY, Warwicks. CV22 6HX 1951-55, 1977. LIVERSIDGE, Dr. R.; 92 Central Road, KIMBERLEY 8301, Cape Province, 1986 1985 1992 1981 1996 1973 1996 1996 1991 1991 1944 1995 1991 1988 1995 1981 1974 1992 1981 1986 1989 1970 1988 1994 South Africa LLOYD, J.V.; Cynghordy, LLANDOVERY, Dyfed. SA20 OLN LOSSY, G.; Turnersstraat 42, 2020 ANTWERP, Belgium LOUETTE, M.; Achterstr 109, 3080 TERVUREN, Belgium LOVEJOY, Dr. T. E.; Asst. Sec. for External Affairs, Smithsonian Institution SI-317, 1000 Jefferson Drive SW, WASHINGTON DC 20560, USA LUO, H-R,; 17 Sunblane 42, Lane 493, Chungshan. Rd.,_ Tantzu, TAICHUNG HSIEN 427, Taiwan McANDREW, R..T.; 5 Thornhill Gardens, HARTLEPOOL, Cleveland. TS26 OHY McBRIDE, A.; PO Box 190 Box 190, NEWPORT BEACH, NSW 2106, Australia McBRIDE Jnr, J.T. 3525 North Market St., SHREVEPORT LA 71107-3814 USA McCANCH, N.V.; 23 New Street, Ash, CANTERBURY, Kent. CT3 2BH McCARTHY, J.E.; 10 Beech Gove, CHEPSTOWE, Gwent. NP6 5BD McCULLOCH, The Rev . G. K. OB.E.; 5 Roy Road, NORTHWOOD, Middx. HA6 IEQ (Committee 1981-83,Vice-Chairman 1983-86, Chairman 1986-89) (Hon. Life Member) McGOWAN, J.; 7 Ripon Avenue, Lowton, WARRINGTON. WA3 2JE McGOWAN, Dr. K. J.; Ecology and Systematics, Corson Hall, Cornell University, ITHACA, NY 14853 USA McGOWAN, PJ.K.; Biology Dept, The Open University, Walton Hall, MILTON KEYNES. MK7 6AA McLANDRESS, Dr. M.C.; California Waterfowl Assoc. 4630 Northgate Blvd, Ste 150, SACRAMENTO, CA 95834-1125 USA McLAUGHLIN, T)J.; Lisnacarrig, Brighton Road, FOXROCK, Co. Dublin, Ireland McNEIL, Dr. D. A. C.; 721 Loughborough Road, BIRSTALL, Leics. LE4 4NN McPHELIM, B. M.; 3711 McKinley St. NW, WASHINGTON DC 20015, USA MADGE, S. C.; “Seawinds”, Lower Trerieve, Downderry, TORPOINT, Cornwall. PEt SEZ MAIN, J. S.; 67 Farm Fields, SANDERSTEAD, Surrey. CR2 OHR MALCOLM, N. S.; 439 Banbury Road OXFORD. OX2 8ED MANN, Dr. C. EF; 123 Hartswood Road, LONDON. W12 9NG (Committee 1977-1981) MANSFIELD, R. C.; “Birdwood”, 15c Lyles Road, Cottenham, CAMBRIDGE. CB4 4QR MARANTZ, C. A.; Biology Dept, Morrill (South), University of Massachusetts, Box 35810 AMHERST MA 01003-5810, USA 1957 1995 1992 1994 1985 1985 1983 1982 1987 1988 1997 1986 1989 1964 1993 1989 1987 1982 1979 1997 1990 1980 1980 1994 1997 1991 1991 1986 1980 1988 1946 1992 1985 1989 1990 1986 1995 1989 1995 1951 1983 1986 1990 1982 1989 1974 x1 MARCHANT. S.; Lot 24, Maulbrooks Road, MORUYA, NSW 2537, Australia MARIN, M.A.; Casilla 15, MELIPILLA, Chile MARR, B A. E.; “Two Hoots”, Old Hall Farm Barns, CLEY-NEXT-THE SEA, Norfolk, NR25 7RY MARRUS, R.S.; 244 Ontario Street, COHOES, NY 12047, USA MARTIN, J. W. P.; 54 Wolsey Road, EAST MOLESEY, Surrey. KT8 9EW MARTIN, Dr. M. R.; Shewalton, 22 Victoria Avenue, CANTERBURY, Melbourne 3126, Australia MARTINS, R P.; 6 Connaught Road, NORWICH, Norfolk. NR2 3BP MASON, I. J.; CSIRO Div. of Wildlife Research, PO Box 84, LYNEHAM, ACT 2602, Australia MASON, V.; Interhash 88, PO Box 400, Denpasar 80001, BALI, Indonesia MASSA, B.; Instituto di Entomologia Agraria, Viale della Science, 13-90128 PALERMO, Italy MASSA, Prof. R.; Dept. Science Ambiente e Territorio, Via Emanueli 15, 1-20126 MILANO, Italy MASSEY, K. G.; 4 Hall Terrace, Great Sankey, WARRINGTON, Cheshire. WA5 3EZ MASSIE, D.B.; 43 Hazel Road, Purley Beeches, READING, Berks. RG8 8HR MEAD), C. J.; c/o BTO., The Nunnery, Nunnery Place, THETFORD, Norfolk. [P24 2PU (Committee 1971-75) MEAD), Miss Claire.; 65 Terrington Hill, MARLOW, Bucks. SL7 2RE MEADOWS, B. S.; c/o Rashid Engineering, PO Box 10476, JUBAIL 319611, Saudi Arabia. MEDLAND, R. D.; 2 Staplake Cottages, Starcross, EXETER, Devon. EX6 8QT MEDWAY, D. G.; PO Box 476, NEW PLYMOUTH, New Zealand MEEK, E.R.; Smyril, Stenness, STROMNESS, Orkney MEES, G.F; 31 West Street, Bussleton 6280, W.A,. Australia MEININGER,, P L.; Lisztlaan 5, 4384 KM VLISSINGEN, Netherlands MELDRUM, Dr. J. A. K.; Heath House, 1 Millgate, Lisvane, CARDIFF CF4 5TY MELVILLE, D.S.; c/o WWF (Hong Kong), GPO Box 12721, Hong Kong MESQUIDA, F; c/Canario No. 4, Urb Cotorredondo, 28979 Batres, MADRID, Spain MEY, Dr. E.: An der Briicke 3, D-07407 Rudolstadt, Germany MEYBURG, Dr. B. U.; Herbetstrasse 14, D-14193 BERLIN, Germany MICALT, Dr. G.;Via Savona 71, 1-20144 MILAN M1 Italy MILLS, T. R.; 36 Chartfield Avenue, Putney, LONDON. SW15 6HG MISKELL, J.; CARE-Tanzania, PO Box 10242, DAR-ES-SALAAM, Tanzania MOLLER, E.; Behringstr. 13, 32049 HERFORD, Germany MONK, Dr. ie F, D.M.; Bridge Cottage, High St, Goring, READING Berks. RG8 9AN WiesGhwenan 1965-68, Chairman 1968-71, Editor 1976-1991, Committee 1991-94, Hon Life Member) MONTIER, D. J.; Eyebrook, Oldfield Road, Bickley, BROMLEY, Kent. BRI 2LF (Committee 1996-) MOORE, Mrs A. M.; 1 Uppingham Road, OAKHAM, Rutland LEI5 6JB (Committee 1987-89, Hon. Secretary 1989-95) MOREL, Dr. G.;1 route de Sallénelles, Brévilles-les-Monts, F 14860 RANVILLE, France MOREL, Dr. Marie-Yvonne; 1 route de Sallénelles, Brévilles-les-Monts, F 14860 RANVILLE, France MORGAN, R. G.; No. 8 Forest Side, Worcester Park, SURREY. KT4 7PB MORIOKA, H. Zoology Dept., National Science Museum, 3-23-1 Kyakumino-cho, Shinjuku, TOKYO 169, Japan MORRIS, W.; 8 Hughes St, Penygraig, RHONDDA, Mid Glamorgan. CF40 1LX MORROW, I.H.; 22 Tamara Lane, CORNWALL, NY 12518-1616, USA MOUNTFORT, G. R., O.B.E.; 8 Park Manor, St Aldhelms Road, POOLE, Dorset. BH13 6BS MOYER, D. C.; PO Box 934, IRINGA, Tanzania MULLER, Mrs M. N.; Lovedays Mill, PAINSWICK, Glos. GL6 6SH MULLER, H. H. iprerontclder Str 46 D-20251, HAMBURG, Germany MURPHY, M.; Marine Station, Sherkin Island, Co. CORK, Ireland MUSGROVE, N.J.; 41 Emery Close, WALSALL, West Midlands. WS1 3AC NAKATA, Y.; Japan Pheasant & Wildlife Soc., 17-11, 3- Chome Kuwazu, Higasisumiyosi-ku, OSAKA 546, Japan 1986 1996 1974 1979 1997 1995 1979 1994 1989 1973 1970 1996 1982 1995 1971 1994 1994 1993 1994 1966 1957 1963 1989 1979 1995 1988 1982 1957 1989 1995 1968 1981 1996 1997 1994 1978 1989 992 1979 1981 1982 1989 xl NASH, J. W.; 1 3 Farm Hill, BRIGHTON, Sussex. BN2 6BG NETO, J.M.M.S.; Avenida Araujo E, Silva No. 20A, 3810 AVEIRO, Portugal NICOLSON, M. P.; The Hilton National, Walcot Street, BATH, Avon. BA1 5B] NOBLE-ROLLIN. C.; Greystones, Glanton, ALNWICK, Northumberland. NE66 4AH NOGALES, Professor M.; DPTO. Zoologia 38206, Universidad de la Laguna, Tenerife, CANARY ISLANDS, Spain NORMAN, S.C.; 62 Birkdale Road, Errington Park, NEW MARSKE, Cleveland. TS11 8JB OBA, Dr.T.; Nat. Hist. Mus. & Institute., 955-2 Aoba-Cho, Chuo-ku, CHIBA 260, Japan OLDFIELD, S. W.; Duckend Farmhouse, Birchanger, BISHOP’S STORTFORD, Herts. CM23 5QS OLIOSO, G.; Le Grand Faubourg, F 26230, GRIGNAN, France OLIVER P. J.; The Briar Patch, Trevereux Hill, Limpsfield Chart, OXTED, Surrey. RH8 OTL (Committee 1978-79) OLSON, Dr. S. L.; 217 N. Jackson St., Arlington ,VA 22201, USA OREEL, G,J.; Deurganck 15, 1902 AN CASTRICU,. Netherlands OREN, Dr. D. C.; Dept Zoologica, Museu Goeldi, Caixa Postal 399, Belem, PARA, CEP 66040, Brazil ORINY, Prof. L.W,; EECB 1000 Valley Road, Univ. of Nevada, RENO, NV 89512, USA PARKES, Dr. K. C.; Carnegie Museum, 4400 Forbes Avenue, PITTSBURG, PA 15213, USA PARMELEE, Dr. D. F; Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History, 4505 Maryland Pkwy, Box 454012, LAS VEGAS, Nevada 89154-4012, USA PARRY, S. J.; Sub-Dept. of Ornithology, British Museum (Natural History), TRING, Herts. HP23 6AP PATRICK, CJ.; 7 Wellington Court, The Nothe, WEYMOUTH, Dorset DT4 8UA PATTEN, M.A.; PO Box 51959, RIVERSIDE, CA 92517-2959, USA PAYNE, Dr. R. B., Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, ANN ARBOR, MI 48109, USA PAYNTER, Dr. R.A. Jnr; Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, CAMBRIDGE, MA 02138, USA PEAL, R. E. EF; 2 Chestnut Lane, SEVENOAKS, Kent. TN13 3AR (Committee 1969-71, 1993-, Hon. Secretary 1971-89, Chairman 1989-93) PEART, D. E. M. 35 Shaftesbury Road, Wilton, SALISBURY, Wilts. SP2 ODT PECKOVER, W., O.B.E.; 14 Balanda Street, JINDALEE, Queensland 4074, Australia PENNINGTON, L.; 706 W 5th Drive, EL DORADO, AR 71730, USA PENRY, Dr. E. H.; PO Box 138, ORKNEY, Transvaal 2620, South Africa PETERSEN, A., Natturufraedistofnun Islands, PO Box 5320, REYKJAVIK 125, Iceland PHILLIPS, Dr. A R.; Reforma 825-A, Col. Chapultepac, San Nicolas de los Garza, NEUVO LEON, 66450 Mexico PIPER, S. E.; 2 Canal Dr.ive, WESTVILLE 3630 Natal, South Africa PITTMAN, A,J.; 8 St. Julian’s Farm Road, LONDON SE27 OJJ PLENGE, M. A.; c/o Logistics Services, Inc., 1612 NW 84th Av., MIAMI, Florida 3312-1032, USA POMEROY, Dr. D. E.; Resource Centre MUIENR, PO Box 7298, KAMPALA, Uganda PORTEOUS, Dr. W.G..; 11 Castle Gardens, Kimbolton, HUNTINGDON, Cambs PE18 OJE POULSEN, M.K; c/o BirdLife International, Wellbrook Court, Girton Road, Cambridge, CB3 ONA POWELL, Dr. C. D.; Cobblestones, Lees Road, Brabourne Lees, ASHFORD, Kent. TN25 6RN POYSER, T.; Town Head House, Calton, WATERHOUSES, Stafts. STIO 3JQ PRATS, P.; Cami de Rafalat 59, 07713 Trebeluger, MENORCA, Spain PRAZ, J.-C.; Conservateur, Musée Cantonal d’Histoire Naturelle, Case Postale 2160, 42 Av. de la Gare, 1950 SION, Switzerland PRICE, R. C.; 3 Ashchurch Park Villas, LONDON. W12 9SP PRINCE, P.A.; c/o British Antarctic Survey, Madingley Road, CAMBRIDGE. CB3 0OET PRITCHETT, R. S.; First Floor Flat, 81 Winchester Street, LONDON. SW1V 4NU PRYS-JONES, Dr. R. P.; Sub-Dept of Ornithology, British Museum (Natural History), TRING, Herts. HP23 6AP (Committee 1995-) 1997 1987 1995 1986 1989 1994 1977 1978 1976 1987 1982 1994 1996 1989 1991 1996 1982 1993 1989 1993 1992 1996 1991 1962 1986 1978 1984 1986 1996 1987 1972 1982 1993 1989 1954 1992 1987 1996 1974 1984 1996 1993 1989 1984 1961 xi RACHELI, L.; Via G.Valmarana, 66, 1-00139 ROME Italy RAE, M. C.; Roydon Hall, Roydon, KINGS LYNN, Norfolk. PE32 1AR RAE, S.; 18 Glenkinchie, PENCAITLAND, Lothian. EH34 5ET RAJKOWSKI, Dr. K. M.; 14 Rue des Poissons, F 93600, AULNAY-SOUS-BOIS, France RANDALL, A. J.; 13 Church Road, Cowley, UXBRIDGE, Middx. UB8 3NB RAPPOLE, Dr. J.; 1500 Remount Road, FRONT ROYAL,VA 22630, USA RAYNOR, E. M.; Chalkhill, Lees Hill, SOUTH WARNBOROUGH, Hants. RG29 1RQ REDMAN, N. J.; Banks House, Mountfield, Nr. ROBERTSBRIDGE, E. Sussex. TN32 5JY REDMAN, P.S.; 20 Rue Dauphine, F 75006, PARIS, France REED, J. M.; 21 Hardings, Panshanger, WELWYN GARDEN CITY, Herts. AL7 2EQ REID, Dr. J. B.; 8 Temple Crescent, CRAIL, Fife. KY10 3RS REINO, L. M.; Av. Dn. Mario Moutinho, L-1733 10E, 1400 LISBON, Portugal RICHARDSON, G.; 12 Moreton Parade, Maybank, NEWCASTLE, Staffs. ST5 0JO RICHARDSON, J. E.; Hazelbrow, Rad Lane, Peaslake, GUILDFORD, Surrey. GU5 9PB RITCHIE, Dr. D.; Seaton House, Kings Ripton, HUNTINGDON, Cambs. PE17 2NJ ROBERTS, C.; Biological sciences Dept.. Texas Tech. University, LUBBOCK, TX 94090-3131 USA ROBERTS, Dr.T. J.; Cae Gors, Rhosecefnhir, PENTRAETH, Anglesey. LL75 8YU ROBERTSON, A. L. H.; 2 St. Georges Terrace, Blockley MORETON-IN-THE- MARSH, Glos. GL56 9BN ROBERTSON, I. S.; Laurelbank, Exnabol, VIRKIE, Shetland. ZE3 9JS ROBINSON, N. E.; 15/17 Prospect Street, Buttershaw, BRADFORD. BD6 2DY RODRIGUES, Dr. M.; Departamento de Ecologie e Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 88040-900 FLORIANOPOLIS- SC, Brazil RODRIGUEZ-GODOY, FE; c/o M. Glez, Martin, 19-4°D, 35006 Las Plamas, CANARY ISLANDS, Spain ROHR, W. F; Silcherweg 13, D-55063 MAINZ 31, Germany ROMER, M.L. R..; Gillingshill, Arkesden Road, Clavering, SAFFRON WALDEN, Essex. CB11 40U (Committee 1964-68) R@SKAFT, Dr. E.; Kongshaugveien 12, N 7560 VIKHAMAR, Norway ROSS, N.; 71 Buckingham Road, WILMSLOW, Cheshire. SK9 5LA ROUND, P. D.; Centre for Conservation, Mahidol University (Dept of Biology), Rama VI] Road, BANGKOK, 10400, Thailand ROWBURY, T. J.; 25 Priestley Dr.ive, Larkfield, MAIDSTONE, Kent. ME20 6TX ROWLANDS, B.W.; 160 Doncaster Road, Sandyford, NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, NE2 1RB ROWLEY, I. C. R.; CSIRO Locked Bag 4, PO MIDLAND, Western Australia 6056, Australia RUDGE, P.; National Hospital for Nervous Diseases, Queen Square, LONDON., WCI1N 3RG RUMSEY, S. J. R.; Elms Farm, Pett Lane, Icklesham, WINCHELSEA, E. Sussex T™N36 4AH RYALL, Dr. C.; Environmental Technology, Farnborough College, Boundary Road, FARNBOROUGH, Hants. GU14 6SB SAETHER, S. A.; Dept of Zoology, University of Trondheim, N-7055 DRAGVOLL, Norway SAGE, B. L.; Waveney House, 41 Waveney Close, WELLS-NEXT-THE-SEA, Norfolk. NR23 1HU SALAMAN, P. G. W.; 28 Oakway, West Wimbledon, LONDON. SW20 9JE SAMWALD, O.; Gschmaier 130, A-8265, GROSS STEINBACH, Austria SANGSTER, G.; Nieuwe Rajn 27, 2312 JD LEIDEN, Netherlands SAYERS, B. C.; 164 Chelmer Road, CHELMSFORD, Essex. CM2 6AB SCHUCHMANN, Dr. K. L.; Zoologi. Forschungsinstitut u Mus. Alexander Koenig. Adenauerallee 150-164, 5300 BONN 1, Germany SCHULENBERG, T.; Roosevelt Road, at Lakeshore Drive, CHICAGO), Illinois 60605- 2496 USA SCHULTZ, A.; PO Box 540, PORT ELIZABETH 6000, South Africa SCHULZE-HAGEN, K..; Bergerstr. 163, D-41068 MUNCHEN-GLADBACH, Germany SCHUTT, R..; Roseggerstr. 35, D-12059 BERLIN, Germany SCOTT, R. E.; 8 Woodlands, Priory Hill, St. Neots, HUNTINGDON, Cambs. PE19 IUE 1986 IY) 1979 1996 1985 1979 1991 1985 1987 1984 1995 1970 1988 1995 1992, 1991 1973 1981 1992 1977 1981 1996 1981 1985 1995 1980 1988 1979 1991 1994 1992 1983 1995 1989 1994 1988 1987 1977 1986 1991 1993 1988 X1V SELE Dr. R.; 21 Firs Avenue, LONDON. N10 3LY SELLAR,, P. J.; 89 Riddlesdown Road, PURLEY, Surrey. CR8 1DH SELLAR, T. J., Ph.D.; Zoology & Applied Entomology Dept, Imperial College, LONDON. SW7 2AZ SERLES, J.; 9612 Lucerne Ave #205, CULVER CITY, CA 90232, USA SHARLAND, R. E.; 1 Fisher’s Heron, East Mills, FORDINGBRIDGE, Hants. SP6 2JR SHARROCK, Dr. J.T. R.; Fountains, Park Lane, Blunham, BEDFORD. MK44 3NJ SHAW, M. B.; 6 The Spinney, Killingworth Village, NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE. NE12 0BG SHELDON, FE H.; Museum of Natural Sciences, 119 Foster Hall, Louisiana State University, BATON ROUGE, LA 70863, USA SHIGETA, Y.; Bird Migration.Research Centre, Yamashina Institute for Ornithology. Konoyama, Abiko, CH 1BA 270-11, Japan SHIRIHAI, H.; PO Box 4168, EILAT 88102, Israel SIBLEY, Prof. Charles G.; 433 Woodley Place, SANTA ROSA, CA 95409. USA SKINNER, Prof. N. J.; 60 Gunton Dr.ive, LOWESTOFT, Suffolk. NR32 4QB SLACK, E.; Norwood, 30 Reid Park Road, Jesmond, NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE. NE2 2ES SMALL, J.O.H.; Hawthorn Cottage, 12 Swan Farm Court, Deighton, YORK. YO4 6HZ SMIT, H. Jr.; Treilerstr 108, 1503 JL ZAANDAM, Netherlands. SMITH, D.T.; 18 Edinburgh Place, Earls Avenue, FOLKESTONE, Kent. CF20 2HP SMITH, G.A.; Green Acre, Great North Road, Haddon, PETERBOROUCH. PE7 3TN SMITH, Dr. N. G.; Smithsonian ‘Tropical Research Institute, Unit 0948, APO AA 34002-0948, USA SMITH, P.W.; PO Box 3170, FLORIDA CITY, FL 33034-0170, USA SNOW, Dr. D. W.; The Old Forge, Wingrave, AYLESBURY, Bucks. HP22 4PD (Editor 1991-) SOMADIKARTA, Dr. S.; Jalan Salak 12, BOGOR 16151, Indonesia SORENSON, U.G. Mollegade 21, 1.tr., DK-2200 COPENHAGEN N., Denmark SPAANS, Dr. A. L.; Sylvalaan 12, 6816 RB ARNHEM, Netherlands SPITZER, Dr. G.; Inst. fiir Zoologie & Univ. Wien, Althanstr 14, A 1000 VIENNA, Postfach 282, Austria SPITZNAGEL, A.; Haupstr. 2, D-79256 BUCHENBACH, Germany STACK, Dr. C. G., BSc., MB., BS.; 6 Clumber Road, Ranmoor, SHEFFIELD, S. Yorks. $10 3LE STANFIELD, Dr. J. P; 25 Brandling Place South, NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, NE2 4RU STATHAM, S A. H.; Woodcock Hill, Durrants Lane, BERKHAMSTED, Herts. HP4 3TR (Committee 1983-86) STENWIG, J. T.; Dept of Pathology, Akershus Central Hospital PB 33, N-1474 NORDBYHAGEN, Norway STERLING, J.; Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, National Zoological Park, WASHINGTON DC 20008, USA STILES, E G.; Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Univ. Nacional de Columbia, Apto 7495, BOGOTA DC, Columbia STONE, N. H E; 64 Trinity Road, Old Wolverton, MILTON KEYNES, ES MK 12 5PB ( Gone 1986-90, 1995-) STOREY, C.W.R.; 22 Richmond Park Road, East Sheen, LONDON. SW14 8JT STOTER DE: 5 Branksome Tower, 3 Tregunter Path, Hong Kong STOTZ, Dr. D. FE; Environmental & Conservation Progr., Field Museum of Nat.Hist., Roosevelt Road at Lake Shore Drive, CHICAGO, IL 60605, USA STRAHL, Dr. S.D.; Wildlife Conservation Int., Bronx Zoological Park, 185th St. & S. Blvd, BRONX, NY 10460 USA STRONACH, N R. H.; Bally Richard, MIDLETON, WESTPORT, Co. Cork, Ireland STUART, Dr. S.N.; Species Survival Commission, IUCN, Avenue de Mont Blanc, CH 1196 GLAND Switzerland SUMMERFIELD, Dr. B. J.; 11a Avenue Gdns, MARGATE, Kent. CT9 3BD SUMMERS-SMITH, J. D.; Merlewood, The Avenue, GUISBOROUGH, Cleveland. TS14 8EE SUPPLE-KANE, K W.; CASTLE BELLINGHAM, Co. Louth, Ireland SWASH.A R.H.; 1 Romans Gate, Pamber Heath, BASINGSTOKE, Hants. RG26 6EH 1990 1985 1956 1985 1975 1976 1982 1996 1979 1982 1979 1988 1981 1985 1988 1991 1959 1994 1985 1986 1970 1995 1991 1985 1974 1975 1993 1982 1996 1997 1991 1994 1934 1991 1981 1976 1996 XV TALBOT, G J.; 58 Ash Close, SWAFFHAM, Norfolk. PE37 7NH TANNER, A.R.; 24 Eustace Road, East Ham, LONDON. E6 3ND TATE, P.; Half Acre, Rooks Hill, RICKMANSWORTH, Herts. WD3 4HB (Hon. Treasurer 1962-74) TAYLOR, P. B.; Zoology Dept., University of Natal, Private Bag X01, SCOTSVILLE 3209, South Africa TEXEIRA, Prof. D.L.M.; Museo Nacional, Quinta da Boa Vista, Sao Cristovao, RIO de JANEIRO, RJ CEP 20940, Brazil THIBAULT, J.-C.; La Bergerie, 20253 PATRIMONIO, France THIEDE, Dr. W.; An der Ronne 184, D-50859 KOLN, Germany THIOLLAY, J.M.; Laboratoire d’Ecologie, E.N.S., 46 Rue d’Ulm, 75230 PARIS CEDEX 05, France THOMAS, Mrs B.T.; 125 Waterfield, Harry Settle Road, CASTLETON VA 22716 USA THOMAS, Dr. D.H.; School of Biology, University of Wales at Cardiff, PO Box 915, CAR DIFE .CF1 3TL THOMPSON, K_ V.; Primrose Bank, Gagerhill Lane, Brighstone, NEWPORT, Isle of Wight. PO30 4DX THOMPSON, P.M.; Middlesex University, Queensway, ENFIELD, Middx. EN3 4SF TIMMIS, W.H.; Curator, Lotherton Hall Bird Garden, Towton Road, Nr. Aberford, LEEDS. LS25 3EB TODD, W:; 2509 Mandell. 2, HOUSTON, TX 77006, USA TOSTAIN, O.; B.S. 44, 97321 CAYENNE CEDEX, France TOYNE, Dr. E. P; WWF-UK, Panda House, Weyside Park, GODALMING, Surrey, GU7 1XR TRAYLOR, Major M.A.; Birds Division, Field Museum of Natural History, CHICAGO, IL 60605, USA TROY, D L.; Troy Ecological Res. Assoc., 2322 E 16th Avenue., ANCHORAGE AK 99500, USA TUCKER. N.A.; 8 Julius Road, Bishopston, BRISTOL. BS7 8EU TURNER. C §; Lakers, Church Road, St. Johns, REDHILL, Surrey. RHI 6QA TURNER, D.A.; PO Box 48019, NAIROBI, Kenya TURNER, D.M.; 2 Latimer Street, TYNEMOUTH, Tyne& Wear, NE30 4EY TUTAK, H.T.; Hoensbroeckstraat 52, 3550 HEUSDEN-ZOLDER, Belgium TYE, Dr. A.; CDRS, Casilla 17-01-3891, QUITO, Ecuador TYLER, Dr. S.J.; Yew Tree Cottage, Lone Lane, PENALT, Gwent. NP5 4AJ URBAN, Prof. E. K.; Dept. of Biology, Augusta College AUGUSTA, GA 30910, USA URDIALES, C.; Ap. 17 P-58-B (1A), E-21760 Matalascafias, HUELVA, Spain VAN DEN BERG, A B.; Duinlustparkweg 98, 2082 EG SANDPOORTE-ZUID, Netherlands VAN CUTSEM, D.; 52 Rue de la Conciliation, 1070 BRUXELLES, Belgium VEIT, Dr R.R., Biology Dept, The College of Staten Island, 2800 Victory Boulevarde, Staten Island, NY 10314, USA VERHAAGH. M.:; Staatliches Museum fiir Naturkunde, Postfach 6209, D-76042 KARLSRUHE, Germany VILARASAU J. S.; Apartat de Correos 674, 08240 Manresa, BARCELONA, Spain VINCENT, Col. J., M.B.E.; 42 Villiers Drive, Clarendon, PETERMARITZBURG 3201, South Africa (Hon. Life Member) VINEY, C A.; Apartado 183, 8800 TAVIRA, Portugal VIOLANI, Dr. C. G.; Via San Vittore 38/A 20123, MILAN, Italy VOOUS, Prof. K H.;VD Duyn Van Masdamlaan, 1272.EM HUIZEN NH, Netherlands WALKER, C.; 133 Gunnersbury Ave, Acton, LONDON. W3 8LE 1959-72, 1985- WALL, J. W.; 19 Tisdale Road, SCARSDALE, NY 10583-5613, USA 1986 1968 1969 1996 1996 1975 WALMSLEY, M. A.; Woodpeckers, Broughton, FORDINGBRIDGE, Hants. S020 8BD WALSH, Dr. J. F; 80 Arundel Road, LYTHAM ST. ANNES, Lancs. FY8 1BN WALTERS, M P;; Sub-Dept of Ornithology British Museum (Natural History), TRING, Herts. HP23 6AP WARD, Cdr. FS., R.N.; 16 Cutler’s Lane, Stubbington, FAREHAM, Hants. PO14 2JN WARDEN, D., Centaur, Ham Lane, Bishop Sutton, BRISTOL BS18 4TZ WARHAM, Dr. J.; 14 Konini Street, CHRISTCHURCH 4, New Zealand 1984 1989 1989 1981 1994 1995 1994 1975 1990 1986 1985 1973 1988 1987 1984 1994 1989 1982 1986 1951 1988 1989 1996 1976 1976 1990 1985 1961 1987 1984 1997 1983 1996 1993 1990 1963 1973 1997 XV1 WARR, Mrs FE E.; 6 Mansion Drive, TRING, Herts. HP23 5BD WARREN, R. A.; 45 Arkwright Road, Irchester, WELLINGBOROUGH, Northants. NN9 7EE WATERS, Prof. W E.; Orchards, Broxmore Park, Sherfield English, Nr. ROMSEY, Hants. SO51 6FT WATLING, D.; Box 2041, Government Buildings SUVA, Fiji WATOLA, G.V.; 56 Usher Lane, HOXBY Y03 3LA WATSON, Dr. J.; Woodside, Balblair, DINGWALL, Rosshire. [V7 8LP WEBSTER, R. E.; 771 Gage Dr.., SAN DIEGO, CA 92106, USA WELLS, Dr. D. R.; “Serendip”, Old Farm [llington, THETFORD, Norfolk, [P24 1RP WENDEBY, J.; Banersgatan 14, S-41503, GOTHENBURG, Sweden WESTOLL, J.; Dykeside, Longtow, CARLISLE, Cumbria. CA6 5ND WHEATLEY, J. J.; 9 Copse Edge, Elstead, GODALMING, Surrey GU8 6DJ WHEELER, C. E.; 3, The Butts, Saxlingham Road, BLAKENEY, Norfolk. NR25 7PB (Committee 1975-79) WHEELER, Mrs G. F; 15B Indian Road, KENILWORTH 7700, South Africa WHEELER-HOLOHAN, B. J.; 38 Oregon Square, ORPINGTON, Kent. BR6 8BQ WIERSMA, L. J.; Singel 282, 3311 HK DORDRECHT, Netherlands WIGGINS, Dr. D.A.; Dept. of Zoology, Villavagen 9, S-752 36 UPPSALA, Sweden WILKINSON, Sir DENYS, ER.S.; Gayles Orchard, Friston, EASTBOURNE, Sussex. BN20 OBA WILKINSON, Dr. R.; 2 Weston Grove UPTON-BY-CHESTER, Cheshire. CH2 1QJ WILLIAMS, Dr. E. J.; 24 Birkett Drive, ULVERSTON, Cumbria. LA12 9LS WILLIAMS, J. G.; 14 Tyne Road, OAKHAM, Rutland. LE15 6S] WILLIAMS, K. F; 11 Gable Closes, STRETFORD, Manchester. M32 9BY WILLIAMS, R.G.; 2 Milwain Road, Stretford, MANCHESTER M32 9BY WILLIAMS, R.S.R.; Stoford Manor, WELLINGTON, Somerset. TA21 9LS WILSON, R.T.; Bartridge House, UMBERLEIGH, Devon. EX37 9AS WOOD, Dr. J. B.; Ecology & Conservation Unit, Biology Dept, Univ. College London., Gower Street, LONDON. WCI1E 6BT WOOD, K. P.; Woodnorton, Stone Cross Road, MAYFIELD, E. Sussex. TS20 6E] WOOD.V. J.; PO Box 401, DALBY, Queensland 4405, Australia WOODCOCK, M. W.; The Fives, Elderden Farm, Staplehurst, TONBRIDGE, Kent. TN12 ORN (Hon. Secretary 1965-69) WOODS, R.W.; 68 Aller Park Road, NEWTON ABBOT, Devon.TQ12 4NQ WOODSON, J. L.; 410 North 600 East, LOGAN, Utah 84321, USA WORFOLK,T.N.; 6 Johnson’s Road, BRISTOL, BS5 9AT WRIGHT, A.A.; 7 Fairhurst Drive, Parbold WIGAN, Lancs. WN8 7DJ XIROUCHAKIS, S.; Mina Georgiadi, Ano Fortesa 71049, Irakion, CRETE, Greece YOUNG, Ms B.S.; c/o RSPB, The Lodge, SANDY, Beds. SG19 2DL YOUNG, H. G.; Downstairs Flat, Stathyre, Rue Piéce de Mauger, St. Saviour, JERSEY, Channel Islands ZISWILER, Prof. Dr. V.; Zurich University Zoological Museum, Kunstlergasse 16, CH 8006 ZURICH, Switzerland ZONERILLO, B.; 28 Brodie Road, GLASGOW, G21 3SB ZUCCON, D.;Via Parini 9,10040 Rivalto di TORINO -TO, Italy XVI11 BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS' CLUB FOUNDED 5 OCTOBER 1892 Registered Charity No. 279583 TITLE and OBJECTS The objects of the Club, which shall be called the "British Ornithologists' Club", are the promotion of scientific discussion between Members of the British Ornithologists! Union and others interested in ornithology, and to facilitate the publication of scientific information connected with ornithology. RULES (Incorporating the amendments approved by the Annual General Meeting on 21 May 1996) (1) (a) Any Member of the British Ornithologists’ Union may become a Member of the Club on pay- ment to the Honorary Treasurer of the annual subscription. (b) A Member who ceases to be a Member of the British of the British Ornithologists’ Union shall also cease to be a Member of the Club, unless the Committee shall decide it is in the interests of the Club to permit him to remain a Member. (2) A Member who has an unbroken membership of the Club for fifty years shall become a Life Member and shall not be required to pay any further annual subscriptions. (3) If the conduct of any Member shall be deemed by not less than five Members of the Committee present at a meeting of the Committee to be prejudicial to the interests of the Club, that Member shall (a) be so informed by a letter from the Honorary Secretary and (b) be given an opportunity of appearing in person before the Committee to explain his conduct. The Committee shall have the power to terminate his membership forthwith (i) if not less than five Members of the Committee present when he appears before it are not satisfied with his explanation, or (ii) if he does not appear before the Committee in person, but gives an explanation which not less than five Members of the Committee deem to be unsatisfactory, or (iii) if no explanation has been received from him within twenty-eight days of the despatch of the Honorary Secretary’s letter to him. MANAGEMENT (4) (a) There shall be a Management Committee, elected from among the Members, which shall have general control and management of the admmistration of the Club. This Committee shall consist of a Chairman and a Vice-Chairman, each elected for terms of four years; an Honorary Secretary and an Honorary Treasurer each elected for a term of one year; and five other Members of the Committee, each of whom shall be elected for terms of four years. With the exception of the Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer, the Officers and other Members of the Committee shall be ineligible for re-election within one year to the same office or position. For the purpose of this Rule, the period of office of a year shall be reckoned from one Annual General Meeting until the next or, in the case of an Officer or other Member of the Committee elected at a Special General Meeting, from that Special General Meeting until the next Annual General Meeting. The term for which an Officer or other Member of the Committee is elected shall expire at the close of the Annual General Meeting, unless it is adjourned, in which case it shall expire at the first adjournment after the election of a successor. Except as otherwise provided by these Rules, a quorum of the Committee shall be three Members. Note. The Members of the Management Committee are legally the Trustees of the Club. (b) Sub-committees and other Officers. At the discretion of the Committee: (i) additional officers may be appointed, (ii) sub-committees may be formed, as and when necessary, to act in an advisory capacity for the management of the Club's activities. The Chairman and/or Members of such sub-committees may attend meetings of the Committee, by invitation, as ex-officio Members, but without the right to vote on any issue. (5) The names of Officers and other Members of the Committee nominated by the Committee shall be circulated at least three weeks before the relevant Annual or Special General Meeting. Any Member wishing to nominate a candidate shall forward to the Honorary Secretary his nomination in writing signed by himself and another Member, with confirmation that the candidate has agreed to be nominated. Such nomination shall reach the Honorary Secretary not less than 14 days before such a General Meeting. Elections shall be by a simple majority of those present and voting at a General Meeting. (6) A Member wishing to complain of the manner in which affairs of the Club are conducted must communicate his complaint in writing to the Chairman, who will raise the complaint as soon as practicable at a meeting of the Committee for a decision or, if he considers the matter of urgency, will call a meeting of the Committee specially to consider it. SUBSCRIPTION (7) The rate of annual subscription shall be fixed by the Committee from time to time. The subscription shall be due for payment on the first day of January in every year. The Committee shall be entitled to terminate the membership of any Member whose subscription has not been paid within six months of falling due, provided that such Member has been given written notice by the Honorary Treasurer calling upon him to pay the subscription, and has not complied with that notice within one month of its date. XVill (8) When any Member, who is not an Officer or other Member of the Committee, has rendered or is rendering the Club any service, the Committee may, if it deems it appropriate, waive the subscription due from that Member for any year, or years. (9) Members joining the Club in October, November or December may elect for their first annual subscription to run until the end of the next calendar year. MEETINGS (10) The Club shall meet not less than four times a year at times and places to be arranged by the Committee, in furtherance of the Objects of the Club. (11) Members may introduce guests at any ordinary meeting of the Club, and Members of the British Ornithologists’ Union who are not Members of the Club may, without any such introduction be permitted at the discretion of the Honorary Secretary to attend any one ordinary meeting during any calendar year, except that no former Member, who has had his membership terminated for any cause and who has not been reinstated, shall be allowed to attend a meeting without the permission of the Chairman or, in his absence, the Vice-Chairman. (12) The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held in April or May every year on a date to be fixed by the Committee. At this Meeting the business to be transacted shall be to receive and consider the Report of the Committee and the Accounts of the preceding calendar year, the regulation of matters having reference to the Bulletin, the election of Officers and other Members of the Committee, and any other business of which notice in writing shall have been given to the Honorary Secretary prior to 28 February in the same year. Notice of three weeks shall be given by the Committee of every Annual General Meeting. (13) A Special General Meeting may be called by the Committee for any purpose which it deems to be of sufficient importance or at the instance of a requisition signed by at least 15 Members, stating the purpose for which the Meeting is being requisitioned, and sent to the Honorary Secretary. Notice of at least three weeks shall be given of a Special General Meeting and the notice convening it shall state the purpose of the Meeting; no other business may be transacted at the Meeting. ‘BULLETIN’ OF THE CLUB (14) (a) A journal under the title of the “Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club” shall be published not less than four times per year and one copy shall be distributed gratis to every member who has paid the current annual subscription, subject to Rule 14 (b). (b) Member shall receive copies of issues of the Bulletin published in the year in which they join the Club, provided they do not join in October, November or December and elect for their first subscription to run until the end of the next calendar year, in which case they shall receive copies of all issues published after their date of joining. (c) There shall be an Editor of the Bulletin, appointed by the Committee for a term of four years. The Editor may receive an annual honorarium for such work, which shall be determined by the Committee from time to time. The Editor may attend any meeting of the Committee, as an ex-officio Member, (in accordance with Rule 4 (b) above) for the purposes of offering advice on all editorial matters, but executive authority rests with the Committee, as Trustees of the Club. (15) No communication, the whole or any important part of which has already been published elsewhere, shall be eligible for publication in the Bulletin, except at the discretion of the Editor. TRUST FUND (16) Subject to the terms of any bequest or gift, any stocks, shares, other securities, money or other property (whether real or personal) from time to time belonging to the Club may be vested _in Trustees for the Club, if the Club shall by a Special Resolution so decide. Such Special Resolution shall appoint Trustees, and shall specify the trusts under which the property is to be held. AMENDMENT OF RULES (17) These Rules or any of them may be revoked or amended, and any new Rule or provision may be substituted or added by a Special Resolution. INTERPRETATION (18) In these Rules a “Special Resolution” means a resolution passed by a majority of not less than three fourths of the Members voting thereon at an Annual or Special General Meeting of the Club, of which not less than two weeks’ notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a Special Resolution has been given. (19) In these Rules “Member” means a Member of the Club, unless the context otherwise requires. This version incorporates the amendments approved at the 1996 AGM, on 21 May 1996, and published in December 1996 (see Bulletin 116 (4): 203). These amend the Rules approved by the Annual General Meeting on 10 May 1988, which were last published in full in 1991, with the Annual List of Members, the List of Authors and Contents, and Index to Scientific Names, of Vol 110 (pages xiii to xv). XIX LIST OF AUTHORS AND CONTENTS ASH, J.S. see PEARSON, DJ. ATKINS, J.D. & HARVEY, W.G. A new site for, and observations on Serinus flavigula in Ethiopia withicomuments onhitsitaxonOmicystatlisy ijn si. es seh eters oxen hn spun 52 ATTIE, C. see BRETAGNOLLE, V. BALCHIN, C.S.The nest of Blackish-headed Spinetail Synallaxis tithys ............. 126 BARNES, R. see SEDDON, N. BECH, J. see SORENSEN, U.G. BENT, N. see KEITH, S. BLOCH, H. see RASMUSSEN, J.F BOCON, R. see BORNSCHEIN, M.R. BOOKGIRE CEIVED) Serres eee erect rare ce ene Seer eat te CL AMue OH araabn ire 64, 127 BORNSCHEIN, M.R., REINERT, B.L. & BOCON, R.A new record of the Sickle- winged Nightjar Eleothreptus anomalus for southern Brazil. .............2..4.. 125 BORNSCHEIN, M.R. Extralimital record of the Spot-winged Falconet Spiziapteryx CLIC ICI NELUS on oo ceieigs Palo 3) Sheu eh ou Mohs ey hel ol Sle COS SS COs eae Ser ORT ee eNURO hes 197 BORNSCHEIN, M.R. & REINERT, B.L. On the diagnosis of Aramides cajanea avicenniae SEO EZR OS Direc eee Pe rye) Rainy) eee Fen ee Nua Ce NTA UT CATE nme nN ARAL Nie AON, to ae UC ENE 272 BOURNE, W.R.P. & CASEMENT, M.B.The migrations of the Arctic Tern. ......... 117 BRETAGNOLLE, V. & ATTIE, C. Coloration and biometrics of fledgling Audubon’s Shearwaters Puffinus lherminieri from Réunion Island, Indian Ocean. ...........-. 194 BURCHART, S.H.M. see SEDDON, N. CARDOSO DA SILVA, J.M. New data support the specific status of Reiser’s Tyrannulet, alicentraltbraziliantendemicwen ste seit Sereda nts a cies canter ences ent rayee Ee 109 CASEMENT, M.B. see BOURNE, W.R.P. CHRISTIE, D.A. see SHIRIHAI, H. CLANCEY, PA. Further on subspeciation in the Red-billed Francolin Pternistis adspersus @QWaterhouse) sel Sii weyers ogi eke uta eae cpg ee os oe pete re mea erent. car eUpenroer eae ey ae MLR 104 CLUB NOTICES. Report ofthe Committee for 1995 18éc:AsG. MUA genday cia ey sega een eae 1 AnnualuGeneralWWicctin gn es. is Wirth das uaa tear Shun Ss Mamet ennaltie. hae 201 IMeetinegReportsiengie nce ene ere eee nee ere eae ale eae ecce chia teases 3, 65, 129, 204 COLEBROOK-ROBJENT, J.ER. & GRIFFITH, J.E. Forbes’s Plover Charadrius forbesi breedinpeint GentralWAtricate ayy aera eas sie kon ene ea ae ee antes tet ne aie 244 COLLAR, NJ. & PITTMAN, A,J. Amazona kawalli is a valid name for a valid species.... 256 CROXALL, J.P. see PRINCE, P.A. DAVIES, C.W.N. see SEDDON, N. DEAN, W.R.J.The distribution of the Masked Weaver Ploceus velatus in Angola. ....... 254 EAMES, J.C. Observations on the nesting behaviour of the Bar-bellied Pitta Pitta (ALES ea) os 5 Sirens Jo tah terorea sha, Pima ru Voi) 5 eA SIE SENN Te Laer gO aNteaen or Ns 216 FERNANDEZ, M. see SEDDON, N. FRITH, C.B. Further notes on little-known oe of the Crested and Loria’s Birds of Raradise, Cnemoprilus macoregonit aud Galoriaeny saycge ete Pye eye tole rn tee 247 FR@OLANDER, A. see KRABBE, N. GARRIDO, O.H. & REMSEN, J.V. A new subspecies of the Pearly-eyed Thrasher Margarops fuscatus (Mimidae) from the island of St. Lucia, Lesser Antilles. ......... WS —see KRATTER, A.W. GIBBS=DaNotesron!Solomomillslanddiindsiy ne. sae eee ee eet) Sat eee 18 GRIFFITH, J.E. see COLEBROOK-ROBJENT, J.ER. HARVEY, W.G. see ATKINS, J.D. HAZEVOET, CJ. A record of the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops persicus from the Cape Verde Islandsiand' status ofjthe:species in West’ Africas hein). .) sicko my tte 50 HELME, N.A. New departmental records for Dpto. La Paz, Bolivia, from the Pampas del Pleathitngstceg ie ae atch ate scare ae ae Re en i Ricca tc nantes a etn ie 175 HINKELMANN, C. Evidence for natural hybridisation in hermit hummingbirds CB haethornisispps) sae Cee ey eae eee iil coal A am UE SS SRNR AMM ar RAE 5 HINOJOSA B., M. see KRABBE, N. JOBEINGAPA ibe yRrinccvandsthe Republicans) Aare eeue Wek eisiet ueiene she any suns 132 KEITH, S. & BENT, N. Breeding and longevity in captive Blue-shouldered Robin-@hatsi@ossyphaicyanocampter © ria. eer a Cees eit: aie eosieus) eae cic 143 KRABBE, E. see SORENSEN, U.G. XX KRABBE, N. , POULSEN, B.O., FRO@LANDER, A., HINOJOSA B., M. & QUIROGA O., C. Birds of montane forest fragments in Chuquisaca Department, ISTO Ge nA ai CRs een Ae Aa tS a aE AO LOMAS eh ED leh Ing Sci cm > Sur KRATTER, A.W. & GARRIDO, O.A new subspecies of Margarops fuscus (Scaly-breasted Thrasher) from St.Vincent, Lesser Antilles ..................- LIVERSIDGE, R.A new species of pipit in southern Africa. ............-5....--. LUCKING, RS. Polygyny in the Seychelles Sunbird Nectarinia dussumieri. .......... MARTINS, R. see MUDD, H. MARTUSCELLI, P. Hunting behaviour of the Mantled Hawk Leucopternis vitriol and the White-necked Hawk L. lacernulata in southeastern Brazil. .........0.....0. McCALL, R. A novel foraging association between Southern River Otters Lutra longicaudis and Great Egrets Casmerodius albus.) 00. deh 4. lenee © ete te cae ae ane MLINGWA, C.O.F A first record of the Striped-cheeked Greenbul Andropadus milanjensis inthe sPugu Fills; Wanzamia . ey ei line wis ea cane Meee cnn cal it ley cael ae MUDD, H. & MARTINS, R. Possible display behaviour of White-necked Picathartes .. . NIJMAN, V. & SOZER, R. Sexual dimorphism in the Java Hawk-eagle Spizaetus bartelsi see VAN BALEN, S. PARKES: KG. Supernum erary: re ctrices)..) 435. ay nae y.lish dal Meee Rt cose che ade yea aes PATTEN, M.A. & WILSON, J.C. A dark-morph Sharp-shinned Hawk in California, with comments on; dichromatisi mraptorsy i328 oppo ce toeecl eae ues ee see eae PEARSON, D,J. & ASH, J.S. The taxonomic position of the Somali courser Cursorius (Gerson) Sormalensish (Vic084 Sil NAO she, AUS ats Moyea Pe Gaia et AC Gh esa a ger ee PETERSON, A.T. Geographic variation in sexual dichromatism in birds... .......... PITTMAN, A.J. see COLLAR, NJ. POULSEN, B.O. Species composition, function and home-range of mixed-species bird flocks in a*primary ‘cloud’ forest'in Ecuador: © Ysa Ge sy ay Sbegeg i) ea —see KRABBE, N. see RASMUSSEN, J.F. POULSEN, M.K. see RASMUSSEN, J.F PRINCE; PA’ & CROXALE! J:PThe' birds’ ofSouth Georgia’ 0) 2 oe eis QUIROGA O., C. see KRABBE, N. RAHBEK, C. see RASMUSSEN, J.F RASMUSSEN, J.F, RAHBEK, C., POULSEN, B.O., POULSEN, M.K. & BLOCH, H. Distributional records and natural history notes on threatened and little known birds Of southern Heuador ey. i20. el eneaty elie eile in yten tele acb cl redey c canearaucaes goo eae a REINERT, B.L. see BOR NSCHEIN, M.R. REMSEN, J.V. see GARRIDO, O.H. RESTALL, R.L.A proposed new species of munia, genus Lonchura (Estrildinae) ....... SAFFORD, R.J. & SMART, L.M. The continuing presence of Macgregor’s Bird of Paradise Macgregoria pulchra on Mount Albert Edward, Papua New Guinea. ....... SEDDON, N., BARNES, R., BURCHART, S.H.M., DAVIES, C.W.N. & FERNANDEZ, M. Recent observations and notes on the ecology of the Royal Sunangel Hehancelussregalissc cay cys) teen eek Rama ie, Sl cL te ea a SHIRIHAI, H. & CHRISTIE, D.A. A new taxon of small shearwater from the Indian @ceamll ry yey yl Ae PE ORE ees Fo ve es Si ta) ila fo a SMART, L.M. see SAFFORD, R_J. SOZER, R. see NIJMAN, V. SORENSEN, U.G., BECH, J. & KRABBE, E. New and unusual records of birds in Gameroom erie ey oe MAUS MSIE OT I ete ratty SAN ak ST a grb aC ey VAN BALEN, S. & NIJMAN, V. Notes on the breeding of the Crested Jay Platylophus SAG TCT URN OEE en Mies eonlla Miaestl lhe dc eT TENN MMMM MUM ar A Tec RU pT cto WALTERS, M.The correct citation of the Blue-chinned Sapphire Chlorestes notatus...... . =amheeges, of Carpococcysc. renauldi: a(correctioniya a4. site e seo ek a IE ees WHITTAKER, A. Notes on feeding behaviour, diet and anting of some cotingas....... Range extensions of some cotingas from Rondonia, Brazil .................. WILSON, J.C. see PATTEN, M.A. 81 26 137 186 46 180 145 173 270 271 58 198 Xxl INDEX TO SCIENTIFIC NAMES (Compiled by Mary N. Muller) All generic and specific names (of birds only) are indexed. New subspecific names are indexed in bold print under generic, specific and subspecific names. aburri, Aburria 136 Aburria aburri 136 Acanthis cannabina 171 Accipiter 267-9 — nisus 251 — striatus 266-9 — ventralis 236 Acestrura mulsant 48 Actenoides bougainvillei 20-1 acuta, Anas 146, 164 acuticaudata, Aratinga 236 adela, Oreotrochilus 237 adelaidae, Dendroica 158, 171 adeliae, Pygoscelis 83 adspersus,Pternistis 104-8 adspersus mesicus, Pternistis subsp.nov. 106-8 aedon, Troglodytes 115, 238 aegithaloides, Leptasthenura 237 Aegithina nigrolutea 167 — tiphia 167 Aegolius harrisu 35 aeneum, Dicaeum 170 aeneus, Molothrus 157, 158, 171 aequinoctialis, Procellaria 89 Aeronautes andecolus 236 Aerodramus fuciphagus 136 aeruginosus, Circus 147, 164 affinis, Lepidocolaptes 73 africanus, Cursorius 245 Agelaius cyanopus 171 — phoeniceus 158, 171 Aglaeactis cupripennis 30 Agriornis microptera 136 — montana 237 aguimp, Motacilla 153 akahige, Erithacus 136 Alaemon alaudipes 133 alaudinus, Phrygilus 239 alaudipes, Alaemon 133 alba, Chionis 96 — ,Motacilla 153 albiceps, Elaenia 101, 238 albicollis, Ficedula 154 — , Nyctidromus 30 — ,Turdus 114-5 albifrons, Conirostrum 74 albilatera, Diglossa 74 albipectus, Pyrrhura 30, 33 albirostris, Galbula 166 albogularis, Pygarrhichas 198 alboscapulatus, Malurus 169 albus, Casmerodius 91, 199-200 Alcippe rufogularis 219 aleutica, Sterna 118, 120 alexandrinus, Charadrius 246 alleni, Porphyrula 94-5 Amalocichla sclateriana 188 amaurochalinus, Turdus 115, 238 Amazilia chionogaster 236 Amazona brasiliensis 114 — farinosa 256-64 — kawalli 256-64 — mercenaria 30, 257-63 — tucumana 235, 236, 240 Amblyornis spp. 172 americana, Anas 164 — ,Mycteria 30 — ,Parula 158, 171 americanus, Coccyzus 236 amethysticollis, Heliangelus 165 amethystina, Calliphlox 30 Ammodramus humeralis 239, 242 anabatinus, Thamnistes 37 Anairetes flavirostris 238 — parulus 238 analis, Catamenia 239 Anas acuta 146, 164 — americana 164 — castanea 164 — clypeata 147, 164 — correndera, 101, 238 — discors 93 — flavirostris 93, 235 — georgica 92 — gibberifrons 164 — platyrhynchos 164 — sibilatrix 93 — strepera 164 — waigiuensis 188 Anastomus lamelligerus 146 andaecola, Upucerthia 237 andecola, Petrochelidon 238 andecolus, Aeronautes 236 Andigena nigrirostris 36 Andropadus importunus 136 — muilanjensis 63 anerythra, Pitta 21 angolensis, Uraeginthus 171 angustifrons, Psarocolius 30 Anisognathus flavinucha 30 — igniventris 74 — lacrymosus 74 ankoberensis, Serinus 57 Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus 133 anomalus, Eleothreptus 125-6 Anous 18 — stolidus 119 antarctica, Pygoscelis 84 — ,Thalassoica 87 antarcticus, Anthus 98 Anthreptes collaris 170 — longuemarei 170 — rectirostris 170 Anthus antarcticus 98 — caffer 214 — campestris 214 — cervinus 154, 214 — cinnamomeus 211—4 — correndera 101, 238 — hoeschi 211, 214 — leucophrys 212-4 — lineiventris 214 Anthus longicaudatus sp.nov. 211-5 — pallidiventris 214 — pratensis 214 — similis 211-4 — trivialis 153 — vaalensis 211-5 Apalis argentea 168 — chariessa 168 — flavida 168 — jacksoni 168 — porphyrolaema 168 — rufogularis 168 — sharpu 168 apiaster, Merops 50 Aplonis brunneicapilla 25 — metallica 25 Aplopelia larvata 165 Aptenodytes forsteri 82 — patagonicus 82 Aquila heliaca 145, 148 — pomarina 148 — rapax 148 — wahlbergi 148 aquila, Eutoxeres 30 Ara rubrogenys 236, 240 Aramides cajanea 272 Aratinga acuticaudata 236 — miutrata 236 arcuata, Pipreola 74 Ardea goliath 146 ardesiaca, Egretta 145 Arenaria interpres 150 argentea, Apalis 168 argyrofenges, Tangara 41 arnotti, Myrmecocichla 168 Arremon flavirostris 239 — taciturnus 170 assimilis, Puffinus 90, 184, 194-6 Asthenes dorbignyi 237 — wyatti 237 atacamensis, Cinclodes 237 aterrimus, Knipolegus 237 Athene cunicularia 236 atlanticus, Larus 97 Atlapetes fulviceps 235, 239 — pallidinucha 69, 74 — rufinucha 69, 74 — seebohmi 37 — torquatus 235, 239 atrata, Carduelis 239 atratus, Coragyps 236 xxi atricapilla, Lonchura 141 atriceps, Phalacrocorax 90 — , Phrygilus 239 atricilla, Larus 133 atrodorsalis, Puffinus 180, 194-6 atrogularis, Serinus 53-7 atropileus, Hemispingus 69-74 Attila rufus 115 augur, Buteo 145, 148 Aulacorhynchus derbianus 30 — haematopygus 30 aura, Cathartes 93, 235 aurantiirostris, Saltator 239 aurantioatrocristatus, Empidonomus 238 aurea, Lalage 167 aureoventris, Pheucticus 239 auriculata, Zenaida 98, 236 aurifrons, Bolborhynchus 236 aurita, Heliothryx 165 australis, Treron 124 Automolus ruficollis 36, 37 Aviceda subscristata 164 avosetta, Recurvirostra 149 aymara, Bolborhynchus 236 Aythya nyroca 147 azarae, Synallaxis 235, 237 badia, Ducula 134 badius, Molothrus 238 baglafecht, Ploceus 171 bairdii, Calidris 96, 236 barbata, Penelope 29-32 barbatus, Pycnonotus 144 barroti, Heliothryx 165 bartelsi, Spizaetus 251-3 Bartramia longicauda 101 Basileuterus coronatus 74 — luteoviridis 74 — nigrocristatus 69, 74 — trifasciatus 37 batavica, Touit 135 Bathmocercus cerviniventris 168 Batis capensis 169 — minima 169 — molitor 136, 169 beccarii, Gallicolumba 165 belcheri, Pachyptila 89 berlepschi, Thripophaga 49 Berlepschia rikeri 176 biarmicus, Falco 149 — ,Panurus 132 bicalcaratus, Francolinus 165 bicolor, Lonchura 137 bifasciata, Nectarinia 170 bivittata, Petroica 188 boissonneautii, Pseudocolaptes 69, 73 Bolborhynchus aurifrons 236 — aymara 236 — lneola 34 bolivianus, Oreopsar 238 bonariensis, Molothrus 238 — ,Thraupis 239 Bonasa umbellus 124 borbonensis, Saxicola 168 bougainvillei, Actenoides 20-1 bourbonnensis, Terpsiphone 169 bourcieri, Phaethornis 13 bouvreuil, Sporophila 170 brachydactyla, Calandrella 152 brachyurus, Buteo 176, 236 — , Graydidascalus 264 bradfieldi, Tockus 108 Bradornis pallidus 108 branickii, Heliodoxa 165 — , Leptosittaca 33 bransfieldensis, Phalacrocorax 91 brasiliensis, Amazona 114 brenchleyi, Ducula 20 bresilius, Ramphocelus 115 brevirostris, Pterodroma 87 Brotogeris pyrrhopterus 30 browni, Monarcha 23 brunneicapilla, Aplonis 25 brunniceps, Myioborus 235, 238 Buarremon torquatus 239 Bubulcus ibis 91, 199 bundytoides, Stigmatura 238 buffoni, Circus 176 burmeisteri, Microstilbon 237 burrovianus, Cathartes 176 Buteo 267-9 — augur 145, 148 — brachyurus 176, 236 — jamaicensis 267 — magnirostris 236 — polyosoma 236 — rufinus 148 Buteogallus urubitinga 236 — Buthraupis eximia 74 — montana 74 — wetmorei 41 Cacicus holosericeus 69, 74 cactorum, Melanerpes 237 caerulea, Halobaena 89 — , Pitta 223-4 caerulescens, Diglossa 47, 74 — ,Sporophila 239 — ,Thamnophilus 237 — ,Theristicus 175 caesius, [hamnomanes 166 caffer, Anthus 214 cailliautu, Campethera 152 cajanea, Aramides 272 Calandrella brachydactyla 152 caledonica, Coracina 167 Calidris bairdii 96, 236 — fuscicollis 95 — melanotos 95 — minuta 95 — minutilla 101 — ruficollis 65 — tenuirostris 65 Calliphlox amethystina 30 Campephilus leucopogon 237, 241 — magellanicus 198 XXlil — pollens 73 campestris, Anthus 214 Campethera cailliauti 152 — caroli 152 Camptostoma obsoletum 238 canadensis, Dendragapus 124 — ,Sakesphorus 166 caniceps, Myiopagis 167 cannabina, Acanthis 171 canorus, Cuculus 136, 152 capense, Daption 87 capensis, Batis 169 — ,Pternistis 107 — ,Tetrao 107 — , Zonotrichia 239 Caprimulgus longirostris 236 carbo, Phalacrocorax 18 cardinalis, Myzomela 170 caripensis, Steatornis 30, 35 carmioli, Vireo 123, 125 caroli, Campethera 152 Carduelis atrata 239 — magellanica 239 Carpococcyx renauldi 271 Casmerodius albus 91, 199-200 cassini, Malimbus 171 castanea, Anas 164 castaneiceps, Lysurus 43 — ,Phoeniculus 166 castaneiventris, Monarcha 169 castaneothorax, Lonchura 137 castanonotus, Eupetes 168 castro, Oceanodroma 134 Catamblyrhynchus diadema 69, 74 Catamenia analis 239 — homochroa 42 — inornata 239 Catharacta loennbergi 96 — maccormicki 96 — skua 119 Cathartes aura 93, 235 — burrovianus 176 Catharus dryas 40 — fuscater 30, 40 cauta, Diomedea 85 cayana, Cotinga 59 — ,Piaya 30, 114, 236 ceciliae, Metriopelia 236 Ceratogymna subcylindricus 152 Cercomela familiaris 108 Certhidea olivacea 170 cerviniventris, Bathmocercus 168 cervinus, Anthus 154, 214 Chaetops 16 Chaetura pelagica 30 Chalcites lucidus 165 chalcopterus, Cursorius 227 Chalcostigma ruficeps 47 Charadrius alexandrinus 246 — collaris 236 — forbesi 244-6 — leschenaultii 65 — marginatus 149, 246 — modestus 101 — pallidus 246 — pecuarius 246 — ruficapillus 65, 246 — sanctaehelenae 246 — tricollaris 244-6 chariessa, Apalis 168 Chasiempis sandwichensis 169 chiguanco, Turdus 238 chilensis, Vanellus 115 chimachima, Milvago 175 Chionis alba 96 chionogaster, Amazilia 236 Chlamydera spp. 172 Chlidonias hybridus 151 — leucopterus 151 Chloephaga picta 92, 164 Chlorestes notatus 270 Chlorophonia pyrrhophrys 74 Chloropipo unicolor 167 Chlorornis riefferii 74 Chlorospingus ophthalmicus 235, 239 — parvirostris 41 Chlorostilbon mellisugus 30 choliba, Otus 236 chrysocome, Eudyptes 84 chrysolophus, Eudyptes 84 chrysops, Cyanocorax 238 chrysopterus, Icterus 238 chrysostoma, Diomedea 85 Ciconia maguar1 176 Cinclodes atacamensis 237 — fuscus 237 cinctus, Saltator 42 cinerascens, Circaetus 147 cinerea, Muscisaxicola 237 — ,Procellaria 89 — ,Xolmis 176 cinereum, Todirostrum 30 cinereus, Circus 236 — , Xenus 145, 150 cinnamomea, Pyrrhomyias 74, 235, 238 cinnamomeiventris, [hamnolaea 168 cinnamomeus, Anthus 211—4 cinnamomina, Halcyon 166 Cinnycerthia unirufa 69, 74 Cinnyricinclus leucogaster 172 Circaetus cinerascens 147 circumcinctus, Spiziapteryx 197-8 Circus spp. 267 — aeruginosus 147, 164 — buffoni 176 — cinereus 236 — cyaneus 267 — macrourus 147 — pygargus 148 cirrhatus, Spizaetus 253 Cissopis leveriana 30 citrinella, Serinus 54 citrinelloides, Serinus 171 Cladorhynchus leucocephalus 66 clypeata, Anas 147, 164 Clytorhynchus nigrogularis 169 XXIV — vitiensis 169 Cnemophilus loriae 247—50 — macgregori 247—50 Cnemoscopus rubrirostris 69, 74 coccinea, Loxops 171 Coccyzus americanus 236 Coeligena iris 69, 73 — lutetiae 30, 69, 73 Colaptes melanolaimus 237 — rupicola 237 Colibri coruscans 48, 236 — delphinae 35 — serrirostris 236 — thalassinus 48 collaris, Anthreptes 170 — , Charadrius 236 collurio, Lanius 154 colma, Formicarius 166 Colonia colonus 30, 40 colonus, Colonia 30, 40 colstoni, Puffinus lherminieri subsp.nov. 180-6 Columba delegorguei 165 — fasciata 30, 69, 235, 236 — iriditorques 159, 165 — livia 124 — malherbii 165 — maculosa 236 — vitiensis 165 Columbina picui 236 Conirostrum albifrons 74 — sitticolor 69, 74 Conothraupis speculigera 41 coqui, Francolinus 108 Coracina caledonica 167 — lineata 167 — striata 167 — tenuirostris 167 Coragyps atratus 236 coronata, Pipra 167 coronatus, Basileuterus 74 correndera, Anthus 101, 238 coruscans, Colibri 48, 236 Cossypha cyanocampter 143-4 Cotinga cayana 59 — cotinga 60, 198 — maynana 60 Cranioleuca pyrrhophia 237 Crax fasciolata 164 — globulosa 264 — pauxi 164 — rubra 164 Creurgops dentata 170 — verticalis 170 cristatus, Lanius 168 cruenta, Tchagra 168 cubla, Dryoscopus 168 cunicularia, Geositta 237 cucullata, Petroica 169 cucullatus, Icterus 158, 171 — ,Ploceus 255 Cuculus canorus 136, 152 — saturatus 20 cunicularia, Athene 236 — Geositta 237 cupripennis, Aglaeactis 30 cursor, Cursorius 225—9 Cursorius africanus 245 — chalcopterus 227 — cursor 225-9 — rufus 226-9 — somalensis 225—9 — temmincki 227 curvirostra, Loxia 171 cyanea, Diglossa 74 — , Platysteira 169 cyaneus, Circus 267 cyanicollis, Galbula 166 cyanocampter, Cossypha 143-4 cyanocephala, Tangara 115 — ,Thraupis 74 Cyanocorax chrysops 238 Cyanolanius madagascarinus 168 cyanoleuca, Notiochelidon 238 Cyanolyca turcosa 74 cyanomelas, Trochocercus 159, 169 cyanopus, Agelaius 171 Cyclarhis gujanensis 238 Cygnus melanocoryphus 100 Cypseloides phelpsi 165 — rutilus 30, 165 dabbenei, Penelope 235, 236, 240 Daphoenositta miranda 188 Daption capense 87 darwinu, Nothura 235 decaocto, Streptopelia 124 decipiens, Streptopelia 124 delegorguei, Columba 165 Delichon urbica 99 delphinae, Colibri 35 Dendragapus canadensis 124 — obscurus 124 Dendrocincla fuliginosa 115 Dendroica adelaidae 158, 171 — discolor 158, 171 — fusca 74 — graciae 158, 171 — pinus 157, 158, 171 — vitellina 158, 171 dentata, Creurgops 170 derbianus, Aulacorhynchus 30 desolata, Pachyptila 88 diadema, Catamblyrhynchus 69, 74 Dicaeum aeneum 170 — hypoleucum 170 — tristrami 170 Diglossa spp. 47 — albilatera 74 — caerulescens 47, 74 — cyanea 74 — lafresnayii 74 — sittoides 47, 239 Diomedea cauta 85 — chrysostoma 85 — epomophora 85 — exulans 85 — melanophris 85 discolor, Dendroica 158, 171 discors, Anas 93 Diuca diuca 239, 242 Doliornis sp. 38-9 — remseni 39 — sclateri 38-9 domesticus, Gallus 159 — , Passer 100, 240 dominicanus, Larus 94, 97 dominicus, Pluvialis 236 donaldsoni, Serinus 171 dorbignyi, Asthenes 237 dorbygnianus, Picumnus 237 dorsalis, Mimus 238 dorsostriatus, Serinus 56-7 dougallii, Sterna 119 dryas, Catharus 40 Dryoscopus cubla 168 Dubusia taeniata 74 Ducula badia 134 — brenchleyi 20 dumicola, Polioptila 238 dussumieri, Nectarinia 178—9 Egretta ardesiaca 145 — gularis 146 — intermedia 146 — thula 91 Elaenia albiceps 101, 238 — parvirostris 238 — strepera 238 elegantior, Synallaxis 73 Eleothreptus anomalus 125—6 ellioti, Pitta 216-24 Emberiza socotrana 160 — tahapisi 160 Emberizoides herbicola 177 Embernagra platensis 239 Empidonomus aurantioatrocristatus 238 Enicognathus ferrugineus 198 Ensifera ensifera 30 epomophora, Diomedea 85 epops, Upupa 136 erckelii, Francolinus 165 Eremopteryx leucotis 167 — verticalis 167 Eriocnemis glaucopoides 235, 237, 241 — nigrivestis 47 Erithacus akahige 136 — komadori 136 erythrogaster, Malimbus 171 erythrophrys, Poospiza 235, 239 erythrophthalmus, Pipilo 170 erythropus, Tringa 150 estella, Oreotrochilus 236 Estrilda melanotis 171 Eubucco versicolor 166 Eudynamis scolopacea 165 Eudyptes chrysocome 84 — chrysolophus 84 — schlegeli 84 euophrys, Thryothorus 74 Eupetes castanonotus 168 Eupetomena macroura 176 Euphonia musica 170 — xanthogaster 30 Eurystomus glaucurus 152 Eutoxeres aquila 30 eximia, Buthraupis 74 exortis, Heliangelus 69, 73, 157, 165 exsul, Pelecanoides 90 exulans, Diomedea 85 exustus, Pterocles 151 falcinellus, Limicola 145, 150 — ,Plegadis 146 Falco biarmicus 149 — femoralis 236 — naumanni 149 — pelegrinoides 149 — peregrinus 94, 236, 269 — severus 18 — sparverius 236 — tinnunculus 164 familiaris, Cercomela 108 farinosa, Amazona 256—64 fasciata, Columba 30, 69, 235, 236 fasciatus, Myiophobus 238 fasciolata, Crax 164 femoralis, Falco 236 ferox, Myiarchus 30 ferruginea, Hirundinea 238 ferrugineus, Enicognathus 198 — ,Laniarius 168 Ficedula albicollis 154 — hypoleuca 157, 169 flava, Motacilla 153 Seiranca239 flaveola, Sicalis 239 flavida, Apalis 168 flavigaster, Hyliota 168 flavigula, Serinus 52-8 flavigularis, Platyrinchus 39 flavinucha, Anisognathus 30 flavipes, Notiochelidon 30, 40 — , Tringa 236 flavirostris, Anairetes 238 — ,Anas 93, 235 — ,Arremon 239 — ,Grallaricula 37 Florisuga spp. 165 foetidus, Gymnoderus 62 forbesi, Charadrius 244-6 Formicarius colma 166 forsteri, Aptenodytes 82 Foudia rubra 157, 171 Francolinus bicalcaratus 165 — coqui 108 — erckelii 165 — francolinus 105, 165 fraseri, Oreomanes 239, 241 Fregetta grallaria 90 — tropica 90 freycinet, Megapodius 164 frontalis, Synallaxis 237 — ,Veniliornis 237 fruticeti, Phrygilus 239 fuciphagus, Aerodramus 136 fulicarius, Phalaropus 100 fuliginiceps, Leptasthenura 237 fuliginosa, Dendrocincla 115 fuligula, Hirundo 153 Fulmarus glacialoides 86 fulviceps, Atlapetes 235, 239 fumigatus, Myiotheretes 74 Furnarius rufus 237 fusca, Dendroica 74 — ,Phoebetria 86 fuscans, Lonchura 137 fuscata, Sterna 119 fuscater, Catharus 30, 40 — ,Turdus 69 fuscatus, Margarops 75—80 fuscatus klinikowskii, Margarops subsp.nov. 78-80 fuscicollis, Calidris 95 fuscus, Cinclodes 237 — ,Margarops 189-93 fuscus vincenti, Margarops subsp.nov. 189-93 Galbula albirostris 166 — cyanicollis 166 — pastazae 36 galericulatus, Platylophus 173-4 Gallicolumba beccarii 165 — stairi 165 Gallinago imperialis 32 — paraguaiae 101 — undulata 176 Gallirallus philippensis 18 — rovianae 18-20 Gallus domesticus 159 gambensis, Plectropterus 164 Garrodia nereis 90 genei, Larus 150 geoffroyi, Schistes 165 georgianus, Phalacrocorax 90 georgica, Anas 92 georgicus, Pelecanoides 90 Geositta cunicularia 237 — rufipennis 237 — tenuirostris 237 Geranoaetus melanoleucus 236 gibberifrons, Anas 164 giganteus, Macronectes 86 gigas, Patagona 237 glacialoides, Fulmarus 86 Glareola nuchalis 149 Glaucidium jardinii 235, 236 glaucopoides, Eriocnemis 235, 237, 241 glaucurus, Eurystomus 152 globulosa, Crax 264 goiavier, Pycnonotus 135 goisagi, Gorsachius 134 goliath, Ardea 146 Gorsachius goisagi 134 — leuconotus 145 graciae, Dendroica 158, 171 Grallaria rufula 69, 73 — squamigera 69, 73 grallaria, Fregetta 90 Grallaricula flavirostris 37 — peruviana 37 grandis, Lonchura 141 gravis, Puffinus 89 Graydidascalus brachyurus 264 griseocristatus, Lophospingus 239 griseus, Nyctibius 176 — , Puffinus 89 gryphus, Vultur 132, 235 Guadalcanaria inexpectata 23 Guira guira 236 gujanensis, Cyclarhis 238 gularis, Egretta 146 — , Heliodoxa 165 gulielmi, Poicephalus 151 gurneyi, Pitta 222-4 guy, Phaethornis 30 gymnocephalus, Picathartes 15—7 Gymnoderus foetidus 62 Gymnorhina tibicen 172 Gyps rueppelli 147 Habia spp. 170 haematonota, Myrmotherula 166 haematopygus, Aulacorhynchus 30 Halcyon cinnamomina 166 — senegalensis 152 Haliaeetus sanfordi 18 halli, Macronectes 86 Halobaena caerulea 89 Hapalopsittaca pyrrhops 34 harrisu, Aegolius 35 harterti, Upucerthia 237 heinrothi, Puffinus 18 heliaca, Aquila 145, 148 Heliangelus amethysticollis 165 — exortis 69, 73, 157, 165 — regalis 46-9 Heliodoxa branickii 165 — gularis 165 — rubinoides 35 — schreibersii 165 heliosylus, Zonerodius 134 Heliothryx aurita 165 — barroti 165 hellmayri, Mecocerculus 238 Hemispingus atropileus 69, 74 — verticalis 42, 69, 74 Hemitriccus margaritaceiventer 238, 241 herbicola, Emberizoides 177 Heteromunia spp. 137 Hieraaetus pennatus 148 — spilogaster 148 hildebrandti, Pternistis 107 Himantopus himantopus 236, 240 Hirundinea ferruginea 238 Hirundo fuligula 153 — rustica 99 XXV1i — senegalensis 153 — smithi 153 hirundo, Sterna 119, 151 hoeschi, Anthus 211—4 holosericeus, Cacicus 69, 74 homochroa, Catamenia 42 hoyi, Otus 236, 240 humeralis, Ammodramus 239, 242 hyacinthinus, Anodorhynchus 133 hybridus, Chlidonias 151 Hyliota flavigaster 168 hypochondria, Poospiza 239 hypoleuca, Ficedula 157, 169 hypoleucum, Dicaeum 170 hypopyrrha, Streptopelia 151 ibadanensis, Malimbus 171 ibis, Bubulcus 91, 199 icterophrys, Satrapa 238 Icterus chrysopterus 238 — cucullatus 158, 171 igniventris, Anisognathus 74 imperialis, Gallinago 32 importunus, Andropadus 136 incerta, Pterodroma 87 Indicator willcocksi 152 inexpectata, Guadalcanaria 23 inornata, Catamenia 239 intermedia, Egretta 146 intermedius, Ploceus 255 interpres, Arenaria 150 iriditorques, Columba 159, 165 Iridosornis rufivertex 74 iris, Coeligena 69, 73 isabellina, Oenanthe 145, 154 isabellinus, Lanius 145, 154 isidori, Oroaetus 27 jacarina, Volatina 30 jacksoni, Apalis 168 jamaicensis, Buteo 267 jardinii, Glaucidium 235, 236 jelskii, Silvicultrix 39 — Upucerthia 237 kawalli, Amazona 256-64 klinikowskii, Margarops fuscatus subsp.nov. 78-80 Knipolegus aterrimus 237 — signatus 235, 238 komadori, Erithacus 136 lacernulata, Leucopternis 114-6 lacertosa, Woodfordia 25 lacrymosus, Anisognathus 74 Lafresnaya lafresnayi 30 lafresnayi, Lafresnaya 30 — ,Picumnus 30 lafresnayii, Diglossa 74 Lalage aurea 167 — leucopyga 167 — sueuri 167 lamberti, Malurus 169 lamelligerus, Anastomus 146 Laniarius ferrugineus 168 Lanius cristatus 168 — collurio 154 — isabellinus 144, 154 — nubicus 154 — senator 154 lapponica, Limosa 65, 150 Larus atlanticus 97 — atricilla 133 — dominicanus 94, 97 — genei 150 — maculipennis 97 — pipixcan 97 — ridibundus 150 — scoresbii 97 larvata, Aplopelia 165 Lemuresthes spp. 137 Lepidocolaptes affinis 73 Leptasthenura aegithaloides 237 — fuliginiceps 237 — yanacensis 237 Leptosittaca branickii 33 Leptotila megalura 236 — verreauxi 236 Lesbia nuna 48 leschenaultii, Charadrius 65 lessonii, Pterodroma 88 leucocephalus, Cladorhynchus 66 leucogaster, Cinnyricinclus 172 leucogastra, Lonchura 138,139 leuconota, Pyriglena 166 leuconotus, Gorsachius 145 leucophrys, Anthus 212—4 — ,Mecocerculus 74, 235, 238 — ,Ochthoeca 238 leucopogon, Campephilus 237, 241 leucoptera, Pyriglena 115 Leucopternis lacernulata 114-6 — polionota 114-6 — semiplumbea 116 leucopterus, Chlidonias 151 leucopyga, Lalage 167 — ,Tachycineta 99 leucopygius, Serinus 57 leucotis, Eremopteryx 167 leucurus, Threnetes 30 leveriana, Cissopis 30 lherminieri, Puffinus 180-6, 194-6 lherminieri colstoni, Puffinus subsp.nov. 180—6 lignarius, Picoides 237 Limicola falcinellus 145, 150 Limosa lapponica 65, 150 — limosa 149 lineata, Coracina 167 lineiventris, Anthus 214 lineola, Bolborhynchus 34 lintoni, Myiophobus 39, 74 Lipaugus vociferans 61 livia, Columba 124 Loboparadisea sericea 247, 250 Lochmias nematura 37 XXV111 loennbergi, Catharacta 96 Lonchura atricapilla 141 — bicolor 137 — castaneothorax 137 — fuscans 137 — grandis 141 — leucogastra 138, 139 — monticola 188 — nigriceps 137 Lonchura pallidiventer sp.nov. 137-42 — quinticolor 141 longicauda, Bartramia 101 longicaudatus, Anthus sp.nov. 211—5 longicaudus, Stercorarius 97 longirostris, Caprimulgus 236 longuemarei, Anthreptes 170 longuemareus, Phaethornis 5-10 Lophospingus griseocristatus 239 loriae, Cnemophilus 247-50 Loxia curvirostra 171 Loxigilla noctis 170 — portoricensis 170 — violacea 170 Loxops coccinea 171 — maculata 171 loyca, Sturnella 99 lucidus, Chalcites 165 lugens, Oenanthe 168 lugubris, Quiscalus 171 Luscinia svecica 135 luteirostris, Zosterops 23 luteocephala, Sicalis 239, 242 luteoviridis, Basileuterus 74 lutetiae, Coeligena 30, 69, 73 Lysurus castaneiceps 43 maccormicki, Catharacta 96 Macgregoria pulchra 186-8 macgregorii, Cnemophilus 247-50 macloviana, Muscisaxicola 99 Macronectes giganteus 86 — halli 86 macroptera, Pterodroma 88 macroura, Eupetomena 176 macrourus, Circus 147 maculata, Loxops 171 maculatus, Nystalus 237, 241 maculipectus, Phacellodomus 237 maculipennis, Larus 97 maculirostris, Muscisaxicola 237 maculosa, Columba 236 madagascariensis, Numenius 135 madagascarinus, Cyanolanius 168 magellanica, Carduelis 239 magellanicus, Campephilus 198 — ,Spheniscus 84 magnirostris, Buteo 236 maguari, Ciconia 176 malaitae, Myzomela 23 — ,Rhipidura 23 malaris, Phaethornis 10-3 malherbii, Columba 165 Malimbus cassini 171 — erythrogaster 171 — ibadanensis 171 — scutatus 171 Malurus alboscapulatus 169 — lamberti 169 marail, Penelope 134 margaretae, Zoothera 21-2 margaritaceiventer, Hemitriccus 238, 241 margaritatus, Irachyphonus 166 Margarops fuscatus 75-80 Margarops fuscatus klinikowskii subsp.nov. 78-80 — fuscus 189-93 Margarops fuscus vincenti subsp.nov. 189-93 Margarornis squamiger 69, 73 marginatus, Charadrius 149, 246 martinica, Porphyrula 94-5 maxima, Sterna 150 maximiliani, Melanopareia 237 maynana, Cotinga 60 Mayrornis schistaceus 23 Mecocerculus hellmayri 238 — leucophrys 74, 235, 238 — stictopterus 74 megalopterus, Phalcoboenus 236 megalura, Leptotila 236 Megalurulus whitneyi 22 Megapodius freycinet 164 melancholicus, Tyrannus 238 Melanerpes cactorum, 237 melanocephalus, Myioborus 74 — ,Ploceus 255 Melanocharis spp. 170 melanocoryphus, Cygnus 100 melanolaimus, Colaptes 237 melanoleuca, Poospiza 239 — , Iringa 236 melanoleucus, Geranoaetus 236 melanonota, Pipraeidea 239 Melanopareia maximiliani 237 melanophris, Diomedea 85 melanopis, Theristicus 235 melanoptera, Metriopelia 236 melanotis, Estrilda 171 melanotos, Calidris 95 Melanotrochilus spp. 165 mellisugus, Chlorostilbon 30 mercenaria , Amazona 30, 257-63 Merops apiaster 50 — persicus 50-1 — superciliosus 50 mesicus, Pternistis adspersus — subsp.nov. 106-8 metallica, Aplonis 25 Metallura odomae 35 — williami 47 Metriopelia ceciliae 236 — melanoptera 236 mexicanus, Sclerurus 30 microptera, Agriornis 136 Microrhopias quixensis 166 microrhynchum, Ramphomicron 35 Microstilbon burmeisteri 237 muilanjensis, Andropadus 63 Milvago chimachima 175 minima, Batis 169 Mimus dorsalis 238 minuta, Calidris 95 minutilla, Calidris 101 minutus, Numenius 65 Mionectes olivaceus 177 miranda, Daphoenositta 188 mitrata, Aratinga 236 modesta, Progne 167 modestus, Charadrius 101 — ,Sublegatus 238 molina, Pyrrhura 236 molitor, Batis 136, 169 moilis, Pterodroma 88 Molothrus aeneus 157, 158, 171 — badius 238 — bonariensis 238 monachus, Ptilinopus 165 Monarcha browni 23 — castaneiventris 169 montana, Agriornis 237 — , Buthraupis 74 Monticola saxatilis 168 monticola, Lonchura 188 — ,Oenanthe 168 Motacilla spp. 212 — aguimp 153 — alba 153 — flava 153 mulsant, Acestrura 48 multicolor, Petroica 157, 169 — ,Telophorus 168 Muscisaxicola cinerea 237 — macloviana 99 — maculirostris 237 — rufivertex 237 musica, Euphonia 170 mutata, Terpsiphone 157, 169 Mycteria americana 30 Myiarchus ferox 30 — tuberculifer 238 — tyrannulus 238 Myioborus brunniceps 235, 238 — melanocephalus 74 Myiopagis caniceps 167 Myiophobus fasciatus 238 — lintoni 39, 74 Myiotheretes fumigatus 74 Myrmecocichla arnotti 168 Myrmotherula haematonota 166 Myzomela cardinalis 170 — malaitae 23 — nigrita 170 natalensis, Pternistis 105, 107 nattereri, Phaethornis 8 naumanni, Falco 149 Nectarinia bifasciata 170 — dussumieri 178-9 — olivacea 170 — reichenbachii 170 — verticalis 170 nematura, Lochmias 37 Neophron percnopterus 147 Neositta papuensis 169 nereis, Garrodia 90 Nesoclopeus woodfordi 20 niger, Parus 108 — , Quiscalus 171 nigriceps, Lonchura 137 — ,Saltator 37 — ,Turdus 40, 238 — ,Veniliornis 73 nigricollis, Phoenicircus 198 nigrirostris, Andigena 36 nigrita, Myzomela 170 nigrivestis, Eriocnemis 47 nigrocapillus, Phyllomyias 74 nigrocinereus, Thamnophilus 166 nigrocristatus, Basileuterus 69, 74 nigrogularis, Clytorhynchus 169 nigrolutea, Aegithina 167 nigrorufa, Poospiza 239 nilotica, Sterna 150 Niltava poliogenys 169 Ninox scutulata 135 nipalensis, Spizaetus 252 nisus, Accipiter 251 nitens, Trochocercus 159, 169 nivea, Pagodroma 87 noctis, Loxigilla 170 notatus, Chlorestes 270 Nothoprocta ornata 235 — pentlandi 235 Nothura darwinii 235 Notiochelidon cyanoleuca 238 — flavipes 30, 40 nubicus, Lanius 154 nuchalis, Glareola 149 Numenius madagascariensis 135 — munutus 65 nuna, Lesbia 48 Nyctibius griseus 176 Nyctidromus albicollis 30 nyroca, Aythya 147 Nystalus maculatus 237, 241 obscura, Penelope 115 obscurus, Dendragapus 124 obsoletum, Camptostoma 238 oceanicus, Oceanites 90 Oceanites oceanicus 90 Oceanodroma castro 134 Ochthoeca leucophrys 238 — oenanthoides 238 — rufipectoralis 74 Ocreatus underwoodii 48 odomae, Metallura 35 Oenanthe isabellina 145, 154 — lugens 168 — monticola 168 XXX — xanthoprymna 168 oenanthoides, Ochthoeca 238 olivacea, Certhidea 170 — ,Nectarinia 170 olivaceus, Mionectes 177 — ,Vireo 238 olivascens, Sicalis 170, 239 ophthalmicus, Chlorospingus 235, 239 oreas, Picathartes 16 Creomanes fraseri 239, 241 Oreopholus ruficollis 236 Oreopsar bolivianus 238 Oreotrochilus adela 237 — estella 236 ornata, Nothoprocta 235 ornatus, Spizaetus 252 Oroaetus isidori 27 Orthonyx temminckii 188 Otus choliba 236 — hoyi 236, 240 Pachycephala pectoralis 23, 169 Pachyptila belcheri 89 — desolata 88 — turtur 88 — vittata 88 Pachyramphus polychopterus 237 — validus 237 Padda spp. 137 Pagodroma nivea 87 pallidinucha, Atlapetes 69, 74 pallidiventer, Anthus 214 pallidiventer, Lonchura sp.nov. 137-42 pallidus, Bradornis 108 — , Charadrius 246 palpebrata, Phoebetria 86 Panurus biarmicus 132 papa, Sarcoramphus 236 papua, Pygoscelis 84, 135 papuensis, Neositta 169 paradisaea, Sterna 98, 117-21 paraguaiae, Gallinago 101 parasiticus, Stercorarius 100, 119 Pardalotus punctatus 160 — quadragintus 160 Pardirallus sanguinolentus 32 Parula americana 158, 171 — pitiayumi 158, 171 parulus, Anairetes 238 Parus niger 108 — rufiventris 108 parvirostris, Chlorospingus 41 — ,Elaenia 238 Passer domesticus 100, 240 pastazae, Galbula 36 Patagona gigas 237 patagonicus, Aptenodytes 82 pauxi, Crax 164 pectoralis, Pachycephala 23, 169 pecuarius, Charadrius 246 pelagica, Chaetura 30 Pelecanoides exsul 90 — georgicus 90 Pelecanus rufescens 145 pelegrinoides, Falco 149 pelzelni, Ploceus 255 Penelope barbata 29, 32 — dabbenei 235, 236, 240 — marail 134 — obscura 115 — purpurascens 30 pennatus, Hieraaetus 148 pentlandu, Nothoprocta 235 percnopterus, Neophron 147 peregrinus, Falco 94, 236, 269 Perissocephalus tricolor 61 perousii, Ptilinopus 165 persicus, Merops 50-1 personatus, Trogon 73 peruviana, Grallaricula 37 — ,Rupicola 167 Petrochelidon andecola 238 — pyrrhonota 238 Petroica bivittata 188 — cucullata 169 — multicolor 157, 169 — vittata 169 Petronia pyrgita 53 Phacellodomus maculipectus 237 — striaticeps 237 Phaeoprogne tapera 30 Phaethornis spp. 5-13 — bourcieri 13 — guy 30 — longuemareus 5—10 — malaris 10-13 — nattereri 8 — ruber 6-11 — rupurumi 7—10 — = SoBe ees 8 stuarti 6-8 — superciliosus 10-13 Phalacrocorax atriceps 90 — bransfieldensis 91 — carbo 18 — georgianus 90 Phalaropus fulicarius 100 — tricolor 96, 236 Phalcoboenus megalopterus 236 Pharomachrus spp. 166 phelpsi, Cypseloides 165 Pheucticus aureoventris 239 philippensis, Gallirallus 18 Phoebetria fusca 86 — palpebrata 86 phoeniceus, Agelaius 158, 171 Phoenicircus nigricollis 198 Phoeniculus castaneiceps 166 Phrygilus alaudinus 239 — atriceps 239 — fruticeti 239 — plebejus 239 — unicolor 239 Phyllomyias nigrocapillus 74 — reiser1 109-13 — sclateri 112-3 — urichi 109, 111-3 — uropygialis 74 virescens 109-13 Phylloscantes ventralis 238 Phytotoma rutila 237 Piaya cayana 30, 114, 236 Picathartes 16 — gymnocephalus 15-7 — oreas 16 Picoides lignarius 237 picta, Chloephaga 92, 164 picui, Columbina 236 Piculus rivolii 73, 166 — rubiginosus 235, 237, 241 Picumnus dorbygnianus 237 — lafresnayi 30 Picus viridis 166 pinus, Dendroica 157-8, 171 Pionus sordida 30 Pipilo erythrophthalmus 170 pipixcan, Larus 97 Pipra coronata 167 Pipraeidea melanonota 239 Pipreola arcuata 74 Piranga flava 239 — rubriceps 74 Pitangus sulphuratus 238 pitiayumi, Parula 158, 171 Pitta anerythra 21 — caerulea 223-4 — elhoti 216-24 — gurney1 222-4 — soror 223 plancus, Polyborus 236 platensis, Embernagra 239 Platylophus galericulatus 173—4 Platyrinchus flavigularis 39 platyrhynchos, Anas 164 Platysteira cyanea 169 plebejus, Phrygilus 239 Plectropterus gambensis 164 Plegadis falcinellus 146 Ploceus baglafecht 171 — cucullatus 255 — intermedius 255 — melanocephalus 255 — pelzelni 255 — reichardi 255 — subaureus 171 — velatus 254-5 — xanthops 171 plumbea, Polioptila 168 Pluvialis dominicus 236 Poicephalus gulielmi 151 — senegalus 151 poliogenys, Niltava 169 polionota, Leucopternis 114 Polioptila dumicola 238 — ,plumbea 168 Polioxolmis rufipennis 237 pollens, Campephilus 73 Polyborus plancus 236 polychopterus, Pachyramphus 237 polyosoma, Buteo 236 Pomarea spp. 169 pomarina, Aquila 148 pomarinus, Stercorarius 100 Poospiza erythrophrys 235, 239 — hypochondria 239 — melanoleuca 239 — nigrorufa 239 — torquata 239 Porphyrolaema porphyrolaema 59, 199 porphyrolaema, Apalis 168 Porphyrula alleni 94-5 — martinica 94—5 portoricensis, Loxigilla 170 pratensis, Anthus 214 Procellaria aequinoctialis 89 — cinerea 89 Progne modesta 167 Psarocolius angustifrons 30 Pseudocolaptes boissonneautii 69, 73 Pternistis adspersus 104-8 Pternistis adspersus mesicus subsp.nov 106-8 — capensis 107 — hildebrandti 107 — natalensis 105, 107 Pterocles exustus 151 Pterodroma brevirostris 87 — incerta 87 — lessonu 88 — macroptera 88 — mollis 88 Pulinopus monachus 165 — perousu 165 Puffinus assimilis 90, 184, 194-6 — atrodorsalis 180, 194-6 — gravis 89 — griseus 89 — heinrothi 18 — lherminieri 180—6, 194-6 Puffinus lherminieri colstoni — subsp.nov. 180-6 — puffinus 100, 119 — yelkouan 196 pulchra, Macgregoria 186-8 punctatus,Pardalotus 160 punicea, Xipholena 60, 199 purpurascens, Penelope 30 Pycnonotus barbatus 144 — goiavier 135 pygargus, Circus 148 Pygarrhichas albogularis 198 Pygoscelis adeliae 83 — antarctica 84 — papua 84, 135 pyrgita, Petronia 53 Pyriglena leuconota 166 — leucoptera 115 Pyrocephalus rubinus 157, 159, 167 Pyrope pyrope 198 pyrrhogaster, Thripias 145, 152 Pyrrhomyias cinnamomea 74, 235, 238 XXX11 pyrrhonota, Petrochelidon 238 pyrrhophia, Cranioleuca 237 pytrhophrys, Chlorophonia 74 pyrrhops, Hapalopsittaca 34 pyrrhopterus, Brotogeris 30 Pyrrhula pyrrhula 171 Pyrrhura albipectus 30, 33 — molina 236 quadragintus, Pardalotus 160 quinticolor, Lonchura 141 Quiscalus lugubris 171 — niger 171 quixensis, Microrhopias 166 Ramphastos toco 176 Ramphocelus bresilius 115 Ramphomicron microrhynchum 35 rapax, Aquila 148 rectirostris, Anthreptes 170 Recurvirostra avosetta 149 regalis, Heliangelus 46—9 reichardi, Ploceus 255 reichenbachii, Nectarinia 170 reiseri, Phyllomyias 109-13 remseni, Doliornis 39 renauldi, Carpococcyx 271 resplendens, Vanellus 236 Rhipidura malaitae 23 — rufifrons 23 ridibundus, Larus 150 riefterii, Chlorornis 74 rikeri, Berlepschia 176 Ruparia riparia 153 rivolii, Piculus 73, 166 rovianae, Gallirallus 18-20 ruber, Phaethornis 6—11 rubiginosus, Piculus 235, 237, 241 rubinoides, Heliodoxa 35 rubinus, Pyrocephalus 157, 159, 167 rubra, Crax 164 — ,Foudia 157,171 rubriceps, Piranga 74 rubrirostris, Cnemoscopus 69, 74 rubrogenys, Ara 236, 240 rueppelli, Gyps 147 rufescens, Pelecanus 145 ruficapillus, Charadrius 65, 246 — ,Thamnophilus 237 ruficeps, Chalcostigma 47 — ,Thlypopsis 235, 239 ruficollis, Automolus 36, 37 — ,Calidris 65 — , Oreopholus 236 rufifrons, Rhipidura 23 rufinucha, Atlapetes 69, 74 rufinus, Buteo 148 rufipectoralis, Ochthoeca 74 rufipennis, Geositta 237 — , Polioxolmis 237 rufiventer, Terpsiphone 169 rufiventris, Parus 108 — ,Saltator 239, 242 — ,Turdus 115, 238 rufivertex, Iridosornis 74 — , Muscisaxicola 237 rufocinerea, Terpsiphone 169 rufogularis, Alcippe 219 — ,Apalis 168 rufula, Grallaria 69, 73 rufus, Attila 115 — ,Cursorius 226-9 — ,Furnarius 237 Rupicola peruviana 167 — rupicola 167 rupicola, Colaptes 237 rupurumu, Phaethornis 7—10 rustica, Hirundo 99 rutila, Phytotoma 237 rutilus, Cypseloides 30, 165 Sakesphorus canadensis 166 Saltator aurantiirostris 239 — cinctus 42 — nigriceps 37 — rufiventris 239, 242 sanctaecrucis, Zosterops 24—5 sanctaehelenae, Charadrius 246 sandfordi, Haliaeetus 18 sandwichensis, Chasiempis 169 sanguinolentus, Pardirallus 32 Sappho sparganura 237 Sarcoramphus papa 236 Satrapa icterophrys 238 saturatus, Cuculus 20 savana, Tyrannus 177 saxatilis, Monticola 168 Saxicola borbonensis 168 — torquata 168 sayaca, Thraupis 115, 239 schistaceus, Mayrornis 23 Schistes geoffroyi 165 schistogynus, Thamnomanes 166 schlegeli, Eudyptes 84 schreibersii, Heliodoxa 165 sclateri, Doliornis 38—9 — , Phyllomyias 112-3 sclateriana, Amalocichla 188 Sclerurus mexicanus 30 scolopacea, Eudynamis 165 Scopus umbretta 146 scoresbii, Larus 97 scutatus, Malimbus 171 scutulata, Ninox 135 Scytalopus superciliaris 237, 241 seebohmi, Atlapetes 37 Selenidera spp. 166 semiplumbea, Leucopternis 116 semitorquata, Streptopelia 151 senator, Lanius 154 senegalensis, Halcyon 152 — , Hirundo 153 senegalus, Poicephalus 151 sericea, Loboparadisea 247, 250 Serinus 52 — ankoberensis 57 XXXill — atrogularis 53—7 — citrinella 54 — citrinelloides 171 — donaldsoni 171 — dorsostriatus 56—7 — flavigula 52-8 — leucopygius 57 — serinus 53 — striolatus 53 — xantholaema 55-7 — xanthopygius 55-7 serranus, Turdus 69 serrirostris, Colibri 236 severus, Falco 18 sharpu, Apalis 168 sibilatrix, Anas 93 — ,Syrigma 235, 240 Sicalis flaveola 239 — luteocephala 239, 242 — olivascens 170, 239 signatus, Knipolegus 235, 238 Silvicultrix jelskii 39 similis, Anthus 211—4 sitticolor, Conirostrum 69, 74 sittoides, Diglossa 47, 239 skua, Catharacta 119 smithii, Hirundo 153 socotrana, Emberiza 160 solitaria, Tringa 95 solstitialis, Troglodytes 74, 235, 238 somalensis, Cursorius 225—9 sordida, Pionus 30 soror, Pitta 223 sparganura, Sappho 237 sparverius, Falco 236 speculigera, Conothraupis 41 Spheniscus magellanicus 84 Sphyrapicus varius 166 spilogaster, Hieraaetus 148 Spindalis zena 170 Spizaetus bartelsi 251-3 — cirrhatus 253 — nipalensis 252 — ornatus 252 Spiziapteryx circumcinctus 197—8 splendidus, Zosterops 23 Sporophila bouvreuil 170 — caerulescens 239 squalidus, Phaethornis 8 squamiger, Margarornis 69, 73 squamigera, Grallaria 69, 73 stagnatilis, Tringa 150 stairi, Gallicolumba 165 Steatornis caripensis 30, 35 Stercorarius longicaudus 97 — parasiticus 100, 119 — pomarinus 100 Sterna aleutica 118, 120 — dougallii 119 — fuscata 119 — hirundo 119, 151 — maxima 150 — nilotica 150 XXXIV — paradisaea 98, 117-21 Thamnistes anabatinus 37 — vittata 98,119 Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris 168 stictopterus, Mecocerculus 74 Thamnomanes caesius 166 Stigmatura budytoides 238 — schistogynus 166 stolidus, Anous 119 Thamnophilus caerulescens 237 strepera, Anas 164 — nigrocinereus 166 — ,Elaenia 238 — ruficapillus 237 Streptopelia decaocto 124 — zarumae 37 — decipiens 124 Theristicus caerulescens 175 — hypopyrrha 151 — melanopis 235 — semitorquata 151 Thlypopsis ruficeps 235, 239 — turtur 151 Thraupis bonariensis 239 Streptoprocne zonaris 236 — cyanocephala 74 striata, Coracina 167 — sayaca 115, 239 striaticeps, Phacellodomus 237 Threnetes leucurus 30 striatus, Accipiter 266—9 Thripias pyrrhogaster 145, 152 striolatus, Serinus 53 — xantholophus 152 stuarti, Phaethornis 6-8 Thripophaga berlepschi 49 Sturnella loyca 99 Thryothorus euophrys 74 subaureus, Ploceus 171 thula, Egretta 91 subcristata, Aviceda 164 tibicen, Gymnorhina 172 subcylindricus, Ceratogymna 152 Tinamus tao, 27, 30 Sublegatus modestus 238 tinnunculus, Falco 164 sueurii, Lalage 167 tiphia, Aegithina 167 Suiriri suiriri 238 tithys, Synallaxis 126—7 sulphuratus, Pitangus 238 Tockus bradfieldi 108 superciliaris, Scytalopus 237, 241 toco, Ramphastos 176 superciliosus, Merops 50 Todirostrum cinereum 30 — ,Phaethornis 10-13 torquata, Poospiza 239 svecica, Luscinia 135 — ,Saxicola 168 Synallaxis azarae 235, 237 torquatus, Atlapetes 235, 239 — elegantior 73 — ,Buarremon 239 — frontalis 237 Touit batavica 135 — tithys 126 Trachyphonus margaritatus 166 Synoicus ypsilophorus 165 Treron australis 124 Syrigma sibilatrix 235, 240 tricollaris, Charadrius 244-6 tricolor, Perissocephalus 61 Tachycineta leucopyga 99 — , Phalaropus 96, 236 taciturnus, Arremon 170 trifasciatus, Basileuterus 37 taeniata, Dubusia 74 Tringa erythropus 150 tahapisi, Emberiza 160 — flavipes 236 Tangara argyrofenges 41 — melanoleuca 236 — cyanocephala 115 — solitaria 95 — vassorii 74 — stagnatilis 150 — viridicollis 41 tristrami, Dicaeum 170 tao, Tinamus 27, 30 trivialis, Anthus 153 tapera, Phaeoprogne 30 Trochocercus cyanomelas 159, 169 Tchagra cruenta 168 — nitens 159, 169 Telophorus multicolor 168 Troglodytes aedon 115, 238 temmiunckii, Cursorius 227 — solstitialis 74, 235, 238 — . Orthonyx 188 Trogon personatus 73 tenuirostris, Calidris 65 — viridis 115 — ,Coracina 167 tropica, Fregetta 90 — , Geositta 237 tuberculifer, Myiarchus 238 Terpsiphone bourbonnensis 169 tucumana, Amazona 235, 236, 240 — mutata 157, 169 turcosa, Cyanolyca 74 — rufiventer 169 Turdus albicollis 114-5 — rufocinerea 169 — amaurochalinus 115, 238 — viridis 159, 169 — chiguanco 238 Tetrao capensis 107 — fuscater 69 — francolinus 105 — nigriceps 40, 238 thalassinus, Colibri 48 — rufiventris 115, 238 Thalassoica antarctica 87 — serranus 69 turipavae, Zoothera 21—2 turtur, Pachyptila 88 — ,Streptopelia 151 tyrannulus, Myiarchus 238 Tyrannus melancholicus 238 — savana 177 — tyrannus 99 umbellus, Bonasa 124 umbretta, Scopus 146 underwoodii, Ocreatus 48 undulata, Gallinago 176 unicolor, Chloropipo 167 — , Phrygilus 239 unirufa, Cinnycerthia 69, 74 Upucerthia andaecola 237 — harterti 237 — jelskii 237 Upupa epops 136 Uraeginthus angolensis 171 urbica, Delichon 99 urichi, Phyllomyias 109, 111-3 uropygialis, Phyllomyias 74 urubitinga, Buteogallus 236 vaalensis, Anthus 211-5 validus, Pachyramphus 237 Vanellus chilensis 115 — resplendens 236 varius, Sphyrapicus 166 vassoru, Tangara 74 velatus, Ploceus 254-5 vellalavella, Zosterops 23 Veniliornis frontalis 237 — nigriceps 73 ventralis, Accipiter 236 — , Phylloscartes 238 verreauxi, Leptotila 236 versicolor, Eubucco 166 verticalis, Creurgops 170 — ,Eremopteryx 167 — , Hemispingus 42, 69, 74 — , Nectarinia 170 vincenti, Margarops fuscus subsp.nov. 189-93 violacea, Loxigilla 170 Vireo carmioli 123, 125 — olivaceus 238 virescens, Phyllomyias 109-13 viridicollis, Tangara 41 XXXV viridis, Picus 166 — ,Terpsiphone 159, 169 — , Trogon 115 vitellina, Dendroica 158, 171 vitiensis, Clytorhynchus 169 — ,Columba 165 vittata, Pachyptila 88 — ,Petroica 169 — ,Sterna 98, 119 vociferans, Lipaugus 61 Volatinia jacarina 30 Vultur gryphus 132, 235 wahlbergi, Aquila 148 waigiuensis, Anas 188 wetmorei, Buthraupis 41 whitneyi, Megalurulus 22 willcocksi, Indicator 152 williami, Metallura 47 woodfordi, Nesoclopeus 20 Woodfordia, lacertosa 25 wyatti, Asthenes 237 xanthogaster, Euphonia 30 xantholaema, Serinus 55—7 xantholophus, Thripias 152 xanthoprymna, Oenanthe 168 xanthops, Ploceus 171 xanthopygius, Serinus 55—7 Xenus cinereus 145, 150 Xipholena punicea 60, 199 Xolmis cinerea 176 yanacensis, Leptasthenura 237 yelkouan, Puffinus 196 ypsilophorus, Synoicus 165 zarumae, Thamnophilus 37 zena, Spindalis 170 Zenaida auriculata 98, 236 zonaris, Streptoprocne 236 Zonerodius heliosylus 134 Zonotrichia capensis 239 Zoothera margaretae 21—2 — turipavae 21—2 Zosterops sp. 24 — luteirostris 23 — sanctaecrucis 24-5 — splendidus 23 — vellalavella 23 XXXV1 CORRECTIONS TO TEXT Page 20 Line 19 bougainvillei not bougainville Page 30 Line 30 Aulacorhynchus not Aulacorhyncus Page 34 Line 14 Bolborhynchus not Bolborhyncus Page 47 Line 46 nigrivestis not nigriventris Page 140 Line 22 & 24 leucogastra not leucogaster Page 165 Line 17 Eudynamys not Eudynamis Page 166 Line 18 Picus not P Page 168 Line 11 borbonensis not borbonnensis Page 176 Line 32 Nyctibius not Nyctibus Page 176 Line 34 Ramphastos not Rhamphastos Page 236 Line 35 acuticaudata not acuticauda Page 238 Line 31 andecola not andaecola Page 238 Line 43 olivaceus not olivaeceus Page 264 Acknowledgements. Add Joe Forshaw and Jacques Vieillard to the list of those who “greatly helped us in various ways”’. Printed in Great Britain by Henry Ling Ltd, at the Dorset Press, Dorchester, Dorset Hote goannas ea rnin sae BOER an rons ab PRUs Lean tere te ae \ REA SP ae * Catpy are Ree NndE er Wey wo iy caren vanes MPM IAs, Fae er ab : eee ee ; Praha . : woh ¥ Se Ateneo cS . AP ry S SU a esr S 7 y el Bae Ber OURS oe eee ate : Seabr ete * : ‘ ; We Watney mean SPU A wh Ee 7 : zie. ALE hoe RAP Pr ab 7 2 : ‘ 5 VER WIRY 2 pain AGAR 7 : e REE Rr Ursula! ine MP sinclp bey ap a ere ai : Neos uu . wee eee ne Kats ene Nene im irreMae sane Lee