No. 25 July 2009

Forktail 25

2009

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Cover picture: A pair of Bare-faced Bulbuls Pycnonotus hualon.

Original painting by Nicolas Day.

ISSN 0950-1746
© Oriental Bird Club 2009

FORKTAIL

Number 25, 2009

Senior Editor:

Suhel Quader

(National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, India)

2 2 jin. n

i

j

Associate Editors:

Stuart Butchart, Nigel Collar, Will Duckworth, Eben Goodale and JackTordoff

CONTENTS

I. A. WOXVOLD, J. W. DUCKWORTH and R. J. TIMMINS

An unusual new bulbul (Passeriformes: Pycnonotidae) from the limestone karst of Lao PDR . 1

JIRI mlikovsky

Waterbirds of Lake Baikal, eastern Siberia, Russia . 13

ANWARUDDIN CHOUDHURY

Significant recent ornithological records from Manipur, north-east India, with an annotated checklist . 71

ROBERT DeCANDIDO and CHUKIAT NUALSRI

Timing and abundance of Grey-faced Buzzards Butastur indicus and other raptors on northbound

migration in southern Thailand, spring 2007-2008 . 90

J. W. DUCKWORTH

Eight new birds for Laos . 96

FRANCESCO GERMI, GEORGE S. YOUNG, AGUS SALIM, WESLEY PAN GIMAN GEN
and MARK SCHELLEKENS

Over-ocean raptor migration in a monsoon regime: spring and autumn 2007 on Sangihe,

North Sulawesi, Indonesia . 104

ALAN KEMP, MEG KEMP and SIRIPORN THONG-AREE

Surveys of nocturnal birds at Bala rainforest, southern Thailand . 117

PHURBA LHENDUP and EDWARD L. WEBB

Black-necked Cranes Gras nigricollis in Bhutan: migration routes, threats and conservation prospects . 125

JOHN D. PILGRIM, PETER BIJLMAKERS, TOON DE BRUYN, STEPHANE DOPPAGNE,

SIMON P. MAHOOD and ANDREW W. TORDOFF

Updates to the distribution and status of birds in Vietnam . 130

JOHN PENHALLURICK and CRAIG ROBSON

The generic taxonomy of parrotbills (Aves, Timaliidae) . 137

JOHN D. PILGRIM, DAVID F. WALSH, TRAN THANH TU, NGUYEN DUC TU,

JONATHAN C. EAMES and LE MANH HUNG

The Endangered White-eared Night Heron Gorsachius magnificus in Vietnam: status, distribution,

ecology and threats . 142

Short Notes

JAMES PAUL S. GOMEZ, ROGELIO V. SISON and DAVID J. LOHMAN

New bird records for Alabat Island, Quezon Province, Philippines . 147

JOHN BOWLER

Additional altitudinal records from Seram, South Maluku, Indonesia . 150

JAMES A. EATON and FRANK E. RHEINDT

Long-billed Plover Charadrius placidus nesting in its Himalayan wintering range: first breeding record

for the Indian Subcontinent . 152

M. A. RAJA MAMANNAN and LALITHA VIJAYAN

Three new bird records from the Andaman Islands, India . 153

K. DAVID BISHOP

Spectacled Finch Callacanthis burtoni : another new country record for Bhutan . 154

JOHN D. PILGRIM, PETER BIJLMAKERS, ANDREW CRUTCHLEY, GEMMA CRUTCHLEY,

TOON DE BRUYN and ANDREW W. TORDOFF

Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula and Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala :

new records for Vietnam . 155

XIN LU

First breeding record of the GreenishWarbler Phylloscopus trochiloides in alpine habitats, southern Tibet . 158

PHILIP D. ROUND and TIMOTHY H. FISHER

Records of Black-browed Reed Warbler Acrocephalus bistrigiceps from Luzon, Philippines . 159

PRADEEP SHARMA and K. S. GOPI SUNDAR

Counts of Steppe Eagles Aquila nipalensis at a carcass dump in Jorbeer, Rajasthan, India . 160

G. UMAPATHY, S. HUSSAIN and S. SHIVAJI

Status and distribution of vultures in Andhra Pradesh, India . 163

Erratum . 166

Guidelines for contributors

inside back cover

FORKTAIL 25 (2009): 1-12

An unusual new bulbul (Passeriformes: Pycnonotidae)
from the limestone karst of Lao PDR

I. A. WOXVOLD, J. W. DUCKWORTH and R. J. TIMMINS

Based on distinctive morphological (plumage and skin) and vocal characters we describe a new species of bulbul from the limestone karst
of central Lao PDR and place it in the genus Pycnonotus. The species is so far known from one locality in Savannakhet province and two
probable earlier records from the Bolikhamxai-Khammouan provinces border area. Initial observations suggest it may represent an
extreme example of habitat specificity within the Pycnonotidae and have a distribution limited to the central Indochina limestone belt
of central Lao PDR and, perhaps, western central Vietnam. Further work is required to understand more clearly the distribution, ecology
and behaviour of this species. However, its apparent preference for sparsely vegetated, deciduous habitats on rugged and uncultivable
karst terrain may partly explain why this conspicuous species escaped detection for so long. Based on inferred distribution and apparent
habitat preferences, a large proportion of the global population may occur within the Phou Hinpoun (Khammouan Limestone) and
perhaps Hin Namno National Protected Areas. The relative impenetrability of the large, cohesive areas of karst present therein should
further protect against the majority of processes that currently threaten Indochinese karst birds and their habitats . Populations on isolated
outcrops are expected to be more at risk.

INTRODUCTION

In recent decades field researchers entering the biologically
'rich forests of Indochina have been rewarded with many
new discoveries. Relative to most neighbouring countries
the birds of Lao PDR remained little surveyed until, after
a 40-year near-hiatus, surveyors resumed documentation
of the nation’s avifauna in the 1990s (e.g. Thewlis et al.
1998, Duckworth et al. 1999, Duckworth and Tizard
2003). Since then much has been done to advance
knowledge of the distribution and conservation status of
the country’s birds. However, many gaps remain, and
ongoing surveys continue to produce important
information and records of species not previously recorded
for Lao PDR (Duckworth 2006).

Limestone karsts remain among the least studied
ecosystems in South-East Asia, despite their supporting
among the highest rates of habitat specialist and endemic
taxa (Rundel 1999, Vermeulen and Whitten 1999,
Clements et al. 2006). Based on field observations and
museum diagnosis of two specimens, we describe a new
species of bulbul, which we place within the genus
Pycnonotus, from the limestone karst of central Lao PDR.

THE NEW BULBUL

On 1 7 May 1995, RJT observed a small group of distinctive
bulbuls on limestone karst c. 1 50-200 m vertically above
the Hinboun plain (itself at c.165 m asl) at the northern
end of the Khammouan limestone massif (18°04'N
104°31'E) (Fig. 1). As the group passed through, the birds
alighted momentarily offering brief views of ‘5+ greyish
brown bulbuls (?) with bare heads, somewhat buffy/olive
undertail coverts, possibly two dark bars on rump. Twittery
calls’ . This observation was omitted from the survey report
(Duckworth et al. 1998) owing to its brevity and gross-
level incompatibility with any known form. RJT
subsequently weathered a fair amount of good-natured
ribbing on relating the sighting to sceptical colleagues.

Nearby, in early 1999 T. D. Evans (in litt. 2009)
observed atypical bulbuls on a small karst outcrop close
to the village of Ban Naphong (Bolikhamxai province;
18°08'N 104°23'E) (Fig. 1) on three occasions: singles

on 6 January and 4 February, and two on 1 1 February.
The first was taken to relate to Light-vented Bulbul P.
sinensis and was inserted at proof stage as such to
Duckworth et al. ( 1 999), but better views on 4 February
showed an unidentifiable bird: ‘pale grey-white face;
chestnut smear above and around eye, a little below it;
hindcrown seemed pale, divided indistinctly from pale
face by a salient of olive from the mantle, possibly with
black face margin near eye; dark dull olive mantle; bright
olive flight feathers; drab olive belly, greyer and paler
than mantle’. These observations were left unreported.

More than 13 years after the 1995 sighting, ‘bald’
bulbuls were encountered again c. 185 km to the south¬
east. In November-December 2008 JWD and IAW
surveyed birds in the lowland plains and Annamite foothills
between the Phou Xang He and Hin Namno National
Protected Areas (NPAs, formerly National Biodiversity
Conservation Areas) in Muang Vilabouli, Savannakhet
province, Lao PDR (Fig. 1 ) . The region is well populated
and the habitat comprises a complex mosaic of agricultural
land, secondary forest and remnant patches of degraded
natural forest. Limestone outcrops occur throughout the
area as isolated karsts of various size and shape, and
support among the few habitats within the survey area
that are likely to have been little changed by human activity.

On 3 December 2008, JWD and IAW were surveying
birds on Pha Lorn (16°58'15"N 105°48'45"E), an east-
west oriented limestone outcrop located c. 1 .5 km south-
south-east of the village of Ban Nonsomphou and 15.7 km
west of the district capital town Vilabouli . Pha Lorn stands
approximately 800 m long by 250 m wide and rises to
c.215 m above the basal plain at 200 m asl. At
approximately 1 3h00, IAW observed a distinctive though
unfamiliar bulbul at c.270 m asl, some 70 m vertically
above the outcrop base, in sparse, deciduous, stunted,
woody vegetation on steep and soil-less terrain. The bird
had alighted directly overhead in a small, leafless tree,
where it remained for two to three minutes, feeding
casually on small fruits and cocking its head to gain a clear
view of the observer at c.5 m range. The bird then moved
upslope and was followed by IAW for approximately 1 5
minutes when it called briefly and was joined by another,
similar bird. The duo flew off soon after. At 14h00 on the
same day IAW and JWD observed a pair foraging, calling

o

I. A. WOXVOLD, J. W. DUCKWORTH and R. J. TIMMINS

Forktail 25 (2009)

VIETNAM

Phou Hinpoun NPA

THAILAND

P. hualon localities

Kilometres

'Phou Xang He NP/t

' \

Figure 1 . Map of central Lao PDR
and Vietnam showing the
distribution of limestone (central
Indochina limestone belt), national
protected areas and the location of
known (Pha Lorn) and presumed
(Bolikhamxai-Khammouan
border area) Bare-faced Bulbul
Pycnonotus hualon localities. Bare¬
faced Bulbuls at Pha Lorn occurred
on isolated limestone outcrops.

and moving about in the same area for about half an
hour.

Initial observations indicated a bulbul of grey-brown
body colouring with olive-toned upperparts, erectile
nuchal collar, distinctly paler, fawn-grey underparts, off-
white throat and olive-green remiges in folded wings.
Taken alone, this combination of rather sombre features
is distinct from that shown by other bulbuls common in
central Laos. Vocalisations were also clearly distinct from
other common bulbuls in the region. However, the most
striking and diagnostic feature of this unusual bird was its
prima facie ‘bald’ appearance, with contrasting orange-
pink and pale blue facial skin, a trait that immediately
separates it from all other members of the family.

On 4 December between 06h45 and 17h30 several
observations (totalling about an hour) were made by JWD
and IAW of single birds and duos in the same location,
with JWD making two sound recordings. These
encounters may have involved repeated observations of
only two individuals. On 5 December one of two closely
associated birds was mist-netted in the same location
using call playback and collected by IAW (Plates 1 and
3). On 6 December two birds were captured by Ubon, a
resident of Ban Nonsomphou, using a slingshot and call
playback under the supervision of IAW. The first of these
was captured near where the first bird was mist-netted
the previous day (c.20 m away) and was photographed
and blood-sampled prior to its escape. The second was
captured c.100 m further west on the karst and was
collected by IAW (Plate 3). It was one of four birds (two
duos) responding to call playback at the site. On this
latter day, IAW observed a minimum of four birds,
including the two captured, and perhaps as many as seven.
Including the bird mist-netted on 5 December, at least
five individuals were recorded on the south-eastern slopes
of Pha Lorn. Given the apparent strength of bond within
duos, this figure is likely to total at least six, as it seems

unlikely the bird ‘widowed’ on 5 December paired again
so quickly. So far as could be determined without capture,
all birds observed on Pha Lorn were essentially identical
and occurred in the same general habitat-type.

Comparisons in February 2009 by IAW with material
in the Museum of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia, and by
JWD and IAW, with input from P. D. Round, with
specimens at the Thailand Institute of Scientific and
Technological Research (TISTR) in Bangkok, confirmed
that the bird represents a new species, which we name:

Pycnonotus hualon , sp. nov.

Bare-faced Bulbul

Holotype

Deposited in The Natural History Museum, Tring, UK
(BMNH reg. no. 2009.1.1). Collected by IAW on Pha
Lorn ( 1 6°58' 1 3"N 1 05°48'48''E), south of Ban
Nonsomphou (a village not marked on the standard 1985-
1987 series of Lao government 1:100,000 topographic
maps), Vilabouli district, Savannakhet province, Lao PDR
(Fig. 1) at c.295 m asl on 5 December 2008 (Plates 1 and
3). Prepared by G. H. Pfitzner at the Australian National
Wildlife Collection (ANWC) as specimen no. 34958,
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research
Organization (CSIRO), Canberra. Female, apparently
prior to first breeding; oviduct elongate but not
convoluted, follicles undeveloped. Skull ossified.

Diagnosis

Pycnonotus hualon is distinguished from all other bulbuls
by the following individually diagnostic characters: the
near-absence of contour feathering on the face and side
of the head; the presence of extensive pale blue periorbital
and loral skin and orange-pink skin on the rear sides of
the head and below the eye to the malar area; the
predominance of loose, hair-like filoplumes (mostly un-

Forktail 25 (2009)

An unusual new bulbul from the limestone karst of Lao PDR

3

barbed) along the mid-crown; and the reduction of the
anterior ear-coverts to a series of unbarbed bristles that
cover the ear opening. It is further distinguished from
other members of its genus by the combination of olive
undertail-coverts, fawn-grey breast and belly, and off-
white throat.

Description of the holotype

In the description below, subjective colour assessments
of plumage are, where possible, followed by a formal
colour classification taken from Smithe (1975). A formal
description of facial skin coloration is not given owing to
changes in appearance of these bare parts following
specimen preparation.

Head and face

Crown from forehead to nape loosely endowed with a
series of light-grey, mostly unbarbed hair-like filoplumes.
Plumage densest on forehead and fore-crown, from
insertion of bill to above rear of the eye, where some
feathers are loosely barbed (barbules absent) and have
dark shafts. Crown feathers emerging from between eye
and nape, are unbarbed.

Skin covering most of face and side of head, including
lores, base of lower mandible and ear, predominantly
bare (Plate la). Facial skin of lore, upper eyelid and
supraorbital patch pale blue. Lower eyelid also blue,
though this is only visible when the eye is closed. Skin of
submoustachial and gape, below eye and back to nuchal
collar across ear, tinged orange. Skin above ear and behind
eye flesh-toned pink. All birds showed consistent colouring
of the facial skin during field observations and handling.

Posterior ear-coverts form a tuft of white, upswept
feathers (Plate 1 a) . Anterior ear-coverts reduced to a series
of dark, unbarbed bristles that sweep back over ear
opening. Five black rictal bristles, the posterior three being
the strongest. Stiff facial bristles also present at anterior
edge of lore (nasal bristles) and on lower mandible fore
of gape. Soft facial bristles, visible only in the hand, present
on other parts of the face, including below the eye.

Upperparts

There is a nuchal collar of slightly elongated and erectile
feathers (Plate la), a posture-dependent character often
visible from some distance in the field in most or all birds.
Feathers of nuchal mid-line tinged olive (Plate 3a), those
on sides pale grey to off-white. The boundary between
these tonal areas is vague and shifts with viewing angle.
Bases of nuchal feathers grey (84 Medium Neutral Gray) ,
giving collar a mottled appearance when erect. Some rear
central hair-like feathers mingle into the nuchal collar.

Feathers of mantle, back, scapulars and rump drab
olive (30 Olive), uppertail-coverts brighter olive (48 Olive
Green) (Plates lb and 3a). All dorsal body contour feathers
below nape have grey bases (84 Medium Neutral Gray),
so that the strength and tone of olive fringing on any given
feather tract is influenced by light and viewing angle.

Tail slightly rounded, with outermost pair of 12
rectrices 7 mm shorter than the central pair. Dorsal side
of the rectrices olive (48 Olive Green) and concolorous
with uppertail-coverts.

No moult evident in the rectrices. Fault bars of rectrices
appear to be aligned, suggesting a bird in its first year and
consistent with anatomical evidence that this individual
had not entered its first breeding season.

Wings

Lesser and median coverts brownish-grey (119 Sepia)
with olive tips (29 Brownish Olive). Greater coverts and
alula feathers grey (119 Sepia) with olive fringing on outer
webs (29 Brownish Olive) . Remiges grey (119 Sepia) with
outer webs predominantly olive (29 Brownish Olive) and
brighter olive (48 Olive Green) in the emarginate primaries
(P2-P8). Underside of remiges dull silver-grey (84
Medium Neutral Gray). Underwing-coverts fawn-grey
and concolorous with breast.

There are ten primaries, with P10 (outermost)
approximately half the length of P9. Wing point: P6
approximately equal to P7. No moult evident in the
remiges.

Underparts

Feathers of the throat and sides of neck off-white with grey
bases (84 Medium Neutral Gray) . Chin feathers all white.
Region of chin between mandibles sparsely feathered with
some elongated filoplumes present (Plate la). Feathers
on sides of neck merge with nuchal feathers to form a pale
neck-collar that borders the orange-pink facial skin. As
with the nuchal region, the perceived tone of the throat
feathers depends on the bird’s posture and the relative
proportion of feather tips and bases that are visible.

Breast, belly and flanks olive-tinted fawn-grey (79
Glaucous) (Plate 3b). Undertail-coverts olive (48 Olive-
Green) with grey bases (84 Medium Neutral Gray).
Underside oftail dark olive-tinged grey (29 Brownish Olive) .

Legs well feathered to just below the tibiotarsal-
tarsometatarsal joint and concolorous with belly.

Bare parts

Bill (exterior) all black. Culmen decurved past the fossa,
not strongly carinated, and with a notch on each tomium
just before the very slightly hooked tip. Tomia slightly
convex from base of bill to just in front of the nares, the
change in contour creating a point of tomial flexure. Gonys
almost straight (very slightly convex).

The rear of the tarsus, toes and daws are black, and
the anterior edge of the tarsus dark with fleshy tones. The
soles of the feet are pale bone-coloured.

Iris very dark brown (live specimen), appearing black
in the field. Inside of mouth salmon-pink and distinctly
brighter than facial skin. No brood-patch or cloacal
protuberance observed.

Measurements of type

Total length (fully stretched) 190 mm; head 36.8 mm;
culmen (from skull) 15.7 mm; tarsus 19.6 mm; wing
(max. chord) 91.5 mm; tail (measured dorsally to base of
shaft of longest feather) 96 mm; body mass 32.7 g.

Paratype

A second specimen of P. hualon was collected by IAW
from Pha Lorn at c.325 m asl on 6 December 2008 (Plate
3). It was prepared by G. H. Pfitznerat ANWC, Canberra,
where it is held as specimen no. 34982. This is of a male,
with non-turgid (inactive) testes measuring (left to right)
2x1 mm and 1 x 1 mm.

The male paratype is larger and heavier than the female
holotype. It is slightly darker over the entire venter and
dorsum, with the most notable differences being in
coloration of feathers of the throat and crown. Compared
to the holotype, the throat feathers of the paratype have

4

I. A. WOXVOLD, J. W. DUCKWORTH and R. J. TIMMINS

Forktail 25 (2009)

Plate 1. Head and face (a) and upperparts (b) of the holotype female Plate 2. Lateral view of a bird that escaped during handling; sex
Bare-faced Bulbul. (I. Woxvold) unknown. (I. Woxvold)

Plate 3. Dorsal (a) and ventral (b) view of the holotype (bottom; one wing removed in preparation) and paratype Bare-faced Bulbuls collected
on Pha Lorn, Savannakhet province, Lao PDR on 5 and 6 December 2008. (K. Aplin)

Forktail 25 (2009)

An unusual new bulbul from the limestone karst of Lao PDR

5

darker grey bases and darker tips, and feathering on the
crown is thicker and darker. While in both specimens the
throat is lighter than the breast and belly, the throat feathers
on the paratype are almost concolorous with the olive-fawn
breast and belly of the holotype. Colour of the tail feathers
does not differ between specimens for either surface. There
was no apparent difference in the colour of facial skin
between the live paratype and holotype. The paratype has
all-black tarsi (no flesh tones on the anterior portion).
Measurements: total length (fully stretched) 201 mm; head
37.5 mm; culmen (from skull) 16.6 mm; tarsus 20.7 mm;
wing (max. chord) 94 mm; tail 98 mm; body mass 41 .3 g.

Etymology

‘ Hualon ’ is a Lao word meaning ‘bald-head [ed]’ (hua -
head). It is a standard term used in reference to people
with bald or shaven heads, which we use here as a noun in
apposition to the genus name. We select this name as it is
an immediate response, on being shown photographs of
the species, to what is otherwise (to non-ornithologists) a
relatively drab and anonymous bird. Coincidentally (see
habitat description below), a massif lacking dense, tall
vegetation on its upper parts is often known in Lao as a
‘ phou hualon’.

TAXONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS

Delacour (1943) considered the bulbuls to be among the
most distinctive and clearly defined passerine groups. While
this statement still enjoys broad support, recent research

has excluded a number of taxa formerly considered bulbuls,
and yet others are expected to cross this familial boundary
in the future (Fishpool and Tobias 2005). Most notably,
the ‘greenbuls’ of Madagascar, formerly placed alongside
the African greenbuls in Phyllastrephus, are now known to
share their strong morphological and behavioural
similarities with bulbuls through convergence rather than
shared ancestry, and were removed to Xanthomixis and
Bemieria of Sylviidae by Cibois et al. (2001).

The overall appearance and behaviour of P. hualon ,
including shape and size, plumage, posture, vocalisations,
flight and feeding habits, led to its immediate and
independent recognition as a pycnonotid by all observers
in the field and all viewers of the prepared skins. It further
possesses a combination of morphological characters that,
taken together, place it firmly within the Pycnonotidae,
including a thin sheet of bone over the posterior portion
of the nostril (operculate nostrils), long, soft plumage,
nuchal filoplumes and thin skin (noted during preparation,
G. H. Pfitzner in litt. 2009; live birds readily shed feathers
when handled, pers. obs.).

However, assignment of species to genera within the
Pycnonotidae has been problematic. Classifications based
on morphological characters have proven largely unstable
(e.g. Sharpe 1882, Deignan 1942, Delacour 1943,
Dickinson and Gregory 2002), and while genetic studies
are helping to uncover the true relationships among species
within and between some genera (e.g. Pasquet et al. 200 1 ,
Warren et al. 2005, Moyle and Marks 2006, Johansson et
al. 2007) such information is still piecemeal. A stable
taxonomic hypothesis for the Pycnonotidae will require

Plate 4. Bare-faced Bulbul habitat on Pha Lom. (I. Woxvold)

6

I. A. WOXVOLD, J. W. DUCKWORTH and R. J. TIMMINS

Forktail 25 (2009)

extensive additional sampling and analysis and is predicted
to result in significant changes to present generic
arrangements within this large family widespread across
the tropics, subtropics and adjacent temperate areas of
Africa and southern Asia (Fishpool and Tobias 2005).

We assigned P. hualon generically based on a
combination of morphological and behavioural characters.
All the characters examined, including bill morphology,
facial bristle patterning (rictal and nasal bristles), tarsus,
vocalisation and general plumage pattern below the neck,
were consistent with the species’s placement within
Pycnonotus. Moreover, the morphological and vocal traits
manifest in P. hualon were inconsistent with those exhibited
by the other 26 genera included within the family under
the most recent global revision (Fishpool and T obias 2005).
For example, based on comparisons with museum
specimens and illustrations and descriptions provided in
Delacour (1943) and Dickinson and Gregory (2002), the
bill morphology of P. hualon , including shape, carination,
and position and shape of the nasal fossa, aperture and
operculum, appears distinct from that of all other Asian
and Indian Ocean (including Malagasy) genera ( Spizixos ,
Alophioxus, Acritillas, Hemixos , Hypsipetes , Microscelis ,
Cerasophila, Iole, Ixos, Thapsinillas, Setomis , Tricholestes,
Bemieria, Xanthomixis ) and the majority of African genera
( Andropadus , Calyptocichla, Baeopogon, Phyllastrephus ,
Bleda, Criniger, Neolestes, Nicator). Basic vocal,
morphological and plumage characters are also distinct
from the remaining African genera (. Ixonotus , Chlorocichla,
Thescelocichla , Pyrrhurus).

Although P. hualon possesses strikingly distinct head
and facial patterning, this character is insufficient to place
the species outside Pycnonotus. A bare and conspicuously
coloured head and face, comparable in divergence from
putative congeners to that of the Bare-faced Bulbul, is
also observed uniquely in the Bare-headed
Laughingthrush Garrulax calvus (Timaliidae) of the
mountains of northern Borneo (Collar and Robson 2007) .
Not only is this species retained within the genus Garrulax
but most taxonomists have also, until recently, treated it
as a race of the Black Laughingthrush G. lugubris.
Moreover, Chasen (1935) detected ‘incipient baldness’
in nominate G. (/.) lugubris of the Malay Peninsula. We
therefore believe the distinctive facial features of P. hualon
to be a uniquely derived character insufficient to require
generic isolation from Pycnonotus as currently recognised.

Distinctive patterning of the head and face is seen in
many bulbuls, and within the family as a whole is thought
to play an important role in terms of display (Fishpool
and Tobias 2005). In addition to conspicuous plumage
patterns, a number of species have coloured and/or
unfeathered skin around the eyes. For example, the Red¬
tailed Bristlebill Bleda syndactylus has a supraorbital
pattern similar to that of P. hualon , with a crescent of bare
blue skin present above, fore and aft of the eye. Other
examples include the Blue-wattled Bulbul P. nieuwenhuisii ,
the Black-fronted (African Red-eyed) Bulbul P. nigricans ,
and the Red-tailed Greenbul Criniger calurus. Pycnonotus
hualon appears to possess an extreme extension of this
tendency which, based on the preliminary molecular
phylogeny of the Pycnonotidae constructed by Moyle
and Marks (2006), has developed independently in
multiple bulbul lineages.

With 42 currently recognised species, Pycnonotus is by
far the largest genus in the family and in its present form

is considered to be polyphyletic (Fishpool and Tobias
2005, Moyle and Marks 2006). It contains numerous
distinctive subgroups, many of which were previously
treated as separate genera. A full revision of the genus,
including results from genetic studies, is likely to lead to
the resumption of many historical genera and a narrower
interpretation of Pycnonotus centred on (but not restricted
to) Africa (Dickinson and Dekker 2002, Fishpool and
Tobias 2005). In light of this, we recognise that placing
Bare-faced Bulbul within Pycnonotus is largely a matter of
convenience, and that its generic position quite probably
will be reassigned in the future pending further research
clarifying the true limits of Pycnonotus. It is far beyond the
scope of this new species description to carry out the
extensive analysis required in order to determine the
phylogenetic relationships of P. hualon , and thus to
determine its true generic placement.

Within Pycnonotus as currently defined, an initial
assessment of bill morphology, plumage pattern and
vocalisations suggests that P. hualon most closely resembles
bulbuls of the White-browed/Yellow-vented P. luteolus/P.
goiavier superspecies group (groups named here are as
defined by Fishpool and Tobias 2005), the Otocompsa
group (Red-whiskered Bulbul P. jocosus, Brown-breasted
Bulbul P. xanthorrhous , Light-vented Bulbul, Styan’s
Bulbul P. taivanus), the rather variable Flavescent Bulbul
P. flavescens and some members of the Brachypus group,
such as the Olive-winged Bulbul P. plumosus.

Taken alone, available genetic data would be
insufficient to compare with and definitively assign the
Bare-faced Bulbul to any currently recognised genus or
Pycnonotus subgroup. In the most extensive analysis
published to date, Moyle and Marks (2006) showed that
Pycnonotus is paraphyletic, with three of the 13 species
sampled from this genus (Black-headed Bulbul P. atriceps,
Puff-backed Bulbul P. eutilotus and Black-and-white
Bulbul P. melanoleucos ) apparently distantly related to a
clade consisting of the remaining Pycnonotus and Collared
Finchbill Spizixos semitorques. These two Pycnonotus clades
were separated by a suite of currently recognised Asian
genera, including Tricholestes , Setomis , Alophoixus, Iole,
Microscelis, Hypsipetes, Hemixos, Ixos and Spizixos. Among
these latter genera, at least Ixos appeared also to be
paraphyletic. Given this unstable taxonomic situation,
confident statements on the true contents of Pycnonotus
and allies are further restrained by the paucity of genera
for which the type species was sampled (including both
Pycnonotus and its apparent closest relative Spizixos ) and
the large number of proposed intra -Pycnonotus groups
(see Fishpool and Tobias 2005) not sampled at all, a
number of which may be of interest in assigning a generic
position to P. hualon. In particular, Moyle and Marks
(2006) included no representatives of the Otocompsa
group, the P. cafer complex or the Y ellow-throated Bulbul
P. xantholaemus, an unusual Indian bird with no obvious
close relatives within the genus and habitat use somewhat
similar to that of P. hualon. Any one of the unsampled
Pycnonotus groups may prove to be most closely related
to P. hualon and to be as distantly related to the apparent
core group as are P. atriceps, P. eutilotus and P. melanoleucos,
or potentially to be even more divergent. Identification of
the true sister group of P. hualon, and confident proposal
as to whether it belongs within a pre-existing group or
constitutes its own monospecific (sub)genus, must
therefore await a fuller analysis of Pycnonotus and its allies.

Forktail 25 (2009)

An unusual new bulbul from the limestone karst of Lao PDR

7

Within bulbuls are several documented cases of
hybridisation and of dissimilar phenotypic intraspecific
morphs. Hybridisation has been recorded in Asia between
Light-vented and Styan’s Bulbuls (Severinghaus 1990,
BirdLife International 2001), between Himalayan Bulbul
P. leucogenys and White-eared Bulbul P. leucotis
(Rasmussen and Anderton 2005), between Red-vented
Bulbul P. cafer and Sooty-headed Bulbul P. aurigaster
(Deignan 1949, Zheng 1983), and in Africa within the
Cape Bulbul P. capensis complex. In the latter group,
hybrids of Common Bulbul P. barbatus with two other
species are widely variable in size and colour of the eye
wattles, which may differ from those of either parent
(Markus 1967, Liversidge 1985, Lloyd et al. 1997).
Similarly, Williams (2002) suggested that the rare and
poorly known Blue-wattled Bulbul of Borneo and Sumatra
may be a hybrid of the Black-headed Bulbul and the
Grey-bellied Bulbul P. cyaniventris , a pairing that, if real,
would produce fleshy blue eye-rings shown in neither
supposed parent species. Distinctive colour morphs or
subspecies occur in, among others, the Black-headed
Bulbul, Common Bulbul and Sooty-headed Bulbul.

Pycnomotus hualon cannot reasonably be considered to
be either a recent hybrid between already known species
or a distinctive morph/subspecies of an already known
species. All individuals observed at Pha Lorn (n >5)
displayed a high degree of consistency across a suite of
characters that are strikingly different from those observed
in any other bulbul, including bare and conspicuously
coloured facial skin and distinctive underparts and
vocalisations. Even extreme morphs, such as the grey form
of the Black-headed Bulbul, differ in colour tone and
saturation rather than plumage pattern and baldness. In
the case of hybridisation, selecting any two bulbul parent
species would still require the spontaneous and consistent
development of both orange and blue pigmentation on
different parts of the face, a phenomenon that to our
knowledge has not been observed in any other bird.

Habitat specificity also bears on Williams’s (2002)
discussion of whether the Blue-wattled Bulbul is a hybrid
or valid taxon. As an alternative to the hybrid hypothesis,
he considered the possibility that it may be a genuinely
rare species restricted largely to a specific habitat thus far
poorly surveyed in Borneo and Sumatra, but cautioned
that strong habitat specificity was rare within bulbuls.
The apparent restriction in habitat use displayed by the
Bare-faced Bulbul (see below, Habitat) provides a suitable
precedent.

VOCALISATIONS

Pycnonotus hualon was regularly heard to give a distinctive
call that served as a useful indicator of the species’s
presence. The most common vocalisations consisted of a
short (<1 sec) series of whistled, dry bubbling notes.
Although normally uttered as a single, non-repeated call,
at 1 5h50 on 4 December 2008 a series of nine such calls
was recorded (prior to ‘flight call’, see below) given over
a period of 20 seconds by a single bird of unknown sex.
The basal phrase consists of a short (<0.3 secs) series of
3-5 notes that rise distinctly and end abruptly in a higher,
separate note (Fig. 2a). The basal phrase may be given
alone or followed by a longer series of accelerating notes
of steady or descending pitch (Fig. 2b).

A more excited-sounding bubbling trill, initially
rising in pitch, was sometimes given immediately prior to
and/or as birds flew off. This was sometimes followed by
short, rising trills given in flight (Fig. 2c). Flight calls
distinct from other elements of the species’s vocabulary
have also been noted in Red-vented Bulbuls P. cafer
(Kumar 2004).

The structure of P. hualon' % bubbling trills, including
the rate at which individual notes are delivered, recalls
vocalisations given by Cream-vented Bulbuls P. simplex
and (Asian) Red-eyed Bulbuls P. brunneus , although the
notes of P. hualon sound somewhat brighter, higher-
pitched and more whistled. In pitch, structure and tone,
P. hualon' s bubbling trills more closely resemble those of
Crested Finchbill Spizixos canifrons included in Scharringa
(2005), although the notes of the latter species are
delivered at a higher rate.

A series of calls of similar phrasing, although delivered
in a much harsher, churring tone, was recorded at 1 0h40
on 4 December. T en calls were delivered over c. 42 seconds
by a single bird, each call consisting of two introductory
notes rising in pitch and followed by a series of 4-7 notes
of similar pitch (Fig. 2d). This call could be rendered as
ch-ch chi chi-chi-chi-chi.

Observations suggest that the calls described here may
serve as social contact signals (sensu Kumar and Bhatt
2000) used to maintain cohesiveness between duo
members. The first bird encountered appeared to be alone

Seconds

Figure 2. Vocalisations of Bare-faced Bulbul recorded at Pha Lorn in
December 2008. Sonograms show commonly heard bubbling trills
(a, b), flight calls (c), and a harsher, churring call (d).

8

I. A. WOXVOLD, J. W. DUCKWORTH and R. J. TIMMINS

Forktail 25 (2009)

and was followed by IAW for 15 minutes over a short
distance upslope, at which point it gave the bubbling
‘anticline’ (rising then falling) call depicted in figure 2b.
On giving this call the bird was immediately joined by a
second bird that had apparently been foraging higher on
the karst. Moreover, after netting the female on 5
December, the accompanying bird remained nearby and
called frequently at least until IAW’s departure two hours
later. The following morning a single bird was seen and
heard calling in the same location on IAW’s arrival at
1 Oh 1 5 .

A looped playback of the bubbling call series (including
Figs 2a-c) repeatedly attracted the close attention of both
single birds and duos, with up to two duos simultaneously
observed within metres of the source.

It is unclear whether males and/or females were
vocalising during our fieldwork. The bird netted on 5
December was a female and may therefore have been
accompanied by a male, particularly given the strength of
the bond within the duo which appeared to last at least a
day after capture. However, gonadal condition and the
alignment of fault bars on the rectrices suggest the bird
was still in its first year and may therefore have been
accompanied by a sibling of either sex.

Further work is required to understand the complete
vocal repertoire of this species at various times of day (e .g.
roosting signals) and at other times of year. For example,
males of at least some Pycnonotus species engage in
territorial song, mainly during the breeding season (Lloyd
et al. 1996).

BEHAVIOUR

As with most Asian bulbuls, P. hualon was neither skulking
nor shy but rather conspicuous in its habits. Birds were
seen foraging and moving about at all times of day. Most
observations were of duos or single birds, the exceptions
being a group of at least five birds observed by RJT at the
northern end of the Ivhammouan limestone in May, and
in December four birds on Pha Lorn responding
simultaneously to call playback. However, in the latter
instance the group appeared to comprise two separate
duos (see below). Singles tended to call more regularly,
occasionally vocalising for some minutes before being
joined by another bird or flying off.

In keeping with most members of the family, P. hualon
is predominantly arboreal. However, birds also alight
readily on the limestone substrate, such as on the edge of
a precipice or on jagged crags in steep terrain. In contrast
to truly terrestrial habits, these birds were only observed
perching on rock, sometimes for some minutes, but not
to walk or hop along the ground. Y ellow-throated Bulbuls
of southern India also perch on rocky slopes (BirdLife
International 2001; see below, Habitat).

There was little evidence of P. hualon joining mixed-
species flocks. On one occasion a single bird was seen in
the same tree as a Black-crested Bulbul P. melanicterus ,
although it was not determined whether they entered or
left the tree together.

Most flights were short and from tree to tree. On one
occasion a pair undertook a lengthy and sustained flight
off the face of the karst and along the slope for more than
1 00 m. The flight pattern is strong, direct and undulating,
characteristic of other Asian Pycnonotus species.

There was no evidence of breeding at the time of the
Pha Lorn survey. No nests, fledglings or carrying of food
or nest material were observed. There was no evidence of
agonistic or territorial behaviour. On one occasion two
duos were observed in close proximity after responding
to call playback. Both duos repeatedly alighted in the
same small tree but appeared to maintain pair cohesiveness
and moved off separately. This fieldwork was
conducted during the early dry season, a period of low
breeding activity for most of the region’s passerines,
including bulbuls (McClure 1 974) and most or all of the
non-ground-nesting, non-river-channel passerines in
lowland Laos (Duckworth 2007). Considering the
apparent cohesiveness within P. hualon duos (see above,
Vocalisations), these observations suggest that pair¬
bonds may be maintained throughout much or all of
the year.

HABITAT

All of the relatively few observations of P. hualon were of
birds on the middle and upper levels of karst and well
above the basal plains. At all localities (Pha Lorn and
those in the Bolikhamxai-Khammouan border area) soil
was almost absent, leaving sun-bleached limestone as the
predominant substrate in this often steep terrain.
Vegetation was dominated by small deciduous trees and
shrubs (most below 4 m in height). On Pha Lorn in
December 2008, most woody plant species were either
entirely leafless or held only sparse foliage (Plate 4) and a
variety of species was in fruit, with birds observed to eat
figs ( Ficus sp., Moraceae) and berries from a woody shrub
Brideliaci.B. tomentosa (Euphorbiaceae/Phyllanthaceae).
A subsequent fly-over in June 2009 showed the vegetation
to be in full leaf. At the site beside the Hinboun plain,
cycads, pandans and cactus-like species of Euphorbiaceae
were also prominent.

Several factors suggest that P. hualon may be largely
or entirely restricted to sparse deciduous forest occurring
on limestone. First, despite fairly extensive fieldwork in
the area, and especially given the species’s distinctive,
far-carrying and freely given call, no Bare-faced Bulbuls
were seen or heard in the forest or agriculture on the
plains surrounding Pha Lorn, or in transitional habitat on
the outcrop’s lower slopes (which held a skirt of tall semi¬
evergreen forest). Second, the 1995 and 1999 sightings
of similar birds, deemed likely to be P. hualon, were made
in similar habitat on limestone karst. Third, if the species
does inhabit better forested areas in limestone landscapes
it is likely that it would have been found before now.
Between 1 994 and 2008 there has been substantial survey
effort (by RJT and others) both within limestone
landscapes and in closely adjacent areas such as the Nakai
Plateau. These surveys focused largely on tall forest and
other well-vegetated habitats of internal basins (known
as kouan in Lao) and/or around the base of rocky
prominences. Fourth, more than 20 residents of Ban
Nonsomphou, the village nearest to Pha Lorn (<1.5 km),
did not recognise P. hualon from a series of photographs
taken of a bird in the hand. Among those questioned were
farmers who cultivate land at the base of Pha Lorn and
have hunted in the area since they were children. Hunting
of frugivorous passerines is common throughout Lao
PDR, with boys as young as five or six waiting with

Forktail 25 (2009)

An unusual new bulbul from the limestone karst of Lao PDR

9

slingshots at fruiting trees (Duckworth et al. 1999), and
was observed widely during the 2008 survey of Muang
Vilabouli. Metal war debris was readily observed on the
higher slopes of Pha Lorn and further indicated that this
area is lit.tle visited by local residents; where such artefacts
occur in Lao PDR, they are eagerly collected by villagers
who regard them as valuable ‘non-timber forest products’
(e.g. Foppes and Ketphanh 2003). In sum, given the
species’s conspicuous habits and distinctive appearance
and call, it seems reasonable to conclude that P. hualon
escaped detection for so long due to its ecological
restriction to this non-cultivable, little surveyed and
generally inhospitable terrain.

Further work is required to determine more precisely
the habitat preferences of P. hualon. Karst landscapes
within central Indochina cover a wide range of altitudes
and climatic conditions and support a variety of vegetation
formations. Suitable habitat may also occur on sparsely
vegetated non-calcareous outcrops. In addition, seasonal
patterns in movement and habitat use might be exhibited
by P. hualon. For example, in the harshly seasonal
environment of central Laos, which receives almost no
rain from November to March, seasonal shifts in fruit
availability might well occur and may lead birds to forage
elsewhere. Alternatively, birds may remain within a stable
home range and shift their dietary preferences between
fruit and other foods (e.g. arthropods, nectar, small
vertebrates) at different times of year, as has been observed
in Puff-throated Bulbuls Alophoixus pallidus in north¬
eastern Thailand (Khamcha and Gale 2009).

Many Asian bulbuls exhibit some degree of habitat
specificity in natural landscapes. For example, ancestrally
in Indochina, field observations suggest that Sooty-headed
Bulbuls may have been largely restricted to deciduous
dipterocarp forest, while Streak-eared Pycnonotus
blanfordi, Yellow-vented and perhaps Black-headed
Bulbuls may have been riparian or wetland specialists.
However, most Asian bulbuls adapt well to human-altered
habitats. This is particularly true of frugivorous species,
most of which feed on small fruits that commonly occur
on plants in secondary regrowth habitats. Such
adaptability is consistent with an apparent expansion in
the habitat use and range of many bulbul species following
human settlement, and has led some researchers to
conclude that specialised habitat requirements are
currently rare within the family (e.g. Fishpool and T obias
2005).

Initial observations suggest that P. hualon has not
expanded its ecological profile into degraded or fragmented
habitats, and as such may represent an extreme example
of habitat specificity within the Pycnonotidae, and the
only known bulbul that is a limestone specialist. If so,
these preferences are somewhat similar to those exhibited
by the Yellow-throated Bulbul, a Vulnerable species of
central southern India. Although not a limestone specialist,
this ‘rare and peculiar bird’ (Delacour 1943: 23) inhabits
stony and boulder-strewn hills with various forms of scrub
and dry to moist deciduous woodlands, and often perches
on bare rock (BirdLife International 2001).

DISTRIBUTION

Pycnonotus hualon is currently known definitely only from
Pha Lorn, a single limestone outcrop arising from the

lowland plains of Muang Vilabouli in Savannakhet
province. The only known habitat is sparse, stunted, open
deciduous forest on karst terrain in areas with a marked
dry season. Rundel (1999) recognised these xeric
woodlands as a distinctive habitat of the central Indochina
limestone belt, a series of well-connected hills/mountains
with karst topography that extend across central Lao PDR
and east into Vietnam (Fig. 1).

RJT observed a group of birds considered most likely
to be P. hualon in similar habitat at the northern edge of
the Khammouan province limestone in 1995. This
identification cannot be considered certain given the
brevity of the views and a potential discrepancy in field
description from the hypodigm, with birds at the northern
site described as having ‘possibly two dark bars on rump’;
there were no dark rump-bars on the birds at Pha Lorn
(Plate 3a). However, this discrepancy is almost certainly
due to the brief, somewhat distant views taken in harsh
light on the karst. On markedly superior field views, IAW
and JWD noted that many plumage characters varied in
tone (fawn, khaki, olive, grey, buff, etc.) with changes in
light and viewing angle. Moreover, a number of other
Pycnonotus bulbuls, including Black-headed, Andaman
P. fuscoflavescens, Grey-headed P. priocephalus, Yellow-
wattled P. urostictus and Puff-backed Bulbuls, show barred
rumps during display, wThen birds raise their feathers
exposing contrasting colours of the tips and bases
(Fishpool and Tobias 2005). Similarly, in P. hualon all
dorsal body contour feathers below the nape have grey
bases and olive tips.

There are also a number of discrepancies between the
1999 descriptions and the birds observed and collected
on Pha Lorn in 2008. In Evans’s notes, the precise layout
of dark and light on the rear head, the failure to note the
characteristic baldness, the suspicion of dark lores and
the appearance of chestnut above the eye are all at odds
with the birds from Pha Lorn. However, these differences
may all be explained by changes in lighting and angle, as
in the above example, or in some cases they may represent
seasonal or population-level variation. IAW and JWD
noted that in some views the plumage of the nape changed
with light and the way the nuchal collar was held (flat or
erect), that baldness was sometimes not possible to
ascertain, especially in direct sunlight, and that the precise
colour of the facial skin was often only discernible given
excellent views. Moreover, and despite these differences,
it is considered that Evans may have viewed Bare-faced
Bulbuls since ( 1 ) it was difficult to ascribe the birds to any
other bulbul species, and (2) his notes describe the
following series of similarities with P. hualon: general
plumage characters below the neck and consistency in
broad-scale head patterning including face different from
nape and distinct coloration of the supraorbital patch and
lore.

Based on the conservative assumption that the birds
of both regions are the same species, this strongly suggests
that its range extends north from the type locality through
the extensive karst systems of the Khammouan province
limestones into southern Bolikhamxai (Fig. 1).

The type locality for P. hualon may be close to the
southern limit of this species’s range. The karst outcrops
surveyed there are among the most southerly of such
formations present in the vicinity (Fig. 1), and the
November-December surveys yielded southernmost
records of a variety of Indochinese limestone specialist

10

I. A. WOXVOLD, J. W. DUCKWORTH and R. J. TIMMINS

Forktail 25 (2009)

fauna, including the Sooty Babbler Stachyris herberti and
the murid rodent genus Saxatilomys (K. Aplin in lift. 2009),
both of which were recorded on Pha Lom. The next major
outcroppings of limestone are hundreds of kilometres to
the south in northern Cambodia and to the south-east in
Quang Nam province in Vietnam. None of the several
species endemic or near-endemic to the central
Indochinese limestones has been recorded in these isolated
areas (RJT pers. obs.).

Phou Xang He NPA lies less than 10 km south of Pha
Lom (Fig. 1). The geomorphology of Phou Xang He is
dominated by a variety of non-calcareous rock formations.
The eponymous Sayphou Xanghe comprises an extensive
sandstone escarpment, while the Phou Hinho massif is
igneous (Thewlis et ah 1996). Pycnonotus hualon has not
been recorded at Phou Xang He (Thewlis et al. 1996).
However, more work may be required to prove a species
is absent than to reveal its presence, and additional
surveys should include a focus on the park’s more rugged
terrain.

Surveys in November-December 2008 of the lower
slopes of karst near Ban Houayhong, c.35 km east of Ban
Nonsomphou (PhaKat: 17°04'N 106°08'E; Pha Kholai:
1 7°02'N 106°10'E; Pha Oot: 17°03'N 106°08'E), and of
non-calcareous hills in the general area, failed to locate
the species. At the edge of suitable habitat on Pha Oot,
hourly playback of the entire sequence of tape-recorded
calls (including all those presented here as sonograms)
through most of the daylight hours of 6 December failed
to elicit a response. However, access to suitable habitat
on the higher slopes of each of these outcrops was too
limited to rule out this bulbul’s presence in these localities.
We believe the species is likely to occur on at least some
of the many karst outcrops with suitable habitat that are
present within the local area. For example, birds may be
expected to occur on Pha Pen, an outcrop slightly larger
than Pha Lom and situated less than 1 km to its south,
and overflight showed a sparse ‘archipelago’ of small and
mid-sized outcrops north from Pha Lom to the main
Khammouan massifs.

Elsewhere in the region, extensive limestone karst
formations occur in northern Lao PDR, northern
Vietnam and north-western Thailand. However, in the
absence of further information on distribution and
habitat preferences, we tentatively suggest that, like the
Sooty Babbler (Collar and Robson 2007), P. hualon
may be endemic to limestone areas in central Lao PDR
and perhaps the adjacent region of central Vietnam.
Moreover, initial observations suggest that the habitat
use of P. hualon may be more restricted than that of the
Sooty Babbler, which is often found in more mesic habitats
including evergreen and semi-evergreen forest (Eames et
al. 1995, Thewlis et al. 1998, Timmins et al. 1999), as
well as in open deciduous, stunted, xeric vegetation on
limestone (e.g. Pha Lom 2008, pers. obs.). Mean annual
rainfall increases significantly west to east across central
Lao PDR from the Mekong to the Annamites (Rundel
1999, Inthavong et al. 2008). Vegetation on limestone
changes markedly across these rainfall and altitudinal
gradients from dry deciduous to wet evergreen forest
communities (P. Bonnet in litt. 2009). If P. hualon is
indeed restricted to the more xeric woodlands on the
western karsts of the central Indochina limestone belt,
then it may prove to be Lao PDR’s only endemic bird
species yet discovered.

CONSERVATION

Extensive areas of limestone karst with presumably
suitable habitat are legally protected in central Laos within
the 1,620 km2 Phou Hinpoun (formerly Khammouan
Limestone) and the 865 km2 Hin Namno NPAs (Rundel
1999, Walston and Vinton 1999, Robichaud etal. 2001).
These NPAs encompass the Central Khammouan
Limestone and Hin Namno Important Bird Areas
(Ounekham and Inthapatha 2003). The vast limestone
formations protected therein comprise a more or less
cohesive series of rugged and, to date, practically
impenetrable karst, and wholesale loss of habitat from
these areas is considered implausible even in the mid¬
term (Ounekham and Inthapatha 2003). If Bare-faced
Bulbul occurs in either of these NPAs, then a large
proportion of the global population is expected to be
buffered against all site-based processes that currently
threaten karst birds and their habitats.

Threats to biodiversity on South-East Asian karst
include limestone quarrying, conversion of habitat in
surrounding areas, hunting, and habitat degradation
through processes such as livestock grazing and firewood
collection (Ounekham and Inthapatha 2003, Clements
et al. 2006). Bare-faced Bulbul is too small to be hunted
selectively and therefore unlikely to be driven to local
extinction within the large karst landscapes it seems likely
to inhabit. By contrast, populations on isolated outcrops
such as Pha Lom may be susceptible to the effects of
human activity such as quarrying, adjacent metaliferous
mining and a variety of village-centred processes.

Pha Lom and similar outcrops in the local area rise
above a human-dominated landscape, with the habitat
reflecting a long and complex history of anthropogenic
disturbances including shifting cultivation, intensive
harvesting of natural resources and modern warfare. Local
populations of Pycnonotus hualon have probably remained
largely immune to these influences by occupying stunted,
xeric habitat on non-cultivable and rugged karst.
Nevertheless, as agricultural practices continue to
intensify, many karst-dwelling species may be threatened
by the development of arable land around the base of
limestone outcrops. These processes may be less
threatening for P. hualon than for other limestone
specialists such as the Sooty Babbler, as the former may
be restricted to drier vegetation on higher slopes (see
above). However, while habitat clearance for agriculture
may not directly threaten populations upslope, the
ultimate threat posed by loss of basal forest cannot be
accurately predicted without further investigation into
the ecological and life history requirements of P. hualon,
including patterns of habitat use throughout the year.
Moreover, rising human populations in the vicinity of
limestone outcrops may exacerbate threats posed by other
processes such as fire, hunting, collection of resources
such as firewood and, perhaps, the effects of goat-grazing
on karst vegetation, as is clearly the case around many
smaller limestone outcrops in Vietnam (RJT pers. obs.).

The general absence of information regarding the
population size, trend and distribution of P. hualon
indicates that the species should be categorised as Data
Deficient based on the most recent definitions of the IUCN
Red List (IUCN 2001). Should further searches
corroborate a hypothesised distribution restricted largely
or wholly to the central Indochina limestone belt, P. hualon

Forktail 25 (2009)

An unusual new bulbul from the limestone karst of Lao PDR

11

should further meet the criterion set by BirdLife
International (Stattersfield et al. 1 998) for nomination as
a restricted-range species (total global breeding range
less than 50,000 km2).

FINAL REMARKS

This paper describes for the first time in over 100 years
a new Asian species of bulbul: Grey-eyed Bulbul Iole
propinqua (Oustalet, 1903) being heretofore the most
recently described. That P. hualon has escaped detection
for so long is somewhat surprising given the bird’s
distinctive appearance and call, conspicuous habits and
occurrence in a well-populated region of lowland Laos.
Its recent discovery can be at least partly explained by the
species’s apparent association with sparsely vegetated,
deciduous habitats on rugged karst terrain.

Despite high rates of speciation and endemism in karst
habitats, flora and fauna communities on limestone are
relatively poorly known throughout South-East Asia
(Clements et al. 2006), a situation that holds particularly
in Lao PDR (Rundel 1999). Indeed, several other
unresolved bird taxa are already known from the central
Indochinese limestone, including the ‘Limestone Leaf
Warbler’ Phylloscopus sp. (Duckworth et al. 1998) and a
potentially distinctive (or at least ecologically aberrant
lowland) form of Green-backed Tit Parus monticolus
(Timmins and Khounboline 1996). This scenario holds
true for other taxa. Among mammals, for example, a
number of morphologically distinctive leaf monkeys
Trachypithecus have been described from similar habitat
in recent decades (Groves 2001); the taxonomy of this
group is still to be resolved (T. Nadler in litt. 2008).
Recently described small mammals include the
phylogenetically distinct Kha-nyou Laonastes aenigmamus
(Jenkins et al. 2004), the sole known living representative
of a family of rodents believed extinct for some 1 1 million
years (Diatomyidae) (Dawson et al. 2006). Taken
together, these recent discoveries highlight the need for
additional surveys in Lao PDR’s limestone karsts and, as
exemplified by the recent discovery of Nonggang Babbler
Stachyris nonggangensis in karst at the China-Vietnam
border (Zhou and Jiang 2008), in similar habitats
throughout the region.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

For permission to conduct surveys within Muang Vilabouli, central
Lao PDR, in November-December 2008 we are grateful to the
Department of Forestry of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry,
Lao PDR (especially Dr Silivanh Sawathvong, Director General) and
to the District Governor of Vilabouli Mr Phonekham Sayasombath.
Permission to conduct the surveys during which bald-looking bulbuls
were found in 1995 was granted via those institutions and personnel
acknowledged in Duckworth eta!. (1998). We are grateful to Bouahong
Phanthanousy, Head of the CITES Management Authority, and to Dr
Silivanh Sawathvong, Director General of the Department of Forestry
of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, for permission to export
scientific specimens from Lao PDR. We would like to thank the many
people who generously provided assistance and advice in the field and
during preparation of the manuscript: Ken Aplin, Bryan Stuart, Stephen
Richards, Niane Sivongxay, Somphouthone Phimmacak and Greg
Richards (2008 biodiversity survey team), Geraldine McGuire

(Sustainable Solutions Consulting), Guy Hamilton, Marissa Haywood
and Francis Crome (Coffey Natural Systems), Mike Hedemark, Peter
Clyne and Robert Olley (WCS), Shane Langdon, Rhys Corser,
Khamvieng Xayabouth, Bernadene Wardle, Vanghxay Sengsavang and
many others at OZ LXML Sepon, Robert Palmer, G. H. Pfitzner and
Leo Joseph (ANWC), Surachit Waengsothorn (TISTR), Rory O’Brien
(Museum of Victoria), Robert Prys-Jones (BMNH), Philip Thomas
(Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh), Pierre Bonnet, Nigel Collar,
Tom Evans, Philip Round and Bill Robichaud. We are grateful to
Lincoln Fishpool, Pamela Rasmussen and Nigel Collar for their valuable
comments on an earlier draft. Many thanks to Ubon for his assistance
in procuring specimens at Pha Lorn, and to Nicolas Day for his painting
of Bare-faced Bulbuls that appears on the cover of this issue. We thank
OZ LXML Sepon for their funding and logistic support in making the
survey possible.

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FORKTAIL 25 (2009): 13-70

Waterbirds of Lake Baikal, eastern Siberia, Russia

JIRI MLIKOVSKY

Lake Baikal lies in eastern Siberia, Russia. Due to its huge size, its waterbird fauna is still insufficiently known in spite of a long history
of relevant research and the efforts of local and visiting ornithologists and birdwatchers. Overall, 137 waterbird species have been recorded
at Lake Baikal since 1 800, with records of five further species considered not acceptable, and one species recorded only prior to 1 800.
Only 50 species currently breed at Lake Baikal, while another 1 1 species bred there in the past or were recorded as occasional breeders.
Only three species of conservation importance (all Near Threatened) currently breed or regularly migrate at Lake Baikal: Asian Dowitcher
Limnodromus semipalmatus , Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa and Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata.

INTRODUCTION

Lake Baikal (hereafter ‘LB’) is the largest lake in Siberia
and one of the largest in the world. Avifaunal lists of the
broader LB area have been published by Gagina (1958c,
1960b, c; 1961, 1962b, 1965, 1968, 1988), Dorzhiyev
(1990), Bolder al. (1991), Dorzhiyev and Yelayev (1999)
and Popov (2004b), but the waterbird fauna has not
hitherto been comprehensively reviewed. Here I present
such a review, covering LB itself plus adjacent wetlands
(including the deltas of rivers opening into LB), and islands
in the lake.

Lake Baikal

LB is an oligotrophic lake lying in East Siberia, north of
Mongolia, at 51.3-55.5°N 103.4-1 10. 0°E and 460 m.
Its eastern and northern part belongs to the Republic of
Buryatia, while its western and southern part belongs to
Irkutsk Province. Both these administrative units are parts
of the Russian Federation. LB fills a continental rift, which
originated c. 25-30 million years ago. It is c.640 km long
and up to 80 km wide, having a shoreline of c.2,100 km
and an area of c. 3 1,500 km2. The rift is 8-9 km deep, but
mostly silted up, so the maximum depth of the lake is
currently c. 1,630 m.

LB is fed by c.360 rivers and brooks. Most are short,
coming from mountain ranges surrounding LB, but three
inflowing rivers are very large: Verkhnyaya Angara,
Barguzin and Selenga, which enter LB from the north,
north-east and south-east, respectively. LB has one
outflow, the Angara River, which leaves it near its south¬
western end. The Irkutsk Dam embanked the Angara
River in 1956, c.60 km from LB. The lake thawed after
the last glaciation, c. 10,500-1 1,000 years ago (Fotiyev
2006), and inflowing rivers then started to bring sediments
and form river deltas, which are the most important habitat
for waterbirds.

The climate is continental, with hot summers and cold
winters. Minimum temperatures (often below -35°C) are
reached in January, while maximum temperatures (over
+30°C) are reached in July. The huge water masses in LB
(c.23.5 km2) function as a buffer, causing both spring and
autumn to start one to two weeks later around LB than
elsewhere in the region. The first frosts occur during
September to early October, the last being recorded in the
first half of June, with a frost-free period of c.100 days.
The lake is usually frozen from January to May. Stable
snow cover usually lies from October to May. Annual
precipitation averages 300-500 mm, with a maximum in
July-August and a minimum in February-March.

In the course of past centuries water levels in LB
fluctuated considerably (Galaziy 1967, 1972), but the
effects on the local avifauna have not been documented.
Since the 1950s, the water level in LB has been regulated
by the Irkutsk Dam. The resulting seasonal fluctuations
of water levels significantly influence the distribution and
breeding success of waterbirds (Skryabin 1965, 1967a,
1995b, Skryabin and Tolchin 1975, Lipin et al. 1976,
Skryabin and Sadkov 1 977, Podkovyrov and Shinkarenko
1979, Mel’nikov 1981a, 1982a, Mel’nikov et al. 1984a,
Podkovyrov 1986b, Kozhova and Pavlov 1995, Sadkov
1995, Fefelov 1996, 1999c).

Additional background on LB was given by Zhukov
(1960), Kozhov (1962, 1963, 1972), Verbolov et al.
(1965), Galaziy and Lut (1969), Votintsev et al. (1975),
Logachev (1976), Florensov (1977), Ladeyshchikov
(1982), Fialkov (1983), Mizandrontseva (1985), Rogozin
(1992), Imetkhenov (1997), Kozhova and Izmet’yeva
(1998), Touchard (1998) and Minoura (2000).

Waterbird habitats

LB offers a variety of habitats for waterbirds, including
the following:

Rocky cliffs : present all around LB, but of minor
importance for waterbirds, offering suitable nesting sites
for just three species: Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax
carbo , Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator and
Yellow-legged Gull Lams cachinnans.

Rocky shores: present around LB in places, but of minor
importance for waterbirds, serving as resting habitat for
gulls and Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos.

Gravel beaches : found especially on the south-eastern
shores, where they are of minor use for waterbirds, and
in the Maloye More area, where they are a low-quality,
but frequently used stopover habitat for migrating waders
(Anthes et al. 2004).

Sandy beaches: uncommon, but can be found at most
river deltas. No birds regularly breed on sandy beaches,
but they are frequented during migration by various
waders, mainly Calidris sandpipers, Charadrius plovers,
and Caspian Tern Sterna caspia.

Salt lakes: occur on Ol’khon Island and a nearby plateau
between the Anga River and Sakhyurta village. They are
favoured by breeding Ruddy Shelduck Tadomaferruginea,
but are usually avoided by other waterbirds.

Brooks: occur on steep hillsides, but are usually avoided
by waterbirds, except Harlequin Duck Histrionicus
histrionicus , and Solitary Snipe Gallinago solitaria in winter.

Large rivers: generally of limited use for waterbirds
from spring to autumn. However, the Angara outflow,

14

JIRI MLIKOVSKY

Forktail 25 (2009)

which usually does not completely freeze during winter,
enables some duck species to overwinter, in particular
Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula and Common
Merganser Mergus merganser (Tret’yakov 1940, Tarasov
1952, Pastukhov 1961, 1965, Gagina 1966, Skryabin
1975, Mel’nikov and Shcherbakov 1988, 1989, 1990,
Mel’nikov etal. 1988a, 1989, 1998, Fefelov 1997, 1998a,
Podkovyrov 1998, Fefelov et al. 1999b, Mel’nikov
2000f,l).

Grassy marshes : occur in river deltas; their extent
depends on the amount of silt brought by river streams
and the configuration of the lake bottom at the river
estuary. The largest marshes are found in the deltas of
Verkhnyaya Angara (560 km2), Barguzin (350 kirf) and
Selenga (1,100 km2) rivers, with smaller marshes occur in
the deltas of Goloustnaya, Sarma, Muya, Tyya, Frolikha,
Ayaya, Tompuda, Bol’shaya Cheremshana and
Kultuchnaya. Water plants either grow on the ground, or
form floating mats of vegetation, which are often used as
breeding habitat by a variety of ducks, waders, gulls and
terns.

Sphagnum bogs: occur in large river deltas, but are of
minor importance for waterbirds, although some ducks
or waders may breed in them.

Reedbeds : occur locally in larger river deltas, and provide
breeding habitat for Common Coot Fulica atra and some
duck species.

Taiga: the drier parts of river deltas and the lower hill
slopes surrounding LB are covered with high Pin us taiga,
in which Smew Mergellus albellus and Common Goldeneye
breed in tree holes.

History of research

The history of research of Baikal waterbirds goes back to
the 1770s, but the area was only weakly studied in this
respect until the mid-twentieth century (Gagina 1960d,
Izmaylov etal. 1963,Tolchin 1982, 1985, Skryabin 2000,
Mlikovsky 2002). Significant expeditions prior to 1950
are listed below:

1772: Johann Gottlieb Georgi (1738-1802), a German
naturalist in Russian service, travelled around the northern
end of LB in summer 1772 and provided the first reliable
data on its waterbirds (Georgi 1775).

1855: Gustav Radde (1831-1903), aGerman naturalist
in Russian service, travelled around the northern end of
LB in summer 1855 on behalf of the newly founded (1851)
Siberian Branch of the Russian Geographic Society
(Radde 1856, 1857, 1861a, b, 1863).

1855: Richard Maack (1825-1886), a German-
Russian naturalist, made a few ornithological observations
in the Selenga Delta on his journey from Irkutsk to the
Amur (Maack 1869).

1869-1877: Benedykt Dybowski ( 1 833-1930), a Polish
zoologist exiled to Siberia for his participation in the Polish
1863 uprising against Russian supremacy, resided in
Kultuk at the southernmost corner of LB in January 1869-
August 1872 and February 1876-June 1877 (see, e.g.,
Dybowski 1912, 1930, Kowalska and Miklaszewska-
Mroczkowska 1960, Brz?k 1984, Kozhova and
Shostakovich 2000, Mlikovsky 2007). Dybowski was
accompanied and assisted in Kultuk by his fellow Polish
exiles Wiktor Godlewski (1830-1900) and Michal
Jankowski (1840-1903). He published only few remarks
on Baikal waterbirds (Dybowski and Godlewski 1879),
but sent collected specimens to Wladyslaw Taczanowski

(1819-1890) in Warsaw, Poland, from where they were
partly distributed to other European museums. The results
were published by Taczanowski (1871a,b, 1873, 1877,
1893), Cabanis (1870), and Colston (1975); see also
Taczanowski (1872, 1889), SztolcmanandDomaniewski
(1927), and Mlikovsky (2007). Dybowski’s other
collections and field-notes were deposited in Irkutsk,
Russia, in the museum of the Siberian Branch of the
Russian Geographic Society, where they were destroyed
in the city fire of 1879.

1913: Franz Schillinger (187 5-after 1 9 1 3), an Austrian
natural history dealer, then based in Nizhniy-Novgorod,
Russia, collected birds around LB in January-October
1913 (Keve 1948).

1914-1915: G. G. Doppel’mayr, a Russian zoologist,
made some ornithological observations at north-eastern
Baikal (Doppel’mayr 1926).

1922-1923: Sergey Sergeyevich Turov (1891-1975),
a Russian naturalist, studied birds of the north-eastern
part of LB (Turov 1923, 1924a, b).

1930: Boris Karlovich Shtegman (1898-1975), a
Russian ornithologist, travelled around the northern end
of LB in summer 1930 (Shtegman 1936).

1931: V. F. Dyagilev and V. P. Favorskiy, Russian
naturalists, collected birds on the Svyatoy Nos isthmus
(Dyagilev and Favorskiy 1931, Gagina 1960a).

1933: A. V. Tret’yakov, a Russian zoologist, made
ornithological observations on Ol’khon Island (Tret’yakov
1934).

1933-1949: M. G. Bakutin, a Russian zoologist, studied
the birds of the Selenga Delta (Bakutin 1950, 1957).

Systematic research on the waterbirds of LB started
only in the 1 950s (see Mlikovsky 2002), when significant
observations were made by T at’yana Nikolayevna Gagina
(1925), Oleg Kirillovich Gusev ( 1930), Leonid Ivanovich
Malyshev (1931) and Nikolay Georgiyevich Skryabin
(1933-2001).

Geography of research

For the purposes of this review, LB was subdivided into
the segments defined below (see also Fig. 1, at end).
Individual geographic segments of LB (as defined above)
were studied to different degrees according largely to
their accessibility and ornithological importance. Faunistic
and other general papers regarding waterbirds are given
for individual segments below (papers on individual
species are excluded):

NWB = north-western Baikal, from Kocherikovskiy
Cape in the south to Nizhneangarsk in the north. Less
important for waterbirds; see Malyshev (1960a),
Mel’nikov and Reukov 1989, Popov et al. (1996, 1998,
2002) and Olovyannikova (1998, 1999, 2000a, b).

VAD = Verchnyaya Angara delta, from Nizhneangarsk
in the west to Kichera in the north, and Dagary in the
east. Includes the ornithologically very important delta
of the Verkhnyaya Angara River. See Votintsev
(1942), Gagina (1954), Skryabin (1969, 1971a,b, 1975),
Skryabin and Sadkov (1977), Sadkov and Safronov ( 1 984,
1986, 1988), Sadkov et al. (1986) and Sadkov (1991,
1995).

NEB = north-eastern Baikal, from Dagary in the north
to Kudaldy in the south. Less important for waterbirds;
however, zoologists were based in the headquarters of the
Barguzinskiy Reserve, Davsha (founded in 1917), which
resulted in a number of local records. See Turov (1923,

Forktail 25 (2009)

Waterbirds of Lake Baikal, eastern Siberia, Russia

15

1924a,b), Gusev (1960c), Malyshev (1960b), Skryabin
(1960, 1961, 1969, 1971a, b, 1975), Skryabin and Filonov
1962), Gusev and Ustinov (1965), Filonov (1978),
Belyaev (1980, 1982, 1984), Ananm (1986, 1995,2000)
and Ananin and Fedorov (1988).

MM = Maloye More: an area from Ol’khonskiye
Vorota Strait in the south to Kocherikovskiy Cape in the
north, including Ol’khon Island and all islets between
this island and the western shore of LB. Ornithologically
important segment, which includes deltas of several small
rivers and Ol’khon Island. See Gusev (1962), Litvinov
(1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1976, 1980a, b, 1982, 1990),
Litvinov and Gagina (1977), Litvinov et al. (1977),
Pyzh’yanov and Sonin (1979), Pyzh’yanov et al. (1979,
1984, 1997, 1998), Skryabin and Pyzh’yanov (1987),
Litvinov and Petrochenko (1990), Skryabin (1995a) and
Anthes et al. (2004).

UI = Ushkan’i Islands: an isolated group of islands
lying north-west of Svyatoy Nos Peninsula. Less important
for waterbirds. See Gusev (1960a), Litvinov and
Molozhnikov (1969), Litvinov and Matveychuk (1977),
Litvinov (1980b, 1982), Matveychuk (1982, 1983, 1990,
1991) and Litvinov and Petrochenko (1990).

SNI = Svjatoy Nos, from Kudaldy in the north to
Ust’-Barguzin in the south, including Svyatoy Nos
isthmus, Svyatoy Nos Peninsula, and Chivyrkuyskiy and
Barguzinskiy bays. Includes ornithologically very
important wetlands on the Svyatoy Nos isthmus and in
deltas of small rivers in Chivyrkuyskiy Bay. See Gusev
(1960b, 1962), Molozhnikov (1974), Yegorov (1980,
1981), Yumov (1990), Heyrovsky etal. (1992) andStyblo
and Mlikovsky (1992).

SWB = south-western Baikal, from Ol’khonskiye
Vorota Strait in the north to Slyudyanka in the south.
Less important for waterbirds. See Dybowski and
Godlewski (1870), Dorzhiyev and Yesheyev (1991),
Skryabin (1995a) and Bogorodskiy (1989, 1998).

SD = Selenga Delta in the broad sense, from Oblom
Cape in the north to Selenginsk in the east and Boyarsk
in the south. Includes ornithologically very important
wetlands in the Selenga Delta. See Bakutin (1950, 1957),
Shvetsov (1965), Shvetsov and Shvetsova (1967),
Mel’nikova and Klimenko (1979), Podkovyrov and
Shinkarenko (1979, 1986), Shinkarenko (1979, 1983,
1984a, b, 1986), Mel’nikov (1979a, 1981a, b, 1982b,
1984a, 1988a, 1990c, 1998a, b, 2000a, 2007),
Vasil’chenko and Unzhakov (1982), Mel’nikov et al.
(1984a, b), Skryabin (1969, 1971a, b, 1975, 1986,
1995b,c, 1998), Podkovyrov and Podkovyrov (1986),
Skryabin et al. (1989b), Durnev et al. (1990), Tupitsyn
and Podkovyrov (1990, 1996), Zhuravlev et al. (1991),
Tupitsyn (1991, 2000), Fefelov (1991, 1995, 1996,
1999b, c, 2003a), Tupitsyn and Fefelov (1995a), Fefelov
et al. (1995a, b, 1998, 1999a, 2001), Baskakov and
Vinogradov (1998) and Fefelov and Tupitsyn (2004,
2006).

SEB = south-eastern Baikal, from Ust’-Barguzin in
the north to Slyudyanka in the south, excluding the
Selenga Delta. Less important for waterbirds: nofaunistic
reports are available.

In addition, faunal dynamics and zoogeographical
aspects of the LB avifauna were evaluated by Gagina
(1962c,d), Dorzhiyev and Yelayev (1995b), Pyzh’yanov
(1998b), Fefelov (1998b, 1999b, 2000a, 2003b), Fefelov
et al. (1999c) and Dorzhiyev (2000).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The material presented here is based on data I collected
during five expeditions to LB between 1991 and 2005,
supplemented by an extensive literature search and a
limited survey of museum specimens.

Fieldwork

During my expeditions to LB in 1991-2005, I made
ornithological observations in Zabaykal’skiy National Park
(including Svjatoy Nos isthmus and peninsula,
Chivyrkuyskiy Bay and Barguzinskiy Bay), adjacent parts
of the lower Barguzin River, and LB shores between
Gremyachinsk and Ust’-Barguzin, on 30 July-3 1 August
1991, 3-14 June and 21 June-1 September 1993, 15-20
June and 4 July-2 1 September 1994, 1 1 June- 1 July 2001,
and 13-17 July 2005.

Published reports

I attempted to extract data from all publications relevant
to the waterbirds of LB. The following comments need to
be made on the interpretation of records published in
local ornithological literature in the twentieth century:

• Reports were often published as abstracts in
symposium volumes. I did not list such abstracts if the
same data were also presented in full articles, but I
referred to abstracts if they remained the only source
for a given record.

• Records were often published several times by different
authors, and the original observer was often not
recorded, and may not have been (any of) the author(s) .

• The passive voice was often used in reporting records
(e.g. ‘was recorded’), but this does not distinguish
between observations and collecting of specimens,
number of individuals, or the original observer/collector.

• Records were often presented in a generalised form, e.g.
two records of singles becoming generalised as ‘rare on
migration’. Considering repeated publications of
records, the use of the passive voice and lack of references
to original observers, it is often difficult to trace the basis
of statements such as ‘recorded as rare migrant’.

• Dates were often presented incompletely, e.g. month
only (no year given) or year only (no day or month
given).

• Locations were often non-specific, e.g. ‘northern
Baikal’.

• Records of rarities were often published without any
supporting evidence. Records from pre-1850
publications were used only if the taxa concerned were
clearly identifiable . Correct identification was assumed
for more recent publications (although doubtful
identifications are indicated in the species accounts
below).

• Reference literature was often not cited in reports of
rarities, making it unknown which field guides, if any,
the observer used. The only field guide available for
Siberia is Flint etal. ( 1 968) and, although a respectable
achievement for the 1 960s, it is now obsolete in many
respects and long out of print. Its English translation
(Flint et al. 1984) was almost inaccessible for local
ornithologists, who thus often had to work in the field
with only keys for identification of birds in the hand (e.g.
Dement’ev et al. 1948, Ivanov and Shtegman 1964).

• Summer records were often presumed to offer proof
of breeding. This is especially problematic at LB where

16

Forktail 25 (2009)

JIRI MLIKOVSKY

the breeding season is short and late spring and early
autumn migrants or non-breeding individuals may
occur during the breeding season.

• Statements on breeding or migration status were often
presented without supporting data; deciphering the
grounds for statements such as ‘breeds’ or ‘rare on
spring migration’ is thus often difficult or even
impossible.

• The term ‘pair’ was often used to describe two birds,
not necessarily mated males and females.

Taking these points into account, it is evident that
published data include erroneous records, but these are
difficult to identify and eliminate . In view of this, I accepted
almost all reported observations as valid. This should be
borne in mind when considering the list below.

Unpublished reports

Trip reports were available from several European
birdwatchers or birdwatcher groups who visited LB in
the past twenty years. Although generally well-equipped,
these birdwatchers suffered from a lack of suitable field-
guides, which, in combination with short visits and high
expectations, may explain why trip reports tend to include
some rather improbable records. However, I accepted
such records in written reports, but rejected them if they
were communicated to me in letters, e-mails or verbally.

Authors of unpublished records are cited by acronyms
as follows: FZ (Frantisek Zicha), JM (Jin Mlikovsky),
JMa (JiriMalina),MS (Miroslav Salek), PL (Petr Lumpe),
PS (Petr Styblo), TS (Thomas Schubert), and VS (V.
Sviecka).

Museum specimens

Most birds collected at LB are held in central Russian
museums in St Petersburg and Moscow, although smaller
collections exist especially in Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude and
Davsha. Foreign museums with significant collections of
waterbirds from LB include those in Warsaw, Poland
(Dybowski’s collection: see Mlikovsky 2007), and Vienna,
Austria (Schillinger’s collection: seeKeve 1948). Relevant
specimens are undoubtedly deposited in a variety of other
collections but I was able to make only limited use of
these data.

Structure of species accounts

Each species account gives, first, the IUCN Red List
category for non-Least Concern species (from BirdLife
International 2008), then data on distribution, subdivided
into a section on old records (pre-1850) and records by
geographic segments as defined above (omitted when
they contain no records), ordered from the north-east to
the south-west. Data are usually presented without
comment, even if they are improbable or contradictory.
General references were added, where appropriate
(‘Note’). A general interpretation of the distributional
data is then provided (‘Assessment’), followed where
appropriate by general comments (‘Remarks’) and
taxonomic comments (‘T axonomy’), including alternative
species names used widely in the Russian literature. Square
brackets indicate species with no confirmed records.

Names and their transliteration

Names of localities, authors and other people which were
originally written in Cyrillic script were transliterated into
the Latin script using the BGN/PCGN 1949 standards.

Transliteration using (a) the currently valid rules of the
Russian Federation, which equal the ISO 9: 1 995 standards
(ISO 1995, GOST 2000), and (b) the rules of the Soviet
Union in 1983-2000 (GOST 1 983), as well as the original
Cyrillic spelling, are given in Appendix 1 (localities) and
2 (surnames). If spelling of names varied or if Russian
authors translated their names from Cyrillic script using
transliteration rules that are no longer valid, I transliterated
the original spelling anew using the above-mentioned rules
(see Mlikovsky in press). Spelling used in particular
publications is given in brackets in the References.

Classification and nomenclature

Scientific and English nomenclature follows Inskipp et al.
(1996) where possible, and Dickinson (2003) in other
cases. The sequence of Inskipp et al. (1996) has never
been used by Russian faunists, so I used the conventional
sequence as adopted, with minor variation, by Stepanyan
(2003) and Koblik et al. (2006). Species limits in Asian
birds are in flux, and many subspecies are now being
elevated to species rank (e.g. Collar 2003, 2006, 2007).
I thus added comments on such cases, where appropriate,
except for vagrants.

Terminology

The region of several hundred km around LB is usually
referred to as Pribaykal’ve (‘Around-Baikalia’), that west
of LB as PvedbaykaVye (‘Cis-Baikalia’) and that east of
LB as Zabaykal’ye (‘Trans-Baikalia’). Waterbirds are
divided in the Russian-language literature into
vodoplavayushchiye ptitsy (‘swimming birds’) and
okolovodnyye ptitsy (‘around-water birds’ or ‘near-water
birds’). The former group (which I translated as ‘aquatic
birds’) includes swimming and diving species (loons,
grebes, ducks, swans, cormorants, etc.), while the latter
group (which I translated as ‘wading birds’) includes a
variety of wetland species (storks, herons, rails, waders,
gulls etc.). These terms are frequently found in titles in
the References.

Three methods of recording birds are distinguished in
the following text. Birds were listed as ‘seen/observed’ or
‘collected’ if the method is known, or ‘recorded’ if the
method is unknown. ‘Collected’ means that the specimen
was killed and examined in hand, but not necessarily that
it entered a museum collection.

The Julian calendar was used in Russia until 1918,
when it was replaced by the Gregorian calendar. Standard
abbreviations are used: OS (old style) for the Julian, and
NS (new style) for the Gregorian calendar.

Species were classified as ‘vagrants’ if they have been
recorded at LB only a few times, ‘rare visitors’ if they have
been recorded repeatedly but apparently not as regular
migrants, and ‘rare migrants’ if they visit on migration in
very small numbers and/or not every year. Considering
the unequal ornithological coverage of LB in time and
space, the assignment of individual species to these
categories should be regarded as tentative.

SPECIES LIST

Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata
NWB: a family with young observed at Kotel’nikovskiy
Cape on 18 August 1930 (Shtegman 1936). VAD: eight,
including four juveniles collected on 1-10 August 1913

Forktail 25 (2009)

Waterbirds of Lake Baikal, eastern Siberia, Russia

17

(Keve 1948); reported as breeding in Kichera Delta
(Turov 1924a); recorded on migration (Gagina 1954);
recorded in small numbers in June 2005 at Nizhneangarsk
and at Yarki Island (Hellstrom 2005). SNI: uncommon
breeder (Turov 1923, 1924b, Gagina 1960a, Skryabin
and Filonov 1962); common in 1991 (Heyrovsky et al.
1992), 1993 (JM, PS) and 1994 (JM, PS). SD: rare, but
regular non-breeding visitor (Bakutin 1950, Shvetsov and
Shvetsova 1967, Izmaylov and Borovitskaya 1973,
Mel’nikov 2000a, j, Fefelov et al. 2001, Fefelov and
Baskakov 2001). Assessment: Widespread, but
uncommon breeder in northern LB, south to SNI. Rare
migrant and summer visitor elsewhere. Remarks: Breeds
also on mountain lakes in northern LB (Malyshev 1960a,b,
Popov et al. 1998, Mel’nikov 2000j).

Black-throated Loon Gavia arctica
VAD: breeds (Gagina 1954). SNI: common breeder
(Turov 1923, Gagina 1960a, Skryabin and Filonov 1962,
Heyrovsky etal. 1992, Fefelov etal. 2001, JM in 1993 and
1994). SWB: reportedly seen on migration at Kultuk
(Dybowski and Godlewski 1870), but never later observed
in south-west LB (Bogorodskiy 1989); an adult seen at
Bol’shaya Rechka on 7 June 1989 (SOF 1989). SD:
recorded, but no other data presented (Gagina 1961);
not recorded in 1960s (Shvetsov and Shvetsova 1967);
recorded on 25 September 1979 (Fefelov etal. 2001) and
in July 1981 (Mel’nikov 1984a, 1998b); recorded
repeatedly in summer, but no proof of breeding obtained
(Mel’nikov 1998b, 2000a). Breeding confirmed in 1989,
when a nest was found at Karbaznoye Lake on 29 May
(Tupitsyn and Fefelov 1 995a, Mel’nikov 2000a); breeding
population estimated at 2-4 pairs in 1 990s (Tupitsyn and
Fefelov 1995a, Mel’nikov 1998b, 2000a, Fefelov et al.
2001); a pair with two young seen at Srednyaya Channel
on 9 July 2002 (Fefelov et al. 2003); three birds seen
flying at Istomino on 29 May 2008 (Holmstedt 2008).
Assessment: Widespread and common breeder in
northern LB, rare and local breeder in southern LB.
Remarks: Breeds also on mountain lakes in northern LB
(Shtegman 1936, Belyaev 1980). Taxonomy: Koblik et
al. (2006) indicated that Black-throated Loons breeding
at LB and in the adjacent steppe region belong to an as
yet undescribed subspecies.

Yellow-billed Loon Gavia adamsii

NEB: one collected at Bol’shaya River in Barguzinskiy

Reserve in June 1963 (Belyaev 1980). Assessment:

Vagrant.

Loon Gavia sp.

Pre-1850: common atLB (Georgi 1775). VAD: recorded
in summer 1855 (Radde 1861b). Note: It remains
unknown whether these authors meant Red-throated or
Black-throated Loon or both.

Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus
VAD: recorded, assumed to breed (Tolchin 1979); breeds
(T olchin et al. 1974, Sadkov and Safronov 1991); regularly
encountered 27 May-7 June 1991 (Olsson 1991). NEB:
one seen at Davsha Delta on 5 May 1986 (Ananin 1995).
SNI: first recorded in 1977; four nests found in 1978,28
in 1979 (Yegorov 1980, 1981), 21 in 1982,26 m 1986,67
in 1988, 201 in 1989 (Podkovyrov et al. 1991a, b); many
dozens at Kovrizhka on 14 July 1994 (JM, PL); a flock of

40 adults with young at Kopeshka on 2 August 1 994 (PS);
also recorded breeding in 1991 (Heyrovsky et al. 1992);
breeds (Podkovyrov 1986b, 2000). SWB: rare migrant
(Bogorodskiy 1989). SD: recorded, assumed to breed
(Gagina 1961, Shvetsov and Shvetsova 1967). Common
breeder from the early 1980s (Podkovyrov 1982, 1988),
with a stable population estimated at 300-450 pairs
(Podkovyrov 1988); breeds (Podkovyrov 2000).
Assessment: Locally common breeder in large wetlands
(VAD, SNI, SD); rare migrant elsewhere. Colonised LB
in 1970s.

Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena
VAD: single pairs observed in July 1973 and July 1974,
and a nest with two eggs found on 30 June 1975 (Tolchin
etal. 1 979); a pair with two chicks seen at Dushun Channel
inAugust 1983 (Mel’nikov etal. 1997). SNI: first recorded
in 1988 (Yumov 1990); breeding confirmed in 1991
(Heyrovsky et al. 1 992); recorded in Barguzinskiy Bay on
5 June 1993 (JM); a nest found at Kedrovka on 23 June
1993 (JM); two flightless young in marshes at Kedrovka
on 1 1 September 1994 (PS); breeds (Podkovyrov 2000) .
SD: recorded duringl 955-1 962 (Gagina 1961, Shvetsov
and Shvetsova 1967); adults with two chicks observed in
late July 1 976 at Khirel’da Channel, and two pairs showing
breeding behaviour recorded in 1982 (Yu. Mel’nikov in
Podkovyrov 1986a, Mel’nikov 1998b); a pair recorded
on Kondakovskiy Island on 17 July 1981 and 23 June

1 982 (Mel’nikov 1 998b); a juvenile recorded on 25 June

1983 and a pair with two chicks seen on 9 August 1983
(Podkovyrov 1986a); an adult with a juvenile recorded
on Kondakovskiy Island on 13 June 1989 (Mel’nikov
1998b); breeds (Podkovyrov 1986b, 2000); no later
records available (Fefelov et al. 200 1 ); one seen on a lake
between Srednyaya and Kolpinnaya Channels on 2 July
2002 and one (perhaps the same) seen at Chasovenskiye
Lakes on 3 July 2002 (Fefelov et al. 2003); one seen at
Ranzhurovo on 15 June 2004 (Halden 2004).
Assessment: Formerly vagrant, a local and rare breeder
from the 1970s. Taxonomy: Red-necked Grebe spread
to LB from the east, which indicates that individuals may
belong to the subspecies holboellii (sensu lato, e.g.
Dement’yev 1951, Kurochkin 1982, Fjeldsa 2004).
However, East Siberian Red-necked Grebe winter along
East Asian shores from Sakhalin south to China
(Kurochkin 1 982), which indicates that they are isolated
from Nearctic populations, which breed mainly in Canada
and winter along North American shores (Stout and
Nuechterlein 1999). Further taxonomic study is thus
required. If taxonomically separated, East Siberian Red¬
necked Grebe should bear the name P. g. bergmani.

Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus

VAD: recorded (Gagina 1961); one seen on 30 June 1975
(Tolchin et al. 1979); rare on spring migration in 1976-
1977 (Tolchin et al. 1979). NEB: recorded on migration
(Skryabin and Filonov 1962). SNI: recorded in summer
(Skryabin and Filonov 1962); one recorded at
Barmashevyye Lakes on 2 1 August 1 99 1 (JM in Heyrovsky
et al. 1 992); recorded in Barguzinskiy Bay on 5 June 1993
(JM); recorded at Kedrovka on 24 June 1993 (MS); a nest
found in marshes at Kedrovka on 13 June 1993 (MS); a
pair seen in marshes at Kedrovka on 9 June 1998 (PS).
SWB: rare on spring migration at Kultuk (Taczanowski
1873); recorded 15 km south-east of Yelantsy in June

18

JIRI MLIKOVSKY

Forktail 25 (2009)

1995 (Ryabtsev and Popov 1995); a female with a chick
seen 20 km north-west of Yelantsy on 12 August 1995
(Pyzh’yanov et al. 1997). SD: recorded (Gagina 1961); a
pair observed on 16 May 1972 (Yu. Mel’nikov in
Podkovyrov 1986a); chicks recorded in 1983 near
Selenginsk, where a local population was said to exist
(Podkovyrov 1986a, Fefelov et al. 2001); a chick seen at
lower Yepishkinaya Channel on 10 July 1991 (Mel’nikov
2000a); one seen on a lake between Galutay and Glukhaya
Channels on 30 May 2002 (Fefelov et al. 2003). SEB:
recorded on migration (Izmaylov and Borovitskaya 1973).
Assessment: Local and uncommon breeder. Taxonomy:
East Siberian Horned Grebe is usually included in the
widespread Palearctic nominotypical subspecies.
However, it seems to be more closely allied to the North
American subspecies comutus (Fjeldsa 1973, 2004) and
its wintering grounds in eastern Asia seem to be isolated
from other populations of this Holarctic species
(Dement’yev 1951, Kurochkin 1 982, Stedman 2000) . East
Siberian populations thus may belong to an unnamed
form.

Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis
VAD: a pair seen on 19 May 1978 (Tolchin et al. 1979);
breeds (Podkovyrov2000). NEB: recorded on migration
in Barguzinskiy Reserve (Ananin and Fedorov 1988).
MM: recorded (S. Pyzh’yanov in Fefelov et al. 2001).
SNI: not recorded in 1991-1994 and 2001 (JM, PS).
S WB : recorded at Krestovskiy Cape (Ryabtsev and Popov
1995). SD: recorded on 9 September 1971 (27
individuals, including young; Tolchin et al. 1979); a
juvenile on 1 September 1974 (Vasil’chenko 1987), two
individuals on Cherkalovskiy Lake in June 1978 (Tolchin
et al. 1979). Common breeder from the early 1980s to
1 997, with up to 1 ,000 pairs in 1985 (Podkovyrov 1 986c,
1 988) . A sharp decline in water levels in 1998 caused the
breeding population to decline to a few dozen pairs
(Fefelov et al. 2001). Assessment: Colonised LB in the
late 1960s or very early 1970s from the south (SD),
reaching the north (VAD) in 1990s. Breeding limited to
large wetlands (SD, VAD); rare migrant and visitor
elsewhere. Remarks: Recorded also in Kumora basin at
the northern end of LB in 1 990s (Mel’nikov et al. 1997).
Taxonomy: Often referred to as P. caspius or Colymbus
caspius in Russian literature.

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis
SWB: one collected at Tal’tsy in autumn 1954 (Gagina
1961). Assessment: Vagrant. Remarks: Three further
records of Little Grebes are available from wetlands in
the wider vicinity of Irkutsk, just east of the southern end
of LB, including September 1995 (Bogorodskiy 1998),
September 1997 (Ryabtsev and Fefelov 1997) and
November 2000 (Fefelov 2000b).

Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
Pre-1850: very common all over LB, breeds mostly on
cliffs, sometimes in tall trees (Georgi 1775). NWB/VAD/
NEB: vagrants recorded in 1982, 1987 and 1991
(Pyzh’yanov etal. 1997). NEB: three recorded at Kosheli
Bay on 3 October 1975 (Belyaev 1980); unspecified record
atMuzhinayCapein 1979 (Popov 1 993d). MM: common
in 1933 (Tret’yakov 1934); common in 1930s with
breeding records from Arul Cape, Ol’khonskiye Vorota
and western shore of Ol’khon Island from Ol’khonskiye

Vorota to Ivhoboy Cape (Popov 1 993d); sharp decline in
1940s (Popov 1993d); seven nests on Borgadagan Islet,
a nest on Ol’khon near Tashkay village, and a pair seen
on Ol’khon near Khuzhir, all in 1961 (V. Sonin in Popov
1993d); two nests on KobyPya Golova Cape in 1962
(Popov 1993d); a nest near Tashkay village in 1964 (Popov
1993d); no more breeding records (Popov 1993d);
vagrants observed between 1979-1986 and 1992-1996
(Pyzh’yanov et al. 1 997, Popov 1 993d) . Started to breed
again in the mid-2000s (I. Fefelov in litt. 2008). SNI:
‘thousands’ seen in Barguzinskiy Bay on 1 6 August 1855
(Radde 1857, 1861b: 213); four juveniles collected on
18-23 August 1913 (Keve 1948); common in SNI in
1920s-1930s (Turov 1923, Shtegman 1936, Novikov
1937); disappeared from Chivyrkuyskiy Bay in 1954, with
only a few later records, including one collected on 5 May
1955 (Skryabin and Filonov 1962); four nests found on
Kameshek-Bezymyannyy Islet on 20-25 June 1957
(Gusev 1959, 1960b); a nest found on same islet in 1969
(Litvinov 1972; this being the last breeding record); two
individuals recorded on 12 September 1973 and one
recorded on 4 June 1976 (Shkatulova 1980), one(?)
individual recorded on Malyy Arangatuy Lake in 1977
(Yegorov 1980). SWB: common at Kultuk, arriving in
spring in late May [= around 10 June NS]; breeds on LB
cliffs (Taczanowski 1873). Common breeder between
Listvyanka and Kultuk in the nineteenth century according
to Gusev (1980), but Dybowski and Godlewski (1870)
knew cormorants only on migration at Kultuk. A large
breeding colony (several hundred birds) seen on Baklaniv
Kamen’ in 1855 (Radde 1861b: 211-213). The few
records since 1950 include one recorded at Goloustnaya
Delta on 14 May 1984 (M. Makarov in Bogorodskiy
1 989), and an unspecified record at Krestovskyy Cape in
1985 (Popov 1993d). SD: breeding never recorded,
common on migration in 1930s-1940s (Bakutin 1950,
Gusev 1980); only vagrants recorded in 1970s-1990s
(Pyzh’yanov et al. 1 997, Fefelov et al. 2001); last vagrant
recorded on 11 May 1994 (Pyzh’yanov etal. 1997, 1998,
Mel’nikov 2000a). Started to breed again in the mid-
2000s (I. Fefelov in litt. 2008); ten seen at Istomino on 29
May 2008 (Holmstedt 2008); one seen on 2 June 2008
and six seen on 3 June 2008 at Alimasovo (Hellstrom
2008). SEB: one recorded at Baykalskiy Priboy on 3
August 1972 (Shkatulova 1980); one observed between
Slyudyanka and Baykalsk in early June 1979 (V.
Razvozzhayev in Bogorodskiy 1 989). Note: Common at
LB (Cherepanov 1859); two large colonies seen on the
western shore of LB (Radde 1863). Assessment:
Widespread and locally common breeder on cliffs in
southern and central LB until the 1 940s, when population
sharply declined, possibly in consequence of extensive
egg collecting during World War II (Vasil’chenko and
Prokop’yev 1988a, Popov 1993d). Last breeding was
recorded in 1969 (SNI). Vagrant from the 1970s to the
2000s. Started to breed again (SD, MM) in the mid-
2000s (S. Pyzh’yanov in press fide I. Fefelov in litt. 2008),
but no further detail available. Remarks: The nearest
surviving Great Cormorants inhabit Mongolia, and differ
in breeding on the ground, not on cliffs or trees (cf.
Sum’yaa and Skryabin 1989).

Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanns crispus

Vulnerable. Pre-1850: recorded in 1739 (G. W. Steller
in Hintzsche et al. 1998); common all over LB in 1772

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Waterbirds of Lake Baikal, eastern Siberia, Russia

19

(Georgi 1775). SWB: recorded at Listvennichnoye in
August 1954 (Gagina 1962, 1964); juvenile male shot at
Goloustnaya Delta in late September 1964 (Zharov and
Miteyko 1967a,b). Assessment: Said to breed at LB in
the eighteenth century (Gagina 1 964, Fefelov et al. 200 1 ),
but observations by Steller and Georgi are not conclusive.
Pelicans were not recorded at LB in 1855 by Radde
(1861b) or in 1869-1871 by B. Dybowski (see
Taczanowski 1893), so the species presumably
disappeared as a breeder or ceased commonly to visit LB
between the late eighteenth century and mid-nineteenth
century. Vagrant subsequently (see also Mel’nikov 2000c) .

Great Bittern Botaurus stellaris

Pre-1850: recorded in 1772 (Georgi 1775). VAD: breeds
(Gagina 1954); one recorded at Kichera on 7 June 1991
(Olsson 1991). NEB: rare visitor in Barguzinskiy Reserve
(Ananin and Fedorov 1988). MM: rare on migration on
Ol’khon , Island (Litvinov and Gagina 1977). SNI:
recorded (Gagina 1 958b) ; calls repeatedly heard in spring
(Skryabin and Filonov 1962); repeatedly heard at
Kedrovka on 4-22 June 1993 (JM, MS, PS); heard in
southernmost Chivyrkuyskiy Bay on 21 June 2001 (PS);
heard at Kedrovka on 24 June 2001 (JM). SD: breeds;
population estimated at 20-30 pairs in 1 970s, and was ‘at
least double that size’ in 1 980s (Mel’nikov 1 984a, 1 998b,
Fefelov et al. 2001). Assessment: Uncommon breeder
in large wetlands (confirmed in SD, possible in SNI and
VAD); rare migrant and visitor elsewhere.

Great Egret Casmerodius albus

SD: recorded once during 1955-1962 (Shvetsov and
Shvetsova 1967); one seen on 27 July 1985 at the mouth
ofShamanka Channel (I. Tupitsyn and V. Podkovyrovin
both Fefelov et al. 200 1 and Fefelov and Baskakov 2001).
Assessment: Vagrant.

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea

Pre-1850: very common breeder in northern LB in 1 772,
common elsewhere (Georgi 1775). NEB: two nests found
on 27 June 1972 south-west of Davsha village; rare spring
migrant on 7-15 May; rare in autumn: records (locality
not specified) include 14 August 1957 and 30 August
1976 (Belyaev 1980). VAD: male collected on 7 August
1913 (Keve 1 948) . MM: two individuals seen on Ol’khon
Island in late August 1973 (Litvinov and Gagina 1977,
Tolchin 1993a); breeding recorded in 1976 (Litvinov et
al. 1977); two pairs bred on Bol’shoy Toynak Islet in
1 984-1985, and a pair bred on Borgadagan Islet in 1 988
(Pyzh’yanov et al. 1997); regularly seen on autumn
migration (Pyzh’yanov 1997). SNI: many seen at
Arangatuy Lake (Turov 1923, 1924a); recorded, breeding
assumed (Gagina 1960a); common on migration,
breeding considered possible (Skryabin and Filonov
1962); a breeding colony found in a pine forest at the
entrance to the Zabaykal’skiy National Park in 1991 with
50 individuals estimated, including fledged juveniles (PS
in Heyrovsky et al. 1992); several dozen pairs in 1993,
1994,2001 and 2005 (JM, PS); non-breeding individuals
recorded on 16-19 June 200 1 in the Bol’shoy Chivyrkuy
Delta (JM, PS). SWB: recorded at Kultuk (T aczanowski
1893); two individuals collected at Kultuk on 1 September
1913 (Keve 1948); vagrants, including one on 3 May
1980 at Bol’shiye Koty; 1-2 on 1 1-12 May 1979 and nine
on 19 August 1974 at Goloustnaya Delta, three on 17

August 1980 at Kadil’nyy Cape, and 14 on 23-26 July
1983 at Anga Delta (Bogorodskiy 1 989, Tolchin 1993a).
SD: rare breeder in 1930s-1940s (Bakutin 1950) and
during 1955-1962 (Shvetsov and Shvetsova 1967); first
large colony found in 1972 (Lipin et al. 1975); 1,700-
1,900 breeding individuals in 12 heronries estimated in
1973-1979, and 1,000-1,100 breeding individuals in 15
heronries estimated in 1981 (Mel’nikov et al. 1981,
Mel’nikov 1984a); and 4,500-5,000 individuals in eight
heronries estimated in 1994 (Fefelov et al. 2001).
Assessment: Common breeder in large wetlands in
eastern LB (SD, SNI); exceptional breeder, rare migrant
and rare visitor elsewhere. Remarks: Distributional
history of Grey Heron at LB may be complex. Georgi
(1775) recorded it as common in summer 1772, while
Radde (1861b: 218) expressly noted the absence of all
herons from LB in summer 1855. The next records are
from the early 1920s (SNI) and the species is listed as a
common breeder only from the 1970s onwards (see also
Vasil’chenko 1974). In Irkutsk Province (at Bratsk
Reservoir), Grey Herons started to breed in 1960s (Sonin
and Lipin 1969, Tolchin 1993a). The species migrates
from LB toward SSW in autumn (Pyzh’yanov 1998b).

Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola Bacchus

MM: one recorded at Ukhan Cape on Ol’khon Island on

13 June 1998 (Pyzh’yanov 1998a). Assessment: Vagrant.

[Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
VAD: recordedatNizhneangarskon4June 1991 (Olsson

1 99 1) . Assessment: Probably an erroneous record, listed
without any supporting evidence.]

Oriental Stork Ciconia boyciana

Endangered. SD: one observed at lower Galutay Channel
on 28 June 1979 (Mel'nikov 2000a). Assessment:
Vagrant. Taxonomy: Often listed as C. ciconia in Russian
literature.

Black Stork Ciconia nigra

Pre-1850: recorded around LB on rivers (Georgi 1775).
NWB: one observed on 1 9 August 1 930 at Kotel’nikovskiy
Cape (Shtegman 1936), four recorded at Bol’shoy
Solontsovyy Cape on 28 August 1980, two on 25 August
1991, and a juvenile on 31 August-17 September 1997
(Olovyannikova 1998, Popov et al. 1999). VAD: two
pairs possibly bred at Verkhnyaya Zaimka (Pyzh’yanov et
al. 1997, 1998). NEB: an adult collected on 1 July 1915
at Sosnovka (Shtegman 1936). MM: rare on autumn
migration (Pyzh’yanov et al. 1997, 1998). SNI: seen four
times at different sites on 21 April-10 July 1954 (Malyshev
1960b), two adults seen at Barmashevyye Lakes on 28
July 1991 and one seen between Kedrovka and
Barmashevyye Lakes on 30 July 1991 (Heyrovsky et al.

1992) . SWB: recorded at Kultuk (Taczanowski 1893);
a male collected on 24 September 1913 (Keve 1948);
recorded on 1 1-12 May 1979 at Goloustnaya Delta; one
seen on 23-26 June 1983 at Anga Delta; recorded on 4
August 1978 at Tolstyy Cape, and on 1 1 August 1978 at
Polovinnyy Cape (Bogorodskiy 1989); also recorded on
migration (without data) at Bol’shiye Koty, Marituy and
Slyudyanka (Popov 1993b); one seen at Bol’shoye
Goloustnoye on 2 June 2005 (Hellstrom 2005). SD:
singles recorded at Khalmeteyevskaya Bay on 10 June
1979 and 14 June 1981 (Mel’nikov 1998b); singles seen

20

Forktail 25 (2009)

JIRI MLIKOVSKY

at Shikhty Lakes on 1 1 June 1989 and 18 June 1991
(Mel’nikov 1998b); individuals or flocks up to 12 birds
recorded almost annually in June-August (Tupitsyn and
Fefelov 1995b, Pyzh’yanovera/. 1997, Fefelov er <2/. 2001,
Fefelov and Baskakov 2001); three seen in southern part
of the delta on 4 June 2003; one seen at Sherashovo on 5
June 2003 (Madge and McRae 2003). SEB: singles seen
on 1 and 2 June 2008 at Vydrino (Holmstedt 2008).
Assessment: Regular non-breeding visitor. Remarks:
Breeds in small numbers in mountains around LB
(Vasil’chenko and Prokop’yev 1988b, Popov 1993b).

Biack-headed Ibis Threskiomis melanocephalus
Near Threatened. MM: one seen at Zama on 22 June
2003 (A. Kotel’nikov in Popov 2004a). Assessment:
Vagrant. Remarks: The only other record in the vicinity
of LB is a flock of three birds observed at the Selenga
River near Ulan-Ude on 7 May 1990 (Ye. Yelayev in
Bold et al. 1991, Dorzhiyev and Yelayev 1995a).

Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia
SNI: recorded in the early twentieth century at
Chivyrkuvskiy Bay according to local inhabitants, but no
details presented (Mel’nikov 2000g). SWB: three
recorded in May 1974 at Kultuk (V. Unzhakov in
Vasil’chenko 1982, 1987, Popov 1993a, V. Unzhakov in
Mel’nikov 2000g). SD: recorded repeatedly in the early
twentieth century according to local inhabitants, but no
details presented (Mel’nikov 2000g); two seen in June
1976 (Vasil’chenko 1982, 1987). SEB: one collected at
Tankhoy in 1965 (Vasil’chenko 1982, 1 987, Mel’nikov
2000g; skin in Tankhoy school). Assessment: Rare
visitor. Remarks: One was observed south-east of LB
along the road between Ulan-Ude and Borgoy on 24 May
2008 (Holmstedt 2008).

Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber
NEB: one recorded at Tompa on 1 1 November 1942
(Gagina 1962, Mel’nikov 2000h) . SWB: one collected at
Kultuk on 22 October 1894 (Pershin 1 894) . Assessment:
Vagrant. Remarks: More records of vagrant Greater
Flamingos are known from Pribaykal’ye, but none is
directly from LB (Popov 1993o, Dorzhiyev and Yesheyev
1991, Mel’nikov 2000h, Popov and Khidekel’ 2001).
Taxonomy: Now usually separated as P. roseus (Knox et
al 2002, Banks et al. 2008).

Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus
VAD: one recorded at Dagary on 2 May 1973 (Tolchin
etal. 1 979). SWB: recorded at Kultuk in 1869 (Dybowski
and Godlewski 1870), on 21 April [= 3 May NS] 1872
and on 12 [- 24 NS] October 1872 (Taczanowski 1877).
SD: common on spring (16 April- 15 May) and autumn
(late September-20 October) migration according to
Bakutm (1950, 1957), but not recorded in subsequent
decades (Shvetsov and Shvetsova 1967, Skryabin 1975,
Gagina 1988), which makes Bakutin’s report less
probable; two birds recorded in a flock of Whooper Swans
on 9 May 1984 at Galutay Channel and two birds plus a
flock of six birds observed on 5 October 1986 flying along
the Selenga upstreams (Fefelov et al. 2001, Fefelov and
Baskakov 2001). Note: See also Popov ( 1 9 9 3 i) .
Assessment: Vagrant. Taxonomy: Species-group
names bewickii and jankowskii were often applied to East
Asian Tundra Swans in the Russian literature.

Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus

Pre-1850: widespread at LB (Georgi 1775). NEB: single
birds or pairs recorded at Pokoynyy Cape on 1 1 May
1995 and 24 June-28 July 1997, and a flock of 15-20
individuals seen at Pokoynyy Cape on 11 May 1989
(Olovyannikova 1998). VAD: said to breed rarely, but
no data presented (Izmaylov et al. 1983), single pairs
breed (Pyzh’yanov et al. 1997, 1998), two individuals
seen on 6 May 2005 at Yarki Island (Hellstrom 2005).
NEB: rare on spring migration on 1-16 May 1959
(Skryabin 1975), rare breeder in Barguzinskiy Reserve
(Ananin and Fedorov 1988). MM: recorded as a rare
migrant on Ol’khon Island (Litvinov and Gagina 1977),
one recorded for c.2 weeks in July 1994 on Shara-Nur
Lake on Ol’khon Island (Pyzh’vanov et al. 1997, 1998).
UE rare vagrant on Dolgiy Island (Matveychuk 1991).
SNE reported as breeding (Turov 1923, Gagina 1960a,
Skryabin and Filonov 1962), nests and a young found at
Malyy Chivyrkuy Delta in 1960 (Skryabin 1975), breeding
recorded in 1962 (Skryabin 1975), not recorded in 1977-
1979 (Yegorov 1980), repeatedly observed but breeding
not proved in June-August 1991 (Heyrovsky et al. 1992),
two individuals seen north of Barmashevyye Lakes on 16
June 1994 (JM, PS), two seen at Kedrovka on 18 August
1994 (PS), a nest found in the Bol’shoy Chivyrkuy Delta
on 17 June 2001 (JM, PS), a flock of 22 seen in south¬
eastern Chivyrkuy Bay on 21 June 2001 (JM). SWB: rare
migrant at Kultuk (Dybowski and Godlewski 1870), a
male collected on 24 September 1913 at Angara outflow
(Keve 1948), never recorded (Mel’nikov 1993a). SD:
only singles seen in 1970s (Mel’nikov 1998b), no breeding
records until early 1980s (Shinkarenko <2/. 1990, Fefelov
et al. 2001), a nest with three eggs found on 5 June 1987
(Shinkarenko et al. 1 990), a pair with three young seen at
Severnaya Channel on 15 June 1989 (Mel’nikov 1998b),
local population at Srednyaya Channel estimated at 4
pairs in 1989 (Mel’nikov and Shinkarenko 1997, Mel’nikov
1 998b), two adults seen at nest at Ranzhurovo on 1 5 June
2004 (Halden 2004); known on migration (Bakutin 1 957,
Skryabin 1975), numbers of spring migrants varied in
1 984-1990 from 1 0-30 birds per spring to many hundreds,
with recorded flocks of 100-220 (Fefelov et al. 2001); at
least seven seen at Istomino on 29-30 May 2008
(Holmstedt 2008). Assessment: Uncommon local
breeder, common migrant. Remarks: For the distribution
of Whooper Swans around LB see also Borovitskaya
(1961), and Kel’berg and Prokop’yev (1988).

Swan Goose Anser cygnoides

Vulnerable. Pre-1850: appears almost every year in
southern LB (Georgi 1775). VAD: recorded in summer
1855 (Radde 1 86 1 b) , said to breed rarely, but no evidence
presented (Shtegman 1936). NEB: adult male collected
at Sosnovka on 18 May 1915 (Shtegman 1936). SNE
recorded (Dyagilev and Favorskiy 1931), one observed
in a flock of Cygnus cygnus in southernmost Chivyrkuyskiy
Bay on 2 1 June 2001 (JM, PS). SWB: recorded at Kultuk
on 19 April [= 1 MayNS] and 12 [=24NS] October 1868
(Dybowski and Godlewski 1870); rare on migration at
Kultuk (Taczanowski 1873). SD: said to be common
breeder in the nineteenth century, but no data presented
(Mel’nikov 1 997); recorded breeding in smaller numbers
in 1930s-1940s (Shtegman 1936, Bakutm 1950, 1957);
last breeding recorded in 1963 (Skryabin 1975, Popov
1993h, but see below); 26 observed during 25 April-5

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Waterbirds of Lake Baikal, eastern Siberia, Russia

21

July 1964, but no breeding recorded (Skryabin 1975); a
flock of 17 seen at Motaikha Channel on 18 May 1975
(Mel’nikov 1 997a); several pairs observed between mid-
May and mid-June 1975, but breeding not recorded
(Vasil’chenko 1987); two nests found in Kabanskiy
Reserve in 1975 and breeding considered probable there
in 1977 (G. Beloborodov in Mel’nikov 1997a, 1998b);
six seen at Krivaya Channel on 8 June 1 977, four seen at
Kokuy on 1 0 June 1 977, two seen at Nikulinskaya Bay on
11 June 1977 (Mel’nikov 1997a, 1998b); not recorded
subsequently (Mel’nikov 1997a, Fefelov etal. 2001). Said
to arrive in early April (Bakutin 1957), but first recorded
on 25 April in 1964 (Skryabin 1975). Last birds recorded
in mid-October (Bakutin 1957). Assessment: Formerly
regular breeder in SD (last recorded in 1975) and rare
visitor elsewhere; now occurs as a vagrant only (see also
Vasil’chenko 1988, Collar et al. 2001).

Bean Goose Anser fabalis

NEB: recorded at Sosnovka on migration in 1914 and/or
1915 (Doppel’mayr 1926); common migrant in early
September-early October in 1950s (Skryabin 1961,
Skryabin and Filonov 1962). MM: rare on spring
migration, commoner on autumn migration (Litvinov
and Gagina 1977). UI: rare migrant (Matveychuk 1991).
SNI: recorded on migration (Turov 1923, Gagina 1960a,
Skryabin 1961, 1975, Skryabin and Filonov 1962); one
seen on the southern shore of Chivyrkuyskiy Bay on 1
July 1993 (MS). SWB: common at Kultuk (Taczanowski
1873, 1 893); common migrant, recorded at Peschannaya
Bay, Bol’shiye Koty village, Listvennichnoye and
Goloustnaya Delta on 28 April-1 0 May in spring, and on
15 August-7 October in autumn (Korchagin 1936,
Bogorodskiy 1989, see also Mel’nikov and Tolchin
1 993b) . These birds cross the Khamar-Daban mountains
onmigration (Vasil’chenko and Vasil’chenko 1976). SD:
flocks seen in April 1855 (Maack 1859); common migrant
until c.1950, then declining in numbers, as reflected in
annual harvest (mostly taken in autumn): c. 15,000
individuals prior to 1950 (Bakutin 1950), 3,000-5,000 in
1950s (Skryabin 1975) and 500-600 in 1960s (Skryabin
1975). Uncommon on migration in 1978-1979
(Shinkarenko 1979) and in 1989-1996 (Fefelov et al.
1998, Fefelov etal. 2001). SEB: Two collected atUtulik
on 2 October 1913 (Keve 1 948) . Assessment: Formerly
common, now uncommon migrant. Ptushenko (1952)
included all LB in the breeding range of the subspecies
sibiricus, but there is no evidence that the taxon ever bred
at LB. Remarks: See also Mel’nikov (2001c) and
Pyzh’yanov (2003). Taxonomy: The taxonomy of A.
fabalis is highly complex (see Sangster and Oreel 1996,
Mooij and Zockler 1 999) . In Russian literature, the most
widespread treatment is that of Dement’yev (1936,
adopted by Ptushenko 1952), which divides continental
Eurasian Bean Goose into three subspecies: Western
Tundra Goose (fabalis), Eastern Tundra Goose
(serrirostris) , and Eastern Taiga Goose (sibiricus,
preoccupied, replaced with middendorffii) . Under this
arrangement, most birds from SD were assigned to
serrirostris by Fefelov et al. (200 1 ), who stated that sibiricus
is also present, but in decreasing numbers. Keve (1948)
identified two specimens collected in October 1913 at
Kultuk as sibiricus. Skryabin (1975) suggested that
nominotypical fabalis occurs in SD, but Fefelov et al.
(2001) doubted this. Given the location of LB, both

serrirostris and middendorffii are expected to occur, while
the occurrence of fabalis is improbable, though possible.
Ruokonen et al. (2008) elevated middendorffii to species
rank, separating it from fabalis (including serrirostris).

Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons
Pre-1850: See under Lesser White-fronted Goose. NWB,
VAD and NEB: no direct observations, but Shtegman
(1936) was told that Greater White-fronted Goose
migrates through northern LB, although in much smaller
numbers than Bean Goose. VAD: small flocks recorded
on 10 June 1958 and 5 June 1959 (Skryabin 1975); one
seen at Kichera on 7 June 1991 (Olsson 1991). SWB:
rare on migration (Taczanowski 1873, 1893); a female
collected on 2 October 1 91 3 at Kultuk (Keve 1 948). SD:
a female collected on 3 October 1913 (Keve 1 948); rarely
recorded on spring migration in late April-early May
(Bakutin 1957, Skryabin 1975); recorded on both spring
and autumn migration from the 1970s (Fefelov et al.
2001). The species was always uncommon, but
Mel’nikov’s (2000a) observations (if acceptable) indicate
that it was rather abundant in the late 1970s: a flock of
2,000 individuals was observed on 22 April 1975 in
Khalyun Channel, several thousands migrated over
Shamanka Channel on 24 September 1975, and many
migrated over Khirel’da Channel on 28 September 1978.
Assessment: Rare on migration. Mel’nikov’s (2000a)
statement that this species was common on migration in
SD in 1970s has not been supported by other observers.

Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus
Vulnerable. Pre-1850: said to be recorded on autumn
migration by Georgi (1775), but he did not distinguish it
from Greater White-fronted Goose. VAD: recorded on
migration (Novikov 1937, Gagina 1954). SWB: rare on
migration (Taczanowski 1873, 1877, 1893); an adult
female collected on 2 October 1913 (Keve 1948). SD: a
juvenile female collected on 3 October 1913 (Keve 1 948);
voice heard from a flock of Greater White-fronted Geese
on 8 May 1934 (Bakutin 1957); 700 on 22 April 1975,
100-150 on 24 September 1975, recorded on 28
September 1978, flocks of 10-15 on 16 September 1985
and 2 October 1989 (Mel’nikov 2000a). Note: See also
Popov (1993f). Assessment: Rare migrant.

Greylag Goose Anser anser

Pre-1850: very common at LB (Georgi 1775). VAD:
common breeder in the mid-nineteenth century (Skryabin
1975); not recorded in 1932 (Novikov 1937). SWB:
recorded at Kultuk (Taczanowski 1873, 1893). SD:
common breeder in the mid-nineteenth century (Radde
1856, 1861b, see also Skryabin 1975, Mel’nikov 1997a);
rare breeder in 1 930s-l 940s, with numbers falling sharply
during this period (Bakutin 1957); last clutch found in
1936 (Bakutin 1957); not recorded in 1964 (Skryabin
1975); recorded during autumn migration in 1977-1978
in much smaller numbers than Bean Goose (Shinkarenko
1979); a pair were observed at Chasovenskiy Channel
from 9 June 1985 until ‘the end of the field season’, but
evidence for breeding was not obtained (Mel’nikov 1997a,
1998b); recorded only three times during 1988-1993,
always in flocks of 6-8 individuals between 17-20
September (Fefelov etal. 2001). Assessment: Common
breeder in the nineteenth century, breeding later confined
to SD (last recorded in 1930s); now vagrant.

??

JIRI MLIKOVSKY

Forktail 25 (2009)

Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus
SWB: two collected by W. Godlewski on 7 [= 19 NS]
July 1876 (Taczanowski 1893, Alferaki 1904; one
deposited in the Museum and Institute of Zoology,
Warsaw, checked byJM in 2008). SD: two observed on
29 July 1947 atTolbazhiha Delta (Bakutin 1957). Note:
See also Popov (1993g). Assessment: Vagrant.

Snow Goose Anser caerulescens

SWB: rare on migration at Kultuk (Taczanowski 1873,
1877, 1893, Gagina 1962a). This observation was
accepted by Skrvabin (1975), but rejected by Bogorodskiy
(1989). Assessment: Formerly a migrant, later becoming
a vagrant, with last records around 1870. However, exact
date of disappearance of Snow Geese from LB remains
unknown, because relevant ornithological observations
during 1870-1930 are absent. Remarks: Snow Goose
bred in north-eastern Asia west to the Lena Delta in the
eighteenth (Pallas 1769) and nineteenth centuries, but
the population declined sharply during this period
(Ptushenko 1952, Takekawa et al. 1994). B. Dybowski
(in Taczanowski 1873: 108) saw flocks at Kosogol Lake,
Krasnoyarsk Province, west of LB (probably in 1 864: see
Mlikovsky 2007 for his itinerary), and local Tuvans told
him that Snow Goose breed there. From the early
twentieth century onwards, Snow Goose bred in Asia
only on Wrangel Island (Ptushenko 1952, Cooch and
Cooch 2005). One was shot at Balandino village west of
LB in late September 1990 according to Mel’nikov ( 1996,
2000d), but it is not apparent whether Mel’nikov saw the
specimen or who identified it. Taxonomy: Snow Geese
on Wrangel Island (the only remnant of the once-
widespread Siberian population) are genetically diverse
(Kuznetsov et al. 1998), which leaves the taxonomic
identity of western populations open (see also Quinn
1992).

Brent Goose Branta bemicla

SD: A flock of six, one of which was shot, was recorded
on 30 April 1981 at Chasovenskiye Lakes (Mel’nikov
2000a). Assessment: Vagrant. Taxonomy: Fefelov et
al. (2001) suggested that birds at LB belonged to the
subspecies bemicla , to which they assigned all birds
breeding in Asian tundras east of Yamal. However,
bemicla, which breeds west of the Lena River, winters in
western Europe, while birds that breed east of the Lena
winter around the Sea of Japan (Khishchinskiy and
Vronskiy 1979, Boyd 2005) . This supports the recognition
of orientalis for the latter population (e.g. Tugarinov 1941,
Ptushenko 1952), which may also be distinct from western
North American birds (see Shields 1990, Boyd 2005).
Given the location of LB, the 1981 record probably
referred to orientalis.

Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis
Endangered. NEB: one seen at Davsha on 12 June 1992
(Ananin 1995); one seen at Kudalda Delta on 22-29
September 1994 (E. Kornilov in Ananin 1995). SD: one
recorded in autumn 1975 at Militseyskaya Channel
(Mel’nikov 1997b, 2000a). Assessment: Vagrant.
Remarks: Red-breasted Geese were recorded several
times in the Irkutsk area in south-western LB in the mid¬
nineteenth century (Taczanowski 1877, 1873). Martynov
(1990) and Popov (1993e) inexplicably suggested that
Red-breasted Goose is a rare migrant in southern LB on

its way to and from its wintering grounds in south-eastern
China (sic) , although this species does not winter there at
all (e.g. Hunter 2005).

Common Shelduck Tadoma tadoma
VAD: recorded at Kichera on 23 May 1991, 16 May
1992 and 21 May 1992 (Pyzh’yanov et al. 1997). NEB:
one recorded on 1 2 May 1 973 at Kudalda Delta (Belyaev
1 980, Ananin and Fedorov 1988). SWB: two seen north¬
east of Yelantsy on 31 May 1983 (Pyzh’yanov etal. 1997).
SD: two recorded on 9 May 1947 (Bakutin 1950, 1957);
two observed on 1 2 May 1 982 at Posol’skiy Lake and one
recorded at Novyy Peremoy Channel on 29 May 1990
(Pyzh’yanov et al. 1997). Assessment: Rare visitor.
Remarks: An exceptional instance of breeding has been
recently recorded on a salt lake west of Maloye More,
Irkutsk Province (Pyzh’yanov 2003a).

Ruddy Shelduck Tadoma ferruginea
Pre-1850: appears every year, but in small numbers
(Georgi 1775). NWB: 5-7 pairs breed on LB shores in
the Baykalo-Lenskiy Reserve, north to Zavorotnyy Cape
(Popov et al. 1998); three individuals and one seen at
Tyya Delta on 8 June and 9 June 2005, respectively
(Hellstrom 2005). NEB: a pair recorded in 1933, but
breeding not confirmed (Gagina 1967). MM: breeding
recorded in summer 1855 (Radde 1861b); recorded on
southern Ol’khon Island in summer 1930 (Shtegman
1 936); common breeder on Ol’khon (Litvinov and Gagina
1977), but numbers were decreasing there in 1970s
(Litvinov 1980a); common breeder on Ol’khon, but
numbers decreased between 1996 and 2001 (Ryabtsev
1998, Pyzh’yanov 2000a, Voroncova 2002); irregular
breeder (S. Pyzh’yanov in Anthes et al. 2004); breeds at
Sharyzhalgay Cape on Ol’khon (Popov 2004b). SNE
recorded breeding near Ust’-Barguzin (Turov 1923);
recorded in summer 1 930 (Shtegman 1 936); recorded in
summer, but breeding unknown (Gagina 1960a);
breeding not recorded in 1961-1962 (Skryabin 1975);
1-2 pairs bred at Kulinoye and at Barmashevyye Lakes in
1974 (A. Koryukin in Belyaev 1980); birds recorded at
Kulinoye and near the mouth of Barguzin River in July-
August 1991; breeding possible (Heyrovsky et al. 1 992);
one seen at Ust’-Barguzin on 15 April 1993 (PS); 1 pair
probably bred at Kulinoye in 1 993 (JM); two individuals
seen at Kovrizhka on 1 6 July 1 994 (JM) . SWB: recorded
in summer 1855 (Radde 1861b); rare visitor at Kultuk
(Taczanowski 1873, 1893); does not breed, but migrates;
summer records include flocks of 1 4 at Anga Delta on 24
June 1983and28atShiretyon 18 June 1983 (Bogorodskiy
1989); one recorded in January 1980 at Angara outflow
(N. Litvinov in Bogorodskiy 1 989); breeds at Krestovskiy
Cape (Ryabtsev and Popov 1995) and Peschannaya Bay,
Goloustnaya Delta, Kadil’nyy Cape, Bol’shiye Koty and
Listvyanka (Popov 2004b), one pair breeding at Kultuk
(Durnevera/. 1996); 16 pairs between Sharyzhalgay Cape
and Ol’khonskiye Vorota strait (Bobrovskiy 1986); one
at Kultuk on 8 May 1995 (PS). SD: recorded in April
1855 (Maack 1859, Radde 1863); recorded from the
1920s (Bakutin 1950, 1957, Skryabin 1975),butbreeding
recorded only from the 1960s (Shvetsov and Shvetsova
1967, Shinkarenko 1979, Mel’nikov 1984a, Popov 1997,
Pyzh’yanov 2000a, Fefelov et al. 200 1 ); local population
estimated at 1 0-1 2 pairs and 50 non-breeding individuals
in early 1 980s (Mel’nikov 1 984a); common in the northern

Forktail 25 (2009)

Waterbirds of Lake Baikal, eastern Siberia, Russia

23

part of SD, particularly on the shores of Proval Bay,
numbers of adult birds usually up to 25, but 80-100
recorded in 1980 and 1981, when water level low
(Mel’nikov 1998b). Ruddy Shelduck arrive in southern
LB in late March or early April (Bakutin 1 957, Skryabin
1 975, Tolchin 1 993b) and leave mostly during September,
although birds stay there until mid-October (Bakutin
1957, Mel’nikov 1998k, Tolchin 1993b). See also
Mel’nikov (19981). Assessment: Widespread but
uncommon breeder in southern and central LB (MM,
SNI, SD); rare visitor elsewhere. Remarks: See also
Mel’nikov (1998c, 2000k), Fefelov (1999a).

Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope

VAD: recorded in summer 1855 (Radde 1863); common
breeder (Gagina 1954); two nests found on Millionnyy
Islet in 1964 (Skryabin 1975); regularly encountered
between Nizhneangarsk and Kichera on 4-8 June 1991
(Olsson 1991); common in June 2005 (Hellstrom 2005).
MM: recorded on Ol’khon Island on spring migration
until early June, and on autumn migration in September
(Litvinov and Gagina 1977); irregular breeder and autumn
migrant (S. Pyzh’yanov in Anthes cr <2/. 2004). SNI: breeds
at Arangatuy Lake (Turov 1923a); recorded in summer,
but no evidence for breeding (Gagina 1960a, Skryabin
andFilonov 1962, Skryabin 1975); a flock of nine observed
in marshes at Barguzinskiy Bay on 14 July 1991 (Heyrovsky
etal. 1 992); recorded at Malyy Arangatuy Lake on 13July
1994, Kovrizhka on 16 July 1994 and Kopeshka on 3
August 1994, two males seen in the Bol’shoy Chivyrkuy
Delta on 1 6 June 200 1 , and a male seen at Ust’-Barguzin
on 28 June 2001 (all JM). SWB: common at Kultuk
(Taczanowski 1893); a male collected at Kultuk on 3
October 1913 (Keve 1948); regular migrant at Angara
outflow, mean arrival recorded on 21 April (Votintsev
1942); later recorded only as vagrant on 1 1 May 1 979 in
Goloustnaya Delta and (undated) at Sharyzhalgay Cape
(Bogorodskiy 1989). SD: very rare breeder in 1964
(Skryabin 1975), only two nests found in 1976-1977
(Mel’nikova and Klimenko 1979); common spring
migrant during mid-April to mid-May; rare autumn
migrant (Skryabin 1975,Tolchinaeru/. 1978, Shinkarenko
1979, 1986); breeding population declined in 1980s
(Fefelov et al. 2001), but numbers of migrants increased
since the mid-1980s (Fefelov et al. 1999, 2001, see also
Pyzh’yanov and Podkovyrov 1999). Assessment: Rare
breeder and common migrant.

Falcated Duck Anas falcata

Near Threatened. Pre-1850: recorded annually at most
river deltas at LB, but only in small numbers, mostly pairs
(Georgi 1775). NWB: recorded on a small lake at the
Kotel’nikovskiy Cape in summer 1930 (Shtegman 1936);
up to three males and a female seen on 4-9 June 2005 at
Tyya Delta (Hellstrom 2005); a male seen at Tyya Delta
on 7-8 August 2008 (Bray et al. 2008). VAD: recorded
in summer 1855 (Radde 1861b, 1863); nests found in
1963 (Skryabin 1975); breeds (Tolchina et al. 1978).
NEB: recorded in 1914 and/or 1915 (Doppel’mayr 1926);
recorded on spring migration (early May to early June) in
1958-1959 (Skryabin 1975). MM: two individuals seen
in Sarma Delta in July-August 2002 (Anthes et al. 2004) .
UI: recorded on migration (Matveychuk 1991). SNI:
adult male collected on 19 June 1915 at Kurbulik
(Shtegman 1936); breeding recorded at Zmeinaya Bay in

the early 1920s (Turov 1923) and at Malyy Chivyrkuy
Delta in 1950s (Skryabin and Filonov 1962); recorded
on spring migration (late April to late May) in 1961-1962
(Skryabin 1975); flightless young seen on the Svyatoy
Nos isthmus in 1961 and/or 1962 (Skryabin 1975); not
recorded in 1991, 1994 and 2001 (Heyrovsky etal. 1992,
JM, PS); a male seen in marshes at Kedrovka on 8 June
1993 (MS). SWB: common on migration at Kultuk,
summers there in small numbers, but breeding not proven
(Dybowski and Godlewski 1870, Taczanowski 1873,
1893); migrants seen at Angara outflow until late May
(Votintsev 1942); at least eight seen at Bol’shaya
Rechka on 2 June 1987 (Svensson and Hedgren 1987);
a male seen at Bol’shaya Rechka on 2 June 1 99 1 (Olsson
1991). SD: common breeder during 1933-1949
(Bakutin 1957); very rare breeder and uncommon migrant
in mid-April to mid-May 1964 (Skryabin 1975); only one
nest found in 1976-1977 (Mel’nikova and Klimenko
1979); only five birds recorded on spring migration in
1978 and none in 1977 (Shinkarenko 1 979); very rare on
migration in 1970s- 1990s (Mel’nikova and Klimenko
1979, Shinkarenko 1979, 1984a, 1986, Mel’nikov 2000d,
Fefelov and Baskakov 2001); a male seen in the
southern part of the delta on 16June2004 (Halden 2004);
two males seen at Istomino on 29 May 2008 (Holmstedt
2008); flocks of moulting birds recorded from the 1 960s
(Skryabin 1975, Mel’nikov 2000e), with a maximum of
200 males seen at Chasovenskiye Lakes on 2 July 1992
(I. Tupitsyn in Fefelov et al. 2001). Assessment:
Formerly rare breeder (until the 1970s) and migrant,
now a rare visitor only. Remarks: Distribution and
abundance vary considerably between years (Mel’nikov
2000e). The population has also declined sharply in
nearby Yakutia (Degtyarev and Perfil’yev 1998, Degtyarev
2004).

Gadwall Anas strepera

Pre-1850: recorded (Georgi 1775). NWB: recorded on
a small lake at Kotel’nikovskiy Cape in summer 1930
(Shtegman 1936). VAD: breeds (Gagina 1954, Fefelov
et al. 2001); rare breeder and migrant (Skryabin 1975).
NEB: rare on migration (Anamn and Fedorov 1988).
MM: breeds (Pyzh’yanov etal. 1997, 1998, Fefelov etal.
2001); irregular breeder in Sarma Delta (S. Pyzh’yanov
in Anthes et al. 2004). SNI: commonly bred in 1922
(Turov 1923); rare in 1950s (Gagina 1960a); recorded
only on spring migration in 1950s (Skryabin and Filonov
1962); a family with ducklings found in 1961 (Skryabin
1975); a male with five female-type birds observed at
Monakhovo on 3 July 1991 (D. Heyrovsky in Heyrovsky
et al. 1 992); three nests found in marshes at Kedrovka on
5-23 June 1993 (JM, MS); recorded at Kopeshka on 2
August 1994 CJM); five seen in marshes at Kedrovka on
9 June 1998 (PS); recorded at Barmashevyye Lakes on 13
June 2001 and in the south-eastern corner of
Chivyrkuyskiy Bay on 2 1 June 2001 (bothJM). SD: rare
breeder in 1933-1949 (Bakutin 1957); common breeder
in 1964 (Skryabin 1975); rare breeder in 1970s
(Mel’nikova and Klimenko 1979); regular, but
uncommon breeder in 1980s-1990s (Fefelov et al.
1995a,b, 2001); common on migration in mid-April to
mid-May (Skryabin 1975, Shinkarenko 1979, 1986).
SWB: rare at Kultuk (Taczanowski 1893); the only
summer record was one seen between Angara outflow
and Kadil’nyy Cape on 7-8 May 1982, but regular on

24

JIRI MLIKOVSKY

Forktail 25 (2009)

migration (Bogorodskiy 1989). Assessment:
Widespread, but uncommon breeder; regular migrant.

Baikal Teal Anas formosa

Vulnerable. Pre-1850: recorded almost every year in
southern LB on spring migration (Georgi 1775). VAD:
breeds (A. Sludskiy in Ptushenko 1952); recorded on
autumn migration during 30 August-6 September 1963
(Skryabin 1968). NEB: recorded in the Barguzinskiy
Reserve on 1 5 May 1 938, 1 8 May 1 954 and 7 May 1956
(Skryabin 1968); not recorded at T ompuda Delta in spring
1958, rare there on 8-22 September 1958 and on 9-21
May 1959, and common there in late August-18
September 1959 (Skryabin 1968, 1975). SNI: an adult
collected on 6 August 1922 (Turov 1923); common on
migration during 30 April-3 June 1961, but only three
recorded during spring migration in 1962: two seen at
Arangatuy Lake on 1 1 May, and a male heard there on 1 2
May (Skryabin and Filonov 1962, Skryabin 1968, 1 975);
common on migration in late August-29 September 1 960,
but recorded only on 1 9 August in 1963 (Skryabin 1 968);
one recorded on Arangatuy Lake on 27 July 1961, and a
pair recorded at Malyy Chivyrkuy Delta on 28 July 1961,
but breeding not proven (Skryabin 1968, 1975); not
recorded in 1991-1994 or 2001 (JM, PS). SWB: recorded
at Kultuk on migration (Taczanowski 1873, 1893);regular
migrant at the Angara outflow (Votintsev 1947). SD:
common on spring migration in 1930s-1940s (Bakutm
1957); rare on spring migration during 12-17 May 1964
(Skryabin 1968, 1975); rare on autumn migration in
1930s-1960s (Bakutin 1957, Skryabin 1975); very rare
on migration in 1970s-1990s (Mel’nikova and Klimenko
1979, Shinkarenko 1986, Podkovyrov and Shinkarenko
1 986, Fefelov et al. 200 1 , Fefelov and Baskakov 200 1 ); a
flock of six seen on 9 May 1984 (A. Dvoryadkin in Fefelov
and Baskakov 2001). Note: Recorded on migration in
1850s (Radde 1 863) . Variation in numbers recorded may
partly result from the fact that the species migrates at
night and is not faithful to particular stopover sites
(Skryabin 1968, 1975). Assessment: Formerly a
common migrant, but recorded only as a vagrant since
1970s (see also Votintsev 1947, Mel’nikov 1993b).
Sludskiy’s (in Ptushenko 1952) assurance that the species
breeds in VAD is unsupported and may have been based
on summer records of non-breeding individuals.
Remarks: The population has also declined since the
1960s in adjacent Irkutsk Province (Mel’nikov 1993b)
and Y akutia (Shugayev and Pozdnyakov 1979, Degtyarev
and Perfil’yev 1998, Degtyarev 2004), but the reasons
remain unclear (see also Isakov 1952, Collar et al. 2001).

Common Teal Anas crecca

Pre-1850: recorded (Georgi 1775). NWB: seen at Tyya
Delta on 8-9 June 2005 (Hellstrom 2005). VAD: recorded
in summer 1855 (Radde 1861b); common breeder
(Skryabin 1975); regularly encountered between
Nizhneangarsk and Kichera on 4-7 June 1991 (Olsson
1991); seen at Verkhnyaya Zaimka on 6 June (Hellstrom
2005) . NEB: recorded in 1 9 1 4 and/or 1915 (Doppel’mayr
1 926) . MM: recorded only on migration at Ol’khon Island
(Litvinov and Gagina 1977); regular breeder in Sarma
Delta (S. Pyzh’yanov in Antheseru/. 2004). UE recorded
on migration (Matveychuk 1991). SNE common breeder
(Gagina 1960a, Skryabin 1975); common in 1991
(Heyrovsky et al. 1992), 1993 and 1994 (JM); recorded

at Barmashevyye Lakes on 13 June 2001 and a flock of
five males recorded in the south-eastern corner of
Chivyrkuyskiy Bay on 21 June 2001 (both JM). SWB:
common at Kultuk (Taczanowski 1893); two females
collected on 1 8 September 1913 (Keve 1 948); said to be
common breeder and common on migration, but no data
presented (Bogorodskiy 1989). SD: common breeder
(Bakutin 1957, Shvetsov and Shvetsova 1967);
uncommon breeder (Skryabin 1975, see Fefelov et al.
2001); irregular breeder from 1970s, with breeding records
only in 1974-1976 (Mel’nikova and Klimenko 1979),
1979, 1981 and 1995 (Mel’nikov 1984a, Fefelov et al.
2001); common on spring and autumn migration since
1 920s, usually mid-April to mid-May and mid-September
to late October (Bakutin 1957, Skryabin 1975, Tolchina
et al. 1978, Shinkarenko 1979, 1986, Fefelov etal. 2001).
Assessment: Rare breeder and common migrant.

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

NWB: b red in small numbers at a small lake at
Kotel’nikovskiy Cape in summer 1930 (Shtegman 1 930) .
VAD: recorded in summer 1855 (Radde 186 lb); common
breeder during late April to mid-October (Skryabin 1975,
Tolchina 1979, Fefelov et al. 2001). NEB: recorded in
1914 and/or 1915 (Doppel’mayr 1926). MM: uncommon
breeder, rare on Ol’khon Island (Litvinov and Gagina
1977); regular breeder (S. Pyzh’yanov in Anthes et al.
2004). UE breeding recorded (Matveychuk 1991). SNI:
common breeder (Gagina 1960a, Skryabin and Filonov
1962); common in summer 1991 (Heyrovsky etal. 1992),
1993 and 1994 (JM, PS); several pairs recorded at
Bol’shaya Cheremshana Delta on 1 3-1 5 June 1 998 (PS);
common in summer 2001 (JM, PS); a female with
ducklings seen at Ust’-Barguzin on 13 July 2005 (JM);
common on migration during mid- to late April and
mid-September to mid-October (Skryabin 1975).
SWB: common at Kultuk (Taczanowski 1893);
common in marshes at Kultuk on 8-9 May 1995 (PS);
common breeder (Bogorodskiy 1989). SD: recorded in
April 1855 (Maack 1859); common breeder and migrant
from early to late April and from mid-September to late
October (Bakutin 1957, Shvetsov and Shvetsova 1967,
Skryabin 1975, Mel’nikova and Klimenko 1979, Tolchina
1979, Shinkarenko 1979, 1984a, Mel’nikova 1983,
Mel’nikov 1990c, Fefelov et al. 2001). Note: See also
Skryabin (1967c). Assessment: Common breeder and
migrant.

Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha
VAD: recorded on migration from 1957 (Skryabin 1975);
breeding probable (Skryabin 1975); breeds (Sadkovand
Safronov 1 984) . NEB: an undated specimen from Davsha
Delta was found in the Barguzinskiy Reserve collection at
Davsha (Gagina 1 960b); a pair observed on 1 3 May 1958
in Tompuda Delta (Skryabin 1960). MM: recorded
breeding sometime during 1 977-1994 (Pyzh’yanov et al.
1997). SNE two nests found on northern and eastern
shores of Arangatuy Lake in 1961 (Skryabin and Filonov
1962, Skryabin 1963, 1965a); recorded on spring and
autumn migration in 1961 (Skryabin and Filonov 1962,
Skryabin 1965a); not recorded in 1991-1994 and 2001
(Heyrovsky etal. 1992, JM, PS). SWB: several individuals
seen on the Angara shore between Bol’shaya Rechka and
Slyudyanka on 1 7 July 1979 (JMa). SD: rare on migration
since 1935 (Bakutin 1957); first breeding recorded in

Forktail 25 (2009)

Waterbirds of Lake Baikal, eastern Siberia, Russia

25

1964, when ten nests were found (Skryabin 1975);
subsequently a regular, but rare, breeder and migrant
between late April and mid-May in spring, and up to mid-
October in autumn (Bakutin 1957, Skryabin 1975,
Mel’nikova and Klimenko 1979, Mel’nikov 1984a, 1998b,
Shinkarenko 1986, Fefelov et al. 2001, Fefelov and
Baskakov 2001). Holmstedt (2008) recorded a male Spot-
billed Duck x Mallard hybrid on 29 May 2008 at Istomino.
SEB: three nests and four families with small ducklings
found in 1972-1976 at Mishikha Delta (Vasil’chenko
1987). Note: Birds arrive in spring during late April-
mid-May, with the last individuals recorded in late
September (Skryabin 1975). Assessment: Has spread
west in East Siberia during the twentieth century, reaching
LB as a breeder in 1950s (Skryabin 1963, 1965a, 1975).
Fefelov etal. (2001) gave no trends in numbers at LB, but
Adamtsevich (1975) described its overall decline at LB,
which is supported by our data from SNI (JM, PS). I.
Fefelov {in lit t. 2008) confirmed that the species is
declining at LB. Remarks: LB represents the western
extent of the range of Spot-billed Duck: although there
are several summer records of this species west of LB
from twentieth century (Mel’nikov 1993c), no proof of
breeding further west has been obtained (Sum’yaa and
Skryabin 1989). Taxonomy: Given the location of LB,
birds probably belong to the subspecies zonorhyncha ,
which is now sometimes separated at the species level
(e.g. Johnson and Sorenson 1999, Kulikova et al. 2004,
2005, Leader 2006, Brazil 2009).

Northern Pintail Anas acuta

Pre-1850: recorded (Georgi 1775). NWB: breeding
recorded at Kotel’mkovskiy Cape on 13-1 4 August 1930
(Shtegman 1936). VAD: recorded in summer 1855
(Radde 1861b);commonbreeder (Gagina 1954, Skryabin
1975, Sadkov and Safronov 1984); recorded at
Nizhneangarsk in June 2005 (Hellstrom 2005). NEB:
recorded in late August and early September (Turov
1924a); rare breeder (Ananin and Fedorov 1988). MM:
recorded in summer and autumn (Litvinov and Gagina
1977); breeds (Pyzh’yanov et al. 1997); irregular breeder
and common migrant in Sarma Delta (S. Pyzh’yanov in
Anthes et al. 2004). UI: recorded on migration
(Matveychuk 1991). SNI: common breeder and migrant
during late April to late May and early September to early
October (Gagina 1960a, Skryabin and Filonov 1962,
Skryabin 1975, Heyrovsky et al. 1992); recorded north of
Barmashevyye Lakes on 16-17 June 1994 (JM, PS); a
male recorded at Ust’-Barguzin on 28 June 2001 (JM).
SWB: common at Kultuk (T aczanowski 1893); recorded
on spring migration (Votintsev 1942). SD: rare breeder,
1933-1949 (Bakutin 1957);common breeder andmigrant
in 1960s-1990s; spring migration lasted from mid-April
to early May, with the last birds departing in late October
(Skryabin 1975, Tolchina et al. 1978, Mel’nikova and
Klimenko 1979, Shinkarenko 1979, 1986, Fefelov et al.

1 999, 2001). The local population was estimated at 1 ,500
pairs in the mid-1970s, and at 10,000 pairs in the early
1990s (Fefelov et al. 1999a). Assessment: Common
breeder and migrant.

Garganey Anas querquedula

Pre-1850: recorded (Georgi 1775). VAD: common
breeder (Gagina 1954, Sadkov and Safronov 1984);
recorded at Yarki Island in June 2005 (Hellstrom 2005).

NEB: recorded in 1 9 1 4 and/or 1915 (Doppel’mayr 1 926);
uncommon at Tompuda Delta on spring migration in
1958-1959 (Skryabin 1975). MM: breeding recorded in
Sarma Delta (Skryabin 1 975); rare visitor in Sarma Delta
in July-August 2002-2003 (Anthes et al. 2004). SNI:
common breeder (Gagina 1960a, Skryabin and Filonov
1962, Skryabin 1975); only single birds seen in summer
1991 (Heyrovsky et al. 1992); recorded at Ust’-Barguzin
on 3 June 1993, north of Barmashevyye Lakes on 1 6 June
1994, and a male seen in the south-eastern corner of
Chivyrkuyskiy Bay on 21 June 2001 (all JM). SWB:
breeding recorded between Kultuk and Slyudyanka
(Dybowski and Godlewski 1870); common at Kultuk
(Taczanowski 1893); breeding recorded at Goloustnaya
Delta (Skryabin 1975) and at Angara outflow
(Bogorodskiy 1989); also known on migration
(Bogorodskiy 1989). SD: rare breeder in 1930s-1970s
(Bakutin 1957, Skrabin 1975, Tolchina et al. 1978,
Mel’nikova and Klimenko 1979); common breeder in
1980-1 990s (Fefelov etal. 2001); common on migration
between mid-April and mid-May (Skryabin 1975,
Tolchina et al. 1978, Shinkarenko 1979, Fefelov et al.
2001); large assemblages of moulting males recorded in
1976-1977 (Mel’nikova and Klimenko 1979).
Assessment: Common breeder and migrant.

Northern ShovelerHiius clypeata
Pre-1850: widespread (Georgi 1775). NWB: one
recorded at Kotel’nikovskiy Cape in summer 1930
(Shtegman 1936). VAD: a moulting female collected on
1 August 1913 (Keve 1948); common breeder and migrant
(Gagina 1954, Skryabin 1975, Sadkov and Safronov
1984). NEB: recorded in 19 14 and/or 1915 (Doppel’mayr
1926); uncommon at Tompuda Delta on spring migration
during mid-late May in 1958-1959 (Skryabin 1975).
MM: rare migrant on Ol’khon Island (Litvinov and
Gagina 1977); recorded breeding in Sarma Delta
(Bogorodskiy 1989); breeds in southern part of MM
(Pyzh’yanov et al. 1997, 1998); regular breeder and
commonmigrantinSarmaDelta (S. Pyzh’yanov in Anthes
et al. 2004). SNI: not recorded in early 1920s (Turov
1923) or in 1930 (Shtegman 1936); breeding recorded
from 1950s (Gagina 1960a, Skryabin and Filonov 1962,
Skryabin 1 975, Heyrovsky etal. 1992); recorded north of
Barmashevyye Lakes on 16 June 1994 and at Kopeshka
on 3 August 1994 (both JM). SWB: rare at Kultuk
(Taczanowski 1893); a pair seen in marshes at Kultuk on
9 May 1995 (PS); recorded on spring migration at the
Angara River (Votintsev 1942); recorded breeding at
Goloustnaya Delta (Bogorodskiy 1989); recorded on
spring migration (Bogorodskiy 1989). SD: uncommon
breeder in 1930s-1940s (Bakutin 1950, 1957); common
breeder and migrant in 1964 (Skryabin 1975); common
breeder and common migrant in 1 970s- 1 990s, with spring
migration from mid-April to early May (Tolchina et al.
1978, Shinkarenko 1979, 1983, Mel’nikova and Klimenko
1 97 9, Fefelov et al. 200 1 ) . Assessment: Common breeder
and migrant.

Red-crested Pochard Rhodonessa rufina
SWB: a pair observed at Bol’shaya Rechka on 2 June
1987 (Svensson and Hedgren 1987). Assessment:
Vagrant. Remarks: Also recorded south of LB at
Khubsugul, Mongolia (Sum’yaa and Skryabin 1989: 40).
Taxonomy: Usually listed as Netta rufina in Russian

26

JIRI MLIKOVSKY

Forktail 25 (2009)

literature. Collar etal. (2001: 500) give reasons for rejecting
Rhodonessa for this species.

Common Pochard Aythya ferina

Pre-1850: widespread and common (Georgi 1775).
NWB: several seen in late June 1930 at Baykal’skoye
(Shtegman 1936). VAD: breeds, with chicks found in
July 1855 (Radde 1861b, 1863); regularly encountered
between Nizhneangarsk and Kichera on 4-7 June 1991
(Olsson 1991); c.75 individuals seen at Yarki Island in
June 2005 (Hellstrom 2005). NEB: rare migrant in
Barguzinskiy Reserve, and does not breed there (Belyaev
1980). MM: uncommon spring migrant, non-breeding
individuals recorded in summer, and rare autumn migrant
(Pyzh’yanov and Sonin 1979); two recorded in Sarma
Delta in August 2003 (Anthes et al. 2004). UI: one
recorded at Bol’shoy Ushkan’i Island on 21 June 1975
(Yumov 1990); recorded on migration (Matveychuk
1991). SWB: rare on migration at Kultuk (Taczanowski
1893). SNI: several pairs recorded in mid-July 1930 near
Ust’-Barguzin (Shtegman 1936); common breeder on
isthmus and in Chivyrkuyskiy Bay (Skryabin and Filonov
1 962, Skrvabin 1 975, Heyrovsky et al. 1992,JMin 1993
and 1 994); recorded north of Barmashevyye Lakes on 1 6
June 1994 (JM). SD: common breeder and migrant, with
spring migration between mid-April and late May
(Skryabin 1975, Tolchina et al. 1978, Mel’nikova and
Klimenko 1979, Shinkarenko 1979, Fefelov etal. 2001).
Assessment: Common breeder and migrant.

Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula

Pre-1850: very common (Georgi 1775). NWB: common
on small lakes between Kotel’nikovskiy Cape and
Baykal’skoe, families with small ducklings recorded on
7-8 August 1930 (Shtegman 1936). VAD: common
breeder (Skryabin 1975); regularly encountered between
Nizhneangarsk and Kichera on 4-7 June 1991 (Olsson
1991); common at Yarki Island in June 2005 (Hellstrom
2005). NEB: recorded at Tompuda Delta on migration
during 21 May-7 June 1958 and 6 May-6 June 1959
(Skryabin 1975). MM: common breeder on Bol’shoy
Toynak, Malyy Toynak and Ivhunuk Islands and in the
Sarma Delta (Pyzh’yanov and Sonin 1979, Pyzh’yanov et
al. 1998); common on spring and autumn migration
(Pyzh’yanov and Sonin 1979); rare breeder on Ol’khon
Island (Litvinov and Gagina 1977); regular breeder and
common migrant in Sarma Delta (S . Pyzh’yanov in Anthes
et al. 2004). UI: recorded on migration (Matveychuk
1991). SNI: common breeder on the isthmus, but does
not breed in Chivyrujskiy Bay (Gusev 1960b, Skryabin
and Filonov 1962, Skryabin 1975); uncommon breeder
in 1991 (Heyrovsky et al. 1992); recorded at Monakhovo
on 28 June 1993, north of Barmashevyye Lakes on 16
June 1994, and common on Malyy Arangatuy Lake on
1 3-1 4 July 1 994 (all JM) ; recorded at Barmashevyye lakes
on lOJune 1998 (PS) and on 13June2001 (JM);common
in the Bol’shoy Chivyrkuy Delta on 1 6-1 9 June 200 1 , but
no breeding evidence (JM, PS). SWB: widespread at
Kultuk (Taczanowski 1893); a female collected on 29
September 1913 (Keve 1948); recorded breeding in
Goloustnaya, Anga and Sarma Deltas in 1 960s (Skryabin
1975), but breeding restricted to the Goloustnaya Delta
in 1979 (Bogorodskiy 1989); recorded wintering on the
Angara outflow in 1930s-1950s (Tret’yakov 1940, Gagina
1958a, Pastukhov 1965), but not recorded there 1964-

1965 (Skryabin 1975) or 1976-1979 (Bogorodskiy 1989).
SD: common breeder and migrant during mid-April to
late May and late September to late October (Bakutin
1957, Skryabin 1975, Tolchina et al. 1978, Mel’nikova
and Klimenko 1979, Shinkarenko 1979, 1986,
Podkovyrov 1997, Fefelov et al. 2001). Assessment:
Common breeder and migrant.

Greater Scaup Aythya mania

Pre-1850: commonatLB (Georgi 1775). VAD: recorded
on migration (Gagina 1954). SWB: rare in winter at the
Angara outflow (Gagina 1950a). SD: two shot on 18
September 1998 at Khaustik Islet (Mel’nikov 2000a); a
male seen between Galutay and Militseyskaya channels
on 3 June 2002 (Fefelov et al. 2003). Assessment:
Vagrant. Remarks: Bogorodskiy (1989) casted doubt
on the observations by Gagina (1958a). Also Georgi’s
(1775) assurance that Greater Scaup is common at LB
was probably based on misidentification of Tufted Duck.

Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus
Pre-1850: ‘huge flocks’ around Ol’khon Island, small
flocks elsewhere in summer 1772 (Georgi 1775). NWB:
recorded on LB shore within Baykalo-Lenskiy Reserve
on 5 June 1990 (N. Skryabin in Olovyannikova 2002).
NEB: one collected at Shumilikha Delta on 1 2 September
1957 and four seen at LB near the Davsha estuary on 9
September 1961 (Skryabin 1975); one recorded on 21
June 1989 at Khamankit Cape (Pyzh’yanov et al. 1997).
MM: possible breeding recorded on the Sarma, c. 1 0 km
from its delta, in 1990-1991 (Pyzh’yanov et al. 1997,
1998). SNI: two recorded on Arangatuy Lake on 24 May
1962 (Skryabin 1975); not recorded in 1991-1994 or
2001 (JM, PS). SWB: recorded betweeen Kultuk and
Angara outflow in 1855 (Radde 1863); recorded at Kultuk
on migration (Dybowski and Godlewski 1870,
Taczanowski 1893); recorded wintering on Angara
outflow in 1930s (Tret’yakov 1940); no recent data for
SWB (Bogorodskiy 1989). SD: a family of ducklings
recorded in the upper reaches of the Abramikha, c. 1 5 km
from its opening into Posol’skiy Lake, on 1 7 August 1 947
(Bakutin 1957); no other data (Fefelov et al. 2001).
Assessment: Formerly regular migrant, winter and
summer visitor, but vagrant since c. 1 950s. Records from
the upper reaches of the Sarma and Abramikha Rivers are
listed above because they are close to LB, but both refer
to mountain habitats and cannot be regarded as proof of
breeding at LB proper. Remarks: Harlequin Duck still
occurs on mountain rivers to the north-west (in Baykalo-
Lenskiy Reserve, breeding confirmed: Unzhakov 1988,
Olovyannikova 2000a, 2002) and north-east (upper
reaches of the Barguzin River in Dzherginskiy Reserve,
breeding not confirmed: JM in June 1994).

Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis
NWB: a male seen at Tyya Delta on 9 June 2005
(Hellstrom 2005). VAD: recorded on autumn migration
in northern LB (Shtegman 1 936); a flock of 1 6 birds seen
on 9 October 1996 (Pyzh’yanov et al. 1997, 1998); six
recorded on Yarki Island on 6 June 1991 (Olsson 1991).
MM: a male seen in northern part on 16 June 1989
(Pyzh’yanov et al. 1997, 1998); rarely recorded at
Kocherikova (Unzhakov 1988). SWB: common in winter
on Angara outflow (Radde 1863); recorded wintering
there in c. 1 930 (Shtegman 1 936), 1 963 (a flock of eight:

Forktail 25 (2009)

Waterbirds of Lake Baikal, eastern Siberia, Russia

27

Skryabin 1975), 1972-1973 (three seen repeatedly at
Shamanskiy Kamen’: Mel’nikov etal. 1998), March 1976
(Vasil’chenko 1987), the late 1970s (several singles: S.
Matveychuk in Mel’nikov et al. 1998), and regularly in
October-March 1984-1991, including 25 individuals in
two flocks in the very harsh winter of 1987-1988
(Mel’nikov et al. 1998); three seen at Listvyanka on 17
and 19 June 1986 (Larsson 1986); five seen in December
1989 (Pyzh’yanov et al. 1987); a few dozen individuals
wintering at the Angara outflow during mid-2000s, but
over 100 in winter 2007-2008 (I. Fefelov in litt. 2008).
SD: flock of five recorded on 12 October 1983atPershikha
Channel (Mel’nikov et al. 1998, Mel’nikov 2000a); a
juvenile collected on 20 October 1 99 1 at Galutay Channel
(Tupitsyn and Fefelov 1995a). SEB: a juvenile female
recorded on 16 October 1973 at Vydrinaya Delta
(Vasil’chenko 1987). Assessment: Rare migrant and
winter visitor.

White-winged Scoter Melanitta fusca
Pre-1850: common (Georgi 1775). NWB: families with
small ducklings recorded in mid-August 1930 between
Kotel’nikovskiy Cape and Baykal’skoye (Shtegman 1936);
a female with 1 4 ducklings recorded on 5 August 1 9 59 on
a small lake at Malyy Solontsovyy Cape, and families
recorded at Bol’shaya Kosa Cape and Zavorotnyy Cape
in 1959 (Gusev 1962); 45 seen at Tyya Delta on 9 June
2005 (Hellstrom 2005); flocks seen at Tyya Delta on 6-
10 June 2008 (Bray et al. 2008). VAD: recorded in
summer, common on migration, breeding possible
(Pyzh’yanov et al. 1998); regularly encountered between
Nizhneangarsk and Kichera on 4-8 June 1991, 100
individuals at Yarki Island on 6 June 1991 (Olsson 1991).
MM: uncommon breeder, especially in the southern part
including islets in Sarma Delta, at Onguren, and once
north of Borgadagan Island (Malyshev 1960a, Gusev
1962, Pyzh’yanov and Sonin 1979, Pyzh’yanov etal. 1997,
1998); regular breeder and common migrant in Sarma
Delta (S. Pyzh’yanov in Anthes et al. 2004); rare on
Ol’khon Island, where small flocks recorded at the
southern end in late July 1930 (Shtegman 1936) and one
seen in 1973 (Litvinov and Gagina 1977). UI: common
summer visitor, but no evidence for breeding (Yumov
1990, Matveychuk 1991). SNI: several families with
ducklings recorded on small lakes near Ust’-Barguzin in
summer 1930 (Shtegman 1936); recorded in 1988
(Yumov 1990); breeding not recorded in SNI during
1991-1994 or 2001 (Heyrovsky et al. 1992, JM, PS), but
large flocks (up to 120 birds) were repeatedly seen flying
high above Svyatoy Nos isthmus on 30 June-28 July 1991
(Heyrovsky et al. 1992); a flock of eight seen flying over
Kedrovka on 24 June 1993 (JM); a male seen on 1 8 June
1994 on Barmashevyye Lakes (PS); a flock of c. 70-80
seen flying at Kedrovka on 26 June 1993 and a flock of
c.100 seen at Kedrovka on 19 July 1993 (JM); a flock of
c.40 seen on 12 June 1998 at Zmeinaya Bay and c.50 seen
on 15 July 2001 at Ust’-Barguzin (PS). SWB: recorded
at Kultuk on migration (Dybowski and Godlewski 1870,
Taczanowski 1893); rare on migration at shores in late
May (Vasil’chenko 1982, Bogorodskiy 1989). SD: rare
breeder, first confirmed in 1977, with only 13 nests found
during 1977-1996, mainly on Karga Bab’ya Islet and at
Posol’skiy Lake (Pyzh’yanov et al. 1997, 1998, Fefelov et
al. 2001); uncommon on spring migration, very rare on
autumn migration (Bakutin 1957, Skryabin 1975, Fefelov

et al. 2001); occasionally small flocks of non-breeding
individuals oversummer (Mel’nikov 2000a, Fefelov et al.
2001); 73 counted at Alimasovo on 4 June 2008
(Hellstrom 2008). SEB: recorded on migration
(Vasil’chenko 1982, 1987); a flock of 1 ,200 males seen at
LB near Maksimikha on 28 June 2004 (Halden 2004).
Assessment: Widespread but uncommon breeder, and
common migrant (see also Vasil’chenko and Prokop’yev
1988c). Taxonomy: White-winged Scoters breeding at
LB belong to the Siberian form stejnegeri (Ptushenko 1952,
Fefelov et al. 2001), which is now usually treated as a
subspecies of M. deglandi (see Collar 2003 and Collinson
et al. 2006 for reviews) and often referred to as such in
Russian literature.

Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula
NWB: a family with ducklings was recorded on a small
mountain lake between Kotel’nikovskiy Cape and
Baykal’skoe (i.e. not directly at LB), in August 1930
(Shtegman 1936); breeds (Malyshev 1960a). VAD:
recorded in summer 1855 (Radde 1861b); breeds (Gagina
1954, Skryabin 1975); regularly encountered between
Nizhneangarsk and Kichera on 4-8 June 1991 (Olsson
1991); c.135 counted on 5 June 2005 north of Yarki
Island (Hellstrom 2005) . NEB: recorded in 1914 and/or
1915 (Doppel’mayr 1926); breeds (Ananin and Fedorov
1988). MM: no distinct spring migration; flocks of
moulting males appear from early June (usually 400-600
individuals per flock, once 1,000 individuals in a flock)
and disperse in late June to early July; autumn migration
occurs from late August to early September (Pyzh’yanov
and Sonin 1979); common on autumn migration at
Ol’khon Island, where breeding considered possible but
not proven (Litvinov and Gagina 1977); regular breeder
in Sarma Delta (S. Pyzh’yanov in Anthes etal. 2004). UI:
ducklings found on Bol’shoy Ushkan’i Island on 27 June
1957 (Gusev 1960a); said to be uncommon breeder on
Dolgiy Island (Matveychuk 1991). SNI: occasional
summer records on LB coastlines (Gagina 1960a);
recorded (Skryabin 1975); common breeder in 1991
(Heyrovsky et al. 1 992); a female seen at Kedrovka on 1 2
June 1993 (JM); five males seen on 18 June 1994 on
Barmashevyye Lakes (PS); a flock of c. 50-60 individuals,
mainly males, seen in Zmeinaya Bay on 14-15 June 2001
(JM); non-breeding individuals seen in the Bol’shoy
Chivyrkuy Delta on 16-19 June 2001 (JM, PS). SWB:
common at Kultuk (Taczanowski 1893); a female
collected on 9 October 1913 (Keve 1 948); a male seen at
Kultuk on 9 May 1995 (PS); a male collected at Baykal
on 20 January 1913 (Keve 1 948); common on migration
during 9 April-early May (including a flock of many males
recorded on 23-25 June 1983) and late August or early
September to late October or early November
(Bogorodskiy 1989); commonly winters on Angara
outflow: up to 130,000 individuals (Pastukhov 1965);
4,000-5,000 (Skryabin 1975); 4,000 in 1975-1976
(Vasil’chenko 1987); 1,000-5,000 in 1975-1980
(Bogorodskiy 1989), and 1 1,000-18,000 in 1980s-1990s
(Mel’nikov 2000f); 250 seen on Angara outflow on 14
June 1988 (SOF 1 988); 1 00 seen at Bol’shaya Rechka on
7 June 1 989 (SOF 1 989); 65 seen at Listvyanka on 2 June
1991 (Olsson 1991). SD: common breeder (Shvetsov
and Shvetsova 1967); common on spring migration 17
April-24 April in 1977-1978 (Shinkarenko 1979) and
generally between early April-early May (Fefelov et al.

28

JIRI MLIKOVSKY

Forktail 25 (2009)

2001); autumn migration starts on 5-1 5 September, with
large numbers migrating from late September to mid-
October (Fefelov <?ru/. 2001); non-breeding and moulting
individuals common in summer (Fefelov et al. 2001); a
few recorded in winter 1981 at Kabansk by local
inhabitants (Fefelov et al. 2001). Assessment: Rare
breeder in central and northern LB; common migrant
everywhere; regularly winters at Angara outflow.
Remarks: The assurance by Shvetsov and Shvetsova
(1967) that Common Goldeneye commonly breeds in
SD was probably based on the observation of summer
individuals, because no confirmed breeding records were
obtained for SD either earlier (Bakutin 1950, 1957) or
later (Fefelov et al. 2001). Common Goldeneye is a
widespread and rather common breeder in the mountains
surrounding LB.

Smew Mergellus albelhts

Pre- 1850: common in southern LB (Georgi 1775). VAD:
three families observed in late July 1963 (Skryabin 1975,
Sadkov 1991); regularly encountered between
Nizhneangarsk and Kichera on 4-7 June 1991 (Olsson
1991); two females seen on 5 June 2005 north of Yarki
Island (Hellstrom 2005). NEB: recorded at Tompuda
estuary on migration in spring 1958 and 1959 (Skryabin
1975). MM: two individuals recorded on 30 June 1977
and five on 12-13 May 1978 in Sarma Delta (Pyzh’yanov
and Sonin 1979, Pyzh’yanov etal. 1 979); one recorded in
Sarma Delta in July-August 2002 (Anthes et al. 2004).
UI: rare on spring and autumn migration (Yumov 1990,
Matveychuk 1991). SNI: common on migration, summer
records indicating that breeding is possible (Skryabin and
Filonov 1962); a flightless duckling recorded at Malyy
Chivyrkuy Delta on 23 July 1960 (Skryabin 1975);
breeding recorded in late 1970s (Yegorov 1980), and at
Kedrovkain 1991 (Heyrovsky etal. 1992) and 1993 (JM);
recorded north of Barmashevyye Lakes on 1 6 June 1 994
(JM); two males seen on 9 June 1 998 at Kedrovka (PS).
SWB: breeds at Kultuk (Dybowski and Godlewski 1 870,
Taczanowski 1873); recorded on autumn migration in
the Goloustnaya Delta (Bogorodskiy 1989); rarely
recorded in winter on the Angara outflow (Gagina 1958a,
Mel’nikov and Shcherbakov 1990). SD: regular but
uncommon on spring migration in late April-mid-May
(Skryabin 1975, Shinkarenko 1979, Fefelov et al. 2001)
and on autumn migration in late October-late November
(Fefelov et al. 2001); four families recorded at Severnaya
Channel in summer 1 98 1 and breeding confirmed there
and at Yepishkinaya Channel in subsequent years
(Mel’nikov 1 984a, 1 998b, 200 1 a) . Assessment: Regular
migrant and rare breeder (from 1960s). Remarks: Spread
south through the LB area in the second half of the
twentieth century, reaching SNI in 1960s (see also Gusev
1965 for a breeding record at Kurumkan in the
Barguzinskaya Valley) and SD in 1 980s. In 1 990s started
to breed south of LB in Buryatia (Mel’nikov 2001a) and
Tuva (Kartashov 2000).

Red-breasted Merganser Mergus senator
Pre- 1850: large flocks in Chivyrkuyskiy Bay in summer
1772 (Georgi 1775). NWB: breeds on LB shores (Popov
2004b); flocks seen atTyya Delta on 6-8 June 2008 (Bray
etal. 2008). VAD: regularly seen between Nizhneangarsk
and Kichera on 4-7 June 1991 (Olsson 1991); recorded
at Nizhneangarsk in June 2005 (Hellstrom 2005). NEB:

breeds on LB shores (Ananin and Fedorov 1988). MM:
breeds in Ust’-Anginskiy Bay (Skryabin 1975); common
breeder, but breeding on Ol’khon Island not recorded
(Litvinov and Gagina 1977); common breeder,
particularly in the south on Malyy and Bol’shoy Toynak
Islands, at Khubyn Island and at the southern corner of
Ol’khon (Pyzh’yanov and Sonin 1979, Pyzh’yanov et al.
1998); migration recorded 24 April-8 May and late
August-mid-October (Pyzh’yanov and Sonin 1979);
regular breeder and common migrant in Sarma Delta (S.
Pyzh’yanov in Anthes etal. 2004). UI: several singles and
a flock of 60-70 seen near Bol’shoy Ushkan’y Island on
26-28 June 1957 (Gusev 1960a); common breeder on
Dolgoy Island, common summer visitor (Skryabin 1975,
Yumov 1990, Matveychuk 1991). SNI: recorded breeding
along all shores of Chivyrkuyskiy Bay (Turov 1923a);
rare breeder on north-western shores of Chivyrkuyskiy
Bay (Yegorov 1 980); common migrant on Chivyrkuyskiy
Bay (Skryabin and Filonov 1962, Skryabin 1975, Yegorov
1980); regularly seen along rocky coasts of Barguzinskiy
Bay and Chivyrkuyskiy Bay in summer 1 99 1 (Heyrovsky
et al. 1992) and in July-August 1993 (JM); two seen
flying over Kedrovka on 24 June 1 993 QM); five seen on
9 June 1998 at Kedrovka and a pair seen on 13-15 June
1998 at Bol’shoy Chivyrkuy Delta (PS); a pair and four
males seen in the Bol’shoy Chivyrkuy Delta on 16 June
2001 QM). SWB: recorded on migration on 2-8 May
1 982 at Kadil’nyy Cape (Bogorodskiy 1 989); said to breed
along LB shores (Popov 2004b); formerly wintered on
Angara outflow (Tret’yakov 1940, Tarasov 1952, Gagina
1 958a), but not in later years (Skryabin 1975, Bogorodskiy

1 989, Mel’nikov and Shcherbakov 1 990); 30 recorded at
Bol’shaya Rechka on 6-7 June 1 989 (SOF 1 989); 1 5 seen
at Bol’shaya Rechka on 2 June 1991 (Olsson 1991);
recorded at Bol’shaya Goloustnaya Delta in June 2005
(Hellstrom 2005); started to winter at Angara outflow in
the 2000s, up to a few dozen birds recorded (I. Fefelov in
litt. 2008). SD: uncommon on spring migration during
late April-mid-May (Bakutin 1957, Skryabin 1975) and
on autumn migration until mid-November (Skryabin
1975); breeding recorded (one nest with nine eggs found
on 25 June 1 993 on Karga Bab’ya Islet: Pyzh’yanov et al.
1997, 1998, Fefelov et al. 2001). SWB: widespread at
Kultuk in flocks in autumn (Taczanowski 1873, 1893);
seen on 1 1 March 1 920 on ice-free Angara (Musilek 2007);
started to winter again on the Angara outflow in the 2000s,
when up to a few dozen individuals were recorded (I.
Fefelov in litt. 2008). SEB: peak of spring migration in
Baykal’skiy Reserve recorded on 1 0-1 5 May (Vasil’chenko
and Vasil’chenko 1976). Assessment: Common breeder
and migrant.

Common Merganser Mergus merganser
Pre-1850: common (Georgi 1775). NWB: seen on several
occasions between Kotel’nikovskiy Cape and Baykal’skoye
(Shtegman 1936); c.10 seen at Tyya Delta on 6 June
1991 (Olsson 1991); recorded at Tyya Delta in June 2005
(Hellstrom 2005). VAD: breeds (Gagina 1954). MM:
common on migration during late April-early July and
late August-late September or early October (Pyzh’yanov
andSonin 1979, Pyzh’yanov etal. 1979); irregular breeder
and common migrant in Sarma Delta (S. Pyzh’yanov in
Anthes etal. 2004). UI: common summer visitor (Yumov

1 990, Matveychuk 1991). SNI: a nest found on Baklaniy
Islet (Gusev 1960b); more than 100 moulting birds

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Waterbirds of Lake Baikal, eastern Siberia, Russia

29

observed at Irkana Bay (Yegorov 1980); not recorded in
1 99 1 (Heyrovsky et al. 1 992); recorded in Chivyrkuyskiy
Bay on 1 2-1 3 July 1 993 (JM); eight seen on 9 September
1994 in Barguzinskiy Bay near Kedrovka (PS). SWB:
Recorded on Angara outflow in winter in 1850s (Radde
1863); recorded breeding and in autumn flocks at Kultuk
(Dybowski and Godlewski 1870, Taczanowski 1873);
recorded on migration at Goloustnaya Delta (Bogorodskiy
1989); four seen at Bol’shaya Rechka on 7 June 1989
(SOF 1 989); recorded at Bol’shaya Goloustnaya Delta in
June 2005 (Hellstrom 2005); regularly winters on Angara
outflow (Mel’nikov and Shcherbakov 1990, Mel’nikov
2000f, I. Fefelov zn litt. 2008); three females with ducklings
recorded (but no details or date given: Bogorodskiy 1989).
SD: exceptional breeding records include a nest with
nine eggs found at Motaikha Channel on 29 May (Bakutin
1957), and a family of eight chicks observed on 18 July
1989 on upper Srednyaya Channel (Mel’nikov 1998g);
there are no other summer records from SD (Fefelov et
al. 200 1 ); spring migration recorded in the second half of
April (Skryabin 1975, Shinkarenko 1979). SEB: recorded
on spring and autumn migration in Baykal’skiy Reserve
with peaks on 3-10 May and 19-28 September
(Vasil’chenko and Vasil’chenko 1976); recorded at
Pereyemnaya River on 8 June 2003 (Madge and McRae
2003); a female seen at Bol’shoy Mamay on 5 June 2008
(Hellstrom 2008). Assessment: Occasional breeder
(SWB, SD); uncommon migrant; regularly winters at
Anagara outflow.

[White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala

Endangered. Pre-1850: recorded in the mid-eighteenth
century at Nikola (Galkina 1984 fide Popov 2004b).
Remarks: Popov (2004b) did not cite Galkina (1984).
Neither I. Fefelov (in litt. 2008) nor I was able to locate
this source to verify the information. I thus do not list this
species as recorded at LB.]

Water Rail Rallus aquaticus

SWB: recorded at Kultuk (Dybowski and Godlewski
1870, Taczanowski 1893). SD: rare breeder (Bakutin
1950, Shvetsov and Shvetsova 1967); first heard in
Khalyun Channel on 25 May 1973 and later regularly
heard at night from mowed and wet meadows at various
places during 1973-1989, with a maximum of 30-35 males
at Sredmy Peremoy Channel on 15 June 1979 (Mel’nikov
2000a; records based on voice only); searches for the
species failed in 1989-1996 (Fefelov et al. 2001).
Assessment: Formerly rare, possibly irregular breeder
but not recorded after 1990. Taxonomy: Spangenberg
(1951) assigned birds from LB to the East Palearctic
subspecies indicus, split as Eastern Water Rail R. indicus
in Rasmussen and Anderton (2005).

Spotted Crake Porzana porzana
SD: Mel’nikov (1998b, 2000a) reportedly flushed a bird
from its nest at Srednyaya Channel on 23 June 1 982, and
heard calls in spring 1 983. Assessment: Vagrant, perhaps
occasional breeder (SD).

Baillon’s Crake Porzana pusilla

NWB: one seen at Tyya Delta on 7 June 2008 (Bray et al.
2008). VAD: recorded (Tolchin etal. 1974). NEB: calls
heard at Davsha River c. 1 1 km from delta on 1 9 July 1975
(Belyaev 1980). MM: irregularly recorded on muddy

shores in autumn, but never at Ol’khon Island (Pyzh’yanov
et al. 1979, 1998). SWB: breeds at Kultuk where nest
found (Dybowski and Godlewski 1870, Taczanowski
1 873, 1893); recorded at Yelantsy on 6 September 1976
(Pyzh’yanov et al. 1979, 1998). SNI: common breeder
(Skryabin and Filonov 1962); a juvenile mist-netted at
Kedrovka on 25 August 1991 (Heyrovsky et al. 1992);
two nests found in marshes at Kedrovka on 7 and 8 July
1 993 (MS); repeatedly heard north of Barmashevyye Lakes
on 17-18 June 1994, and a juvenile caught at Kedrovka
on 24 August 1994 (JM). SWB: recorded at Kadil’nyy
Cape on 26 May 1983 (Bogorodskiy 1989). SD:
uncommon breeder (Bakutin 1950, Shvetsov and
Shvetsova 1967, Mel’nikov 1979a, 1998b, Fefelov et al.
2001, Fefelov and Baskakov 2001); numbers increased
in late 1970s, but then fell to an estimated 50 pairs in
c.1990 (Mel’nikov 1998b); birds arrive at SD in second
half of May and leave in early October (Mel’nikov 1 979a,
Fefelov etal. 2001). Assessment: Uncommon breeder.

[Band-bellied Crake Porzana paykidlii
SD : all published records of Corn Crake Crex crex referred
to this species according to Mel’nikov (2000a) . Remarks:
Mel’nikov (2000a) stressed that all records of Corn Crake
were based on voice only, and hence may refer to the
similar-sounding Band-bellied. Crake. However, Taylor
and Van Perlo (1998) described the voices as very different
from each other, so Mel’nikov’s (2000a) assumptions are
unjustified. Mel’nikov and Mel’nikova (2000) reportedly
collected a Band-bellied Crake at a nest in the Irkut Delta
west of LB, but presented no data on identification or
reference to literature they used. I thus do not not list this
species as recorded at LB.]

Corn Crake Crex crex

Near Threatened. Pre-1850: recorded at Kudara in
summer 1772 (Georgi 1775). VAD: recorded in Kichera
valley and on islets in Verkhnyaya Angara Delta (Lipin et
al. 1976). SD: rare breeder in early 1960s (Shvetsov and
Shvetsova 1967); a male heard at Murzino in summer
1978 and in Staryy Galutay Channel on 16 June 1994 (V.
Zhuravlev in Fefelov et al. 2001). Assessment: Rare
visitor. Remarks: See under Band-bellied Crake for
comments. Georgi (1775: 172) stated that Corn Crake
(which he knew under the correct Latin, German and
Russian names) occurs in open steppes at Barguzin,
Kudara and Irkutsk. It is thus possible that Corn Crake
inhabited the LB area in the eighteenth century and that
its range subsequently contracted westwards.

Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
SWB: recorded breeding at Kultuk (Dybowski and
Godlewski 1870, Taczanowski 1877). SD: six recorded
in the Delta of Khirel’da Channel on 26 June 1978, two
families with chicks recorded in Srednyaya Channel on
12 June 1981, a family with chicks found in Srednyaya
Channel on 9 June 1 982, and one observed in Srednyaya
Channel on 16 June 1989 (Mel’nikov 1999a); a juvenile
collected at Khirel’da Channel on 28 September 1994
(Pyzh’yanov etal. 1997, 1998). Assessment: Rare visitor
and irregular breeder.

Common Coot Fulica atra

NWB: one seen at Kotel’nikovskiy Cape in summer 1 930
(Shtegman 1936). NEB: an adult female was collected at

30

JIRI MLIKOVSKY

Forktail 25 (2009)

Sosnovkaon23May 1915 (Shtegman 1936); recorded in
Sosnovka Delta in spring 1 933 (Belyaev 1 980); recorded
in Barguzinskiy Reserve (unspecified location) on 26 May
1958 (Skryabinand Filonov 1962); one with broken wing
caught at Davsha on 7 November 1970 (Belyaev 1980).
UI: one recorded in June 1976 (Yumov 1990); recorded
on migration (Matveychuk 1991). SNI: formerly recorded
as breeder (Gagina 1960a) and as common migrant
(Skryabinand Filonov 1962); common at Istok until 1957
(Yegorov 1980 according to local inhabitants); absent
1977-1979 (Yegorov 1980), 1991-1994 and 2001
(Heyrovsky<?ru/. 1992, JM, PS). SWB: recorded at Kultuk
(Taczanowski 1893); breeds in a marshland at southern
end of LB (Bogorodskiy 1989). SD: common breeder
(Bakutin 1950, Shvetsov and Shvetsova 1967, Mel’nikov
et al. 1983a,b, Mel’nikov 1991a, Fefelov et al. 2001); in
late 1970s and very early 1980s, population was estimated
at 1,500-2,400 pairs plus 500-700 non-breeding
individuals in spring, and 12,000-18,000 individuals in
autumn (Mel’nikov et al. 1 983a, b, Mel’nikov 1991a); in
1982 (when water levels were low) the population fell to
500-600 pairs (Mel’nikov et al. 1983a,b, Mel’nikov
1991a), rising to 7,500 pairs in mid-1980s (when water
levels were high: Mel’nikov 1991a, see also Mel’nikov et
al. 1987a); birds arrive in late April, and most leave by
mid-October (Fefelov et al. 2001). Assessment:
Common breeder in SD; probably bred in SNI until 1950s;
currently a rare visitor outside of SD. Remarks: Common
Coot breed only locally around LB, in particular near
Irkutsk (Bogorodskiy 1989) and in the northern part of
Barguzinskaya Valley (1994 records: JM and PS; see also
Lyamkin 1977).

Common Crane Grus grus

VAD: regularly seen at Nizhneangarsk on 4-6 June 1991
(Olsson 1991). NEB: 7-8 pairs bred in 1980s (Ananin
1986); breeds on coastal marshes (Ananin and Fedorov
1988, Mel’nikov etal. 1988b). UI: vagrant (Yumov 1990);
recorded on migration (Matveychuk 1991). SNI:
recorded on 21 July (Turov 1923); common breeder
(Gagina 1960a, Skryabin and Filonov 1962, Heyrovsky
et al. 1992, JM in 1993); a pair seen on 6 August 1994 at
Kordon (PS); a pair with juvenile seen on 1 8 August 1 994
at Kedrovka, and a pair with two juveniles seen on 6
September 1994 at Kedrovka (PS); recorded at
Barmashevyye Lakes on 1 2 June 200 1 and in marshes at
south-eastern corner of Chivyrkuyskiy Bay on 21 June
2001 (JM). SWB: common on migration at Kultuk,
mainly around mid-April [= late April/early May NS]
and in August [= mid-August-mid-September NS]
(Taczanowski 1873, 1893); recorded on spring migration
at Slyudyanka from 15 April in 1935 (Fedorov 1936).
Bogorodskiy (1989) mentioned that Common Cranes
migrate and breed at SWB without giving any details.
SD: common breeder, but population size variable
(Mel’nikov 1999b, Fefelov et al. 2001); rare breeder in
1955-1962 (Shvetsov and Shvetsova 1967); 12-25 pairs
in early 1980s (Mel’nikov 1984a, Mel’nikov etal. 1988b);
28 pairs in 1977, 25 pairs in 1982, 50 pairs in 1985, 72
pairs in 1989 (Mel’nikov 1999b); up to 85 pairs in late
1980s (Mel’nikov 1998b), 35-40 pairs in mid-1990s
(Fefelov etal. 2001); at least 40 pairs around 2000 (Fefelov
and Baskakov 2001); at least 1 5 pairs in 2002 (Fefelov et
al. 2003); birds arrive in second half of April and depart
by mid-September (Fefelov etal. 2001; see also Mel’nikov

1 992, 2002). Note: See also Popov and Mel’nikov (1993).
Assessment: Uncommon breeder in large wetlands, and
uncommon migrant.

White-naped Crane Grus vipio

Vulnerable. SD: recorded sometime during 1955-1962
(Shvetsov and Shvetsova 1967). Note: Radde (1857,
1861b) reported encounters with unidentified cranes in
NWB and SWB, which he described as being the size of
Common Crane, but with whitish wings and black wing-
tips, stating that they were different from Siberian Crane
Grus leucogeranus ; Shtegman (1936) suggested that these
were White-naped Crane. Assessment: Rare visitor in
the past, no recent records (see also Vasil’chenko and
Prokop’yev 1988d).

Hooded Crane Grus monacha

Vulnerable. VAD: recorded (Mel’nikov etal. 1 988) . NEB:
recorded on migration (Tarasov 1965); an immature
female collected on migration on 18 September 1914 at
Kudalda River (Shtegman 1936, Shufpin 1936, Belyaev
1980); recorded in Barguzinskiy Reserve on 29 May 1954
and 27 April 1972 (Gusev 1960, Skryabin et al. 1988);
one recorded at Sosnovka on 9 May 1972 and another
near Davsha on same day (Belyaev 1980). SWB: rare
visitor at Kultuk (Dybowski and Godlewski 1870,
Taczanowski 1893). SD: bred rarely 1955-1960
(Shvetsov and Shvetsova 1967), but this is probably an
incorrect interpretation of non-breeding birds seen in
summer (Fefelov et al. 200 1 ); one observed in Kabanskiy
Reserve on 8 June 1979 (Mel’nikov etal. 1988, Mel’nikov
2000a). Note: See also Popov (1993k). Assessment:
Rare visitor. Remarks: A flightless juvenile Hooded
Crane was captured halfway between LB and Ulan-Ude
in August 1981; this appears to be the only breeding
record of this species in Buryatia (Dorzhiyev et al. 1985,
Yumov 1992). See also Neyfel’dt (1977), Vasil’chenko
and Prokop’yev (1988e), and Collar et al. (2001).

Siberian Crane Grus leucogeranus
Critically Endangered. Pre-1850: rare on eastern side of
LB (Georgi 1775). SWB: recorded at Kultuk (Dybowski
and Godlewski 1 870). SD: one recorded at Shigayevo on
9 May 1972 (S. Lipin in Tolchin et al. 1974); two seen in
Tikhoy Galutay Channel in September 1979 (Yu.
Mel’nikov in Mel’nikov etal. 1988); two seen in Khirel’da
Channel on 3 September and one on 6 September 1982
(S. Shchepin in Mel’nikov 2000a). Note: Flocks seen on
western shores of LB in summer 1855 (Radde 1857).
Rare migrant on coasts according to Gagina (1958b). See
also Popov (1993j). Assessment: Vagrant. Remarks:
See comments under White-naped Crane.

Demoiselle Crane Grus virgo

NWB: a flock of 1 0 birds seen flying at Malyy Solontsovyy
Cape on 15 September 1989 and two birds seen at
Pokoynyy Cape for several days from 28 April 1996
(Olovyannikova 1998). NEB: an adult collected at Davsha
Delta on 25 May 1957 (Skryabin 1960, Gusev 1962);
records at Barguzinskiy Reserve on 5 June 1 966 at Turkulik
River c.9 km from its delta, 23 May 1 967 at Davsha River
c.10 km from its delta, and 6 June 1975 at Sosnovka
(Belyaev 1980). MM: recorded (Mel’nikov et al. 1988);
four birds seen flying at Ulan-Khushin [= Khalgay] on 1 0
August 1998 (V. Ryabtsev and I. Sirokhin in Ryabtsev

Forktail 25 (2009)

Waterbirds of Lake Baikal, eastern Siberia, Russia

31

1999); regularly recorded at Khulan-Ushin from 1996
and a pair with chicks seen there in summer 1997 {per
local inhabitants: Ryabtsev 1999). SWB: regular visitor
at Kultuk, not rare on migration, arriving in first half of
May [= second half of May NS], and in autumn during
mid-August to mid-September [= early to late September
NS], with last individual seen on 25 September [= 7
October NS] (Dybowski and Godlewski 1870,
Taczanowski 1873, 1877). SD: a flock of eight seen at
Khirel’da Channel on 28 May 1982 (Mel’nikov 2000a);
occasionally seen in 1 980s (V. Zhuravlev in Fefelov et al.
2001); a flock of six seen flying above Galutay and
Glukhaya channels on 6 June 1991 (Fefelov et al. 2001);
one observed at Khirel’da Channel on 7 June 1991
(Tupitsyn and Fefelov 1995a, L. Seina in Fefelov et al.
2001, Fefelov and Baskakov 2001); a flock of three seen
flying at Istomino on 25 May 2002 (Fefelov et al. 2003).
Assessment: Rare visitor, exceptional breeding in MM
probable (see also Vasil’chenko and Prokop’yev 1988f
and Popov 19931). Taxonomy: Often listed as
Anthropoid.es virgo in Russian literature.

Yellow-legged Buttonquail Tumix tanki
NEB: a juvenile female recorded at Kudalda Delta on 21
August 1941 (Belyshev 1947, Gagina 1962a); one
recorded north of Davsha on 19 August 1985 (Ananin
and Fedorov 1988). Assessment: Vagrant.

Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus
SWB: one found dead at Kultuchnaya Delta in August
1995 (Durnev et al. 1996). Assessment: Vagrant.
Taxonomy: This and other records in Irkutsk Province
probably refer to the Central Asian subspecies H. o. longipes
(Mel’nikov 1999c).

Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus
SD : two observed in the upper reaches of Tikhoy Galutay
Channel on 12 June 1973, and two seen repeatedly on
Galunchiki sandbank in Masaikha Channel in mid-June
1979 (Mel’nikov 2000a). Assessment: Vagrant.

Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta
Pre-1850: recorded at salt lakes at the ‘Angara’ (location
uncertain, but similar habitats exist west of LB at Usol’ye-
Sibirskoye: I. Fefelov in litt. 2008) and at Barguzin in
Barguzinskaya Valley east of LB (Georgi 1775). VAD: a
specimen collected at Bludnoye Lake in July 1966 (I.
Nikonov in Tolchin et al. 1977); seen at Dushkachan in
summer (year not given: G. Myasnikov in Tolchin et al.
1977);aflockoftenseeninVADon 18May 1973 (Tolchin
et al. 1977); singles seen in VAD on 3 1 May 1973 and 4
June 1973 (Tolchin et al. 1977); a pair recorded on 19
May 1977 (Tolchin et al. 1979). Tolchin et al. (1977)
reported that local inhabitants knew this species quite
well, and considered breeding in the interior of marshes
possible. SD: a pair recorded at Galunchiki sandbank at
Masaikha on 29 July 1979 (Mel’nikov 2000a).
Assessment: Rare visitor, occasional breeder. Remarks:
Breeding has been recently recorded at Usolye-Sibirskoe,
west of LB (Salovarov and Kuznetsova 2000).

Oriental Pratincole Glareola maldivamm
NWB: singles seen at Tyya Delta on 6 and 1 1 June 2008
(Bray et al. 2008). VAD: recorded (Tolchin et al. 1977).
MM: one seen in Sarma Delta on 3 June 1982 (Pyzh’yanov

et al. 1997, 1998). SD: three observed in Adunovskaya
Channel on 12 June 1975 and one there on 10 June 1976
(Mel’nikov 2000a); two observed at Istomino village on
13 June 1 990 (Bold et al. 1991, Dorzhiyev and Yelayev
1995). Assessment: Rare visitor.

Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius
NWB: adult male collected at Sosnovka on 22 May 1915
(Shtegman 1 936); a male collected at Malyy Solontsovyy
Cape on 25 June 1958 and a female collected there in
1960 (O. Gusev in Popov et al. 2002); a breeding pair
recorded at Pokoynyy Cape on 6 July 1955 (Malyshev
1 960a); further records include breeding pairs at Pokoynyy
Cape on 1 July 1989 and 28 May 1990, four individuals
at Antyukhe Cape on 12 June 1991, one at Bol’shoy
Solontsovyy Cape on 30 May 1992, one at Pokoynyy
Cape on 7 July 1995, a flock of four there on 12 May
1998, and two there on 1 6 May 1998 (Popov et al. 2002);
breeding recorded at Tyya Delta on 4 June 2005
(Hellstrom 2005); seen at Tyya Delta on 10 June 2008
(Bray et al. 2008). VAD: recorded (Gagina 1954);
common breeder (Tolchin et al. 1977); regularly
encountered between Nizhneangarsk and Kichera on 4-
8 June 1991 (Olsson 1991). NEB: common breeder and
migrant on LB shores in Barguzinskiy Reserve (Belyaev
1 982); recorded (Belyaev 1 984) . MM: common breeder
on Ol’khon Island (Litvinov and Gagina 1977); regular
breeder and common migrant in Sarma Delta (S.
Pyzh’yanov in Anthes et al. 2004). SNE several birds
showing distraction behaviour observed repeatedly in July
1991 in Barguzinskiy Bay, and a juvenile seen there in
early August 1991 (Heyrovsky et al. 1992); recorded at
Kedrovka on 6 June and 23 July 1993 (JM), 2-3 individuals
seen repeatedly in the Bol’shoy Chivyrkuy Delta on 16-
1 9 June 2001, but breeding not confirmed (JM, PS) ; one
seen at the south-eastern corner of Chivyrkuyskiy Bay on
21 June 2001 (JM); a breeding pair observed on 14-16
July 2001 at Barguzinskiy Bay near Ust’-Barguzin (PS).
SWB: common breeder at Kultuk (Taczanowski 1873);
three individuals collected on 4 July 1913 (Keve 1948);
not reported from LB shores, but common breeder and
migrant further inland (Bogorodskiy 1989); four seen on
8-9 May 1995 at Kultuk (PS). SD: common breeder,
with population size varying from 30-50 pairs in years
with high water to 1 80-250 pairs in years with low water
(Tolchin etal. 1977, Mel’nikov 1998b, Fefelov etal. 2001);
arrives in late April-early May, autumn migration during
mid-July to mid-September (Tolchin et al. 1977, Fefelov
etal. 2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004). SEB: five pairs
recorded at Vydrino on 17-19 June 2004 (Halden 2004).
Assessment: Common breeder and migrant.

Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula
NWB: one seen at Tyya Delta on 8 June 2005 (Hellstrom
2005). VAD: common on spring migration on 11-26
May in 1972-1973 (Tolchin et al. 1977). MM: one
recorded in Sarma Delta in July-August 2002 (Anthes et
al. 2004). NEB: recorded on spring migration in
Barguzinskiy Reserve (Belyaev 1982, 1984). SNI: two
seen on sandy beaches in Barguzinskiy Bay at Kedrovka
on 23 July 1 993 (JM) and one seen there on 6 September
1993 (PS). SWB: rare on migration at Kultuk (Dybowski
and Godlewski 1870, Taczanowski 1873). SD: two
observed at Militseyskaya Channel on 30 June 1976 and
two observed at Krivaya Channel on 16 June 1982

32

JIRI MLIKOVSKY

Forktail 25 (2009)

(Mel’nikov 2000a); young female collected on 21
September 1976 by A. Shinkarenko (Fefelov et al. 2001,
Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004, skin preserved at Irkutsk
University). Assessment: Rare migrant.

Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus
NWB: one seen at Tyya Delta on 6 and 8 June 1991
(Olsson 1991). VAD: one collected at Kichera Delta on
22 May 1972 (Tolchin et al. 1977). SD: two observed at
Shigayevo on 8 June 1991 (Mel’nikov 2000a). Note:
Fefelov and Baskakov (1991) erroneously transposed
Mel’nikov’s (2000a) data for Kentish and Oriental Plovers
Charadrius veredus. Assessment: Vagrant.

Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus
NEB: recorded at Davsha on 21 May 1961 (Tolchin etal.
1977, Belyaev 1984, Mel’nikov 2000a). SWB: one
recorded at Bol’shaya Rechka on 2 June 1987 (Svensson
and Hedgren 1987). SD: one observed on Kokuy Island
on 18 June 1982 (Mel’nikov 2000a); one seen between
Srednyaya and Kolpinnaya channels on 7 June 2002
(Fefelov et al. 2003, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004;
identification confirmed by I. Fefelov in litt. 2008).
Assessment: Vagrant. Remarks: Fefelov et al. (2001,

2003) and Fefelov and Tupitsyn (2004) stressed the
similarity between this species and the next, and noted
that the specific identity of earlier records of sand plovers
at LB should be considered uncertain; I concur.

Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii
VAD: a pair recorded, of which male with enlarged testes
was collected at Dagary on 29 June 1972 (Tolchin et al.
1979, Dorzhiyev and Yelayev 1998; specimen preserved
at Irkutsk University, identity confirmed by
Faunisticheskaya Komissiya po Kulikam 1992), one
observed on Yarki Island on 1 1 June 1990 by M. Beaman
and S. Madge (in Dorzhiyev and Yelayev 1995a). SD:
one observed in the delta of Lobanovskaya Channel on
22May 1982 (Mel’nikov2000b). Assessment: Vagrant.
Remarks: See Lesser Sand Plover.

Oriental Plover Charadrius veredus
VAD: one observed on 26 May 1973 (Tolchin etal. 1977).
NEB: one recorded at Tompuda Delta on 30 May 1958
(Skryabin 1960). SD: one collected in Klyuchikha Bay
on 22 September 1981, and one observed in the delta of
Severnaya Channel on 28 May 1 989 (Mel’nikov 2000a) .
Note: See under Kentish Plover. Assessment: Vagrant.
Taxonomy: Listed as C. asiaticus veredus by some Russian
authors (e.g. Gladkov 1951).

Eurasian Dotterel Charadrius morinellus
NWB: a flock of three seen at Pokoynyy Cape on 15
September 1999 (Olovyannikova 2000b, Popov et al.
2002) NEB: three recorded at Davsha in autumn 1961
and autumn 1962 (Ananin and Fedorov 1988). SWB:
rare on migration at Kultuk, with one collected on 20
September [= 2 October NS], during 1869-1871
(Dybowski and Godlewski 1870, Taczanowski 1873).
SD: one seen at Posol’skoye on 20 September [= 2
OctoberNS] 1855 (Radde 186 lb); recorded on migration
during 1955-1962 (Shvetsov and Shvetsova 1967), but
no later records available (Fefelov et al. 2001).
Assessment: Rare visitor. Remarks: Breeds in the alpine
belt of mountains surrounding LB (Doppel’mayr 1926,

Vasil’chenko and Unzhakov 1977, Vasil’chenko 1982,
1 987, Unzhakov 1 980, 1 988, Olovyannikova 1 998, Popov
et al. 2002, Popov 2004b).

Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva
NWB: one collected in Zavorotnaya Bay on 25 August
1959 and another at Malyy Solontsovyy Cape on 26
August 1959 (O. Gusev in Popov et al. 2002); one seen
at Tyya Delta on 6 June 1991 (Olsson 1991); a flock of
four seen at Pokoynyy Cape on 20-23 September 1995
(Popov et al. 2002); two seen at Tyya Delta on 8 and 1 0
June 2008 (Bray et al. 2008). VAD: common on spring
migration on 23-29 May 1972, rare on spring migration
in 1973 (Tolchin et al. 1977); migrant (Popov 2004b).
NEB: an adult male collected at Sosnovka on 14
September 1915 (Shtegman 1936), migrant (Ananin and
Fedorov 1988). MM: common on spring (30 May-13
June) and autumn (6 August-20 September) migration
(Pyzh’yanov et al. 1979); common migrant (Anthes et al.

2004) . UI: regularly recorded on autumn migration
(Yumov 1990); recorded as vagrant (Matveychuk 1991).
SNI: an adult in breeding plumage with one juvenile
observed at the southernmost Barmashevoye Lake on 2 1
August 1991 (JM in Heyrovsky et al. 1992); three
individuals seen at Kedrovka on 4 June 1993 (MS); singles
seen at Kedrovka on 13 and 18 September 1994 (JM).
SWB: common on migration at Kultuk (Taczanowski
1873, 1 893); common on migration (Bogorodskiy 1989).
SD: common on spring migration during 1 5 May-3 June
(flocks of 20-600 individuals) and on autumn migration
duringn 13 August-16 October (Tolchin et al. 1977,
Zhuravlev et al. 1991, Fefelov et al. 2001, Fefelov and
Tupitsyn 2004). Assessment: Common spring and
autumn migrant. Taxonomy: Sometimes listed as
Charadrius dominions or P. dominions in Russian literature.
See Connors (1983).

European Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria
VAD: one shot at Dagary on 12 June 1978 (Tolchin etal.
1979, I. Fefelov in litt. 2008). Assessment: Vagrant.

Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola

NWB: a flock of eight seen at Pokoynyy Cape on 25
September 1995 and five there on 11 September 1999
(Olovyannikova 2000b, Popov et al. 2002). VAD: one
seen on 5 June 2005 north of Yarki Island (Hellstrom

2005) . MM: recorded on Ol’khon Island on 1 1 August
1958 (Litvinov and Gagina 1977, Bogorodskiy 1989);
recorded in Sarma Delta on 6 September 1976 and 7
September 1977 (Bogorodskiy 1989); common non¬
breeding visitor to Sarma Delta (S. Pyzh’yanov in Anthes
etal. 2004); one recorded in Sarma Delta in August 2003
(Anthes et al. 2004). SWB: rare migrant at Kultuk
(Dybowski and Godlewski 1870). SD: spring record
limited to large flocks observed in Adunovskaya Channel
on 12 June 1975 and 10 June 1976 (Mel’nikov 2000a);
two individuals recorded in Khalyun Channel on 29 May
1984 (Zhuravlev etal. 1991, Fefelov etal. 2001); one seen
at Murzino on 30 May 1991 and two in Khalmetey
Channel on 3 1 May 1992 (Fefelov et al. 200 1 ); regularly
recorded in small numbers on autumn migration, late
August-mid-October (Tolchin et al. 1977, Zhuravlev et
al. 1991, Fefelov etal. 2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004),
with an exceptionally late record on 1 2 December (T olchin
et al. 1977). Assessment: Rare migrant.

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Waterbirds of Lake Baikal, eastern Siberia, Russia

33

Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus
Pre- 1850: very rare, not observed every summer (Georgi
1775). NWB: a pair with two young observed at Pokoynyy
Cape on 28 July 1995 (Popov et al. 2002); common
migrant along LB shores from second half of May in
spring, and during early August to late September (Popov
etal. 2002). VAD: common breeder, spring arrival during
18-22Aprilin 1972-1973 (Tolchin eta/. 1977); regularly
encountered between Nizhneangarsk and Kichera on 4-
8June 1991 (Olsson 1991); commonnorthofYarki Island
in June 2005 (Hellstrom 2005). NEB: one collected at
Sosnovka on 14 July (Turov 1923); uncommon breeder,
common spring and autumn migrant in Barguzinskiy
Reserve (Belyaev 1982). MM: common breeder on
Ol’khon Island (Litvinov and Gagina 1977); breeds in
Sarma and Kurma deltas (Tolchin etal. 1977); common
breeder and migrant in Sarma Delta (Anthes et al. 2004) .
UI: common migrant and summer visitor (Yumov 1990,
Matveychuk 1991). SNI: two seen in Barguzin Delta in
summer 1930 (Shtegman 1936); rare breeder, not
recorded in autumn (Skryabin and Filonov 1962);
common breeder in early 1970s (Tolchin et al. 1977);
common in marshes at Lake Arangatuy, 1991-1994 and
2001 (Heyrovsky et al. 1992, JM, PS); a pair seen at
estuary of Barguzin River on 2 July 1998 (PS); 1-2 pairs
recorded in Bol’shoy Chivyrkuy Delta on 16-19 June
2001 (JM, PS); flightless juveniles recorded at Ust’-
Barguzin on 13 July 2005 QM). SWB: only two singles
recorded in June (in 1855?: Radde 1861b); common on
migration at Kultuk, with some staying over summer
(Taczanowski 1873, 1893); recorded breeding in Anga
Delta, common migrant during mid- April-early May and
mid-late August (Bogorodskiy 1989). SD: recorded
breeding 1933-1949 (Bakutin 1950) and 1955-1962
(Shvetsov and Shvetsova 1967); common breeder from
1970s (Tolchin etal. 1977, Zhuravlev etal. 1991, Fefelov
et al. 2001); birds arrive in late March or early April and
depart by late October (Tolchin et al. 1977, Zhuravlev et
al. 1991, Fefelov era/. 2001,FefelovandTupitsyn2004).
Assessment: Common breeder in marshlands and river
deltas; common spring and autumn migrant throughout.
Northern Lapwing was reported as a rare visitor until
1930s and as common breeder from 1970s. It thus seems
to have spread over LB in the mid-twentieth century.

Grey-headed Lapwing Vanellus cinereus

VAD: one collected at Dagary on 27 June 1963 (Skryabin

1967b, Tolchin et al. 1977). Assessment: Vagrant.

Red Knot Calidris canutus

VAD: adult male recorded on Millionnyy Islet on 8 August
1978 and three juveniles recorded on 23 August 1978
(T olchin etal. 1 9 79) ; a flock of six birds seen on Millionnyy
Islet on 23 August 1992 (Pyzh’yanov et al. 1997). MM:
one collected in Sarma Delta on 29 August 1989
(Pyzh’yanov et al. 1997); one seen in Sarma Delta on 1 0-
16 August 2003 (Anthes etal. 2004). SWB: one collected
at Kultuk on 24 August [= 5 September NS] 1870
(Taczanowski 1873, 1877, 1893). SD: a juvenile collected
on 17 September 1972 (Tolchin 1974, Tolchin et al.
1977; specimen at Irkutsk University) . Assessment: Rare
visitor. T axonomy : T axonomy of East Siberian Red Knot
is complex (see Gladkov 1951, Baker et al. 1994,
Tomkovich 1990, 2001, Engelmoer and Roselaar 1998,
Tomkovich and Serra 1999). Geographic origins and

taxonomic identity of birds recorded at LB are unknown.
Sanderling Calidris alba

VAD: recorded on autumn migration 17 July-3 October
1972 (Tolchin etal. 1977). NEB: adult male collected at
Sosnovka on 17 September 1914 (Shtegman 1936);
recorded on migration (Belyaev 1 984) . MM: recorded in
Sarma Delta on 6-7 September 1976 and 27 August 1977
(Bogorodskiy 1 989); small flocks seen on Ol’khon Island
on 23 August 1973 and 4 September 1973 (Litvinov and
Gagina 1977); two individuals seen in Sarma Delta in
July-August 2002 (Anthes et al. 2004) . SNI: recorded on
migration (Gagina 1960a). SWB: recorded at Kultuk on
migration during mid-August to mid-September [= late
August/early September to late September NS]
(Taczanowski 1873, 1 893) . SD: common at Polsol’sk on
autumn migration, 1972 (Tolchin et al. 1977); recorded
in small numbers during late August-early October
(Zhuravlev et al. 1991, Fefelov et al. 2001, Fefelov and
Tupitsyn 2004). SEB: migrates along coasts in May and
September (Vasil’chenko 1987). Assessment:
Exceptional spring and rare autumn migrant.

Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis
NWB: two collected at Zavorotnyy Cape on 25 August
1959 (O. Gusev in Popov et al, 2002; two seen at Tyya
Delta on 4 June 2005 (Hellstrom 2005). VAD: six
collected on 30 July 1913 (Keve 1948); common on
autumn migration 29 July-18 August 1972 (Tolchin et
al. 1977); one collected on 2 June 1968 (N. Skryabin in
Fefelov et al. 2001), 2-3 seen on Yarki Island on 6 June
1991 (Olsson 1991); recorded on spring migration 29
May-8 June (N. Safronov in Fefelov et al. 2001). NEB:
rare summer visitor in Barguzinskiy Reserve (Belyaev
1982). MM: common on autumn migration mid-July-
late September (Pyzh’yanov et al. 1979, Anthes et al.
2004). SNI: two males collected at Ust’-Barguzin on 22
July 1930 (Shtegman 1936); recorded on migration
(Gagina 1960a); an adult seen on sandy beaches of
Barguzinskiy Bay on 23 July 1993 and one seen right of
Barguzin River where it enters Barguzinskiy Bay on 28
July 1993 (JM); three seen on 1 August 1994 at Ust’-
Barguzin (PS); eight seen on 29-30 August 1994 at
Kedrovka (PS); recorded at Kedrovka on 5 and 12
September 1994 QM, PS). SWB: two males collected at
Kultuk on 30 July and 3 1 August 1913 (Keve 1 948); one
seen at Slyudyanka on 6 July 1979 (JMa). SD: rare on
spring migration 20 May-1 June (Fefelov et al. 2001);
common on autumn migration mid-August-late
September (Zhuravlev etal. 1991,Goroshko 1999, Fefelov
et al. 2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004). Assessment:
Rare spring and common autumn migrant.

Little Stint Calidris minuta

NWB: one collected in Zavorotnaya Bay on 5 August
1959 (O. Gusev in Popov et al. 2002), six recorded at
Tyya Delta on 6 June 1991 (Olsson 1991); two seen at
Pokoynyy Cape on 15 August 1991 and two seen at
Bol’shoy Solontsovyy Cape on 25 August 1 99 1 (Popov et
al. 2002); 1 5 recorded at Tyya Delta on 4 June, nine on
8 June and 1 1 on 9 June 2005 (Hellstrom 2005); ‘a few’
seen at Tyya Delta on 6-10 June 2008 (Bray et al. 2008).
VAD: common on autumn migration (Tolchin et al.
1977); recorded in small numbers during 24 May-2 June
(N. Safronov in Fefelov etal. 2001). NEB: one recorded

34

Forktail 25 (2009)

JIRI mlikovsky

in autumn 1972-1974 in Barguzinskiy Reserve (Belyaev
1982); recorded in Barguzinskiy Reserve on spring
migration several times during 18-28 May (Belyaev 1984).
MM: recorded on migration on Ol’khon Island in August-
September (Litvinov and Gagina 1977); recorded in
Sarma Delta on 28 May 1977 and 27 August 1976
(Bogorodskiy 1989); frequently recorded in Sarma Delta
in July-August 2002-2003 (Anthes ex al. 2004). SNI:
common on migration on 2 1 -2 5 August 1991 (Heyrovsky
ex al. 1992); eight seen at Barmashevyye Lakes on 6
September 1 994 (PS); recorded at Ust’-Barguzin on 1 3-
14 July 2005 (JM). SWB: recorded at Kultuk on spring
and autumn migration (Taczanowski 1893); a female
collected on 4 July 1913 (Keve 1948); 23 recorded at
Bol’shaya Rechkaon2 June 1987 (Svensson andHedgren
1987); one seen at BoPshaya Rechka on 2 June 1991
(Olsson 1991). SD: rare on spring migration: one observed
on Kokuv Island on 2 June 1993 and regularly recorded
at Posol’skoye during 22 May- 10 June (Fefelov ex al.

2001) ; regularly encountered on autumn migration mid-
August-mid-September (Zhuravlev ex al. 1991, Fefelov
ex al. 2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004). Assessment:
Rare spring and uncommon autumn migrant.

Temminck’s Stint Calidris xemminckii
NWB: recorded on LB shores on 1 1 and 27 July 1955 and
23 August 1955, and one collected at Shartlay Cape on 1 1
July 1955 (Malyshev 1960a, Popov ex al. 2002); two
collected at 25 and 26 July 1958; 13 collected at
Zavorotnyy, Bol’shoy Solontsovyy and Malyy Solontsovyy
Capes between 1 3 July and 3 1 August 1959 (O. Gusev in
Popov ex al. 2002); common on migration (Popov ex al.

2002) . VAD: common on spring migration in mid-May-
early June (T olchin exal. 1977). NEB : rare spring migrant
in Barguzinskiy Reserve (Belyaev 1982, Ananin and
Fedorov 1988). MM: common on autumn migration, last
recorded on 7 October 1972 (Tolchin ex al. 1977;
uncommon migrant on Ol’khon Island in August-
September (Litvinov and Gagina 1 977); common in Sarma
Delta in June-August, 2002-2003 (Anthes ex al. 2004).
SNI: recorded at Kopeshka on 7 August 1994 (JM); 10
seen at Barmashevyye Lakes on 18 August and two seen
on 6-12 September 1994 (PS). SWB: a male collected at
Kultuk on 6 September 1913 (Keve 1948). SD: recorded
in small numbers on spring migration mid-May-early June;
autumn migration starts in late July and peaks 20 August-
12 September, with last individuals recorded in early
October (Tolchin exal. 1977, Zhuravlev exal. 1991, Fefelov
ex al. 2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004). Assessment:
Uncommon spring and common autumn migrant.

Long-toed Stint Calidris subminuxa
NWB: collected at Malyy Solontsovyy Cape on 1 5 August
1959 and in Zavorotnaya Bay on 25 August 1959 (O.
Gusev in Popov ex al. 2002); a nest found at
Severobaykal’sk on 8 June 1972 (Tolchin ex al. 1979);
10-15 observed at Tyya Delta on 6 June 1991 and two
seen at Tyya Delta on 8 June 1991 (Olsson 1991); one
recorded on Pokoynyy Cape on 6 June 1998 and
commonly recorded on LB shores on 28 August to mid-
September 1999 (Olovyannikova 2000b, Popov ex al.
2002); one seen atTyya Delta on 8 June 2005 (Hellstrom
2005); two seen at Tyya Delta on 6 June 2008 (Bray ex al.
2008). VAD: one collected in Verkhnyaya Angara Delta
on 19 July 1926 (Gagina 1967); single nests were found

at Dagary on 17 June 1973 and in June 1976 (Tolchin and
Sonin 1976, Tolchin ex al. 1977, 1979); one showing
distraction behaviour observed on Y arki Island on 1 1 June
1990 (Bold ex al. 1991, Dorzhiyev and Yelayev 1995); in
1972-1 973 arrived in late May (Tolchin exal. 1 977). NEB:
one collected at Davsha on 14 August 1958 (Skryabin
1 960); recorded in Barguzinskiy Reserve in early summer
(Belyaev 1982). MM: single nests found in Sarma Delta
in July 1976 and June 1978 (Pyzh’yanov ex al. 1979);
uncommon breeder in Sarma Delta in some years, but not
since 1990s (Pyzh’yanov ex al. 1997, 1998); up to three
recorded in Sarma Delta in June-August of years 2002-
2003 (Anthes exal. 2004); commonly recorded on Ol’khon
Island near Khuzhir and on western shore (Tret’yakov
1934) but not recorded subsequently on Ol’khon (Litvinov
and Gagina 1977). SNI: two nests found in marshes at
Kedrovka on 9 June and 12 June 1993 (MS); one observed
on Kopeshka Island on 3 August 1 994 (JM, PS); one seen
on 9 June 1998 at Kedrovka (PS). SWB: recorded at
Kultuk on migration (Dybowski and Godlewski 1870).
SD: common on migration in early 1960s (Shvetsov and
Shvetsova 1967); rare on spring migration during 1 5 May-
6 June, also recorded in first half of July (Mel’nikov 2000a,
Fefelov ex al. 2001); recorded on autumn migration mid-
August-mid-September (Mel’nikov 2000a, Fefelov ex al.
2001); said to breed in SD (Prokop’yev 1988), but there
is no evidence (Mel’nikov 2000a, Fefelov ex al. 2001,
Fefelov and Baskakov 2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004);
at least ten seen at Istomino on 29 May 2008 (Holmstedt
2008). SEB: recorded on migration in mid-May and
September (Vasil’chenko 1987). Note: See also
Prokop’yev ( 1 988) and Popov ( 1 993n) . Assessment: Rare
breeder (VAD, MM, SNI) and regular migrant. Breeding
first recorded at LB in 1970s.

White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fxiscicollis
MM: an adult seen and photographed in Sarma Delta on
15-17 July 2002 (Anthes ex al. 2004). Assessment:
Vagrant. Remarks: Not listed by Inskipp ex al. (1996).

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminaxa
NWB: one collected at Bol’shaya Kosa Cape on 1
September 1958 (Gusev 1962); collected at Malyy
Solontsovyy Cape on 1 5 August 1959 and in Zavorotnaya
Bay on 25 August 1959 (O. Gusev in Popov ex al. 2002).
VAD: a flock of nine recorded on 17 June 1972 (Tolchin
exal. 1977). NEB: recorded in Barguzinskiy Reserve late
July-early September (T olchin ex al. 1977, Belyaev 1 984) .
MM: regularly seen in Sarma Delta in July-August of
years 2002-2003 (Anthes exal. 2004). SNI: one collected
on autumn migration (Gagina 1960a); one seen right of
the Barguzin River where it enters Barguzinskiy Bay on
29 July 1 993, and an adult seen at Kovrizhka on 1 6 July
1994 (JM). SWB: recorded in Sarma Delta during 29
July-22 August in 1976-1977 (Bogorodskiy 1989). SD:
recorded in small numbers 29 July-26 August (Zhuravlev
ex al. 1991, Fefelov ex al. 2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn
2004). SEB: recorded at Tankhoy in mid-August
(Vasil’chenko 1987, Popov 2004b). Assessment: Rare
autumn migrant, with one June record.

Curlew Sandpiper Calidris fermginea
NWB: one collected at Bol’shaya Kosa Cape on 1
September 1958 (Gusev 1962, Popov exal. 2002). VAD:
a male collected on 13 July 1913 (Keve 1948); common

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Waterbirds of Lake Baikal, eastern Siberia, Russia

35

on autumn migration from mid-July to late September
(Tolchin et al. 1977). NEB: adult male collected at
Sosnovka on 8 August 1914 (Shtegman 1936); recorded
only on autumn migration in Barguzinskiy Reserve (Belyaev
1982, Ananin and Fedorov 1988). MM: rare on Ol’khon
Island on autumn migration (Malyshev 1960b, Litvinov
and Gagina 1977); recorded repeatedly on Ol’khon 17July-
3 1 August (Bogorodskiy 1 989); a few seen in Sarma Delta
in July-August of years 2002-2003 (Anthes et al. 2004).
SNI: three recorded right of the Barguzin River where it
enters Barguzinskiy Bay on 29 July 1993 (JM); two seen
on 6 September 1994atBarmashevyye Lakes (PS). SWB:
common at Kultuk on migration in mid-May and late
August-mid-September (Taczanowski 1893); a male and
female collected on 4 July 1913 (Keve 1948); a female
collected on 6 September 1913 (Keve 1948); recorded at
Kultuk on 28 July 1923 and at Goloustnaya Delta on 4-
5 September 1949 (Bogorodskiy 1989). SD: one on 19
May 1990 at Khirel’da Channel (Fefelov et al. 2001);
small flocks observed on 6-8 July (Zhuravlev et al. 1991,
Fefelov etal. 2001); two adult females collected in Galutay
Channel on 13 July 1989 (Fefelov et al. 2001); common
on autumn migration in early August-late September,
with a late record from Posol’skoye on 3 October 1987
(Tolchin et al. 1977, Zhuravlev et al. 1991, Fefelov et al.
2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004). Assessment: Rare
spring and common autumn migrant. Taxonomy: Often
listed as C. testacea in Russian literature.

Dunlin Calidris alpina

NWB: ‘a few’ individuals seen at Tyya Delta on 4 and 9
June 2005 (Hellstrom 2005); one seen at Tyya Delta on
8 June 2008 (Bray etal. 2008). VAD: common on spring
migration in second half of May 1973 (Tolchin etal. 1977);
a few individuals seen on 5 June 2005 north of Yarki
Island (Hellstrom 2005). NEB: rare on spring migration
in Barguzinskiy Reserve (Belyaev 1982); rare spring and
autumn migrant in Barguzinskiy Reserve (Belyaev 1984,
Ananin and Fedorov 1988). MM: recorded on Ol’khon
Island on 29 August 1976 (Pyzh’yanov era/. 1979);several
juveniles observed in Sarma Delta in September 1977
(Pyzh’yanov et al. 1979). SWB: common at Kultuk on
spring and autumn migration (Taczanowski 1893); a
female collected on 9 September 1913 (Keve 1948). SD:
one collected in SD on 21 May 1940 (Izmaylov and
Borovitskaya 1973); not recorded on spring migration
1955-1962 (Shvetsov and Shvetsova 1967); rarely
recorded on spring migration mid-May-early June in
1970s-1990s (Mel’nikov 2000a, Fefelov etal. 2001); one
recorded at upper Glukhaya Channel on 1 3 July 1 997 (L.
Seina in Fefelov et al. 2001); autumn records limited to a
flock seen at Posol’skiy Lake on 3 September 1971 (Tolchin
et al. 1977); common on autumn migration during late
July-mid-September (Zhuravlev et al. 1991, Mel’nikov
2000a, Fefelov et al. 2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004).
Assessment: Rare spring and common autumn migrant.
T axonomy: Subspecific identity of birds at LB is unknown
(see Gladkov 1951,Tomkovich 1986, Wenink era/. 1996,
Engelmoer and Roselaar 1998, Lappo and Tomkovich
1998, Wennerberg et al. 1999, Stepanyan 2003).

Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri
SWB: one collected at Kultuk on 6 September 1869
(Colston 1975; specimen in Natural History Museum,
Tring, UK). Assessment: Vagrant.

Broad-billed Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus
NWB: a female collected at Bol’shaya Kosa Cape on 27
August 1 958 (Malyshev 1 960a, Gusev 1 962, Popov et al.
2002). MM: a female recorded on Ol’khon Island, Lake
Khankhay, on 4 September 1973 (Litvinov and Gagina
1977); recorded in Sarma Delta on 7 September 1977
and 1 1 September 1977 (Bogorodskiy 1989). SWB: one
collected at Kultuk on 8 August (Taczanowski 1 893) .SD:
spring records comprised two in Khirel’da Channel on
2 1 May 1 990 and one on 28 May 1 990, summer records
limited to three seen on 17 July 1972 (Tolchin etal. 1977,
Zhuravlev etal. 1991); regularly recorded in small numbers
on autumn migration during late July-early September
(Zhuravlev et al. 1991, Mel’nikov 2000a, Fefelov et al.
2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004). Assessment: Rare
spring and autumn migrant. Taxonomy: Birds recorded
at LB probably belong to the subspecies sibirica (see
Gladkov 1951, Stepanyan 2003).

Ruff Philomachus pugnax

Pre-1850: on all lakes (Georgi 1775). NWB: two seen at
Tyya Delta on 6 June 1991 (Olsson 1991); three seen at
Tyya Delta on 4 June 2005 (Hellstrom 2005). VAD:
breeds (Tolchin 1974, Tolchin et al. 1977); one seen at
Nizhneangarsk on 4 June 1991, common breeder
(Pyzh’yanov et al. 1997, 1998). NEB: common at
Tompuda and Davsha Deltas on 31 May-1 June 1958
(Skryabin 1960); recorded in Barguzinskiy Reserve in
early summer (Belyaev 1982); recorded on migration
(Ananin and Fedorov 1988). MM: two displaying males
observed and a nest with fresh eggs found in Sarma Delta
in June 1977 (Pyzh’yanov etal. 1979); breeding recorded
inSarma Delta 1977-1984 (Pyzh’yanov etal. 1997, 1998);
two seen in Sarma Delta in July-August 2002 (Anthes et
al. 2004); two flocks of five and seven seen on Ol’khon
Island on 4 September 1973 (Litvinovand Gagina 1977).
SWB: rather rare at Kultuk, recorded only in first half [=
secondhalfNS] ofSeptember (Taczanowski 1873). SNE
rare breeder and rare on migration (Gagina 1960a);
recorded only on spring migration (Skryabin and Filonov
1962); recorded breeding (Tolchin 1976a); only non¬
breeding birds observed in July-August 1991 (Heyrovsky
et al. 1992); four nests found in marshes at Kedrovka on
7 June-7 July 1993 (MS); recorded on 2 August 1994 at
Kopeshka (JM, PS); two seen on 9 June 1998 at Kedrovka
and four seen on 20 June 200 1 in marshes near southern
end of Chivyrkuyskiy Bay (PS). SD: uncommon breeder
in 1970s-early 1980s (Tolchin 1974, 1983a, Tolchin et
al. 1977); common breeder from mid-1980s (Zhuravlev
et al. 1991, Fefelov et al. 2001); common on migration
during mid-May-mid-June and late July-late September
(Zhuravlev et al. 1991, Fefelov et al. 2001, Fefelov and
Tupitsyn 2004). Assessment: Breeding at LB was first
recorded in 1970s (MM, SD). Common breeder in SD
since mid- 1980s, occasional breeder elsewhere; common
spring and autumn migrant.

Jack Snipe Lymnocryptes minimus

VAD: breeding possible (Gagina 1961), but Tolchin etal.
(1977) doubted this; no records in early 1970s (Tolchin
et al. 1977). NEB: recorded at Davsha Bay in August
1953 (V. Skalonin Gagina 1960b); two records at Davsha
(Gagina 1958b, Skryabin and Filonov 1962). MM:
recorded on Ol’khon Island in 1933 (Tret’yakov 1934).
SNI: displaying bird heard at Kedrovka on 5 July 1991

36

JIRl mlikovsky

Forktail 25 (2009)

(D. Heyrovsky in Heyrovsky etal. 1 992); several diplaying
birds seen and heard north of Barmashevyye Lakes on 1 7-
18 June 1994 (JM); at least one displaying bird heard in
marshes at Kovrizhka on 8-9 July 1994 and another at
Barmashevyye Lakes on 12 June 2001 (JM); heard distantly
at Kedrovka on 24 and 26 June 2001 (JM). SD: one
recorded in Adunovskaya Channel on 9 May 1972
(Mel’nikov 2001b); a juvenile male collected on 2 October
1977; one collected on 29 September 1979 (Zhuravlev et
al. 1991, Mel’nikov 2000a, 2001b, Fefelov et al. 2001,
Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004); one collected on 1 6 October
1980 (Mel’nikov 2000a, 2001b); and ‘a few’ specimens
found in hunters’ bags during 25 September-10 October
in subsequent years (Mel’nikov 2000a, 2001b). SEB:
recorded at Selenga River 15 km west of Ulan-Ude in
mid-May 1976 and mid-May 1978 (Shkatulova and
Karasev 1983). Assessment: Rare local breeder (SNI),
rare migrant elsewhere . Breeding at LB was first recorded
in 1990s.

Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago
NWB: recorded at Kotel’nikovskiy Cape in August 1 930
(Shtegman 1936), at Pokoynyy Cape on 26 June 1991
and 9 July 1 995, and at Bol’shoy Solontsovyy Cape on 28
June 1991 (Popov et al. 2002), common on spring and
autumn migration (Popov et al. 2002). VAD: common
breeder (Tolchin et al. 1977, Vasil’chenko 1987); usually
arriving 8-12 May (Tolchin et al. 1977); recorded in June
2005 at Yarki Island andTipuki (Hellstrom 2005). NEB:
rare breeder and common migrant in Barguzinskiy Reserve
(Belyaev 1 982) . MM: breeds on Ol'khon Island (Litvinov
and Gagina 1977). UI: recorded as vagrant (Yumov 1990,
Matveychuk 1991). SNI: recorded on autumn migration
only (Gagina 1960a); breeding confirmed (Skryabin and
Filonov 1962); very common in marshes in July-August
1991 (Heyrovsky etal. 1992); three nests found in marshes
at Kedrovka in June 1993 (MS); recorded repeatedly there
in June-August 1993 and 1994 (JM); many pairs at
Barmashevyye Lakes on 16-18 June 1994 (PS) and
recorded there on 12 June 2001 (JM); displaying birds
seen at south-eastern corner of Chivyrkuyskiy Bay on 21
June 2001 (JM), heard in Bol’shoy Chivyrkuy Delta at
night on 1 8 June 200 1 (PS) . SWB: common at Kultuk on
migration, very rare breeder at Kultuk (Taczanowski 1873,
1893); recorded breeding at Anga Delta (Bogorodskiy
1989). SD: rare breeder in early 1960s (Shvetsov and
Shvetsova 1967); common breeder from 1970s
(Vasil’chenko 1987, Zhuravlev et al. 1991, Fefelov et al.
2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004); birds arrive in late
April-May and depart by mid-October (Zhuravlev et al.
1991, Fefelov et al. 2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004).
Assessment: Common breeder, population size increased
in SD in 1970s. Also common spring and autumn migrant.

Pintail Snipe Gallinago stenura

NWB: recorded at Pokoynyy Cape on 20 May 1994
(Popov et al. 2002); common on autumn migration in
late July and August 1958 and 1959 (O. Gusev in Popov
et al. 2002) and in 1994 (Popov et al. 2002). VAD:
common breeder (Gagina 1961), but this doubted by
Tolchin et al. (1977); one collected in autumn 1974 (V.
Sadkov in Tolchin etal. 1977); oneseenatNizhneangarsk
on4June 1991 (Olsson 1991). NEB: adult male collected
at Sosnovka on 3 August 1914 (Shtegman 1936); rare
breeder and common migrant in Barguzinskiy Reserve

(Belyaev 1982). MM: freshly dead male found on 24
August 1972 (Tolchin et al. 1977); recorded in Sarma
Delta on 29 July 1977 (Bogorodskiy 1 989); one recorded
in Sarma Delta in July-August 2002 (Anthes etal. 2004);
recorded on Ol’khon Island during late July-September
and assumed to breed (Litvinov and Gagina 1977). SNI:
commonest snipe species recorded (Skryabin and Filonov
1962); one mist-netted at Kedrovka on 23 August 1991
(PS in Heyrovsky et al. 1992); a nest found in marshes at
Kedrovka in July 1993 (VS, FZ); one mist-netted at
Kedrovka on 1 0 July 1 993 and another at Barmashevyye
Lakes on 22 July 1993 (FZ, VS). SWB: breeds at Kultuk
(Dybowski and Godlewski 1870); recorded on spring
and autumn migration (Taczanowski 1893). SD:
common breeder 1955-1962 (Shvetsov and Shvetsova
1967), but this statement said to be probably based on
summer records of non-breeding individuals (Fefelov et
al. 2001, see also Mel’nikov 2000a); uncommon on
migration late April-early June and late July-mid-
September (Zhuravlev et al. 1991, Mel’nikov 2000a,
Fefelov et al. 2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004).
Assessment: Uncommon spring and autumn migrant.
Although some authors listed it as breeding at LB, there
is no proof for this (also I. Fefelov in litt. 2008).

Swinhoe’s Snipe Gallinago niegala
NWB: collected at Malaya Kosa Cape on 15 and 18
August 1958, in Muzhinay Bay on 23 August 1958, at
Bol’shaya Kosa Cape on 25 August 1958, and 10 collected
between 25 July and 22 August 1959 at Malyy Solontsovyy
and Pokoynyy Capes and in Zavorotnaya Bay (O. Gusev
in Popov et al. 2002); two recorded at Pokoynyy Cape on
6 August 1998 (Popov et al. 2002). VAD: a displaying
male heard in Angarakan Channel on 18 May 1973
(Tolchin et al. 1977). NEB: adult female collected at
Sosnovka on 1 8 [=3 1 NS] May 1915 (Doppel’mayr 1 926,
Shtegman 1 936); rarely recorded on spring migration in
Barguzinskiy Reserve (Belyaev 1982). MM: recorded in
Sarma Delta on 1 1 and 16 May 1977, and assumed to
breed (Bogorodskiy 1989); one recorded in Sarma Delta
in July-August 2002 (Anthes et al. 2004). UI: recorded
breeding (Galaziy and Molozhnikov 1982); recorded as
vagrant (Yumov 1990, Matveychuk 1991). SNI: recorded
in Ongokon Delta, breeding in SNI considered probable
(Turov 1924); one mist-netted at Kedrovka on 20 July
1993 (JM, VS, FZ). SWB: recorded at Kultuk
(Taczanowski 1893). SD: common breeder 1955-1962
(Shvetsov and Shvetsova 1967); common breeder in
northern part of SD (Mel’nikov 2000a); displaying males
observed repeatedly, but breeding not confirmed 1 980s-
1990s (Fefelov et al. 2001); migrants arrive in early May
(Mel’nikov 2000a, Fefelov et al. 2001) and depart by
early September (Zhuravlev etal. 1991, Mel’nikov 2000a,
Fefelov et al. 2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004),
exceptionally as late as early October (Mel’nikov 2000a) .
SEB: rare breeder, migrates along Selenga River late
August-end September (Vasil’chenko 1987).
Assessment: Uncommon local breeder, uncommon
spring and autumn migrant. Remarks: This species
breeds in forest marshes in the mountains surrounding
LB (e.g. Vasil’chenko 1987, Bogorodskiy 1989).

Solitary Snipe Gallinago solitaria

NWB: pairs recorded at Pokoynyy Cape on 27 May 1995

and 18 August 1998 (Popov et al. 2002). MM: young

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Waterbirds of Lake Baikal, eastern Siberia, Russia

37

male collected in Sarma Delta on 4 October 1995
(Pyzh’yanov et al. 1997). SWB: recorded at Kultuk
(Taczanowski 1893). Assessment: Rare visitor.
Remarks: Solitary Snipe is known to breed rarely in the
alpine belt of mountains surrounding LB (Vasil’chenko
1 982, 1987, Ananin and Fedorov 1988, Unzhakov 1 988,
Olovyannikova 2000, Popov et al. 2002, Ernst 2003).
Taxonomy: Birds from LB are usually included in the
subspecies solitaria (e.g. Gladkov 1951, Dickinson 2003,
Stepanyan 2003), but museum skins indicate that Siberian
birds should be separated as Gallinago (solitaria) hyemalis ,
a name proposed by Eversmann (1845) (Mlikovsky
unpublished data). Note that Solitary Snipes use to
overwinter around southern LB and in adjacent parts of
Mongolia (e.g. Molleson 1896, Dorogostayskiy 1912,
Gladkov 1951, Bold 1973, Sum’yaa and Skryabin 1989,
Popov 1993m).

Asian Dowitcher Limnodromus semipalmatus
Near Threatened. NWB: 2-4 seen at Tyya Delta on 4
June 2005 (Hellstrom 2005). VAD: four recorded on 25
May 1976, three birds showing breeding behaviour
recorded at Severobaykal’skiy Lake on 24 June 1 977 and
a pair observed there on 24 June 1978 (Tolchin et al.
1979). MM: recorded in Sarma Delta in autumn 1983
(Pyzh’yanov et al. 1997, 1998). SNI: recorded in 1961
(Skryabin 1967b), recorded breeding (Zhuravlev et al.
1986); adults and juveniles observed at Kedrovka in July-
August 1991; breeding of a few pairs considered probable
(Heyrovsky et al. 1992); four nests found in marshes at
Kedrovka on 7 June-7 July 1993 (MS); 11 seen near
Barmashevyye Lakes on 1 2 August 1 993 (JM); four seen
on 1 1 August and one on 15 August 1994 at Kedrovka
(PS); recorded breeding (Pyzh’yanov et al. 1998), ten
seen on 9 June 1998 in marshes at Kedrovka (PS). SD:
breeding considered possible in early 1960s (Shvetsov
and Shvetsova 1967), first proven when nests found in
1973 (Tolchin 1974, Tolchin and Mel’nikov 1977,
Tolchin et al. 1977, 1979); population estimated at 300
pairs in 1970s (Mel’nikov 1979b, 1985a, 1986, 1988b,
1990b, Vasil’chenko 1987; see also Mel’nikov 1990a,
1994), slightly over 100 breeding individuals in 1991
(Mel’nikov 1998b), 18-300 breeding individuals in 1988-
1996 (Fefelov et al. 2001), and a few dozen pairs in 2002
(Tupitsyn and Fefelov 2003). SD supported up to 4,500
breeding individuals in 1977-1978, when breeding sites
south of LB dried out (Mel’nikov 1998b,e). Migrants
arrive from early May and usually depart by mid-August,
although some remain until September (Tolchin et al.
1977, Tupitsyn and Podkovyrov 1990, Zhuravlev et al.
1991, Fefelov etal. 2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004; see
also Vasil’chenko and Prokop’yev 1988g, Mel’nikov
1997c, Liedel 2001, and Schuster and Handke 2001).
Notes: Turov (1923a) recorded Asian Dowitcher in
northern LB, without specifying a locality. A nest found
in 1977 at Shigayevo (SD) and attributed to Asian
Dowitcher (Vasil’chenko and Unzhakov 1982) did not
belong to this species, but probably to a Ruff
(Faunisticheskaya Komissiya po Kulikam 1992).
Assessment: Uncommon to common breeder in large
wetlands, with breeding records starting in 1960s (SD),
1 970s (V AD), and 1 990s (SNI) . Numbers breeding varied
significantly between years. Uncommon to common
spring and autumn migrant. The numbers of migrants
correlate with the numbers breeding (I. Fefelov in litt.

2008) . The Selenga Delta is the most important breeding
site for this species in the world. Taxonomy: For
morphometric data on birds from LB see Mel’nikov et al.
(1987b, 2000).

Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus
MM: a juvenile female observed and collected at
Sakhyurta on 21-22 September 1987 (Pyzh’yanov 1989,
Pyzh’yanov etal. 1997, 1998, Mel’nikov 1998f; specimen
in Irkutsk University). Assessment: Vagrant.

Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola
NWB: one collected at Malaya Kosa Cape on 1 5 May
1959; two collected at Zavorotnyy Cape on 5 July 1959
(O. Gusev in Popov et al. 2002), migrants recorded at
Bol’shoy Solontsovyy Cape on 27-29 May 1990, 19 July
1992 and 8 September 1992, and in Zavorotnaya Bay on
15 May 1992, 26 September 1992 and 25 July 1994 (Popov
et al. 2002). NEB: two adult males collected at Sosnovka
on 5 and 25 June 1915 (Shtegman 1936); recorded at
Davsha Bay in early May 1957 (O. Gusev in Ustinov
1963); recorded on migration on LB shores at Yazovka
River on 5 June 1959, and at Bol’shaya Delta in spring
1958 and/or 1959 (Ustinov 1963); rare on LB shore in
Barguzinskiy Reserve (Belyaev 1982). MM: repeated
summer records on Ol’khon Island (Litvinov and Gagina
1977). UI: recorded on autumn migration (Yumov 1 990,
Matveychuk 1991). SNI: spring migration started on 1 0-
13 May in 1957 (Ustinov 1963). SWB: pulli found at
Marituy village on 13 July 1979 (Bogorodskiy 1989);
migration along LB coasts peaks after mid-August
(Bogorodskiy 1989); one seen on 3 August 1990 at a brook
near Polovinnaya (PS). SD: said to be common breeder
in 1955-1962 (Shvetsov and Shvetsova 1967), but this is
probably based on summer records of non-breeding
individuals (Fefelov etal. 2001); a displaying male recorded
on 1 3 May 1 980 (Zhuravlev et al. 1991, Mel’nikov 2000a,
Fefelov et al. 200 1 , Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004); very few
summer records, breeding assumed in upper part of SD
but not confirmed (Mel’nikov 2000a, Fefelov and Tupitsyn
2004). SEB: two males recorded displaying at Vydrino
on 31 May 2008 (Holmstedt 2008); three individuals
recorded at Bol’shoy Mamay on 5 June 2008 (Hellstrom
2008). Assessment: Rare visitor. Remarks: Eurasian
Woodcock breeds in taiga belts of mountain chains
surrounding LB (Belyaev 1982, Vasil’chenko 1 987, Ananin
and Fedorov 1 988, Bogorodskiy 1 989, Mel’nikov 1 999d;
see also Ustinov 1963).

Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa
Near Threatened. NWB: one seen at Tyya Delta on 6
June 1991 (Olsson 1991). VAD: common on spring and
autumn migration in early 1970s, arriving on 18-20 May
(Tolchin et al. 1977); rare breeder (Tolchin et al. 1979);
two displaying individuals seen on 5 June 2005 west of
Kichera (Hellstrom 2005). NEB: recorded in 1914 and/
or 1915 (Doppel’mayr 1926). MM: recorded in Sarma
Delta on 8 August 1976, 3 August 1977 and 12 August
1978 (Bogorodskiy 1989); one recorded in Sarma Delta
in July-August 2002 and two recorded there in August
2003 (Anthescru/. 2004); recorded on Ol’khon Island on
28 August 1959 (Litvinov and Gagina 1977); recorded
several times on Ol’khon (Bogorodskiy 1 989) . UI: vagrant
(Matveychuk 1991). SNI: ten observed on an unspecified
date and three recorded on 8 August 1 922 (Turov 1 923);

38

JIRI MLIKOVSKY

Forktail 25 (2009)

a pair seen in late July 1 930 (Shtegman 1 936); recorded
on autumn migration (Gagina 1960a); observed
repeatedly at Kedrovka 30 July-14 August 1991
(Heyrovsky et al. 1992); three seen right of the Barguzin
River where it enters Barguzinskiy Bay on 29 July 1993,
one seen near Barmashevyye Lakes on 30 July 1 993, and
recorded at Kovrizhka on 1 4 July 1994 (JM) ; recorded at
Kopeshka on 3 August 1994 (JM, PS). SWB: rare at
Kultuk on spring migration from mid-May [= late May
NS] in spring, not recorded in autumn (Taczanowski
1873, 1893). SD: common breeder (Shvetsov and
Shvetsova 1967, Tolchin and Mel’nikov 1974,
Vasil’chenko 1987, Zhuravlev et al. 1991, Fefelov et al.

2001, Fefelov and Baskakov 2001, Fefelov and T upitsyn
2004, Groen et al. 2006); migrants arrive from early May
and depart by mid-September (Tolchin et al. 1977,
Zhuravlev et al. 1991, Fefelov et al. 2001, Fefelov and
Tupitsyn 2004). Note: See also Mel’nikov and Tolchin
(1993c). Assessment: Common breeder in SD, rare
breeder in VAD. Common spring and autumn migrant.
Taxonomy: Birds from LB are generally assigned to the
subspecies melanuroides (e.g. Gladkov 1951, Dickinson
2003, Stepanyan 2003, Doblikeru/. 2006). However, V.
Tolchin (in Tomkovich and Serra 1999) suggested that
limosa and melanuroides are in contact at LB and that they
probably interbreed there, without presenting supporting
evidence. Fefelov et al. (200 1 ) considered birds from SD
to be intermediate between the two, but examination of
further specimens led Fefelov et al. (2003) to consider
these birds typical melanuroides (see also Groen etal. 2006) .
The latter form was elevated to species rank by Hoglund
etal. (2009) and Brazil (2009).

Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica

MM: an adult male seen in Sarma Delta on 19-20 July

2002, and two adults seen there on 14 August 2003
(Anthes et al. 2004). SD: reported (Gagina 1961), but
record doubted by Tolchin et al. (1977). Another record
by Lipin et al. (1973) was subsequently withdrawn as a
misidentified Asian Dowitcher (Mel’nikov 2000a, S . Lipin
in Fefelov et al. 2001, S. Lipin in Fefelov and Tupitsyn
2004). Assessment: Vagrant.

Little Curlew Numenius minutus
NWB: collected at Pokoynaya Bay on 9 August 1959 and
mZavorotnayaBayon 12 and 14 August 1959 (O. Gusev
in Popov et al. 2002); two recorded at Pokoynyy Cape on
10 August 1995, four seen at Pokoynyy Cape on 15-16
August 1 995, nine birds in three flocks seen at Pokoynyy
Cape on 28 July 1 996; two birds seen at Pokoynyy Cape
on 26 May 1997, a flock of five birds seen at Pokoynyy
Cape on 27 May 1997; common on migration on LB
shores within the Baykalo-Lenskiy Reserve during 30 July-
29 August 1998 (Olovyannikova 1998, 2000b, Popov et
al. 2002). VAD: a single spring record at Dagary
(Pyzh’yanov et al. 1997); common in inland delta of
Verkhnyaya Angara on autumn migration north of LB
(Tolchin et al. 1979). NEB: in Barguzinskiy Reserve
recorded only on migration in August (Turov 1923, 1924a,
SkryabinandFilonov 1962, Belyaev 1984, Ananin 1986).
MM: a flock of eight recorded at Kocherikova on 1 1-12
August 1971 (Tolchin et al. 1977); recorded in Sarma
Delta on 13 August 1976 and 12 August 1977
(Bogorodskiy 1989); regularly recorded in Sarma Delta
in late 1970s, but no records after 1980 (Pyzh’yanov etal.

1997); recorded on Ol’khon Island on 10 August 1958
(Litvinov and Gagina 1977, Bogorodskiy 1989). SNI:
two observed flying above Kedrovka on 23 August 1991
(PS in Heyrovsky et al. 1992), three seen on 28 July 1 993
right of the Barguzin River where it enters Barguzinskiy
Bay (JM); three seen at Kopeshka on 2 August 1994 (JM,
PS). SWB: recorded at Kultuk (Dybowski and Godlewski
1 870, Taczanowski 1 893); recorded at Goloustnaya Delta
on 14 August 1975 (Bogorodskiy 1989). SD: a flock of six
seen at Masaikha Channel on 1 2 August 1975 (Mel’nikov
2000a); recorded in Adunovskaya Channel on 1 August
1986 and 28 August 1987 (Zhuravlev et al. 1991); three
observed in Adunovskaya Channel on 3 July 1993 (Fefelov
etal. 200 1 ); rare on autumn migration with records during
late July-late August (Zhuravlev etal. 1 99 1 , T upitsyn and
Fefelov 1995a, Pyzh’yanov etal. 1998, Mel’nikov 2000a,
Fefelov et al. 2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004).
Assessment: Rare spring and uncommon autumn
migrant. Remarks: The nearest breeding locations are in
mountain valleys in Irkutsk Province and Buryatia west
and north-east of LB, respectively (Tolchin 1983b,
Ryabtsev 1993, 1. Fefelov inlitt. 2008). Taxonomy: Listed
as a subspecies of Eskimo Curlew N. borealis by some
Russian authors (e.g. Gladkov 1951).

Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus

Pre-1850: said to be widespread (Georgi 1775), but this
observation apparently applied to all Numenius spp . , which
Georgi (1775) did not discriminate between. NWB: one
seen at Tyya Delta on 10 June 2008 (Bray et al. 2008).
MM: recorded on Ol’khon Island on 28 July 1958
(Litvinov and Gagina 1977); an adult male recorded in
Sarma Delta on 22 May 1977 (Bogorodskiy 1989); two
seen in Sarma Delta in July-August 2002 and one seen
there in August 2003 (Anthes et al. 2003). SWB: rare
August migrant at Kultuk (Dybowski and Godlewski
1870). SD: one collected on 13 September 1956
(Izmaylov and Borovitskaya 1973, Tolchin et al. 1977);
a flock of five seen in lower part of SD on 3 1 August 1981
and one seen at Pershikha Channel on 28 August 1986
(Zhuravlev et al. 1991); one collected on 15 September
1988 (Mel’nikov 2000a); recorded repeatedly in small
numbers on migration mid-August-mid-September in
1986-1994 (Zhuravlev et al. 1991, Mel’nikov 2000a,
Fefelov et al. 2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004); spring
records limited to two individuals observed at Posol’skiv
Lake on 22 May 1988 and one observed at Khirel’da
Channel on 3 1 May 1991 (Fefelov et al. 2001); one seen
at Galutay Channel on 10 June 2002 (Fefelov etal. 2003);
at least three seen at Istomino on 29-31 May 2008
(Holmstedt 2008); singles seen at Alimasovo on 2 and 6
June 2008 (Hellstront 2008). Assessment: Rare spring
and autumn migrant. Taxonomy: Birds from LB were
traditionally included in East Siberian subspecies
variegatus (e.g. Gladkov 1951, Stepanyan 2003), but
Fefelov and Tupitsyn (2004) suggested that individuals
of subspecies phaeopus (which breeds west of the Yenisey
River) may also occur in SD, while Tomkovich (2008)
indicated birds recorded at LB may belong to the Central
Siberian subspecies rogachevae.

[Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris
Critically Endangered. SNI: one reportedly observed at
Svyatoy Nos isthmus in 1 993 (Dorzhiyev 1 993, Ryabtsev
1997), attributed to ‘a group of Czech ornithologists

Forktail 25 (2009)

Waterbirds of Lake Baikal, eastern Siberia, Russia

39

headed by Jin Mlikovsky’. However, this is an error: we
did not see any Slender-billed Curlews at Svyatoy Nos
isthmus or elsewhere in Buryatia. Remarks: Based on a
few other reports of Slender-billed Curlew in the wider
vicinity of LB, Ryabtsev ( 1 997) suggested that a breeding
population of this species may exist at SNI and/or in the
Barguzinskaya Valley, but this is highly improbable. Not
listed by Inskipp et al. (1996).]

Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata
Near Threatened. NWB: singles recorded at Bol’shoy
Solontsovyy Cape on 7-8 July 1991, and at Pokoynyy
Cape on 15 August 1995, 1 August 1996 and 11 May
1998; a flock of four seen at Rytyy Cape on 6 September
1 989 (Popov et al. 2002); seen at Tyya Delta on 1 0 June
2008 (Bray etal. 2008). VAD: recorded in summer (Turov
1 924a); bred in early 1 970s (Tolchin etal. 1 977); regularly
encountered between Nizhneangarsk and Kichera on 4-
7 June 1991 (Olsson 1991); common in June 2005 at
Nizhneangarsk and Tipuki (Hellstrom 2005). NEB:
recorded in summer in Barguzinskiy Reserve (Belyaev
1982); recorded on migration (Ananin and Fedorov

1988) . MM: recorded in Sarma Delta on 25 August 1963
and 23 August 1974 (Bogorodskiy 1989); up to five
recorded in Sarma Delta in July-August 2002 (Anthes et
al. 2004). UI: vagrant (Yumov 1990, Matveychuk 1991).
SNI: recorded in summer 1930 (Shtegman 1936);
recorded in summer (Gagina 1960a); breeds (Turov 1923, .
Malyshev 1960b); not recorded on autumn migration
(Skryabin and Filonov 1962); common breeder in 1991—
1994 and 2001 (Heyrovsky etal. 1992,JM, PS); 1-2 pairs
recorded in Bol’shoy Chivyrkuy Delta, 16-19 June 2001
(JM). SWB: rather common on migration at Kultuk,
starting in late April [= around 1 0 May NS] in spring, and
during August-mid-September [= mid-August-late
September NS] in autumn (Taczanowski 1 893); recorded
at Kultuk in August 1959; a flock of 16-20 recorded in
Goloustnaya Delta on 18-19 August 1974 (Bogorodskiy

1989) . SD: rare breeder in late 1950s-1970s (Shvetsov
and Shvetsova 1967, Tolchin et al. 1977, Mel’nikov
1998b); common breeder since 1980s (Zhuravlev et al.
1991, Mel’nikov 1998b, Fefelov et al. 2001); population
estimated at 10-20 pairs in 1970s, and up to 70 pairs in
1980s (Mel’nikov 1 998b); migrants arrive late April-mid-
May and depart by mid-September (Tolchin et al. 1977,
Zhuravlev et al. 1991, Fefelov et al. 2001, Fefelov and
Tupitsyn 2004) . Assessment: Common breeder in large
wetlands (VAD, SNI, SD), occasional breeder elsewhere.
Breeding population increased in SD in 1 980s. Common
spring and autumn migrant. Taxonomy: Birds breeding
at LB belong to the eastern subspecies orientalis (Gladkov
1951, Stepanyan 2003).

Eastern Curlew Numenius madagascariensis
NWB: one seen at Severobaykal’sk on 8 June 1994
(Pyzh’yanov et al. 1997). MM: a male recorded on 6
August 1976, and one collected in Sarma Delta on 22
August 1976 (Pyzh’yanov et al. 1979, Bogorodskiy 1989,
Fefelov et al. 2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004); three
seen in Sarma Delta in July-August 2002 (Anthes et al.
2004). SNI: one observed flying above Kedrovka on 25
August 1991 (PS in Heyrovsky et al. 1992); one seen
flying in southern Chivyrkuyskiy Bay on 1 July 1993 (MS);
one seen flying over marshes at Kedrovka on 26 August
1994 (JM); one flying near Ust’-Barguzin on 1 August

1994 (PS); one seen flying over marshes at Kedrovka on
27 August 1 994 (JM, TS). SWB: recorded on migration
at Kultuk (Dybowski and Godlewski 1870, Taczanowski
1873, 1 877, 1 893); a male and female collected at Kultuk
on 29 August [=10 September NS] 1869 (Taczanowski
187 lb); a female collected at Kultuk on 1 [= 13 NS] June
1870 (Taczanowski 1871a). SD: first recorded on 16
August 1980 (Zhuravlev et al. 1991, Mel’nikov 2000a);
said to be recorded repeatedly in late August-early
September (Zhuravlev etal. 199 1), but Fefelov etal. (2001)
and Fefelov and Tupitsyn (2004) cited records only in
Adunovskaya Channel on 26 August 1 986, Shigayevo on
7 July 1989 and 17 July 1992, and Khirel’da Channel on
30 July 2001. Assessment: Rare autumn migrant.
Remarks: Nearest breeding sites appear to be in Chara
and Muya valleys east of LB (Tolchin and Pyzh’yanov
1979, Tolchin etal. 1979).

Spotted Redshank Tritiga erythropus
NWB: a specimen collected in Zavorotnaya Bay on 31
July 1959 (O. Gusev in Popov et al. 2002). VAD:
uncommon spring and common autumn migrant (Tolchin
et al. 1977). NEB: adult male collected at Sosnovka on
16 August 1914 (Shtegman 1936); rare summer visitor
and autumn migrant in Barguzinskiy Reserve (Belyaev
1982, 1984, Ananin and Fedorov 1988). MM: recorded
on migration mid-August-20 September (Litvinov and
Gagina 1977); recorded in Sarma Delta July-August in
2002-2003 (Anthes et al. 2004). SNI: common on autumn
migration (Turov 1 923); recorded on migration (Gagina
1 960a); recorded on migration late August-early October
in 1959-1960 (Skryabin and Filonov 1962); birds in
breeding plumage seen on 6-7 July and display calls heard
on 6 July 1991, so breeding possible (Heyrovsky et al.
1 992); adults seen at Barmashevyye Lakes on 6 and 7 July
1993 (JM); three seen on 18 August 1994 at Barmashevyye
Lakes (PS); recorded at Kedrovka on 5 September and
daily on 17-20 September 1994 (JM, PS). SWB: recorded
onmigration (Bogorodskiy 1989). SD: breeding assumed
(Mel’nikov 1984) because of summer observations (12-
29 July 1 98 1 and 1 5-23 June 1 982), but this rejected by
Mel’nikov (1998b), who re-interpreted summer birds as
early autumn migrants. Rather common spring migrant
early May to mid-June (Zhuravlev et al. 1991, Fefelov et
al. 2001), common on autumn migration, peaking late
August-late September, while last individuals are recorded
into late October (Tolchin et al. 1977, Zhuravlev et al.
1991, Fefelov et al. 2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004).
Assessment: Common spring and autumn migrant,
occasional breeder.

Common Redshank Tritiga totanus
VAD: a female with a chick recorded (Skryabin 1967b)
but Tolchin etal. (1977) doubted this because Skryabin’s
field notebook revealed uncertainty whether the birds
were Common Redshank or Marsh Sandpiper T.
stagnatilis. SWB: recorded on autumn migration
(Bogorodskiy 1989). SD: rarely recorded, possible
breeding asssumed (Shvetsov and Shvetsova 1967); two
birds collected at Posol’skiy Lake on 3 October 1972
(Tolchin et al. 1977); one and later two birds observed at
Chasovenskiy Channel on 22-25 July 1985 (Mel’nikov
1998b); one recorded at Motaikha Channel on 14 June
1996 (Fefelov et al. 2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004).
Assessment: Rare visitor.

40

JIRI MLIKOVSKY

Forktail 25 (2009)

Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis
NWB: at Bol’shoy Solontsovyy Cape a pair recorded on
14 August 1989, a flock of five on 16 August 1989, two
on 24 August 1989, and two on 29 May 1990; singles
seen at Malyy Solontsovyy Cape on 30 May 1992,
Zavorotnaya Bay on 6 August 1 992, and Pokoynyy Cape
on 20 May 1994 (Popov et al. 2002); two seen at Tyya
Delta on 6 June 2008 (Bray etal. 2008). VAD: two males
collected on 10 August 1923 (Turov 1924); recorded on
Bludnoye Lake (Gagina 1962b); breeds (Tolchin 1974,
Tolchin et al. 1977); regularly encountered between
Nizhneangarsk and Kichera on 4-8 June 1991 (Olsson
1991); 17 seen at Tipuki on 6 June 2005 (Hellstrom
2005). NEB: recorded rarely in Barguzinskiy Reserve on
migration during 9-15 May and 2 August-20 September
(Belyaev 1980, 1982, Ananin and Fedorov 1988). MM:
‘a few’ diplaying pairs seen in Sarma Delta in June 1 97 6,
with chicks observed there on 22 June 1976; arrives in
spring in mid-May, rare on autumn migration, with a
record from Ol’khon Island on 9 September 1976
(Pvzh’yanov et al. 1979); rare sightings in Sarma Delta in
July-August 2002 and August 2003 (Anthes etal. 2004).
SNI: a male collected at Kulmoye, specimen in Davsha
(Barguzinskiy Reserve headquarters) (Skryabin 1960);
recorded only on migration (Gagina 1 960a) ; one collected
at Arangatuy Lake on 22 May 1955 (Gagina 1962b);
recorded breeding (Tolchin 1976b, Tolchin etal. 1979);
breeds in Chivyrkuyskiy Bay (Vasil’chenko 1987),
uncommon breeder in marshes at Lake Arangatuy in 1 99 1
(Heyrovsky et al. 1992); four nests found in marshes at
Kedrovka on 6-16 June 1993 (MS); recorded at
Barmashevyye Lakes on 6-7 July 1993 and 16-17 June
1994 (JM, PS); one seen at Kovrizhka on 16 July 1994
and recorded at Kopeshka on 3 August 1994 (JM); a
juvenile seen on 15 August 1994 at Kedrovka (PS), five
individuals seen on 18 August 1994 at Barmashevyye
Lakes and three seen on 20 June 2001 in marshes at the
southern end of Chivyrkuyskiy Bay (PS); recorded at
Ust’-Barguzin on 28 June 2001 and 14 July 2005 (JM).
SWB: breeding confirmed at Anga Delta in June 1983
(Bogorodskiy 1989); four seen at Bol’shaya Rechka on 1 3
June 1 988 (SOF 1 988); nine seen at Bol’shaya Rechka on
7 June 1 989 (SOF 1 989), ten there on 2 June and c. 1 3 on
9 June 1991 (Olsson 1991). SD: common breeder in
1940s-1970s (Bakutin 1950, Shvetsov and Shvetsova
1967, Tolchin et al. 1977); population size increased in
late 1970s (Mel’nikov 1998b, Fefelov et al. 2001,
Fefelov and Baskakov 2001); spring migration peaks
on 5-17 May, autumn migration ends in late
September (Zhuravlev et al. 1991, Fefelov et al. 2001,
Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004). Assessment: Until the
1970s the species bred only in SD, but since then the
population has increased and spread north. Currently a
widespread breeder and common spring and autumn
migrant.

Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia
NWB: seven collected during 9-29 August in years 1958
and 1959 at Bol’shoy Solontsovyy, Malyy Solontsovyy,
Pokoynyy, Zavorotnyy and Malaya Kosa Capes (O . Gusev
in Popov etal. 2002), recorded at Zavorotnyy Cape on 30
and 31 July 1990, Zavorotnaya Bay on 8 August 1990,
and Bol’shoy Solontsovyy Cape on 13 August 1990
(Popov et al. 2002). VAD: recorded breeding and on
migration in early 1970s (Tolchin et al. 1977); regularly

encountered between Nizhneangarsk and Kichera on 4-
7 June 1991 (Olsson 1991); two seen on 6 June 2005 at
Verkhnyaya Zaimka (Hellstrom 2005). NEB: recorded
in 1914 and/or 1915 (Doppel’mayr 1926); rare on spring
migration in Barguzinskiy Reserve (Belyaev 1 982) . MM:
recorded repeatedly in July-September (Litvinov and
Gagina 1977); recorded repeatedly in Sarma Delta in
July-August 2002 and August 2003 (Anthes et al. 2004) .
SNI: recorded repeatedly at Kedrovka on 28 July- 14
August 1991 (Heyrovsky et al. 1992); common at
Barmashevyye Lakes on 6 and 7 July 1993 and recorded
at Kopeshka on 4 August 1994 (JM); recorded at Kedrovka
on 1 1 and 18 August 1994 (PS) and on 5 September 1994
(JM); ten seen on 1 8 August 1 994 at Barmashevyye Lakes,
and six seen on 2 July 1 998 at Barguzin river mouth (PS);
heard at night in Bol’shoy Chivyrkuy Delta on 16 June
2001 QM). SWB: recorded on migration and breeding
(Bogorodskiy 1989). SD: recorded on migration in early
to late May and mid-July to late September (Zhuravlev et
al. 1991, Fefelov et al. 2001,FefelovandTupitsyn2004).
Breeding records limited to 1 98 1 , when several pairs were
seen and two chicks caught in central SD between
Srednyaya and Kolpinaya Channels (Mel’nikov 1998b).
Assessment: Occasional breeder, uncommon spring and
autumn migrant.

Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus
NWB: common at forest pools and brooks along LB
shores (Malyshev 1 960a); a flock of seven seen at Bol’shoy
Solontsovyy Cape on 14 May 1990, species recorded at
Pokoynyy Cape on 20 May 1994 (Popov et al. 2002);
summer records are limited to Bol’shoy Solontsovyy and
Pokoynyy Capes, but breeding not proven (Popov et al.
2002); regular autumn migrant until mid-September
(Popov et al. 2002). VAD: common breeder, spring
migration recorded on 4-20 May 1973 (Tolchin et al.
1977); regularly encountered between Nizhneangarsk and
Kichera on 4-7 June 1991 (Olsson 1991). NEB: adult
male collected at Sosnovka on 1 8 August 1914 (Shtegman
1936); rare breeder and common migrant in Barguzinskiy
Reserve (Belyaev 1982, Ananin and Fedorov 1988). MM:
common breeder on Ol’khon Island (Litvinov and Gagina
1977); two seen in Sarma Delta in July-August 2002
(Anthes et al. 2004). UI: vagrant (Galaziy and
Molozhnikov 1982, Yumov 1990, Matveychuk 1991).
SNI: recorded breeding in summer 1930 (Shtegman
1936); recorded breeding (Gagina 1960a), recorded
repeatedly in various sites in SNI during July-August
1991 (Heyrovsky etal. 1992); alarmed behaviour indicated
breeding at Zmeinaya Bay on 23 July 1991 (Heyrovsky et
al. 1992); recorded at Bamashovye Lakes on 6-7 July
1 993 (JM); two seen at Kedrovka and one at Barmashevyye
Lakes on 18 August 1994 (PS). SWB: recorded on
migration and in summer, but no proof of breeding
available (Bogorodskiy 1989). SEB: a pair seen on 22
July 1 990 at the Turka estuary (PS) . SD: common breeder
1955-1962 (Shvetsov and Shvetsova 1967); uncommon
breeder in early 1970s (Tolchin et al. 1977); rarely
recorded in summer in 1980s- 1990s (Zhuravlev et al.
1991, Fefelov etal. 200 1 ); uncommon on spring migration
(starting in late April) and on autumn migration during
late July-mid-September (Tolchin et al. 1977 , Zhuravlev
et al. 1991, Fefelov et al. 2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn
2004). Assessment: Widespread breeder, uncommon
spring and common autumn migrant.

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Waterbirds of Lake Baikal, eastern Siberia, Russia

41

Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola

NWB: 27 individuals collected at Pokoynyy and Bol’shoy
Solontsovyy Capes and in Zavorotnaya Bay during 29
July-25 August 1959 (O. Gusev in Popov et al. 2002);
recorded at Bol’shoy Solontsovyy Cape on 26 May 1992
and at Pokoynyy Cape on 6 June 1 992, 20 May 1 994 and
19 May 1998 (Popov et al. 2002); regularly on autumn
migration from second half of July (Popov et al. 2002).
VAD: common breeder (Tolchin et al. 1977); regularly
encountered between Nizhneangarsk and Kichera on 4-
7 June 1991 (Olsson 1991); c.10 individuals seen on 5
June 2005 at Nizhneangarsk (Hellstrom 2005); common
on spring and autumn migration, with first arrivals on
13-17 May (Tolchin 1975, Tolchin et al. 1 977). NEB:
adult male collected at Sosnovka on 28 May 1915
(Shtegman 1936); rare breeder and common migrant in
Barguzinskiy Reserve (Belyaev 1 982, Ananin and Fedorov
1988). MM: common breeder on Ol’khon Island
(Litvinov and Gagina 1977); common on migration in
Sarma Delta in July-August 2002 and August 2003
(Anthes etal. 2004). UI: recorded breeding (Galaziyand
Molozhnikov 1982). SNI: recorded breeding (Gagina
1960a); common breeder in early 1970s (Tolchin et al.
1977); common breeder (Heyrovsky et al. 1992); a nest
found at Kedrovka on 5 June 1993 and recorded at
Barmashevyye Lakes on 6-7 July 1993 (MS); a displaying
male seen north of Barmashevyye Lakes on 1 7 June 1 994,
alarm calls heard at Kovrizhka on 14 July 1994, and
recorded in Bol’shoy Chivyrkuy Delta on 16-19 June
2001 QM); two seen at Kopeshka on 2 August 1994,
several seen at Barmashevyye Lakes on 18 August 1994,
two seen at the Barguzm estuary on 2 July 1 998 and four
seen at the southern end of Chivyrkuyskiy Bay on 20 June
2001 (PS); recorded at Kovrizhka on 23 June 2001 and
at Ust’-Barguzm on 28 June 2001 (JM); six recorded
thereon 14-1 6 July 2001 (PS) and several recorded there
on 14 July 2005 QM). SWB: recorded on migration and
breeding (Bogorodskiy 1989). SD: common breeder in
1960s-1970s (Shvetsov and Shvetsova 1967, Tolchin et
al. 1977); last nest found on Chayachiy Islet on 4 June
1985 (Fefelov et al. 2001); recorded only on migration
through late 1980s-1990s (Fefelov et al. 2001);
uncommon on spring migration from last days of April,
most usually arriving 9-16 May, common on autumn
migration during late June-late September (Tolchin et al.
1977, Zhuravlev etal. 1991, Fefelov etal. 2001, Mel’nikov
2003, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004). Assessment:
Formerly widespread, now local breeder in SNI. A sharp
decline in breeding population since 1970s was observed
in SD, which resulted in probable local extirpation (Fefelov
et al. 2001). Uncommon spring and common autumn
migrant.

Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus

NWB: recorded in 1959 (O. Gusev in Popov etal. 2002);
one seen in Zavorotnaya Bay on 30 July 1994, one seen
at Pokoynyy Cape on 28 August 1995, and three there on
15 August 1998 (Olovyannikova 2000b, Popov et al.
2002), two individuals seen on 4 June 2005 at Tyya Delta
(Hellstrom 2005). VAD: common on spring migration
on 28 May-2 June 1973 (Tolchin et al. 1977); two seen
at Tuya Delta on 6 June 1991 (Olsson 1991). NEB:
recorded at Kudalda Delta on 22 August 1922 (Turov
1923); rare on spring migration in Barguzinskiy Reserve
(Belyaev 1982, Ananin and Fedorov 1988). MM:

recorded on Ol’khon Island in early August 1 9 1 7, on 30
June 1933, in early August 1959, and on 4 September
1973 (Litvinov and Gagina 1977); recorded at Polovinnyy
Cape and in Sarma Delta during 2-13 August, and a
female recorded there on 26 May 1977 (Bogorodskiy
1989); regularly recorded in Sarma Delta in small numbers
July-August 2002 and in August 2003 (Anthes etal. 2004).
SNI: two adult males and two adult females collected at
Ust’-Barguzinon22July 1930 (Shtegman 1936); common
breeder (Gagina 1960a); recorded on autumn migration
during 30 JulyA22 August (Skryabin and Filonov 1962);
one observed at Kedrovka on 8 August 1991 and 1 3 August
1991 (T. Koutny in Heyrovsky et al. 1992); at least five
observed on the southernmost Barmashevoye Lake on 2 1
August 1991 (JM in Heyrovsky etal. 1992); two seen near
Barmashevyye Lakes on 1 2 August 1 993 (JM); one seen
at Kedrovka on 5 September 1 994 (JM, PS) . Shtegman’s
(1936) record was interpreted as a proof of breeding by
himself and Gagina (1960a, 1961), but Tolchin et al.
(1977) correctly doubted this. SWB: three seen at
Bol’shayaRechka on 2 June 1987 (SvenssonandHedgren
1987). SD: not recorded on spring migration (Zhuravlev
et al. 1991, Fefelov et al. 2001); rare in summer: one
recorded in Galutay Channel on 1 0 June 1989, calls heard
in Khirel’da Channel on 4 June 1992, and recorded in
central SD on 7 July 1988 and on 14 July 1990 (Fefelov
et al. 2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004); regularly
encountered on autumn migration 19 July-8 September
(Zhuravlev et al. 1991, Fefelov et al. 2001, Fefelov and
Tupitsyn 2004). Assessment: Uncommon spring and
autumn migrant. Taxonomy: Often listed as Terekia
cinerea in earlier Russian literature.

Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
NWB: commonly recorded 1958-1959, and a nest found
in Zavorotnaya Bay (O. Gusev in Popov 2002); common
breeder and migrant, recorded as late as 1 September
(Popov et al. 2002). VAD: common breeder (Tolchin et
al. 1977); regularly encountered between Nizhneangarsk
and Kichera on 4-8 June 1991 (Olsson 1991); common
at Baykal’skoye and at Tyya Delta on 4 June 2005
(Hellstrom 2005). NEB: adult female collected at
Sosnovka on 18 August 1914 (Shtegman 1936);
uncommon spring migrant, common in summer and on
autumn migration in Barguzinskiy Reserve (Belyaev
1982). MM: common breeder on Ol’khon Island
(Litvinov and Gagina 1 977); common in Sarma Delta on
migration in July 2002, rare there on migration in August
of both 2002 and 2003 (Anthes et al. 2004). UI: a nest
found on Bol’shoy Ushkan’i Island on 27 June 1 957, with
the local breeding population estimated at several pairs
(Gusev 1 960a) ; common breeder on all four mam islands
(Yumov 1990); common breeder on Dolgoy Island,
common visitor to other islands (Matveychuk 1991). SNI:
common breeder (Gagina 1960a); common at the
Barmashevyye Lakes and along the shores of Barguzinskiy
and Chivyrkuyskiy Bays in July-August 1991 (Heyrovsky
et al. 1992) and in June-August 1993 QM); two seen in
the Zmeinnaya Bay on 1 0 August 1 993 QM); recorded at
Kopeshka on 4 August 1994 (JM, PS); two seen in
Bol’shaya Cheremshana Delta on 13-15 June 1998 (PS);
recorded at Barmashevyye Lakes on 12-13 June 2001
and at the south-eastern corner of Chivyrkuyskiy Bay on
2 1 June 200 1 QM) . SWB: recorded at Polovinnaya River
breeding in June 1973 and on autumn migration in

42

JIRI MLIKOVSKY

Forktail 25 (2009)

August-September (Bogorodskiy 1 989); common on LB
shores between Kultuk and Port Baykal on 1-5 August
1990 (PS). SEB:twoseenattheTurkaestuaryon22July
1990 (PS). SD: common breeder in late 1950s-early
1960s (ShvetsovandShvetsova 1967); rare breeder during
1970s-1990s (Tolchin etal. 1977, Zhuravlev et al. 1991,
Fefelov et al. 2001); spring arrival from 6 May, autumn
migration mid-July-mid-September (Zhuravlev et al.
1991, Fefelov et al. 2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004).
Assessment: Widespread though uncommon breeder,
common spring and autumn migrant.

Grey-tailed Tattler Heteroscelus brevipes
NWB: single specimens collected in Zavorotnaya Bay on
1 May 1959 and 5 May 1959, Pokoynyy Cape on 9 August
1959, Malyy Solontsovyy Cape on 19 August 1959,
Malaya Kosa Cape on 22 August 1959, and at Muzhinay
Cape on 22 August 1959 (O. Gusev in Popov etal. 2002);
three seen at Tyya Delta on 6 June 1991 (Olsson 1991);
recorded in Zavorotnaya Bay during 20-30 July 1993
and 30-3 1 July 1 994 (Popov et al. 2002); eight recorded
at Baykal’skoye on 4 June 2005, 35 at Tyya Delta on 4
June and two there on 9 June (Hellstrom 2005); at least
five seen at Tyya Delta on 6 and 1 0 June 2008 (Bray et al.
2008). VAD: uncommon on spring and rare on autumn
migration (Tolchin et al. 1 977); one seen on Yarki Island
on 5-6 June 1991 (Olsson 1991); ten seen at Yarki Island
on 5 June 2005 (Hellstrom 2005). NEB: rare on spring
migration in Barguzinskiy Reserve (Belyaev 1 982, Ananin
and Fedorov 1988) . MM: recorded on Ol’khon Island on
19 June 1957, 2 June 1973 and 6 June 1973 (Litvinov and
Gagina 1977); common in Sarma Delta on migration
during July-August 2002 and August 2003 (Anthes et al.
2004). UI: one collected on 21 July 1917 (Vorob’yev
1927); aflockofsix observed on 14-26 June 1979 (Yumov
1990); recorded as a vagrant (Matveychuk 1991). SNI:
recorded on autumn migration (Gagina 1960a); one
observed in Chivyrkuyskiy Bay near Zmeinaya Bay on 23
July 1991 (D. Heyrovsky in Heyrovsky et al. 1992);
recorded in Barguzinskiy Bay at Kedrovka on 6 June 1993
(JM, MS, PS); one seen on 28 July 1 993 where the Barguzin
River enters Barguzinskiy Bay (JM). SWB: recorded at
Goloustnaya and Sarma Deltas in May-August
(Bogorodskiy 1989); six seen at Bol’shaya Rechka on 2
June 1987 (Svensson and Hedgren 1987). SD: recorded
on spring migration early-late May (Mel’nikov 2000a);
recorded on Kokuy Island on 4 June 1986 and 6 June
1988 (Zhuravlev etal. 1991, Fefelov etal 2001); recorded
in Khirekda Channel on 31 May 1991 and 1 June 1991,
and at Posol’skoye on 30 May-10 June in years 1987-
1988 (Fefelov et al. 2001); a flock of 22 observed in the
Novyy Peremoy Channel on 1 June 1994 (Fefelov et al.
200 1 ); regularly recorded on autumn migration late June-
late September (Tolchin et al. 1977, Mel’nikov 2000a,
Fefelov et al. 2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004); at least
30 seen on LB shores west of Istomino on 29 May 2008
(Holmstedt 2008); a few seen at Alimasovo on 2-4 June
2008 (Hellstrom 2008). Assessment: Rare spring and
autumn migrant. Taxonomy: Treated as a subspecies of
Wandering Tattler Heteroscelus incanus (sometimes under
the name Tringa incana ) by some Russian authors.

Ruddy Turnstone A renaria interpres

NWB: one collected at Bol’shaya Kosa Cape on 4

September 1958 (O. Gusev in Popov et al. 2002); one

seen at Pokoynyy Cape on 4 October 1 999 (Olovyannikova
2000b, Popov et al. 2002) . VAD: rare spring and common
autumn migrant (Tolchin et al. 1977); four observed on
Yarki Island on 6 June 1991 (Olsson 1991). NEB: rare
autumn migrant (Ananin and Fedorov 1988). MM: rare
in Sarma Delta and on Ol’khon Island in late summer
and early autumn (Litvinov and Gagina 1977); recorded
in Sarma Delta on 23 August 1976 (Bogorodskiy 1989);
a few recorded in Sarma Delta during July-August 2002
and August 2003 (Anthes etal. 2004). SNI: two collected
on 25 August 1913 (Keve 1948); recorded in autumn
(Gagina 1960a); one seen at Kedrovka on 25 August
1991 (PS in Heyrovsky etal. 1992); one seen at Kopeshka
on 6 August 1994 (PS). SWB: uncommon on migration
at Kultuk (Dybowski and Godlewski 1870, Taczanowski
1873, 1893); one seen at Bol’shaya Rechka on 2 June
1987 (Svensson and Hedgren 1987). SD: uncommon,
but regular migrant in spring during 30 May-6 June (singly
or in flocks up to 140 individuals) and in autumn up to
mid-September, one observed at Militseyskaya Channel
on 12 July 1986 (Tolchin et al. 1977, Zhuravlev et al.
1991, Fefelov et al. 2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004).
Assessment: Rare spring and uncommon autumn
migrant.

Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus
NWB: recorded at Pokoynyy Cape on 19 September
1997 and 9 September 1999 (Olovyannikova 1998,
2000b, Popov et al. 2002). NEB: one recorded at
Tompuda Delta on 9 September with another on 17
September 1958 (Skryabin 1960); one recorded at Davsha
on 26 May 1969 (Belyaev 1984). MM: one recorded at
Khuzhir on Ol’khon Island on 21 September 1973
(Litvinov and Gagina 1977, Bogorodskiy 1989). SD:
absent in spring and summer, regularly encountered in
small numbers on autumn migration during 25 August-
19 September (Tolchin era/. 1977, Zhuravlev et al. 1991,
Fefelov et al. 2001, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004).
Assessment: Rare autumn migrant with one spring
record.

Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius

SD : one collected at Bol’shaya Rechka Delta on 3 October

1972 (Tolchin et al. 1977). Assessment: Vagrant.

Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus
VAD: one recorded at Dagary on 28 May 1987 and two
seen at Dagary on 8 June 1992 (Pyzh’yanov et al. 1997,
1998). NEB: one recorded at Frolikha Delta on 16-17
July 1972 (Tolchin et al. 1974, Mel’nikov 1998d). MM:
recorded in Ol’khonskiye Vorota (Pyzh’yanov etal. 1998).
SWB: one seen 20 km south of Ol’khonskiye Vorota on
1 June 1984 (Pyzh’yanov etal. 1997, 1998); one observed
from 25 January to mid-February 1 998 at Angara outflow
(Mel’nikov 1998d). SD: a juvenile recorded at Posol’skoye
on 1 2 September 1 987, and an adult recorded at Galutay
Channel on 17 July 1989 (Tupitsyn and Fefelov 1995a,
Mel’nikov 1998d, Fefelov et al. 2001). Assessment:
Vagrant.

Parasitic [aeger Stercorarius parasiticus
NEB: one seen flying at Valukan Cape on 10 August
1991 (Ananin 1995). Assessment: Vagrant. Remarks:
One was collected also at Troitskosavsk [= Kyakhta],
south-east of LB, in April 1909 (Kozlova 1930).

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Waterbirds of Lake Baikal, eastern Siberia, Russia

43

Pallas’s Gull Lotus ichthyaetus

SD: two observed at Klyuchikha Bay on 27 May 1989
and one observed at the estuary of Severnaya Channel on
8 June 1991 (Mel’nikov 2000a). Assessment: Vagrant.

Relict Gull Lams relictus

Vulnerable. SD: a flock of 30 observed in Krivaya Channel
on 1 1 July 1977 and two observed in Khirel’da Channel
on 4 June 1979 (Mel’nikov 2000a); one seen flying at
Alimasovo Lake on 21 July 2002 (I. Tupitsyn in Fefelov
et al. 2003). Assessment: Vagrant.

Little Gull Lams minutus

VAD: common breeder, with population estimated at
100-160 pairs in early 1970s (Sadkov 1977b, Shkatulova
1980); arrives in spring 18-26 May, departs in autumn
mostly by mid-August (Sadkov 1977); regularly
encountered between Nizhneangarsk and Kichera on 4-
8 June 1991 (Olsson 1991). NEB: adult male collected at
Sosnovka on 15 August 1914 (Shtegman 1936); singles
on 26 and 30 May 1974 at Sosnovka Delta, with three
there on 20 September 1973 (Belyaev 1980). MM: regular
migrant 15 May-1 1 June and 12-26 August (Pyzh’yanov
et al. 1979). UI: rare summer visitor, regular autumn
migrant (Yumov 1990); vagrant (Matveychuk 1991). SNI:
not recorded in summer 1930 (Shtegman 1936); rare
breeder (Gagina 1 960a); a colony of 1 0-1 2 pairs found at
Arangatuy Lake in 1 979 was first confirmation of breeding
in SNI (Yegorov 1980); uncommon breeder (Skryabin et
al. 1989a); at least ten pairs bred in marshes at Lake
Arangatuy in 1991 (Heyrovsky et al. 1992); c.30 pairs
bred in marshes at Kedrovka in June 1993 (MS); several
seen north of Barmashevyye Lakes on 17 June 1994 (PS).
SWB: rare visitor at Kultuk (Taczanowski 1873, 1893).
SD: a juvenile collected in June 1964 and breeding
considered probable (Bogorodskiy 1976); first breeding
colonies found in 1975 (Skryabin et al. 1977; see also
Skryabin 1977a, b, Skryabin and Razmakhnina 1978,
1 979); population estimated at 1 ,000- 1,500 breeding birds
in 1977-1982 when water level low (Mel’nikov 1984b)
with markedly fewer in 1983-1986 when water level high
(Tupitsyn 1991); two colonies with 65 breeding individuals
in 1987 (Tupitsyn 1991); 15 colonies with 420 breeding
individuals counted in 1992 (Tupitsyn 1979, Fefelov etal.
2001); spring arrival starts mid-May, autumn departure
ends mid-August (Fefelov et al. 2001). Assessment:
Uncommon breeder in large wetlands (VAD, SNI, SD),
uncommon spring and autumn migrant elsewhere. There
is no evidence that Little Gulls bred at LB before 1960s.
Remarks: Little Gulls migrate from LB west-south-west
towards Central Asia (Pyzh’yanov 1998b).

Black-headed Gull Lams ridibundus
NWB: recorded at Pokoynyy Cape on 20 May 1994
(Popov et al. 2002). VAD: common breeder with
population estimated at 500-600 pairs in early 1970s;
birds arrive in first half of May, and most depart between
late July and mid-August (Sadkov 1977b); common in
June 2005 (Hellstrom 2005). NEB: recorded at Khakusy
and at Ayaya and Frolikha Deltas (Sadkov 1977a, b). MM:
recorded in Sarma Delta on 6 August 1977 and 14 August
1978 (Bogorodskiy 1989); rare on migration on Ol’khon
Island (Litvinov and Gagina 1977); a few individuals
recorded in Sarma Delta in July-August 2002 and August
2003 (Anthes et al. 2004). SNI: large colony found at

Arangatuy Lake in 1961 (Skryabin and Filonov 1962);
common breeder in marshes at Arangatuy Lake in 1991
(Heyrovsky etal. 1992);commonon3June-l September

1993 and in June 2001, c.20 pairs counted in Bol’shoy
Chivyrkuy Delta on 16-19 June 2001 (JM). SWB:
recorded at Kultuk (Taczanowski 1893). SD: not
recorded in 1930s-1940s (Bakutin 1950); common
breeder in late 1950s (Shvetsov and Shvetsova 1967) and
1970s (Gilevich 1977a, b); 10,700 breeding individuals
estimated in 1982, 4,600 in 1985 (Mel’nikov 1 988a) and
8,700 in 1990 (Tupitsyn 1991), with low water levels
correlating with larger numbers (Tupitsyn 1999, Fefelov
et al. 2001); spring arrival mostly around mid-April, most
leaving SD by end of August, although some stay until
end of September (Gilevich 1977a, Skryabin and
Razmakhnina 1978, Fefelov et al. 2001). Assessment:
Common breeder in large wetlands (VAD, SNI, SD),
common spring and autumn migrant elsewhere.
Remarks: Most migrate south-east in winter, but some
ringed individuals have been recorded in Central Europe
(Pyzh’yanov 1998b).

Slender-billed Gull Lams genei
SD: an adult male was collected at Srednyaya Channel
on 1 5 June 1 989 (Tupitsyn and Fefelov 1 995a, b; specimen
in Irkutsk University). Assessment: Vagrant. Remarks:
Other records close to southern LB include singles seen
at Angarsk on 1 2 June 1 99 1 (Popov and Salovarov 2000)
and at Beloye Lake on 20 June 2001 (Tebb and Ranner
2002) . A male Slender-billed Gull successfully bred with
a female Black-headed Gull in Irskutsk in May-June 2003
(Fefelov 2004, Fefelov and Tupitsyn 2004).

Mew Gull Lams canus

Pre-1850: common throughout LB, but in smaller
numbers than Yellow-legged Gull (Georgi 1775). NWB:
common at Kotel’nikovskiy Cape in August 1930
(Shtegman 1936); recorded at Pokoynyy Cape on 20
May 1994 and 28 April 1998, a flock of 25-30 seen in
Zavorotnaya Bay in 1994, and a few seen at Malyy
Solontsovyy Cape on 28-30 July 1994 (Popov et al. 2002) .
VAD: breeds (Skryabin 1 977a, b, Skryabin et al. 1 989a);
population size estimated at 44-78 pairs in 1970s
(Skryabin 1 977a); arrives in spring in mid-May-early June
(Skryabin 1977a). NEB: recorded in 1914 and/or 1915
(Doppel’mayr 1926). MM: said to breed on Ol’khon
Island in 1 930 (Shtegman 1 936); later considered a rare
visitor there July-September (Litvinov and Gagina 1977);
a few seen in Sarma Delta in July-August 2002 and August
2003 (Anthes et al. 2004). UI: c.20 seen on 28 June 1957
near Bol’shoy Ushkan’i Island, no breeding recorded
(Gusev 1960a); common summer visitor (Yumov 1990,
Matveychuk 1991). SNI: breeds at Arangatuy Lake
(Gusev 1960a, Skryabin and Filonov 1962, Skryabin
1977 a,b) ; recorded breeding on Chayachiy, Pogranichnyy
and Kaltygey [= Golyy] islets in Chivyrkuyskiy Bay in
1955 and 1957 (Gusev 1960b); population estimated at
30 pairs in 1955 (Gusev 1960b), 29 pairs in 1969 and 23
pairs in 1976 (Skryabin 1977a), and 90 pairs in late 1970s
(Yegorov 1 980); observed repeatedly in July-August 1991,
but without signs of breeding (Heyrovsky et al. 1992);
seen repeatedly in marshes on Svyatoy Nos isthmus in
June-August 1993 (JM, MS, PS) and in June-August

1 994 (JM); seen at Barmashevyye Lakes on 1 2 June 200 1
and in marshes in south-eastern corner of Chivyrkuyskiy

44

JIRI MLIKOVSKY

Forktail 25 (2009)

Bay on 20-21 June 2001 (JM). SWB: recorded at Kultuk
on spring migration from late April or early May [= mid-
May NS], and in autumn in very large flocks, with
immatures oversummering (Taczanowski 1873, 1893);
regular non-breeding visitor in SWB: recorded at
Polovinnyy Cape and Goloustnaya Delta, common at
Port Baykal (Bogorodskiy 1989). SD: common breeder,
population size varying from 1,200 to 3,300 pairs
(Tupitsyn 1991, 1995, 1999; see also Tupitsyn et al.
1994a,b); arrives in mid-April and leaves in early
November when ice covers the water (Skryabin 1977,
Skryabin and Razmakhmna 1978, Fefelov et al. 2001).
Note: Common throughout LB in summer 1855 (Radde
1861b). See also Skryabin (1995a, 1999). Assessment:
Common breeder in large wetlands (VAD, SNI, SD),
common spring and autumn migrant elsewhere.
Taxonomy: LB birds are usually included in the
subspecies heinei (e.g. Dement’yev 1951, Vaurie 1965,
Dickinson 2003, Stepanyan 2003) . However, intergrades
between the western heinei and eastern kamtschatschensis
are said to occur in eastern Siberia, and the border between
the ranges of these two taxa is imperfectly known (see
Yudin and Firsova 2002), so further study is needed.

Yellow-legged Gull Larus cachinnans
Pre-1850: common throughout LB (Georgi 1775). NWB:
common spring, summer and autumn visitor (Popov et al.
2002); first breeding (one pair) recorded on shingle in
Zavorotnaya Bay in 1998 (Popov and Stepantsova 1999),
and breeding at this site has continued subsequently (N.
Stepantsova in Popov et al. 2002); another nest found at
Malyy Solontsovyy Cape on 6 June 1999 (Popov and
Stepantsova 1999). VAD: not recorded breeding in 1930
(Shtegman 1936); common breeder, with c. 2 17-240 pairs
in mid-1970s (Skryabin 1977a) and c.360 pairs in 1980s
(Skryabin et al. 1991); most arrive in mid- April (Skryabin
et al. 1991) or late April-early May (Gusev 1960). NEB:
recorded in 19 14 and/or 1915 (Doppel'mayr 1926). MM:
common breeder, including on Ofkhon Island in 1930
(Shtegman 1936); c.350 pairs in early 1970s on islets of
Borgadagan, Borakchin [= Ol’trek] and Kharantsy
(Starikov 1 974); c. 450-870 pairs in mid- 1970s on islets of
Izhilkhey, Borgadagan, Shargodagan, Ivhubyn, Khunuk,
Bol’shoy Toynak and Yedor (Skryabin 1977a); c. 2,000
pairs on islands in 1980s (Skryabin et al. 1991; see also
Skryabin and Safronov 1988); c. 1,100-1,200 pairs on
Bol’shoy Toynak and Khunuk islets in 2002-2003 (Anthes
et al. 2004); most arrive in early April (Skryabin et al.
1991, Pyzh’yanov 2000b) or in second half of April
(Skryabin 1977a), and most leave in September
(Pyzh’yanov 2000b); does not breed on Ofkhon, but
frequently visits (Litvinov and Gagina 1977). UI: common
summer visitor (Yumov 1990, Matveychuk 1991). SNI:
small colonies found at Arangatuy Lake with 41 pairs in
1957 (Gusev 1 960b) and 20 pairs in 1961 (Skryabin and
Filonov 1 962); breeds on islets in Chivyrkuyskiy Bay: 250
pairs on Kaltygey [= Golyy] and 60-90 pairs on Belyy
Kamen’in 1957 (Gusev 1 960b); c. 150-1 70 pairs on Golyy,
Lokhmatyy and Kameshek-Bezymyannyy islets in early
1970s (Starikov 1974); 900 pairs on Malyy Kaltygey islet
and 150 pairs on Baklaniy islet in mid-1970s (Yegorov
1980); 363 pairs in 1977 (Pyzh’yanov 1987); c.450 pairs
in mid-1980s (Skryabin et al. 1991); 496 pairs in 1985
(Pyzh’yanov 1 987); bred also on Kameshek-Bezymyannyy
in late 1950s (Gusev 1960b), Belyy Kamen’ (Malyshev

1 960b) and Chayachiy Islet (Skryabin and Filonov 1 962);
breeding colony on Kaltygey [= Golyy] Islet in 1991 (A.
Reiter in Heyrovsky et al. 1992); several dozen pairs on
Golyy Islet on 13 July 1993 (JM); c.200 pairs on Golyy
Islet on 1 6 June 200 1 (JM, PS); an isolated nest found in
marshes at Kedrovka on 7 June 1993 (MS); common in
SNI in June 2001 (JM, PS); non-breeding individuals
recorded in Bol’shoy Chivyrkuy Delta on 1 6-1 9 June 200 1
(JM, PS); migrants arrive in second half of April (Yegorov
1980). SWB: common breeder on cliffs near Baklaniy
Kamen’in 1855 (Radde 1861b: 2 14); common breeder in
1860s (Polyakov 1869); recorded at Kultuk on migration
in similar numbers to Mew Gull (Taczanowski 1873,
1893); common at southermost end of LB on 5 June 1909
(Jones 1909); a breeding colony on a cliff at Khabartuy
Cape existed until 1962 (Bogorodskiy 1989); now only
one colony at Sharyzhalgay Cape: 20-25 pairs in 1968
(Starikov 1974); population size increased from 60-70
pairs in 1978-1979 (Belozerov and Bogorodskiy 1979,
Pyzh’yanov 1977, Bogorodskiy 1981) to 1 50 pairs in 1985
(Pyzh’yanov et al. 1989); arrival at Sharyzhalgay Cape in
first ten days of April (Bogorodskiy 1989); colony of c. 100
pairs at Orso Cape in early 1970s (Starikov 1974) and
c. 10-15 pairs in 1980s (Skryabin et al. 1991); c. 10-15
pairs at Shagan-Zoba Cape in 1 980s (Skrvabin etal. 1991).
SD: common breeder, population of c. 1 ,500-3,000 pairs
in 1977-late 1990s (Mel’nikov 1984a, Pyzh’yanov et al.
1989, Skryabin etal. 1991, Fefelov etal. 2001); arrives in
spring in late March-early April (Gusev 1 960b, Skryabin
and Razmakhnina 1978, Skryabin et al. 1991, Tupitsyn
1999, Fefelov et al. 2001); most migrants depart mid-
August-mid-September, although a few stay until late
October (Skryabin and Razmakhnina 1978, Fefelov et al.
2001). SEB: numerous colonies at Proval Bay were flooded
by Irkutsk Dam in late 1950s (Starikov 1974). Note: Total
numbers at LB were c.3,300 pairs in 1977, 4,460 pairs in
1985, and 7,200-7,800 pairs in 1995 (Pyzh’yanov 1987,
1996, Pyzh’yanov et al. 1989, Pyzh’yanov and Tupitsyn
1998; see also Skryabin 1977a). The breeding colony on
Chayachiy Islet was submerged when the Irkutsk Dam
raised water level in LB (see Molozhnikov 1974).
Assessment: Widespread common breeder, common
spring and autumn migrant. Remarks: Birds migrate from
LB along the Amur, reaching Sakhalin by September and
wintering in Korea and China (Skryabin et al. 1991,
Pyzh’yanov 1996, 1998b, 2000b). Taxonomy: Within
the Larus argentatus-cachitinans-fuscus-compXex,
populations inhabiting Mongolia and adjacent parts of
Asia represent a well-defined form, mongolicus (e.g. Sushkin
1925, Yesou 2001, Yudin and Firsova 2002; for
morphometric data see Skryabin and Sharoglazov 1974
and Pyzh’yanov and 4’upitsyn 1992; for molecular data
see e.g. Liebers 2001, 2004). This form has been
traditionally included in argentatus , but has been recently
considered a subspecies of cachinnans (e.g. Inskipp et al.
1996, Yudin and Firsova 2002, Dickinson 2003,
Stepanyan 2003, Koblik etal. 2006), vegae or smithsonianus
(e.g. Sangster et al. 2007, Collinson et al. 2008), or a full
species (e.g. Yesou 2001, Brazil 2009). Usually listed in
Russian literature as L. argentatus , or less frequently as L.
cachinnans.

Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus

VAD: collected on 1 3 August 1855 (Radde 1861b: 1 14,

1863, Gagina 1960b, 1962a, identity confirmed by

Forktail 25 (2009)

Waterbirds of Lake Baikal, eastern Siberia, Russia

45

Shtegman 1936); two recorded in May (Tolchin et al.
1 974; year not given); a juvenile observed for several days
from 26 May 1976; single juveniles recorded on 9 June
and 9 September 1976 (Sadkov 1977); recorded repeatedly
(Pyzh’yanov eta/. 1997, 1998). NEB: a specimen collected
atSosnovkaon 13 October 1957 (Gagina 1960a, b, 1962).
MM: singles recorded on Yedor Islet on 9 June 1977,
Peschanka village on OFkhon Island on 6 June 1 978, and
Khunyk Islet on 24 July 1978 (Pyzh’yanov et al. 1979);
recorded repeatedly (Pyzh’yanov etal. 1997, 1998). SWB:
vagrant at Kultuk (Dybowski and Godlewski 1 870). SD:
a juvenile recorded at Posol’skiy Lake in September 1972
(A. Gilevichin Sadkov 1977); singles recorded on 1 1 June
1977 and 22 July 1981 (Mel’nikov 1998a — this source is
incorrectly cited by Fefelov et al. 2001); one collected at
Galutay Channel on 12 May 1984 (V. Zhuravlev and V.
Podkovyrov in Fefelov al. 2001); one immature observed
on an islet in Kharay-Irimskaya Bay on 2 July 1994 (Fefelov
etal. 2001). Note: One collected in southern LB on 8 June
1971 (Tolchin etal. 1974; locality not given). Assessment:
Rare visitor.

Ivory Gull Pagophila ebumea

Near Threatened. NWB: one seen in a flock of Mew
Gulls at Pokoyniki on 30 May 1 998 (Olovyannikova 1 999,
Popov etal. 2002). NEB: one recorded at Bol’shaya Delta
on 13 July 1992 (Ananin 1995). Assessment: Vagrant.
Remarks: Not listed by Inskipp et al. (1996).

Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla
NEB: a juvenile collected at Sosnovka on 22 September
1940 (Gagina 1960a, 1962a, Vasil’chenko 1982). SEB:
repeatedly observed on LB shores in Baykal’skiy Reserve
mid-September-20 October 1976, with flocks numbering
up to 50 individuals (Vasil’chenko 1982); an injured
female found at Mishikha Delta on 19 November 1976
(Vasil’chenko 1982, 1987). Assessment: Vagrant.

Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica
SD : several juveniles seen and one collected in July-August
1964 (Bogorodskiy 1 976); a juvenile collected in KhirePda
Channel on 22 July 1973; an adult and a weakly flying
juvenile observed in Galutay Channel on 12 August 1979,
breeding assumed (Mel’nikov 2000a). Assessment: Rare
visitor, exceptional breeding in SD is probable.

Caspian Tern Sterna caspia

NWB: single birds seen in Zavorotnaya Bay on 21 June
1996 and 5 July 1998, and a few individuals regularly
observed in Pokoynaya Bay in June-July in late 1990s
(Olovyannikova 2000b, Popov et al. 2002); two seen at
Tyya Delta on 9 June 2005 (Hellstrom 2005). VAD: first
recorded in July-August 1972 (Tolchin et al. 1974);
regularly recorded in subsequent years (Sadkov 1977b,
Tolchin etal. 1979); probable breeding recorded in 1977
(Tolchin etal. 1979); four seen on Yarki Island on 5 June
2005 (Hellstrom 2005); one seen at Zaimka River on 9
June 2008 (Bray etal. 2008). NEB: recorded on migration
(Ananin and Fedorov 1988). MM: one recorded on
Bol’shoy Toynak Islet in 1933 (Gagina 1961) or 1934
(Gagina 1958b); four recorded in 1975-1978 (Pyzh’yanov
et al. 1979); up to 22 seen in Sarma Delta in July-August
2002 (Anthes et al. 2004). SNI: one recorded in
Barguzinskiy Bay near Kedrovka on 2 August 1991 (JM
in Heyrovsky etal. 1 992); four seen above Barguzin River

in Ust’-Barguzin on 21 August 1991 (T. Koutny in
Heyrovsky et al. 1992); two seen in Barguzin Bay at
Kedrovka on 26 June 1993 (JM); one seen in southern
Chivyrkuyskiy Bay on 1 July 1993 (MS) and three seen
there on 5 July 1 993 (JM); eight seen at Ust’-Barguzin on
14 July 2005 (JM, PS). SWB: one seen flying at Kultuk
on 8 May 1995 (PS) . SEB: one seen on LB shores between
Gremyachinsk and Turka on 3 June 1993 (JM) . SD: first
records in 1974, first three breeding colonies found at
Krivaya Channel in 1977 (Mel’nikov 1979a, 1998b);
population varies from c.350 to 800 adults (Mel’nikov
1979a, 1998b, Tupitsyn 1991, Fefelov et al. 2001);
breeding since 1977 in Kharay-Irim Channel; breeding
on Karga-Bab’ya Island, 1988-1993 (Fefelov and
Baskakov 2001); spring arrival in late April, autumn
departure before mid-August, last individual seen on 20
September (Mel’nikov 1979a, Fefelov et al. 2001).
Assessment: Common breeder in SD from mid-1970s,
uncommon visitor elsewhere. Taxonomy: Often listed
as Hydroprogne tschegrava in Russian literature.

Common Tern Sterna hirundo

Pre-1850: common (Georgi 1775). NWB: one observed
in Zavorotnaya Bay for two weeks in late August 1996,
four seen and a nest found in Zavorotnaya Bay in June
1997, one and two birds recorded there on 28 May and
4 June 1998, respectively, but no signs of breeding
observed (Olovyannikova 1998, Popov et al. 2002);
regularly seen in very small numbers on autumn migration
in 1990s (Olovyannikova 1998). VAD: recorded in 1855
(Radde 1863 under S', macrura)-, common breeder, spring
arrival in late May-early June (Mel’nikov and Sadkov

1977, Sadkov 1977a). NEB: adult male collected at
Sosnovka on 15 August 1914 (Shtegman 1936). MM:
uncommon summer visitor to Ol’khon Island (Litvinov
and Gagina 1977); recorded in Sarma Delta on 13 August

1978, 22 August 1961 and 1 September 1961
(Bogorodskiy 1989); breeds in Sarma Delta since 1982,
and also bred in 1 998 on Bol’shoy Toynak islet and on a
nearby unnamed rock (Pyzh’yanov 1999); common in
Sarma Delta in July-August 2002 and August 2003
(Anthes et al. 2004). UI: one recorded on 18 July 1979
(Yumov 1990). SNI: common breeder (Gusev 1960a,
Gagina 1960b, Mel’nikov and Sadkov 1977); breeding
recorded at Arangatuy Lake in 1978, with c. 70 pairs there
in 1979 (Yegorov 1980); common breeder in 1991
(Heyrovsky et al. 1992), and 1993 (JM, PS); recorded at
Barmashevyye Lakes on 12 June 2001 (JM, PS); 2-4
pairs recorded in the Bol’shoy Chivyrkuy Delta on 16-1 9
June 200 1 QM, PS); a few pairs recorded at Ust’-Barguzin
on 28 June 2001 and on 14 July 2005 QM, PS). SWB:
recorded at Kultuk (Taczanowski 1873, 1893); breeding
recorded at Anga Delta in 1 983 (Bogorodskiy 1 989); two
recorded at Goloustnaya Delta on 19 August 1974 and
one there on 10 August 1981 (Bogorodskiy 1989). SD:
common breeder, population varies from c.120 to 1,770
adults (Mel’nikov 1988a, Fefelov etal. 2001); spring arrival
around mid-May, most leaving SD by mid-September,
but a few stay until mid-October (Mel’nikov and Sadkov
1977, Skryabin and Razmakhnina 1978, Fefelov et al.
2001). Assessment: Widespread and common breeder,
common spring and autumn migrant. Taxonomy:
Dement’yev (1951b) and others (e.g. Vaurie 1965,
Dickinson 2003, Stepanyan 2003, Koblik et al. 2006)
assigned LB birds to the subspecies minussensis, which

46

JIRI MLIKOVSKY

Forktail 25 (2009)

they considered an intergrade between the western lighter-
coloured, red-billed hirundo, and the eastern darker-
coloured, black-billed longipennis. However, all of several
hundred individuals I observed in SNI in 1 991-2005 had
black bills, and Fefelov et al. (2001) made the same
observation in SD. Hence, Common Terns breeding at
LB seem to be pure longipennis.

Little Tern S tenia albifrons

SWB: one seen at Bol’shaya Rechka on 7 June 1989
(SOF 1989). SD: one recorded on 11 June 1977, five
recorded in 1977, and two on 3 June 1978 (Mel’nikov
1 979a) ; a nest found at Galunchika Channel in June 1 979
(Mel’nikov 2000a); regularly observed until 1982
(Mel’nikov 2000a); a probable hybrid with 5. hirundo
found on 8 June 1978, and mixed pairs with 5. hirundo
reported (Ochagov 1982, Mel’nikov 1985b). Not
encountered after 1982 (Fefelov et al. 2001).
Assessment: Rare visitor, bred in small numbers in SD
in 1970s.

Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus
NWB or VAD or NEB: a flock of five birds seen, of
which one collected (Pyzh’yanov cru/. 1997, 1998). MM:
recorded in early 1 980s (Skryabin and Pyzh’yanov 1987).
SNI: a few individuals recorded at Ust’-Barguzin on 3
June 1993 (JM); migrants seen regularly at Kedrovka in
June 1993 (JM, MS, PS), e.g. 1 1 on 1 3 June 1 993 (JM),
c.65 on 16 June 1993 (MS), and c.50 on 22 June 1993
(JM); a nest found in marshes at Kedrovka on 27 June

1993 (MS) ; several individuals seen at Barmashevyye Lakes
on 17-18 June 1994 (PS); several seen at Kedrovka on
19-20 July 1994 and one seen at Kopeshka on 3 August

1994 (JM). SWB: Not recorded, but said to occur
occasionally because observed at Irkutsk in 1987 and
1 993, and these birds were believed to be stragglers from
SD population (Mel’nikov 2001c). SD: recorded in 1 973
(Mel’nikov 1 998 j); first recorded breeding in 1974
(Mel’nikov 1979a, 1988a, 1998b); maximum counts were
c.450 pairs in 1979 and c.200 pairs in 1991 (Mel’nikov
1 998a, b,h,j, Fefelov et al. 2001), but fewer than 10 pairs
in 1981-1982 (Mel’nikov 1988a, 1998j); arrives during
late May-early June, most leaving by mid-August,
although some may stay until mid-September (Skryabin
and Razmakhnina 1978, Mel’nikov 1979a, 1998), Fefelov
et al. 2001). Assessment: Uncommon breeder in SD
since 1970s, uncommon visitor elsewhere. Remarks:
Range expansion in LB region is supported by data from
Khubsugul Lake, north-western Mongolia, where it also
started to breed in 1970s (Sum’yaa and Skryabin 1989).
Taxonomy: Birds breeding at LB belong to the eastern
Asian subspecies javanicus (Zubakin 1988, Mel’nikov
1998), Fefelov and Baskakov 2001, Stepanyan 2003).

Black Tern Chlidonias niger

SD: recorded on spring migration in 1960s (Izmaylov
and Borovitskaya 1973), single pairs recorded in 1974-
1978 (Mel’nikov 1988a, 1989, 1998b, 2000a, Mel’nikov
and Pronkevich 1991a); not recorded after 1979
(Mel’nikov 1 998b, 2000a, Fefelov et al. 200 1 ); one seen
at Istomino on 29 May 2008 (Holmstedt 2008).
Assessment: Rare visitor, occasional breeder in 1970s
(SD) . Remarks: Nearest breeding is in Irkut valley near
Irkutsk west of LB, where small numbers have bred since
1983 (Bogorodskiy 1989, Mel’nikov 1989).

White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus
VAD: recorded breeding (Skryabin 1967a); common
breeder, arrives in spring on 22-25 May (Mel’nikov 1977);
rather common at Nizhneangarsk on 4-8 June 1991
(Olsson 1991); two seen north of Yarki Island on 5 June
2005 (Hellstrom 2005). NWB: a flock of six flew south
at Davsha village on 16 September 1976 (Belyaev 1980);
rare migrant (Ananin and Fedorov 1988). MM:
uncommon spring migrant on 20 May-25 June
(Pyzh’yanov et al. 1979); up to four recorded in Sarma
Delta in mid-July 2002 and common there on migration
in mid-August 2003 (Anthes et al. 2004). SNI: recorded
breeding (Skryabin 1967a); common breeder in 1991
(Heyrovsky etal. 1992), 1993 and 1994 (JM, PS); several
hundred seen at Ust’-Barguzin on 3 June 1 993 (PS); last
individuals left marshes at Kedrovka on 18 August in
1 994 (JM); 1 5-20 seen at the Barguzin estuary on 2 July
1998 and abundant in marshes at Kedrovka on 9 June
1998 (PS). SWB: recorded at Kultuk (Taczanowski
1893); recorded at Bol’shaya Rechka on 2 June 1987 and
at Listvyanka on 3 June 1987 (Svensson and Hedgren
1987). SD: recorded on spring migration in 1960s
(Izmaylov and Borovitskaya 1973); recorded breeding
(Skryabin 1967a);rare breeder in 1974-1978 (Mel’nikov
1975, 1977, 1988a, 1989, 1998a, 2000a); common
breeder, numbers varying between 1,000 and 20,000 pairs
depending on water levels (Mel’nikov 1 998a, h, Tupitsyn
1991, Fefelov et al. 200 1 ); arrives in spring mostly on 1 6-
21 May (Mel’nikov 1977), most leaving by mid-August
(Fefelov et al. 2001). Assessment: Common breeder in
large wetlands (VAD, SNI, SD), uncommon visitor
elsewhere. No evidence that the species bred at LB prior
to 1960s.

DISCUSSION

Overall, 61 waterbird species have been recorded as
breeding at LB, of which 1 1 were recorded historically or
occasionally and no longer do so. This indicates that the
composition of the waterbird fauna of LB is less stable,
which agrees with previous studies on the local avifauna
(Dorzhiyev and Yelayev 1995b, Fefelov 1998b, 1999b,
2000a, 2003b, Dorzhiyev 2000; see also Gagina 1 962c, d,
Litvinov 1980b). During the twentieth century alone,
four waterbird species disappeared as breeders from LB,
1 5 started to breed at LB, and two started and ceased to
breed at LB. First (F) and last (L) appearance dates for
these species are as follows:

1921-1930: F - Grey Heron;

1931-1940: L - Greylag Goose;

1941-1960: F - Northern Lapwing;

1951-1960: F - Spot-billed Duck;

1961-1970: F - Smew, Asian Dowitcher, Little

Gull, White-winged Tern;

L - Great Cormorant (resumed
breeding the 2000s);

1961-1980: F - Black-necked Grebe;

1971-1980: F - Great Crested Grebe, Red¬

necked Grebe, Falcated Duck, Long¬
toed Stint, Ruff, Caspian Tern, Little
Tern, Whiskered Tern, Black Tern;
L - Swan Goose, Little Tern, Black
Tern;

1991-2000: F - Jack Snipe.

Forktail 25 (2009)

Waterbirds of Lake Baikal, eastern Siberia, Russia

47

The rate of faunal turnover seems to have been highest
during the 1960s-1970s, when the figures were 3, 13 and
2 for extirpated, newcoming and short-term breeders,
respectively. The reasons for this turnover are unclear,
but it cannot be explained by better ornithological
knowledge of LB alone. Even if inconspicuous (e.g. Long¬
toed Stint) or locally occurring (e.g. Jack Snipe) species
could have been overlooked by ornithologists, many other
species are conspicuous and easy to identify.

The reasons for these changes and for changing
numbers in many waterbird species are unclear.
Artificial water level fluctuations caused by the Irkutsk
Dam since the 1950s are often mentioned in this respect
(Skryabin 1965, 1967a, Skryabin and Tolchin 1975,
Lipin etal. 1976, Skryabin and Sadkov 1977, Podkovyrov
and Shinkarenko 1979, Mel’nikov 1981a, 1982a,
Mel’nikov etal. 1 9 84bf Podkovyrov 1986b, Kozhova and
Pavlov 1995, Fefelov 1996, 1999c), but water
levels already markedly fluctuated in LB prior to the
construction of this dam (Galaziy 1967, 1972). In
addition, overhunting and various agricultural
activities are most often mentioned as factors
negatively influencing local waterbird populations (e.g.
Adamtsevich 1975, Mel’nikova and Klimenko 1979,
Mel’nikov et al. 1983a, 1984a, Podkovyrov and
Podkovyrov 1986, Podkovyrov and Shinkarenko 1986,
Skryabin et al. 1989b, Mel’nikov 1990c, 1998a, Sadkov
1995, Fefelov 1995, 1999b, Podkovyrov 1997, 1998,
Fefelov et al. 1998, 1999c, Pyzh’yanov and Podkovyrov
1999). Recently, the impact of global climate change has
been added to these adverse factors (Fefelov 2003b).
However, direct relationships between these factors and
the disappearance or appearance of waterbird species have
not been shown.

Most waterbird species breeding in and/or regularly
migrating through LB are not of conservation concern
(see BirdLife International 2008 for their conservation
status) . Only two species are considered Vulnerable (Swan
Goose and Baikal Teal), both of which have occurred
only as vagrants at LB since the 1970s. Four species are
listed as Near Threatened, of which Falcated Duck has
occurred at LB only as vagrant since the 1970s, Black¬
tailed Godwit and Eurasian Curlew have been common
breeders at LB since the start of ornithological
observations, and Asian Dowitcher, now a locally common
breeder at LB, spread there in the 1960s. The Selenga
Delta currently seems to be the most important breeding
site for this species, although an exact assessment of its
importance is difficult because numbers of breeding pairs
are imperfectly known outside of the delta, and numbers
of breeding pairs are known to vary considerably between
years within a site.

Although avifaunistic research at LB has a long
tradition, the local waterbird fauna is still insufficiently
known. Most research has focused on easily accessible
parts of extensive wetlands in large river deltas. On the
other hand, the interior parts of marshes, remote wetlands
(especially those in the Verkhnaya Angara Delta), and
small wetlands at estuaries of small rivers and brooks are
still less explored. Hence, more research is needed to
map the breeding and non-breeding distribution of
waterbird species at LB, to assess their status, and to
understand their population dynamics. Overall, 137
waterbird species have been recorded at LB since 1800,
of which breeding was proved for 61 species, while the

remaining 76 species occur at LB only on migration, as
rare visitors or as vagrants.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

T oo many people to be named here helped me in a variety of ways during
my expeditions to LB and during the long preparation of this paper. My
special thanks go to Petr Styblo, who discovered LB for me, and for his
essential help in organising my trips to Buryatia. For permission to work
in the Zabaykal’skiy National Park and for additional help I thank A.
Beketov, V. Mel’nikov and E. Ovdin. I had the privilege to meet or
correspond with many Buryat and Russian ornithologists working at LB,
to whom I am grateful, including Ts. Dorzhiyev, I. Fefelov, V. F. Lyamkin,
N. Mel’nikova, S. Pyzh’yanov, V. Salovarov, E. Yelayev and B. Yumov.
Unpublished observations were kindly supplied by J. Malina, P. Lumpe,
M. Salek, T. Schubert, V. Svieeka, F. Zicha and in particular P. Styblo.
T. Tyrberg kindly sent me unpublished trip reports of Scandinavian
birdwatchers. My work in the ornithological collections of the Museum
and Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw,
Poland, was kindly facilitated by Wioletta Tomaszewska and Dominika
Mierzwa . I am grateful to Igor F efelov, Axel Braunlich and two anonymous
referees for valuable comments on the manuscript. Stuart Butchart and
Nigel Collar generously devoted much time to the editing of the typescript
into its final version. My expedition to Buryatia in 1991 was supported
in part by a grant from FFPS. The preparation of the manuscript was
supported in part by a grant from the Ministry of Culture of the Czech
Republic (MK 00002327201).

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Forktail 25 (2009)

Waterbirds of Lake Baikal, eastern Siberia, Russia

55

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (1989) Rasprostraneniyeiekologiyachernoykrachki
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122-124 in V. D. Sonin, ed. Redkiye zhivotnye Irkutskoy oblasti:
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Grebe], Pp. 146-149 in V. D. Sonin, ed. Redkiye zhivotnye Irkutskoy
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Province: terrestrial vertebrates]. Irkutsk, Russia:
Oblinformpechat’. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (1993e) Aziatskiy bekasovidnyy veretennik [Asian
Dowitcher]. Pp. 159-162 in V. D. Sonin, ed. Redkiye zhivotnye
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Oblinformpechat’. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (1994) Otvlekayushchiye demonstratsii aziatskogo
bekasovidnogo veretennika Limnodromus semipalmatus v gnezdovoy
period [Distraction display of the Asian Dowitcher Limnodromus
semipalmatus in the breeding season] . Russkiy Omitologicheskiy
Zhumal 3: 31-46. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (1996) Novye nakhodki redkikh ptits v Priangar’ye
[New records of rare birds in Priangar’ye] . Russkiy Omitologicheskiy
Zhumal 5(2): 3-7. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (1997a) Redkiye vidy gusey na territorii Pribaykal’ya:
rasprostraneniye i kharakter prebyvaniya [Rare species of geese in
Pribaykal’ye: distribution and occurrence] . Russkiy Omitologicheskiy
Zhumal 6(21): 14-22. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (1997b) Kazarki v Pribaykal’ye: zalety ill migratsii?
[Red-breasted Geese in Pribaykal’ye: vagrants or migration?].
Vestnik Irkutskoy Gosudarstvennoy Sel’ skokhozy ay stvennoy Akademii
6: 19-32. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (1997c) Opyt otlova, kol’tsevaniya i tsvetnogo
mecheniya aziatskogo bekasovidnogo veretennika ( Limnodromus
semipalmatus) [An attempt at catching, ringing and colour-marking
of Asian Dowitcher ( Limnodromus semipalmatus) . Pp. 1 17-125 in
A. P. Savchenko, ed. Fauna i ekologiya nazemnykh pozvonochnykh
Sibiri [Fauna and ecology of terrestrial vertebrates of Siberia].
Krasnoyarsk, Russia: Krasnoyarskiy gosudarstvennyy universitet.
[In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (1998a) Faktory mnogoletney dinamiki naseleniya
ptits ozerno-bolotnykh biogeotsenozov [Factors influencing multi¬
year population dynamics of wetland birds]. Vestnik Irkutskoy
Gosudarstvennoy Sel’skokhozy ay stvennoy Akademii 12: 26-28. [In
Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (1998b) Ornitologicheskiye nakhodki v del’te reki
Selengi (Yugo-Zapadnoye Zabaykal’ye) [Ornithological records in
the Selenga Delta (south-western Zabaykal’ye)]. Omitologiya 28:
104-107. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (1998c) Sovremennoye sostoyaniye kraevykh
populyatsiy utokroda Tadomav yuzhnom Predbaykal’ye [Current
status of populations of shelducks Tadorna spp. in southern
Predbaykal’ye]. Kazarka 4: 244-251. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (1998d) Vstrechi srednego pomornika Stercorarius
pomarinus na Baykale [Records of Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius
pomarinus at the Baikal] . Russkiy Omitologicheskiy Zhumal 7(38):
22. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (1998e) Population and range fluctuations of Asian
Dowitcher Limnodromus semipalmatus in the Central Asian arid
zone, International Wader Studies 10: 351-357.

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (1998f) Amerikanskiy bekasovidnyy veretennik
( Limnodromus scolopaceus ): zapadnaya granitsa areala i
vnutriaziatskiy proletnyy put’ [Long-billed Dowitcher ( Limnodromus
olopaceus ) : western distributional limits and the inner-Asian flyway] .
Trudy Baykalo-Lenskogo Gosudarstvennogo Zapovednika 1: 75-77.
[In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (1998g) Bol’shoy krokhal’ Mergus merganser w del’te
Selengi [Common Merganser Mergus merganser in the Selenga
Delta]. Russkiy Omitologicheskiy Zhumal 7(51): 30. (In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (1998h) Ob uchete bolotnykh krachek Chlidonias
[On counting terns of the genus Chlidonias \ . Russkiy Omitologicheskiy
Zhumal 7 (44): 19-22. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (1998j) Dinamikagranitsy areala beloshchekoy krachki
Chlidonias hybrida v Vostochnoy Sibiri [Dynamics of the range
limits of Whiskered T ern Chlidonias hybrida in East Siberia] . Russkiy
Omitologiocheskiy Zhumal 7(40): 19-24. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (1998k) K biologii ogar’yav del’te r. Selengi (Yuzhnyy
Baykal) [On the biology of Ruddy Shelduck in the Selenga Delta
(southern Baikal). Vestnik Irkutskoy Gosudarstvennoy
Sel’skokhozyaystvennoy Akademii 11: 41-43. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (19981) Sluchay otkrytogo gnezdovaniya ogarya v
del’te r. Selengi (Yuzhnyy Baykal) [A case of open-ground breeding
of Ruddy Shelduck in the Selenga Delta], Vestnik Irkutskoy
Gosudarstvennoy Sel’skokhozyaystvennoy Akademii 12: 26—28. [In
Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. ( 1 999a) Novye dannye o rasprostranenii kamyshnitsy
Gallinula chloropus v Pribaykal’ye [New data on the distribution of
Moorhen Gallinula chloropus in Pribaykal’ye]. Russkiy
Omitologicheskiy Zhumal 8(64): 3-6. [In Russian.]

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Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (1999b) Dinamika chislennosti serogo zhuravlya
Grusgrusv del’teSelengiCVostochnayaSibir’) [Population dynamics
of Common Crane Grus grits in the Selenga Delta (East Siberia)].
Russkiy Omitologicheskiy Zhumal 8(72): 17-25. [In Russian.]
Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (1999c) Kuhk-soroka Haematopus ostralegus - novyy
vid ornitofauny Predbaykal’ya [Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus
ostralegus- an addition to the avifauna of Predbaykal’ye], Russkiy
Omitologicheskiy Zhumal 8(71): 16-18. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (1999d) Sovremennoye sostoyaniye populyatsiy
val'dshnepa Scolopax rusticola v Vostochnoy Sibiri [Current status
of populations of the Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola in East
Siberia] . Russkiy Omitologicheskiy Zhumal 8(62): 9 14. [In Russian.]
Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (2000a) Novye materialy o faune ptits del’ty reld
Selengi (Yuzhnyy Baykal) [New data on the avifauna of the Selenga
Delta (southern Baikal)] . Russkiy Omitologicheskiy Zhumal9(\02):
3-19. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (2000b) Novye materialy o tolstoklyuvom zuyke
Charadrius leschenaultii v Pribaykal’ye [New data on the Greater
Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii in Pribaykal’ye] . Russkiy
Omitologicheskiy Zhumal 9(110): 10-12. [In Russian.]

Mel'nikov, Yu. I. (2000c) Ovstrechakh kudryavogo pelikana Pelecanus
crispus na territoni Pnbaykal’ya [On the occurrence of the Dalmatian
Pelican Pelecanus crispus in Pribaykal’ye] . Russkiy Omitologicheskiy
Zhumal 9(110): 21-22. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (2000d) Belyy gus’ na territorii Pribaykal’ya [Snow
Goose in Pribaykal’ye]. Pp. 173-177 in Ts. Z. Dorzhiyev, ed.
Ornitologicheskiye issledovaniya v Rossii [Ornithological studies in
Russia]. Vol. 2. Ulan-Ude, Russia: Izdatel’stvo Buryatskogo
gosudarstvennogo universiteta. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (2000e) Kasatkav Vostochnoy Sibiri: rasprostranenie,
chislennost’, biologiya [Falcated Teal in East Siberia: distribution,
numbers, biology], Kazarka 6: 261-282. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (2000f) Kholodnye zimovki vodoplavayushchikh i
okolovodnykh ptits v verkhnem techenii Angary: sovremennyy
status, sostoyaniye i okhrana [Wintering localities of aquatic and
wading birds at the upper reaches of the Angara: current status,
situation and conservation] . Russkiy Omitologicheskiy Zhumal
9(109): 16-20. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (2000g) Kolpitsa Plaralea leucorodia v Pribaykal’ye
[Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia in Pnbaykal’ye], Russkiy
Omitologicheskiy Zhumal 9(104): 22-23. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (2000h) O zaletakh flamingo Phoenicoptems roseus v
Pnbaykal’ye [On vagrant Greater Flamingos Phoenicoptems roseus
in Pribaykal’ye] . Russkiy Omitologicheskiy Zhumal 9(96): 20-23.
[In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (2000j) O yuzhnoy granitse areala krasnozoboy gagary
Gavia stellata v Vostochnoy Sibiri [On the southern range limits of
Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata in East Siberia], Russkiy
Omitologicheskiy Zhumal 9(94): 19-22. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (2000k) Ogar’ Tadorna ferruginea v lesostepi
Predbaykal’ya: chislennost’ i raspredeleniye na rubezhe XX i XXI
w. [Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea in forest-steppe of
Predbaykal’ye: numbers and distribution at the transition between
the twentieth and twenty-first centuries] . Russkiy Omitologicheskiy
Zhumal 9(90): 27-31. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (20001) Osobennosti ucheta chislennosti
vodoplavayushchikh ptits na Angarskikh zimovkakh [Peculiarities
of counting aquatic birds at Angara winter sites], Pp. 33-40 in
Inventarizatsiya, monitoring i okhrana klyuchevykh omitologicheskikh
territoriy Rossii [Inventarisation, monitoring and conservation of
key ornithological sites of Russia]. Vol. 2. Moscow. [In Russian.]
Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (2001a) O yuzhnoy granitse areala lutka Mergus albellus
v Vostochnoy Sibiri [On the southern range limits of Smew Mergus
albellus in East Siberia] . Russkiy Omitologicheskiy Zhumal 10(155):
691-694. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (2001b) Garshnep Lymnocryptes minima na yuge
Vostochnoy Sibiri: novye materialy o migratsiyakh [Jack Snipe
Lymnocryptes minima in southern East Siberia: new data on migration] .
Russkiy Omitologicheskiy Zhumal 10(146): 458-462. [In Russian.]
Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (2001c) Chislennost’, rasprostraneniye i migratsii
gummenika na yuge Vostochnoy Sibiri [Numbers, distribution and
migration of Bean Goose in southern East Siberia] . Trudy Baykalo-
Lenskogo Gosudarstvennogo Prirodnogo Zapovednika 2: 82-100. [In
Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (2002) Osnovnyye tendentsii izmeneniya chislennosti
i areala serogo zhuravlya na yuge Vostochnoy Sibiri [Trends in the
numbers and distribution of Common Crane in southern East
Siberia]. Pp. 93-106 in V. V. Morozov and E. I. Il’yashenko, eds.
Zhuravli Evrazii: raspredelenie, chislennost’ , biologia [Cranes of
Eurasia: distribution, numbers, biology]. Moscow: Rabochaya
gruppa po zhuravlyam Evrazii. [ In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (2003) Migratsii fifi Tringa glareola v Pribaykal’ye
[Migration of Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola in Pribaykal’ye].
Russkiy Omitologicheskiy Zhumal 12(248): 1443-1450. [InRussian.]
Mel’nikov, Yu. I. (2007) The migration routes of the waterfowl and
their protection in Baikal Siberia. Pp. 357-362 in G. C. Boere, C.
A. Galbraith and D. A. Stroud, eds. Waterbirds around the world.
Edinburgh, U.K.: The Stationary Office.

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. and Lysikov, S. I. (1983) O khishchnichestve
chaykovykh ptits na Y uzhnom Baykale [On predatory habits of gulls
and terns at southern Baikal], Byulleten’ Moskovskogo Obshchestva
Ispytateley Prirody, Otdel Bio/ogii 88(5): 21-28. [In Russian.]
Mel’nikov, Yu. I. and Mel’nikova, N. I. (1992) Serebristaya chayka i
izucheniye yeye roli v ekosistemakh [Herring Gull and the study of
its role in ecosystems], Pp. 105-108 in Serebristaya chayka:
rasprostranenie, sistematika, ekologiya [Herring Gull: distribution,
systematics, ecology]. Stavropol’: Izdatel’stvo Stavropol’skogo
pedagogicheskogo instituta. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. and Mel’nikova, N. I. (1995) Vstrechimoevkiirozovoy
chayki vnutri aziatskogo kontinenta [Records of Black-legged
Kittiwake and Ross’s Gull in the interior of the Asian continent] .
Omitologiya 26: 190-191. [InRussian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. and Mel’nikova, N. I. (2000) Novye nakhodki redkikh
ptits na yuge Vostochnoy Sibiri [New records of rare birds in
southern East Siberia], Pp. 177-181 in Ts. Z. Dorzhiyev, ed.
Ornitologicheskiye issledovaniya v Rossii [Ornithologicals tudies in
Russia]. Vol. 2. Ulan-Ude, Russia: Izdatel’stvo Buryatskogo
gosudarstvennogo universiteta. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. and Pronkevich, V. V. (1991a) Novye dannye o
granitse areala chernoy krachki v Vostochnoy Sibiri [New data on
distributional limits of Black Tern in East Siberia] . Omitologiya 25:
164-165. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. and Pronkevich, V. V. (1991b) Sezonnaya dinamika
polovoy struktury plastichnatoklyuvykh ptits Vostochnoy Sibiri
[Seasonal dynamics of the sex structure of waterfowl populations
in East Siberia], Pp. 125-133 in B. Zh. Tsyrenov, ed. Ekologiya i
fauna ptits Vostochnoy Sibiri [Ecology and fauna of birds of East
Siberia]. Ulan-Ude, Russia. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. and Reukov, V. F. (1989) Bajkalo-Lenskij zapovednik
kakrezervat okolovodnykh ptits Pribajkal’ya [Baykal-Lena Reserve
as as a reserve of wading birds of Pribaykal’e], Pp. 1 15-1 18 in
Sovershenstvovaniye khozyaystvennogo mekhanizma v okhotnich ’yem
khozyaystve [Improving economic mechanisms in game
management] . Irkutsk, Russia: Irkutskiy sel’sko-khozyastvennyy
institut. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. andSadkov, V. S. (1977) Materialy po razmnozheniyu
rechnoy krachki oz. Baykal [Data on the reproduction of Common
Tern at Lake Baikal], Pp. 92-109 in N. G. Skryabin, ed. Ekologiya
ptits Vostochnoy Sibiri [Ecology of birds of East Siberia]. Irkutsk,
Russia. [In Russian.]

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Waterbirds of Lake Baikal, eastern Siberia, Russia

57

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. and Shcherbakov, I. 1. (1988) Sovremennoye
sostoyaniye zimovki okolovodnykh ptits v istoke r. Angary [Current
status of wintering wading birds at the outflow of the Angara River] .
Pp. 65-72 in Promyslovye zhivotnye i povysheniye effektivnosti
proizvodstva okhotnich’yego khozyaystva [Game animals and the
increase of the effectivity of production in game industry] . Irkutsk,
Russia. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. and Shcherbakov, I. I. (1989) Sistema kontrolya za
sostoyaniem zimovok vodoplavayushchikh ptits verkhnego
techeniya r. Angary [Census techniques for the assessment of the
status of aquatic birds wintering at the upper reaches of the Angara
River]. Pp. 394-395- in Vsesoyuznoye soveshchaniye po probleme
kadastra i ucheta zhivotnogo mira [All-Union symposium on the
problems of monitoring animals] . Vol. 2. Ufa, Russia. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. and Shcherbakov, I. I. (1990) Osobennosti zimnego
ucheta vodoplavayushchikh ptits v istoke r. Angary [Peculiarities of
winter counts of aquatic birds in the outflow of the Angara River] .
Pp. 38—40 in V. I. Yevsikov, ed. Resursy zhivotnogo mira Sibiri:
okhotnich’ye-promyslovye zveri i ptitsy [Resources of Siberian animals:
game mammals and birds] . Novosibirsk, Russia: Nauka. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. and Shinkarenko, A. V. (1997) Migratsii i
gnezdovaniye lebedey v del’te reki Selengi (Yuzhnyy Baykal)
[Migration and breeding of swans in the Selenga Delta] . Vestnik
Irkutskoy Gosudarstvennoy Sel’skokhozyaystvennoy Akademii 4: 1 1-
13. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. andTolchin, V. A. (1993a) Seryygus’ [Greylag Goose] .
Pp. 106-107 in V. D. Sonin, ed. Redkiye zhivotnye Irkutskoy oblasti:
Nazemnye pozvonochnye [Rare animals of the Irkusk Province:
terrestrial vertebrates]. Irkutsk, Russia: Oblinformpechat’. [In
Russian.]

Mel'nikov, Yu. I. and Tolchin, V. A. (1993b) Taezhnyy gumenmk
[Bean Goose]. Pp. 125-127 in V. D. Sonin, ed. Redkiye zhivotnye
Irkutskoy oblasti: Nazemnye pozvonochnye [Rare animals of the Irkusk
Province: terrestrial vertebrates]. Irkutsk, Russia:
Oblinformpechat’. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I. and Tolchin, V. A. (1993c) Bol’shoy veretennik
[Black-tailed Godwit]. Pp. 163-165 in V. D. Sonin, ed. Redkiye
zhivotnye Irkutskoy oblasti: Nazemnye pozvonochnye [Rare animals
of the Irkusk Province: terrestrial vertebrates] . Irkutsk, Russia:
Oblinformpechat’. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I., Shinkarenko, A. V., Zhuravlev, V. E. and Podkovyrev,
V. A. (1981) Raspredeleniye i chislennost’ seroy tsapli v del’te r.
Selengi [Distribution and numbers of Grey Heron in the Selenga
Delta]. Pp. 78-79 in V. E. Flint, ed. Razmeshcheniye i sostoyaniye
gnezdoviy okolovodnykh ptits na territorii SSSR [Distribution and
status of breeding sites of wetland birds in Russia] . Moscow: N auka.
[In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I., Konevin, S. G. and Lysikov, S. I. (1983a) Problemy
ratsional’nogo ispol’zovaniya lysukhi v del’te Selengi [Aspects of
rational use of European Coot in the Selenga Delta] . Pp. 237-238
in A. P. Kuchin, ed. Ptitsy Sibiri [Birds of Siberia] . Gorno-Altaysk,
Russia. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I., Konevin, S. G., Zakharov, S. K., Shinkarenko, A. V.
and Podkovyrov, V. A. (1 983b) Ekologiya lysukhi v del’te reki Selengi
[Ecology of the European Coot in the Selenga Delta] . Pp. 25-44 in
A. G. Yegorov, ed. Ekologiya pozvonochnykh zhivotnykh Vostochnoy
Sibiri [Ecology of vertebrates of East Siberia] . Irkutsk, Russia:
Izdatel’stvo Irkutskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I., Mel’nikova, N. I. and Vodop’yanov, B. G. (1984a)
Sovremennoye sostoyaniye chislennosti plastichnatoklyuvykh yuga
Vostochnoy Sibiri i prespektivy yeye dal’neyshikh izmeneniy
[Current status of waterfowl populations in southern East Siberia
and their possible future trends. Pp. 185-187 in Sovremennoye
sostoyaniye resursov vodoplavayushchikh ptits [Current status of
resources of aquatic birds]. Moscow. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I., Shinkarenko, A. V., Podkovyrov, V. A., Mel’nikova,
N. I. and Lysikov, S. I. (1984b) Nekotorye aspekty gnezdovaniya
vodoplavayushchikh v koloniyakh chaykovykh ptits na Yuzhnom
Baykale [Some aspects of the breeding of aquatic birds in colonies
of gulls and terns at southern Baikal] . Pp. 52-68 in V. A. Tolchin,
ed. Fauna i ekologiya ptits Vostochnoy Sibiri [Fauna and ecology of
birds of East Siberia]. Irkutsk, Russia: Izdatel’stvo Irkutskogo
gosudarstvennogo universiteta. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I., Zakharov, S. K. and Konevin, S. G. (1987a) Plotnost’
gnezdovaniya i uspeshnost’ razmnozheniya v lokal’nykh gruppakh
lysukhi [Breeding density and reproduction success in local
subpopulations of the Common Coot], Pp. 29-36 in Okhrana i
vosproizvodstvo zhivotnykh v Pribaykal’ye [Conservation and
reproduction of animals in Pribaykal’e] . Irkutsk, Russia.
Mel’nikov, Yu. I., Tolchin, V. A., Shinkarenko, A. V., Zhuravlev, V. E.
and Konevin, S. G. (1987b) Morfometricheskaya kharakteristika
aziatskogo bekasovidnogo veretennika Vostochnoy Sibiri
[Morphometric characterisation of the Asian Dowitcher in East
Siberia] . Byulleten’ Moskovskogo Obshchestva Ispytateley Prirody, Otdel
Biologicheskiy 92(6): 24-28. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I., Shcherbakov, I. I. and Testin, A. I. (1988a)
Sovremennoye sostoyaniye zimovki okolovodnykh ptits v istoke r.
Angary [Current status of wintering wading birds at the outflow of
the Angara River] . Pp. 65-72 in Promyslovye zhivotnye i povysheniye
effektivnosti proizvodstva okhotnich ’yego khozyaystva [Game animals
and the increase of the effectivity of production in game industry] .
Irkutsk, Russia. [In Russian.]

> Mel’nikov, Yu. I., Popov, V. V., Lipin, S. I., Sonin, V. D. and Durnev,
Yu. A. (1988b) O rasprostranenii zhuravley na yuge Vostochnoy
Sibiri [Distribution of cranes in southern East Siberia]. Pp. 1 68—
170 inN. M. Litvinenko and I. A. Neyfel’dt, eds. Zhuravli Palearktiki
[Cranes of the Palearctic]. Vladivostok, Russia. [In Russian.]
Mel’nikov, Yu. I., Shcherbakov, I. I., Testin, A. I., Boyko, A. V. and
Dahno, T. G. (1989) Problemy okhrany angarskikh zimovok
okolovodnykh ptits [Problems in the conservation of sites at the Angara
used by wintering wading birds]. Pp. 1 13-1 15 in Sovershenstvovaniye
khozyaystvennogo mekhanizma v okhotnich ’yem khozyaystve [Improving
economic mechanisms in game management] . Irkutsk, Russia: Irkutskiy
sel’sko-khozyastvennyy institut. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov Yu. I.,Tanichev, A. I. and Zharov, V. A. (1997) Poganki srednego
techeniya Verkhney Angary [Grebes of the middle reaches of Verkhnaya
Angara River] . Russkiy Omitologicheskiy Zhumal6(30) : 1 8-20. [In Russian.]
Mel’nikov, Yu. I., Shcherbakov, I. I., Testin, A. I ., Boyko, A. V.,
Radnayeva, E. A. and Mel’nikova, N. I. (1998) Moryanka na
“kholodnykh zimovkakh” okolovodnykh ptits Pribaykal’ya [Long¬
tailed Duck at wintering sites in Pribaykal’ye] . Pp. 224-228 in E. N.
Kurochkin, ed. Sovremennaya omitologiya 1 998 [Current ornithology
1998], Moscow: Nauka. [In Russian.]

Mel’nikov, Yu. I., Osipova, M. A., Golovushkin, M. I. and Moskvitin, S. S.
(2000) O morfometricheskoy izmenchivosti aziatskogo bekasovidnogo
veretennika {Limnodromus semipalmatus) [On morphological variation
in Asian Dowitcher ( Limnodromus semipalmatus) . Pp. 148-159 in Ts.
Z. Dorzhiev, ed. Omitologicheskiy eissledovaniy a vRossii [Ornithological
studies in Russia] . Vol. 2. Ulan-Ude, Russia: Izdatel’stvo Buryatskogo
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Mel’nikova N. I. (1983) Chislennost’ i struktura naseleniya
vodoplavayushchikh ptits Pribaykal’ya [Numbers and population
structure of aquatic birds of Pribaykal’ye] . Pp. 42-45 in A. P. Kuchin,
ed. Ptitsy Sibiri [Birds of Siberia] . Gorno-Altaysk, Russia. [In Russian.]
Mel’nikova, N. I. and Klimenko, N. M. (1979) Nekotorye cherty ekologii
vodoplavayushchikh del’tyr. Selengi [Aspects of the ecology of aquatic
birds of the Selenga Delta]. Pp. 31-48 inN. G. Skryabin, ed. Ekologiya
ptits basseyna oz. Baykal [Ecology of birds of the Lake Baikal Basin] .
Irkutsk, Russia: Izdatel’stvo Irkutskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta.
[In Russian.].

58

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Jiri Mlikovsky, Department of Zoology, National Museum, Vaclavske namesti 68, CZ-115 79 Praha 1, Czech Republic;
E-mail: jiri. mlikovsky@nm. cz

APPENDIX 1

List of toponyms. Each entry includes the following data: (a) name of the locality transliterated from the Cyrillic
original using the transliteration rules of PGN/PCGN 1947; (b) name of the same locality transliterated using the
transliteration rules of GOST 1983 (equals UN 1987), and ISO 9: 1995 (equals GOST 2000), added in parentheses
only if different from the PGN/PCGN style; (c) type of locality; (d) LB segment, see text and Fig. 1 for the definition
(‘E’ stands for extralimital locality); and (e) coordinates in decimal degrees (not given if the locality was not exactly
located). The number in brackets before each locality corresponds to the numbered locality on the map.

(1 )Abramikha(Abramiha), river, SD.51.91 106.14;(2)Adunovskaya(Adunovskaja, Adunovskaa), channel. SD, 52.30 106.80; (3 ) Alimasovo. settlement.
SD, 52.07 106.22;(4)Anga,river,SWB,52.78 106.55;(5)Angara,river,SWB,51.88 1 04.82; (6) Angarakan, Angarakan, channel, VAD, 55.83 1 10.20;
(7) Angarsk, Angarsk, settlement, E, 52.54 103.89; (8) Arangatuy ( Arangatuj ), lake, SNI, 53.57 109.05; (9) Arul, cape, MM, 53.46 107.54; ( 10) Baklaniy
(Baklanij), islet, SNI, 53.68 109. 13; ( 1 1 ) Baklaniy Kamen’ (Baklanij Kamen'), islet, SWB, 52.24 105.68; ( 12)Balandino, settlement. E, 54.67 98.09; (13)
Barguzin, river, SNI, 53.42 1 08.99; ( 14) Barguzin, settlement, E, 53.62 109.63; (1 5) Barguzinskiy(Barguzinskij),bay. SNI, 53.45 108.80; ( 16) Barmashevoye
(Barmasevoe), lake, SNI, 53.46 109.01; ( 17) Barmashevyye(Barmasevye), lakes, SNI. 53.46 109.01;( 1 8) Baykalsk (Bajkalsk), settlement, SEB. 5 1 .52
104. 15; ( 19)Baykal’skiy Priboy (Bajkal’skij Priboj), settlement, SEB, 5 1 .93 106.19; (20) Baykalskoye(Bajkal'skoe), settlement, NWB. 55.37 109. 19;
(21 )Beloye, lake, E, 5 1.54 107.04; (22) Belyy Kamen’ (Belyj Kamen'), islet, SNI, 53.71 109. 15; (23 (Bludnoye(Bludnoe), lake, VAD. 55.90 109.95; (24)
Bol'shayaKosa(Bol’sajaKosa, Bol’saaKosa),cape,NWB,54.77 108. 84; (25) Bol’shayaRechka(Bol’saja Recka, BoP saaRecka), settlement, NEB, 5 1.95
104.75;(26)BoPshayaRechka(BoPsajaRecka. Bol’saa Recka), river, NEB, 5 1.95 104.75; (27) Bol’shayaRechka(BoPsaja Recka, BoP saaRecka), river,
SD, 5 1 .99 106. 18; (28) Bol’shiyeKoty (Bol'sie Koty), settlement, SWB, 5 1 .90 105.07; (29) Bol’shoy Chivyrkuy (Bol'soj Civyrkuj ), river, SNI. 53.82
109.22; (30) Bol'shoy Mamay ( Bol’soj Marnaj), river, SEB, 51.51 104.95; (3 1 ) Bol’shoy Solontsovyy (Bol’soj Soloncovyj ). cape. NWB, 54. 17 108.36;
(32) Bol’shoy Toynak (Bol’soj Tojnak), islet. MM, 53.08 106.84; (33) Bol’shoy Ushkan’i (Bol’soj Uskan’i), island. UI, 53.85 108.63; (34) Bol’shoye
Goloustnoye(Bol’soe Goloustnoe). settlement. SWB. 52.04 105.41 ; (35) Borgadagan, islet, MM. 53. 16 107.00; (36) Borgoy (Borgoj), settlement, E, 50.74
105.84; (37) Chara (Cara), river, E, 58.77 1 18. 13; (38) Chasovenskiy (Casovenskij), channel, SD, 52.31 1 06.37; (39) Chasovenskiy (Casovenskij), lake,
SD, 52.31 106.37; (40) Chasovenskiye(Casovenskie), lakes, SD. 52.31 106.37;(41)Chayachiy(Cajacij,Caacij), islet, SD.52.13 106.24; (42 )Chayachiy
(Cajacij.Caacij), islet, SNI;(43)Cherkalovskiy(Cerkalovskij), lake. SD, 52. 1 5 1 06.25; (44) Chivyrkuyskiy (Civyrkujskij). bay, SNI. 53.62 109. 10; (45)

68

JIRJ MLIKOVSKY

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segments

NWB

Figure 1 . Map of Lake Baikal showing localities mentioned in the text. Numbers of localities correspond to those given in Appendix 1 . An inserted
map shows segments used in the text. MM - Maloye More; NEB - north-eastern LB; NWB - north-western LB; SD - Selenga Delta; SEB - south¬
eastern LB; SNI - Svyatoy Nos; SWB - south-western LB; UI - Ushkan’i Islands; VAD - Verkhnaya Angara Delta.

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Dagary, settlement, VAD, 55.70 109.90; (46) Davsha (Davsa), settlement, NEB, 54.35 109.50; (47) Dolgiy (Dolgij), island, UI, 53.86 108.71 ; (48)
Dushkachan (Duskacan), settlement, VAD, 55.83 109.65; (49) Dushun(Dusun), channel, VAD; (50) Frolikha(Frolicha, Froliha), river, NEB, 55.52 109.87:
(51) Galunchika(Galuncika), channel, SD; (52) Galunchiki (Galunciki), sable, SD; (53) Galutay (Galutaj), channel, SD, 52.29 1 06.30; (54) Glukhaya
(Gluchaja, Gluhaa), channel, SD; (55) Goloustnaya(Goloustnaja, Goloustnaa), river, SWB, 52. 04 1 05.43; ( 56) Golyy (Golyj), islet, SN1, 53.78 109.09;
(57) Gremyachinsk(Gremjacinsk, Gremacinsk), settlement, SEB, 52.80 1 07.97; (58) Irkana, bay, SN I, 53.64 109. 1 6; (59) Irkut, river, E, 52.30 1 04.27;
(60) Irkutsk, settlement, E, 52.30 104.30; (6 1 ) Istok, channel, SN1, 53.63 108.99; (62) Istomino, settlement, SD, 52.13 106.30; (63) Izhilkhey ( Izilchej.
Izilhej), islet, MM, 53.27 107. 19; (64) Kabansk, settlement, SD, 52.05 106.65; (65) Kadil’nyy ( Kadil'nyj ), cape, SWB, 5 1 .92 1 05.22; (66) Kameshek-
Bezymyannyy (Kamesek-Bezymjannyj.Kamesek-Bezymannyj), islet, SNI;(67)Karbaznoye(Karbaznoe), lake, SD;(68)KargaBab’ya(KargaBab’ja.
Karga Bab’a), islet, SD, 52. 1 3 1 06.22; (69) Kedrovka, camping site, SNI, 53.56 108.94; (70) Khabartuy(Chabartuj,Elabartuj), cape, SWB, 5 1.73 103.88;
(71 ) Khakusy (Chakusys Hakusy), settlement, NEB, 55.36 109.82; (72) Khalgay (Chalgaj, Halgaj), settlement, MM, 53.25 107.53; (73) Khalmetey
(Chalmetej, Halmetej ), channel, SD; ( 74) Khalmeteyevskaya (Chalmeteevskaja, Halmeteevskaa), bay, SD; ( 75 ) Khalyun (Chaljun, Halun), channel, SD.
(76) Khamankit (Chamankit, Hamankit), cape, SEB; (77) Khamar-Daban (Chamar-Daban, Hamar-Daban), mountain range, E, 51 .30 103 106; (78)
Khankhay(Chanchaj,Hanhaj),lake, MM, 53.15 107.17;(79)Kharantsy(Charancy, Harancy), islet, MM, 53.23 1 07.41; (80) Kharay-Irimskaya (C'haraj-
Irimskaja, Haraj-Irimskaa),bay, SD; (81 ) Khaustik(Chaustik. Haustik), islet, SD, 52. 1 6 1 06.57; (82) KhireEda(Chirerda, Hirel’da), channel, SD; (83)
Khoboy(Choboj,Hoboj),cape,MM,53.41 107.79; (84) Khubsugul(Chubsugul,Hubsugul), lake, E, 51.00 1 00.50; (85) Khubyn (Chubyn, Hubyn), islet,
MM, 53. 10 1 06. 94; (86) Khulan-Ushin(Chulan-Usin,Hulan-Usin), settlement, MM; (87) Khunuk(Chunuk,Hunuk), islet, MM, 53. 09 106.86; (88) Khuzhir
(Chuzir, Huzir), settlement, MM, 53.20 1 07.34; (89) Kichera(Kicera), river, VAD, 55.95 1 10.10;(90)Klyuchikha(Kljucicha, Kluciha),bay, SD;(91)
Koby l’ya Golova (Kobyl’ja Golova, Kobyl'a Golova), cape, MM, 53.04 106.92; (92) Kocherikova (Kocerikova), settlement, MM, 53.73 107.78; (93)
Kocherikovskiy (Kocerikovskij), cape, MM, 53.79 107.95; (94) Kokuy (Kokuj), island, SD, 52.38 106.54; (95) Kolpinnaya (Kolpinnaja, Kolpinnaa).
channel, SD, 52.35 106. 52; (96) Kondakovskiy(Kondakovskij), channel, SD; (97) Kopeshka(Kopeska), island, SNI, 53.58 1 09. 1 0; (98 ) Kosheli ( Koseli ),
bay, NEB. 54.32 109.49; (99) Kosogol, lake, E, 55.55 89.76; ( 100) Kotel'nikovskiy (Kotel'nikovskij ), cape, NWB, 55.04 109.1 1; ( 101) Kovrizhka
(Kovrizka), islet, SNI, 53.62 108.97; (102) Krestovskiy (Krestovskij), cape, SWB, 52.65 106.44; ( 103) Krivaya (Krivaja, Krivaa), channel, SD; ( 104)
Kudalda, river, NEB. 54. 1 5 109.56; ( 1 05)Kudara, settlement, SD, 52.23 106.65; ( 106) Kulinoye(Kulinoe), lake, SNI, 53.62 1 08.95; ( 107) Kultuchnaya
(Kultucnaja, Kultucnaa), river, SWB. 51 .71 103.70; ( 1 08) Kultuk, settlement, SWB, 51 .72 103.68; ( 1 09) Kumora, basin, E, 55.89 1 1 1 .22; ( 1 10)Kurbulik.
settlement, SNI, 53.71 1 09.04; ( 1 1 l)Kurumkan, settlement, E, 54.33 1 10.3 1 ; ( 1 1 2) Kyakhta(Kjachta.Kahta), settlement. E, 50.35 1 06.45; ( 1 13)Listvennichnoe
(Listvennicnoe), settlement, SWB, 51.85 104.71; ( 1 14) Listvyanka (Listvjanka, Listvanka), settlement, SWB, 51.86 104.86; (115) Lobanovskaya
(Lobanovskaja, Lobanovskaa), channel, SD, 52.31 1 06.76; ( 1 16)Lokhmatyy(Lochmatyj,Lohmatyj),islet,SNI,53.81 1 09.08; ( 1 17)Maksimikha(Maksimicha,
Maksimiha), settlement, SEB, 53.26 1 08.74; ( 1 18)MalayaKosa(MalajaKosa,MalaaKosa),cape,NWB,54.71 1 08.8 1 ; ( 1 !9)MaloyeMore(MaloeMore),
region, MM; ( 1 20) Malyy Arangatuy (Malyj Arangatuj), lake, SNI, 53.60 1 08.98; ( 121 ) Malyy Chivyrkuy (Malyj Civyrkuj), river, SNI. 53.60 1 09.1 3; ( 122)
Malyy Solontsovyy(Malyj Soloncovyj), cape, NWB, 54.21 108.41; (123) Malyy Toynak (Malyj Tojnak), islet, MM, 53.07 1 06.83; (1 24 ) Marituy (Marituj ),
settlement, SWB, 5 1 .79 104.22; ( 125) Masaikha (Masaicha, Masaiha), channel, SD, 52.26 1 06.30; ( 126) Militseyskaya ( Milicejskaja. Milicejskaa).
channel, SD;( 127) Millionnyy (Millionnyj), islet, VAD, 55. 72 109.85; ( 128) Mishikha(Misicha, Misiha), river, SEB. 5 1 .64 1 05.54; ( 129) Monakhovo
(Monachovo.Monahovo), settlement. SNI, 53.67 109.01 ; ( 130)Motaikha(Motaicha, Motaiha), channel, SD; ( 13 1 ) Murzino, settlement. SD.52. 18 106.47;
( 132)Muya(Muja, Mua), river, E, 56.40 1 15.65; ( 133) Muzhinay (Muzinaj), bay, NWB, 54.87 108.91 ;( 134) Muzhinay (Muzinaj ). cape, NWB, 54.85
108.90; ( 135) Nikola, settlement, SWB, 51 .90 1 04.83; ( 136)Nikulinskaya(Nikulinskaja, Nikulinskaa), bay. SD; ( 1 37)Nizhneangarsk(Nizneangarsk),
settlement, VAD, 55.79 109.58; ( 138)Novyy Peremoy (Novyj Peremoj), channel, SD;( 139)Orkhon(OEchon, Ol’hon), island, MM, 53. 15 107.40; (140)
Ol’khoskiye Vorota(OI’chonskie Vorota, Ol'honskieVorota), strait, MM, 53.02 106.92; ( 141 ) Ol'trek, islet, MM. 53. 1 6 1 06.99; (1 42 )Ongokon. river,
SNI, 53.78 109.01 ; ( 143)Onguren, islet, MM, 53.63 107.59; ( 144) Orso, cape, SWB, 52.87 106.76; ( 145) Pereyemnaya(Pereemnaja, Pereemnaa), river,
SEB, 51 .57 105. 1 7; ( 146) Pershikha(Persicha, Persiha), channel, SD, 52.3 1 106.33; ( 147) Peschanaya(Pescanaja,Pescanaa),bay,MM, 53.29 107.58; ( 148)
Peschanaya(Pescanaja.Pescanaa), settlement, MM, 53. 29 107.58;(149)Peschanaya(Pescanaja.Pescanaa),bay, SWB, 52.26 1 05.70; ( 1 50) Pogranichnyy
(Pogranicnyj), islet, SNI; (151 )Pokoynaya(Pokojnaja, Pokojnaa), bay, NWB, 54.01 1 08.24; ( 152) Pokoyniki(Pokojniki), settlement. NWB, 54.03 108.25;
(153) Pokoynyy ( Pokojnyj), cape, NWB, 54.01 108.24; (154) Polovinnaya (Polovinnaja. Polovinnaa), river, SWB, 5 1 .80 104.35; ( 1 55 ) Polovinnyy
(Polovinnyj).cape, SWB, 5 1 .79 104.36; ( 156) Port Baykal (Port Bajkal), settlement, SWB. 51.87 104.8 1 ; ( 1 57) Posol’skiy ( Posol'skij ). lake, SD, 5 1 .95
106.15; ( 1 58) Posol’skoye(Posorskoe), settlement, SD. 52.02 106. 1 8; ( 159) Proval.bay, SEB, 52.35 1 06.75; ( 160) Ranzhurovo( Ranzurovo), settlement,
SD.52. 18 1 06.42; ( 161 ) Rytyy(Rytyj), cape, NWB, 53.84 1 08.05; ( 162)Sakhyurta(Sachjurta. Sahurta), settlement, MM, 53.02 106.88; ( 163) Sarma, river,
MM, 53.10 106.84; (164) Selenga, river, SD, 52.20 1 06.50; (165) Selenginsk, settlement, SD, 52.0 1 106.87; (166) Severnaya (Severnaja, Severnaa),
channel, SD, 52.35 106.58; ( 1 67) Severobaykal'sk(Severobajkarsk), settlement, NWB, 55.63 1 09.33; ( 168) Shagan-Zoba(Sagan-Zoba). cape, SWB; (169)
Shamanka(Samanka), channel, SD. 52.23 106.25; (170)Shamanskiy Kamen’ (Samanskij Kamen’), islet, SWB, 5 1 .87 104.82; ( 1 7 1 ) Shara-Nur(Sara-Nur),
lake, MM, 53. 10 1 07.25; (1 72 )Shargodagan(Sargodagan), islet, MM, 53. 15 106.97;(173)Shartlay(Sartlaj),cape,NWB,53.92 1 08.20; (1 74) Sharyzhalgay
(Saryzalgaj), cape, SWB, 5 1 .74 1 03. 95; (1 75) Sherashovo(Serasovo), settlement, SD, 52.26 106.70; ( 176)Shigayevo(Sigaevo), settlement, SD.52. 17
106.46; ( 1 77) Shikhty (Sichty, Sihty), lakes, SD; ( 1 78) Shirety (Sirety ), cape, SWB, 52.87 106.61 ;( 1 79) Shumilikha(Sumilicha, Sumiliha), river, SEB,
54. 14 109.55; ( 180) Slyudyanka(Sljudjanka, Sludanka), settlement, SWB. 51.66 103.71; ( 181 ) Sosnovka, river, NEB, 54.1 8 109.53; ( 1 82) Sosnovka.
settlement, NEB, 54.18 1 09.53; ( 1 83 ) Sredniy Peremoy ( Sredni j Peremoj ), channel, SD, 52.33 1 06.73; ( 1 84 ) Srednyaya ( Srednjaja, Srednaa), channel .
SWB, 52.33 105.40; (185) Svyatoy Nos(Svjatoj Nos, Svatoj Nos), isthmus, SNI, 53.55 1 09.00: (186) Svyatoy Nos(Svjatqj Nos, Svatoj Nos), peninsula,
SNI, 53.70 1 08.80; (187) Tal’tsy (Tal 'ey ), settlement, SWB. 5 1.99 1 04.67; ( 1 88) Tankhoy(Tanchoj.Tanhoj), settlement, SEB, 51 .56 105. 12; ( 1 89)Tashkay
(Taskaj), settlement, MM, 53.04 106.96; ( 1 90) Tikhoy Galutay (Tichoj Galutaj, Tihoj Galutaj ), channel, SD; (191 ) Tipuki. settlement, VAD, 55.87 1 10.05;
( 192) Tolbazhikha( Tolbazicha,Tolbaziha), river, SD, 5 1.94 106.20; ( 193 )Tolstyy (Tolstyj ), cape, SWB. 5 1 .79 104.61 ;( 194) Tompa, settlement. NEB.
55.13 1 09.75; (1 95) Tompuda, river, NEB, 55. 12 1 09.75; ( 196) Torey (Torej), lakes, E, 50. 10 1 1 5.50; ( 197) Turka, settlement, SEB, 52.95 108.22; (198)
Turkulik, river, NEB, 54.26 109.48; ( 1 99 )Tyya(Tyja,Tya), river, NWB, 55.61 109.34; (200) Ukhan(Uchan, Uhan).cape. MM, 53.07 107.40; (201 ) Ulan-
Ude (Ulan-Ude), settlement, E, 5 1.83 1 07.60; (202) Ushkan'i(Uskan'i), islands, UI, 53.85 108.70;(203)Ust'-Anginskiy(Ust’-Anginskij),bay, MM. 52.78
1 06. 56; ( 204) Ust'-Barguzin(pre- 1957), settlement, SNI, 53. 45 108.99; (205) Ust’-Barguzin (post- 1955), settlement, SNI, 53.^ 41 109.03;(206)Utulik.
settlement, SEB, 5 1.54 104.05; (207) Valukan, cape, NEB. 54.30 109.45; (208) Verkhnaya Angara (Verhnjaja Angara, Verhnaa Angara), river, VAD, 55.80
109.80;(209) VerkhnayaZaimka(VerhnjajaZaimka, VerhnaaZaimka), settlement, VAD, 55.85 1 10.15; (210) Vydrinaya(Vydrinaja, Vydrinaa), river,
SEB, 5 1.48 1 04.62; (2 1 1 ) Vydrino, settlement, SEB, 5 1 .47 104.64;(212) Yarki(Jarki, Arki), island, VAD, 55.75 109.75; (213) Yedor(Edor). islet, MM.
53.24 107.44;(214)Yelantsy(Elancy), settlement, SWB, 52.80 1 06.40; (21 5) Yepishkinaya(Episkinaja.Episkinaa), channel, SD, 52.35 106.69; (2 16)
Yezovka (Ezovka), river, NEB, 54.59 1 09.50; (2 1 7)Zaimka, river, VAD, 55.85 1 10. 14; (218) Zama, settlement, MM, 53.46 1 07.5 1 ; (2 1 9) Zavorotnaya
(Zavorotnaja.Zavorotnaa), bay, NWB, 54.28 108.47;(220)Zavotonyy(Zavorotnyj),cape,NWB,54.29 108.50; (221 )Zmeinaya(Zmeinaja,Zmeinaa),bay,
SNI, 53.77 109.02.

70

Forktail 25 (2009)

JIRI MLIKOVSKY

APPENDIX 2

List of authors’ surnames. Each entry includes the following data: (a) surname of the author transliterated from the
Cyrillic original using the transliteration rules of PGN/PCGN 1947; (b) surname of the author transliterated using
the rules of GOST 1 983 (= UN 1 987), and ISO 9:1995 (= GOST 2000), added in parentheses only if different from
the PGN/PCGN style; (c) surname of the author used by him or her in his or her non-Cyrillic papers [square brackets] .

Adamtsevich ( Adamcevic ); Alferaki [Alpheraky]; Antontseva ( Antonceva); Arkhipov (Archipov, Arhipov); Badmayev ( Badmaev ); Balduy ev ( Balduev);
Baranyuk (Baranjuk, Baranuk); Batrayeva (Batraeva); Belyaev (Beljaev, Belaev); Belyshev (Belysev); Bobrovskiy (Bobrovskij); Bogorodskiy
(Bogorodskij); Borovitskaya(Borovickaja, Borovickaa); Boyarkin (Bojarkin, Boarkin); Boyko (Bojko); Cherepanov (Cerepanov); Degtyarev (Degtjarev,
Degtarev); Dement’yev (Dement’ev) [Dementiev]; Doppel'mayr (Doppel'majr); Dorogostayskiy (Dorogostajskij); Dorzhiev (Dorziev); Dubeshko
(Dubesko); Dvoryadkin(Dvorjadkin.Dvoradkin); Dyagilev(Djagilev, Dagilev); Favorskiy (Favorskij);Galaziy (Galazij); Gilevich (Gilevic);Golovushkin
(Golovuskin); Goroshko (Gorosko); Imetkhenov (Imetchenov, Imethenov); Izmaylov (Izmajlov); Izmet’yeva (Izmet’eva); Kartashov (Kartasov);
Khabayeva (Chabaeva, Flabaeva); Khidekel’ (ChidekeF, HidekeF); Kishchinskiy (Kiscinskij, Kisinskij); Kitayskiy (Kitajskij); Knizhin (Knizin);
Korchagin (Korcagin ); Koryukin ( Korjukin, Korukin); Koshelev ( Koselev); Kozhov ( Kozov); Kozhova, Kozova, Kozova; Kroshkin (Kroskin); Kurochkin
(Kurockin); Kuznetsov (Kuznecov); Kuznetsova (Kuznecova); Ladeyshchikov (Ladejscikov, Ladejsikov); Logachev (Logacev); Lyamkin (Ljamkin,
Lamkin); Malyshev (Malysev); Matveychuk (Matvejcuk); Matveyev (Matveev); Menzbir [Menzbier]; Meshcheryakova (Mescerjakova, Meserakova);
Miteyko ( Mitejko); Mizandrontseva ( Mizandronceva); Molozhnikov ( Moloznikov); Murashov ( Murasov); Myasnikov (Mjasnikov, Masnikov); Myslitskaya
(Myslickaja, Myslickaa);Neyfel’dt(Nejfel’dt) [Neufeldt];Nikhileyeva(Nichileeva,Nihileeva);Novokhtko(Novochtko,Novohtko); Ochagov(Ocagov);
Olovyannikova (Olovjannikova, Olovannikova); Pastukhov (Pastuchov, Pastuhov); Perfil’yev (Perfil’ev); Pershin (Persin); Petrochenko (Petrocenko);
Popovskaya(Popovskaja. Popovskaa); Pozdnyakov(Pozdnjakov, Pozdnakov); Prokop’yev(Prokop’ev); Pronkevich(Pronkevic); Ptushenko(Ptusenko);
Pyzh'yanov ( Pyz' janov ); Radnayeva ( Radnaeva); Razmakhnina ( Razmachnina, Razmahnma); Razvozzhayev (Razvozzaev); Ryabcev ( Rjabcev, Rabcev);
Sharoglazov(Saroglazov); Shchepin(Scepin, Sepin); Shcherbakov (Scerbakov, Serbakov); Shikharbeyev(Sicharbeev, Siharbeev); Shimarayev(Simaraev);
Shinkarenko (Sinkarenko); Shkatulova (Skatulova); Shtegman (Stegman) [Stegmann]; Shugayev (Sugaev); Shul’pin (SuFpin); Shvetsov (Svecov);
Shvetsova (Svecova); Sirokhin (Sirochin, Sirohin); Skryabin (Skrjabm, Skrabin); Sludskiy (Sludskij); Stepantsova (Stepancova); Sum’yaa (Sum’jaa.
Sum'aa); Sushkm (Suskin); Syroechkovskiy (Syroeckovskij); Tanichev (Tanicev); Timoshenko (Timosenko); Tolchin (Tolcin); Tolchina (Tolcina);
Tomkovich (Tomkovic); Tret’yakov (Tret'jakov, Tret’akov); Tupitsyn (Tupicyn); Unzhakov (Unzakov); Vasil’chenko (Vasil’cenko); Vodop’yanov
(Vodop‘janov^ Vodop’anov); Vorob’yev (Vorob’ev); Votintsev (Votincev); Vronskiy (Vronskij); Yegorov (Egorov); Yelayev (Elaev); Yesheyev
(Eseev); Yudin (Judin. Udin); Yumov (Jumov, Umov); Zakharov (Zacharov, Zaharov); Zharov (Zarov); Zhukov (Zukov); Zhuravlev (Zuravlev).

FORKTAIL 25 (2009): 71-89

Significant recent ornithological records from
Manipur, north-east India, with an annotated checklist

ANWARUDDIN CHOUDHURY

The state of Manipur in India, a part of the Eastern Himalaya Endemic Bird Area, is a poorly known area for birds. The findings of a
recent study are documented here. Noteworthy records include some globally threatened and near-threatened species such as Blyth’s
Tragopan Tragopan blythii, Green Peafowl Pavo muticus. Rufous-necked Hornbill Aceros nipalensis and Mrs Hume’s Pheasant Symiaticus
humiae. Five species were recorded for the first time: Brown Hornbill Anorrhinus tickelli, Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius, Little
Forktail Enicurus scouleri, Baya Weaver Ploceus philippinus and Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus. An annotated checklist of all
the birds (607 species) recorded so far is also presented. Some important observations are presented in greater detail. Conservation
problems are discussed briefly and recommendations are made for protection of habitat and birds.

INTRODUCTION

The state of Manipur (23°49'-25°42'N 93°00,-94°45'E)
is located in north-east India (Fig. 1 ) . Manipur falls in the
Indo-Burma global biodiversity hotspot (Myers eta!. 2000,
Mittermeier et al. 2004) and the Eastern Himalaya
Endemic Bird Area (Stattersfield et al. 1998). It covers an
area of 22,327 km2 and is divided into nine districts.
Physiographically, almost all of Manipur is hilly and
mountainous with a broad valley at the centre. Loktak,
the largest freshwater lake (185 km2) in north-east India,
lies in the south of the valley. Mt Tenipu or Iso (2,995 m)
on the Barail Range is the highest peak in Manipur. The
lowest elevation, <50 m, is at the confluence of the Barak
and Jiri rivers near the Assam border.

The climate of Manipur is tropical ‘monsoon’ type
with a hot wet summer and a cool dry winter, although
winter rains are not uncommon. The annual rainfall of the
state varies from about 1,500 to more than 4,000 mm.
The annual temperature generally ranges from <2° to 35°
in summer.

Tropical wet evergreen and semi-evergreen forests
occur in patches in the lower and middle elevations
throughout, except in the central valley plains. In the higher
hills, subtropical broadleaf (evergreen) forest occurs with
small areas of conifers in the eastern areas. Temperate
broadleaf forest is found higher up in Mt Tenipu. Owing
to logging and jhum (slash-and-burn shifting cultivation),
large areas have been replaced with bamboo, especially in
older abandonedjTmm. The only grassland of significance
is found in Keibul Lamjao National Park. These grasslands
are on floating mats of vegetation, locally called phumdi,
composed of decaying vegetation.

The existing protected area network covers only
757.6 km2 or c.3.4 % of Manipur. The protected areas
are Keibul Lamjao National Park (40 km2), Shiroi Hill
National Park (41 km2), Bunning Wildlife Sanctuary
(1 15.8 km2), Jiri-Makru Wildlife Sanctuary (198 km2),
Kailam Wildlife Sanctuary (157.8 km2), Yangoupokpi
Lokchao Wildlife Sanctuary (1 84 km2) and Zeilad Wildlife
Sanctuary (21 km2).

Owing to its relative remoteness and also insurgency
(still a major problem), fewer ornithological studies have
been undertaken in Manipur in recent decades than in
other neighbouring states such as Assam and Nagaland.
The first naturalist to carry ornithological surveys in
Manipur was A. O. Hume in the 1880s. The few published
works on the state’s birds include Hume (1888), Higgins

(1913a, b, 1916, 1933-1934), Godwin-Austen (1874a,
1874b, 1882), Girnson (1934), and more recently
Choudhury (1989, 1992, 1996, 1998a, 1998b, 2002a,
2005a). General information on birds is available in Ali
and Ripley (1987) and on Important Bird Areas in Islam
and Rahmani (2004).

The state has a rich avifauna as is evident from the
checklist provided in the Appendix (607 species, including
three each of Critically Endangered and Endangered
species, and 17 each of Vulnerable and Near Threatened
species).

Figure 1 . Map of Manipur showing some of the main places mentioned
in the text, including districts.

72

ANWARUDDIN CHOUDHURY

Forktail 25 (2009)

METHODS

I surveyed birds using direct observations (with 10x40
binoculars and a 10x46 telescope), noting calls (for some
species only) and by interviewing local forest staff, villagers
and hunters. Direct observations were made on foot along
existing and newly cut paths, and from vehicles along
roads and tracks (particularly to spot birds kept as pets,
and preserved specimens such as hornbill casques and
feathers which are often displayed outside huts) . I carried
out sporadic fieldwork in Manipur during 1988-2001
totalling 48 days. This included fieldwork in parts of
Imphal East and West, Bishnupur (Bishenpur) and
Churachandpur districts in April 1 988, and Jiribam sub¬
division of Imphal East district in July 1989. In January
1996 I again visited parts of Imphal East and West and
Bishnupur districts, besides covering Ukhrul, Senapati,
Tamenglong, and Thoubal districts, and I surveyed
Loktak lake, Keibul Lamjao National Park, Jiri-Makru
Wildlife Sanctuary and Shiroi Hill (proposed at that time)
National Park. In January 2001 I covered parts of the

Table 1. Details of sites mentioned in the text.

Site (district)

Coordinates

Altitude (m)

Churachandpur

(Churachandpur)

24°19'N 93°39'E

800-900

Dzuko (Senapati)

25°34'N 94°02'E

2,400

Imphal

(Imphal East and West)

24°48'N 93°57'E

790

Jessami (Ukhrul)

25°36'N 94°32'E

1,100

Jiribam town
(Imphal East)

24°48'N 93°07'E

50

Jiri-Makru Wildlife
Sanctuary (Tamenglong,
Imphal East)

24°55'N 93°1 5'E

80-500

Kaikao (Tamenglong)

24°51'N 93°27'E

1,000

Karong (Senapati)

25°18'N 94°03'E

1,050

Keibul Lamjao National
Park (Bishnupur)

24°25'N 93°50'E

765

Loktak lake (Bishnupur)

24°25'-42'N

93°46'-55'E

765

Lunghar (Ukhrul)

25°12'N 94°26'E

1,800

Moreh (Chandel)

24°14'N 94°18'E

200

Nongbi (Ukhrul)

25°14'N 94°27'E

1,800

Nungba (Tamenglong)

24°45'N 93°25'E

750

Shiroi ridge (Ukhrul)

25°06'N 94°28'E

2,500

Shiroi village (Ukhrul)

25°08'N 94°25'E

1,900

Sugnu (Chandel)

24°18'N 93°54'E

760

Tenipu (Senapati)

25°33'N 94C’04'E

2,995

Yangoupokpi Lokchao
Wildlife Sanctuary
(Chandel, Ukhrul)

24°1 5'N 94°18'E

200-750

Zeilad lake
(Tamenglong)

24°54'N 93°23'E

200

districts of Bishnupur, Chandel, Churachandpur, Imphal
East and West, Senapati, Tamenglong, Thoubal and
Ukhrul, and surveyed Yangoupokpi Lokchao and Zeilad
Wildlife Sanctuaries. Parts of Ukhrul district were again
covered in October 2001 and February 2002. This
included c. 60 km of foot transect along paths and streams,
c.30 km of boat transects along the canals through phumdi
on Loktak lake, and c.2, 1 00 km of road transect. Localities
are detailed in Table 1.

SIGNIFICANT RECORDS

Details are provided for the more interesting and
significant records, including rare species, regional rarities,
new records and threatened (five) and Near Threatened
(four) species. Records of galliformes and large raptors
are included, given the high hunting pressures on these
species in the region. The Red List status follows BirdLife
International (2007), which is also followed by IUCN,
and restricted-range status follows Stattersfield et al.
(1998). An annotated checklist is in the Appendix.

Chinese Francolin Francolinus pintadeanus
The only population of this species in India is found in
Manipur (All and Ripley 1987, Grimmett etal. 1998). It
was known from the south-eastern corner, i.e., Chandel
district only (Ali and Ripley 1987). However, 2-3 birds
were captured in Churachandpur district in south
Manipur and were on sale in the local market at
Churachandpur town in 1999-2000 (Samir Khan,
verbally; photos seen by me) . This has marginally extended
its range to the west.

Japanese Quail Cotumix japonica

This species has been recorded as a winter visitor to Assam
and Bhutan, but its occurrence was doubted in Manipur
(Grimmett etal. 1998). Ali and Ripley (1987) mentioned
its presence but commented that these were mtergrades
between Japanese and Common Quail C. cotumix. Higgins
(1933-1934) had reported a record in 1899. Two birds
were captured by local villagers and photographed in
Manipur Valley from near Imphal in November 2001 (I
identified them). In 2003, a few (at least four) were
captured and photographed in winter from different parts
of the valley whose precise locations were not recorded by
the photographer (Samir Khan, verbally; photos seen by
me). Since it is very similar to Common Quail in almost
all morphological characters, absence of black on the
chin of the male birds was taken as the main diagnostic
trait. The presence of faint rufous on head and throat was
useful to separate the male birds but this does not eliminate
Common Quail as in rare cases males may also have a
similar coloration.

Mountain Bamboo Partridge Bambusicola fytchii
I observed coveys of 5-6 birds at four places en route to
Zeilad lake from Kaikao village in Tamenglong district
on 23 January 200 1 . The birds were near bamboo brakes.
At least two coveys of similar size were also observed near
Jessami in Ukhrul district on 23 October 2001 and in
February 2002. The birds were crossing a road with grass
on both sides. Bamboo partridges snared or shot in
northern areas of Senapati district are occasionally sold
at Kohima market in Nagaland.

Forktail 25 (2009) Significant recent ornithological records from Manipur, north-east India

73

Blyth’s Tragopan Tragopan blythii
Vulnerable. Restricted-range. I examined feathers of
several birds and three stuffed birds in Shiroi and around
Jessami in Ukhrul district and Tenipu-Dzuko areas in
Senapati district. I also examined the photograph of a live
male captured at Shiroi. However, increased awareness
has resulted in a reduction in the killing/capture of
tragopans. Past records from other sites were Maram
(25°25'N 94°06'E) in Senapati district and ‘Kanpru’ or
‘Kaupru’ in Tamenglong district (BirdLife International
2001).

Kalij Pheasant Lophura leucomelanos
I recorded many sightings (more than ten) of this species
in Tamenglong and Ukhrul districts, while feathers of
snared or killed birds were seen in all hill districts. This
species, Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus and Mountain
Bamboo Partridge are the most widely snared galliforms
in the state.

Mrs Hume’s Pheasant Syrmaticus humiae
Near Threatened. The species is known from Ukhrul and
Churachandpur districts (Choudhury 1989). A pair was
brought from Kamjong area (24°52'N 94°31'E) ofUkhrul
district to Imphal Zoo in the 1980s (I saw them in April
1988). A recent survey showed that this species is still
widely distributed in the hills of north-eastern Manipur
in Ukhrul district and in the northern part of Senapati
district. In the Jessami area ofUkhrul district, a few are
snared every winter. Elsewhere, in Chandel and
Churachandpur districts, it is very rare or sparsely
distributed (Choudhury 2002a, 2005a). In Tamenglong
district villagers reported that it does not occur along the
Barak river, corroborating Higgins (1933-1934) who
noted that it occurred only up to the valley of the Irang
river, a tributary of the Barak. It is the State Bird of
Manipur.

Green Peafowl Pavo muticus

Vulnerable. Now extremely rare in Ukhrul and Chandel
districts along the India-Myanmar border (Choudhury
2005b). All villagers and Forest Department staff
interviewed by me (more than 70) in these two districts
appeared to be familiar with the species. Many had also
snared or shot it in the 1970s, 1980s and very rarely 1990s.
As reported by them it is still occasionally seen in
Y angoupokpi-Lokchao Sanctuary. Three were seen in the
sanctuary near Moreh in 1977 (H. Lalgou Gangte, Head
Forest Guard, verbally). A ‘locally’ caught bird (from
somewhere near the India-Myanmar border) was seen by
me in 1 988 at Imphal. In the early 1 990s a few eggs obtained
from the wild were hatched in Kongkan village (24°50'N
94°33'E) in Ukhrul district; and a few were also caught
from the wild (Mr Aleng, Magistrate at Ukhrul, verbally).
One of the locally hatched birds was also seen by me at
Imphal. One peafowl was seen by bus travellers on the
main road between Imphal and Moreh at km 7 from Moreh
in Yangoipokpi-Lokchao Sanctuary in 1987 (Shokholun
Baite, Government staff, verbally) . During my last visit in
January 2001, the headman of Gojajang village (at the
edge of the sanctuary) reported that there are occasional
visitors from Myanmar to Yangoupokpi-Lokchao
Sanctuary of Manipur. A visit to the local market at T amu
in Myanmar, just across the international border, indicated
that a male was sold in late 2000 (feathers examined by

me) and every year a few are brought to the market from
the forests of north (adjacent to Yangoupokpi-Lokchao
Sanctuary of Manipur).

Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata

The only recent record of the species in Manipur as well
as north-east India was a duck caught at Sugnu in Chandel
district towards the south-eastern corner of Loktak lake
some time in 1 997. 1 observed and photographed the bird
in captivity in Imphal zoological gardens in January 2001 .

Ferruginous Pochard Aythya nyroca
Near Threatened. During the midwinter waterfowl census
on 1 6-1 7 January 1996 1 counted 25 individuals inc.25%
of Loktak lake. I trained the other team members in field
identification of this duck for subsequent monitoring, as
Loktak is a known wintering site. The result was 360
counted in January 1998 (Choudhury 1998a) followed
by 722 in 1999 and 1,095 in 2000.

Great Hornbill Buceros bicomis

Near Threatened. Preserved casques were seen in Ukhrul
(Nongbi area), Churachandpur, Moreh and Imphal. It is
now extremely rare mostly due to persecution for food as
well as feathers (primaries and tail), which are in great
demand for use in traditional headgear. Habitat loss,
especially of mature forest, is also a major factor. These
issues are common to all hornbills.

Brown Hornbill Anorrhinus tickelli
Near Threatened. A bird was shot in 1995 in Shiroi area
in Ukhrul district at around 1,900 m elevation. I examined
the casque and feathers at Shiroi village. This is a first
record for Manipur and a new elevation record, previously
only recorded to 1,000 m (Grimmett et al. 1998,
Rasmussen and Anderton 2005).

Rufous-necked Hornbill Aceros nipalensis
Vulnerable. Past records are from Karong in Senapati
district and Nungba in Tamenglong district, from 1950
and earlier, apparently with none subsequently (BirdLife
International 2001). Four birds were shot in late 1 995 in
the forests between Shiroi and Lunghar in Ukhrul district
at around 2,000 m elevation; I examined the casque and
feathers of these birds in January 1996.

Wreathed Hornbill Rhyticeros undulatus
My only sighting was four birds in flight near the Assam-
Manipur border (the bordering districts are Cachar in
Assam and Jiribam subdivision of Imphal East district of
Manipur) (approx. 24°40'N 93°05'E) on 14 January 2004.

Oriental Pied Hornbill Anthracoceros malabaricus
Preserved casques and feathers of this species were seen
in most of the villages surveyed. Calls were heard and
flocks of 5-6 birds were also seen in Y angoipokpi-Lokchao
and Zeilad Sanctuaries in January 2001, and 3-4 in Jiri-
Makru Sanctuary on 20 January 1996.

Black-capped Kingfisher Halcyon pileara
A straggler to Assam and north-east India (Ali and Ripley
1987, Choudhury 2000). The only bird seen by me in
Manipur was perched in a leafless medium-height tree
near Zeilad lake in Tamenglong district on 24 January
2001.

74

ANWARUDDIN CHOUDHURY

Forktail 25 (2009)

Jerdon’s Baza Aviceda jerdoni

A bird was seen on the outskirts of Imphal city on
15 January 2001. The species with which it could be
confused is Crested Goshawk Accipiter trivirgatus but the
relatively longer and erect crest with white tip and, in
flight, shorter tail with narrower dark barrings were
diagnostic. It also lacked the bold streaks on breast. Its
head was pale rufous.

White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis
Critically Endangered. No recent records. My last
confirmed sighting was of 8+ in flight along with a few
Slender-billed Vultures G. tenuirostris in Jiribam
subdivision of Imphal East district near the Assam-
Manipur border in July 1989. I did not bother to count
exactly their number as they were then common all over
Assam.

Slender-billed Vulture. Gyps tenuirostris
Critically Endangered. No recent records. My last
confirmed sighting was in July 1989 (see above).

Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis

An immature eagle was captured by a local villager near
Loktak lake in the winter of 1999-2000 in Bishnupur
district. Several close-up photos were taken and sent to
me for identification. It was a large bird with a white band
on the underwing formed by broad white tips to the greater
and primary coverts. Double white bars on the closed
upper wings were conspicuous as was the white crescent
across the uppertail-coverts.

Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus
A dark-phase bird was observed near Imphal University
at about 765 m on 27 January 2001 . It was circling above
a harvested paddyfield. Initially I thought it to be a
Black Kite Milvus migrans, but its slightly smaller
size, almost square-cut tail, light ‘V’ patch on the
upperparts and wings (visible when the bird banked) and
small white shoulder-patches helped confirm its
identification. The eagle was repeatedly observed on
several occasions that morning and on 28 January 200 1 .
Prior to that, I had observed one between Lambui and
Litan in Ukhrul district (c.45 km from Imphal) on 18
January 1996 (Choudhury 2000). These are the only
records for the state.

Amur Falcon Falco amurensis

Local people reported that hundreds of individuals of
this species were killed and often sold in local markets of
Tamenglong district in November every year. During a
visit in January 2001, I saw photographs of a few birds
being sold in the local market. Then I observed more than
20 birds both in flight and perched on powerlines at the
border between Jessami (Manipur) andMeluri (Nagaland;
25°38'N 94°36'E) at about 800 m on 23 October 2001
(Choudhury 2003). The birds flew over the territory of
both Nagaland and Manipur, while the perched birds
were all in Manipur.

Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius
A common wintering species across much of north-east
India (Ali & Ripley 1987). The maps in Grimmett et al.
(1998) and Kazmierczak and van Perlo (2000) do not
show its distribution in Manipur. Single birds were seen

on at least 12 occasions between Jiribam and Imphal on
14 and 20 January 1996.

Little Forktail Enicurus scouleri

Single birds seen three times between Imphal and Jiribam

on 20 January 1996. Although a common resident in

different parts of north-east India (Ah & Ripley 1987), it

is not shown on the maps in Grimmett et al. (1998) and

Kazmierczak and van Perlo (2000) as occurring in

Manipur.

Pied Bushchat Saxicola caprata

A rare bird in north-east India. I observed a male in a
harvested paddyfield near Imphal University on 1 5 January
2001, and saw it almost every day until I left the campus
on 28 January.

Wallcreeper Tichodroma muraria

I saw a lone bird on a barren cliff by the side of National
Highway 53 at c.40 km west of Imphal between
Keithelambi and Tupul in Senapati district (24°47'N
93°42'E) at c. 1,1 00 m elevation.

Baya Weaver Ploceus philippinus

A common and widespread species in the plains Assam
(Ali and Ripley 1987, Choudhury 2000). The maps in
Grimmett et al. (1998) and Kazmierczak and van Perlo
(2000) do not show its distribution in the state. Although
not seen in the Manipur valley, nests were seen in Areca
catechu trees in Jiribam area in July 1 989. In the adjacent
Cachar plains of Assam, it is common in the countryside
although the map in Grimmett et al. (1998) excludes that
area as well.

Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus
A winter visitor to the plains and foothills of Assam
(Ah and Ripley 1987, Choudhury 2000). In Arunachal
Pradesh also it is a common winter visitor (Choudhury
2006) except in some very high elevation areas where
it also breeds (All and Ripley 1987). A flock of eight
birds was seen at Shiroi village at 1,900 m at 07h30
on 19 January 1996. This is the first record for
Manipur.

DISCUSSION

The paucity of fieldwork in Manipur in recent decades
means that trends in the avifauna are hard to discern, but
some comments on the records above, in the context of
the list in the Appendix, are called for. The Manipur
Bushquail Perdicula manipurensis remains elusive. I could
also find no recent record of several threatened species
such as Burmese Sarus Crane Grus antigone sharpii and
White-winged Duck Cairina ( Asarcornis ) scutulata,
although there were unconfirmed reports of the crane
from Loktak and of the duck from Zeilad lake. The
occurrence of stray Green Peafowls is significant and a
detailed survey focusing this species is an urgent necessity.
The proportion of Baer’s Pochard Ay thy a baeri in Baer’s-
Ferruginous combined numbers shot in Higgins (1933-
1934) wasonly 1.3% (51 Baer’s against 3,728 Ferruginous
between 1910 and 1932) indicating its rarity; there is a
recent record of ten birds counted during a waterfowl
census in 2000 (MASS 2000) and it is possible that one

Forktail 25 (2009) Significant recent ornithological records from Manipur, north-east India

75

or two are missed in larger flocks of Ferruginous Pochard
in other years, but during the first systematic midwinter
waterfowl census in 1996 I did not see a single bird. All
species of hornbill have become rare owing to the fact
that all the Naga tribes use the tail feathers for traditional
headgear during annual festivals. While both the White-
rumped and Slender-billed Vultures have virtually
vanished from Manipur, immature Himalayan Griffons
Gyps himalayensis are occasionally seen in winter. For at
least 90 species the range shown for north-eastern India
in Rasmussen and Anderton (2005) is erroneous
(Choudhury in press).

Loktak, one of the largest freshwater lakes in India, is
under threat from siltation, pollution, over-fishing, dam
construction (Ithai barrage) and the poaching of birds. In
the hill districts, logging, jhum cultivation and poaching
for food and local trade are the main conservation issues.
The proposed hydroelectric dam at Tipaimukh on the
Barak river is likely to submerge a significant area of
lowland forest, home to many species of birds. The influx
of the labour force, which is likely to be several thousand
strong, could put extra pressure on the natural habitats in
the form of tree-felling, snaring and poaching.

The area of closed-canopy forest (canopy cover >40%)
declined from 50.5% ofManipurin 1972-1975 to 25.6%
by 2001 (NRSA 1983, FSI 2003). Enforcement of anti-
poaching laws is virtually non-existent except some parts
of the valley. Protected areas only cover 3.4% of the state
and, except for Keibul Lamjao, they have no proper
management. Formation of new protected areas such as
Anko (400 km2), Dzuko (50 km2 encompassing Dzuko-
Tenipu), parts of Tolbung, Irangmukh and Vangai-
Bongmukh Reserved Forests (500 km2), plus improved
protection for existing sanctuaries, are recommended.
Smaller community-run sanctuaries (up to 10 km2) should
be established near Kamjong and Jessami, also elsewhere
in the line of Khonoma Nature Conservation and
Tragopan Sanctuary of Nagaland, which has been a
success. The Forest Department should also start
enforcing the Wildlife (Protection) Act, at least in the
main markets of the hill districts. Within protected areas
there needs to be better control of poaching, jhum
cultivation and human-induced fires. Environmental
awareness programmes are needed in villages surrounding
protected areas.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

During the field study, I was given considerable support and assistance
from many government officials, NGOs and villagers, relatives, and
friends, and I thank them all collectively. I am grateful to the Oriental
Bird Club for a Forktail-Leica Award in 2000. For their assistance in
the field, I thank the following: R. K. Ranjan Singh, Sameer Khan and
his family members, K. Muivah (who later became a Minister), Ibohanbi
Singh; Lungkiang Pamei, Ramkung Pamei, T. Nanda Kumar (who
later became the Advocate General of Manipur), T. Singh (Chief
Wildlife Warden in 1988), Thomas Kent Rengma, Khekiho Sohe,
Sajjad Choudhury, Anne Wright, Kulojyoti Lahkar, Ratul Talukdar
and Hakim of The Rhino Foundation for Nature in north-east India,
Kolkata and Guwahati. My thanks too to my late mother, and my wife,
relatives, friends and other well-wishers who gave me the benefit of
their advice. Special thanks go to my father, the late Alauddin
Choudhury, who introduced me to Manipur in 1988 and was also of
constant help during my subsequent field trips.

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Anwaruddin Choudhury, The Rhino Foundation for Nature in North-East India. Home address: 7 Islampur Road, Guwahati
781 007, Assam, India. Email:badrul@sanchamet. in; badrul@sify.com

APPENDIX

Annotated checklist of birds recorded in Manipur

RR after the species name indicates a restricted-range species (Stattersfield et al. 1998). Status: R = resident; W = winter visitor; L = local
movement; M = migrant including summer visitor; Bm = breeding migrant; P = passage migrant. Abundance: C = common; U = uncommon;
O = occasional; V = very rare; S = stray. ZSI = Specimen at Zoological Survey of India. Threat categories are based on BirdLife International
(2007): CR= Critically endangered, EN= Endangered, VU= Vulnerable, NT= Near Threatened.

Species

Status and abundance

Previous records

Black Francolin Francolinus francolinus

R U

4^

to

on

Chinese Francolin Francolinus pintadeanus

R U

1,4,25

Grey Quail Cotumix cotumix

W U

1, 25

Japanese Quail Cotumix japonica

U

25

Forktail 25 (2009) Significant recent ornithological records from Manipur, north-east India

77

Species

Status and abundance

Previous records

Rain Quail Commix coromandelica

RU

25

Blue-breasted Quail Cotumix chinensis

RU

L 4, 25

Manipur Bush Quail Perdicula manipurensis VU RR

R V

1, 25, 26, 35, 41

Hill Partridge Arborophila torqueola

R C

19, 25

Rufous-throated Partridge Arborophila rufogularis

RU

1, 25

White-cheeked Cartridge Arborophila atmgularis

RC

13, 25, 26

Mountain Bamboo Partridge Bambusicola fytchii

RC

13, 25, 26

Blyth’s Tragopan Tragopan blythii VU RR

R U

9, 10, 20, 25, 26, 41

Red Junglefowl Callus gallus

R C

13, 25

Kalij PHEASANT Lophura leucomelanos

R C

13, 25

Mrs Hume’s Pheasant Syrmaticus humiae NT

RU

1, 9, 14, 20, 44, 25

Grey Peacock Pheasant Polyplectron bicalcaratum

RC

1,25,26

Green Peafowl Pavo muticus VU

O

9, 13, 16, 25

Fulvous Whistling Duck Dendrocygna bicolor

M O

4, 25

Lesser Whistling Duck Dendrocygna javanica

MU

11, 25

Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons

W V

1,25

Bean Goose Anser fabalis

S

1

Greylag Goose Anser anser

W U

4, 25

Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus

W U

25

Ruddy Shelduck Tadoma ferruginea

- WC

1 1, 25

Common Shelduck Tadoma tadoma

W U

25, 31

White-winged Duck Cairina scutulata EN

R O

1, 25

COMB Duck Sarkidiomis melanotos

O

25

Cotton Pygmy-goose Nettapus coromandelianus

R U

25

Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata

W U

1

Gad wall Anas strepera

W C

11, 25

Falcated Duck Anas falcata NT

W U

25

Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope

W C

25

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

W C

25

Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha

W C

11, 25

Northern ShovelerHw<k clypeata

W C

25

Northern Pintail Anas acuta

w c

11, 25

Garganey Anas querquedula

w u

25

Baikal Teal Anas formosa VU

w o

25

Common Teal Anas crecca

w c

25

Pink-headed Duck Rhodonessa caryophyllacea CR

Probably extinct

25, 26

Red-crested Pochard Rhodonessa rufina

W U

11, 25

Common Pochard Ay thy a ferina

W C

25

Ferruginous Pochard Aythya nyroca NT

W C

11, 25

Baer’s Pochard Aythya baeri EN

W U

1,25

Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula

W C

25

Greater Scaup Aythya marila

W O

25

Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula

W V

25

Common Merganser Mergus merganser

WU

25

Small Buttonquail Tumix sylvatica

R

19, 25

Yellow-legged Buttonquail Tumix tanki

R WU

25

Barred Buttonquail Tumix suscitator

R

1,25

78

ANWARUDDIN -CHOUDHURY

Forktail 25 (2009)

Species

Status and abundance

Previous records

Yellow-rumped Honeyguide Indicator xanthonotus NT

RU

45

Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla

w u

43

Speckled Piculet Picumnus innominatus

RU

4

White-browed Piculet Sasia ochracea

RU

4

Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker Dendrocopos canicapillus

RC

4

Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker Dendrocopos macei

RC

1

Stripe-breasted Woodpecker Dendrocopos atratus

RU

26, 43

Rufous-bellied Woodpecker Dendrocopos hyperythrus

RU

1

Crimson-breasted Woodpecker Dendrocopos cathpharius

RU

26

Darjeeling Woodpecker Dendrocopos darjellensis

RU

4

Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major

RU

37

Rufous Woodpecker Celeus brachyurus

RC

4

Lesser Yellownape Picus chlorolophus

R C

4

Greater Yellownape Picus flavinucha

RC

4

Streak-throated Woodpecker Picus xanthopygaeus

R

45

Grey-headed Woodpecker Picus canus

R C

4

Himalayan Flameback Dinopium shorii

R U

4

Common Flameback Dinopium javanense

RU

4

Greater Flameback Chrysocolaptes lucidus

R

21

Pale-headed Woodpecker Gecinulus grantia

R

4

Bay Woodpecker Blythipicus pyrrhotis

R

4

Heart-spotted Woodpecker Hemicircus canente

R U

4

Great Slaty Woodpecker Mulleripicus pulverulentus

R

4

Great Barbet Megalaima virens

R C

4

Lineated Barbet Megalaima lineata

R C

4

Golden-throated Barbet Megalaima franklinii

R C

4

Blue-throated Barbet Megalaima asiatica

R C

1

Blue-eared Barbet Megalaima australis

R C

4

Coppersmith Barbet Megalaima haemacephala

R C

4

Great Hornbill Buceros bicomis NT

R U

13

Brown Hornbill Anorrhinus tickelli NT

RU

First record

Rufous-necked Hornbill Aceros nipalensis VXJ

R V

8, 13, 36

Wreathed Hornbill Aceros undulatus

R U

13

Oriental Pied Hornbill Anthracoceros albirostris

RU

13, 43

Common Hoopoe Upupa epops

R C

43

Red-headed Trogon Harpactes erythrocephalus

R C

26, 43

Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis

RU

26

Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis

RC

4

Blyth’s Kingfisher Alcedo Hercules NT

RU

4

Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis

R C

4, 11

Blue-eared Kingfisher Alcedo meninting

RU

4

Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher Ceyx erithacus

RU

4

Stork-billed Kingfisher Halcyon capensis

RU

4

Ruddy Kingfisher Halcyon smymensis

U

4

White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smymensis

R C

1 1

Black-capped Kingfisher Halcyon pileata

O

45

Crested Kingfisher Megaceryle lugubris

RU

4

Forktail 25 (2009) Significant recent ornithological records from Manipur, north-east India

79

Species

Status and abundance

Previous records

Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis

R U

26, 38

Blue-bearded Bee-eater Nyctyomis athenoni

RC

4

Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis

RC

4

Chestnut-headed Bee-eater Merops leschenaulti

RC

4

Pied Cuckoo Clggoiator jacobinus

Bm

4

Chestnut-winged Cuckoo Clamator coromandus

R

4

Large Hawk Cuckoo Hierococcyx sparverioides

R Bm

4

Common Hawk Cuckoo Hierococcyx varius

R C

21

Hodgson’s Hawk Cuckoo Hierococcyx fugax

R

4

Indian Cuckoo Cuculus micropterus

R L C

21

Eurasian Cuckoo Cuculus canorns

R(?) Bm

4

Oriental Cuckoo Cuculus saturatus

Bm R

45

Lesser Cuckoo Cuculus poliocephalus

M

45

Plaintive Cuckoo Cacomantis merulinus

RM

1

Aslan Emerald Cuckoo Chrysococcyx maculatus

(RL?)

4

Violet Cuckoo Chrysococcyx xamhorhynchus

(RL?)

4

Drongo Cuckoo Sumiculus lugubris

R or M

4

Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopacea

RLC

4

Green-billed Malkoha Phaenicophaeus tristis

R C

4

Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis

' RC

26, 43

LESSER COUCAL Centropus bengalensis

RC

4

Vernal Hanging Parrot Loriculus vemalis

RLU

4

Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria

R U

4

Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri

RU

43

Grey-headed Parakeet Psittacula finschii

R U

4

Red-breasted Parakeet Psittacula alexandri

R C

12

Himalayan Swiftlet Collocalia brevirostris

R

4

WHITE-RUMPED Needletail Zoonavena sylvatica

RL

4

Silver-backed Needletail Hirundapus cochinchinensis

L

4

Brown -backed Needletail Hirundapus giganteus

RL

4

Asian Palm Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis

R

4

Fork-tailed Swift Apus pacificus

U

4

Dark-rumped Swift Apus acuticauda VU

Bm U

3

House Swift Apus affinis

RLC

4

Barn Owl Tyto alba

R U

26, 38

Grass Owl Tyto capensis

R V

45

Oriental Bay Owl Phodilus badius

R U

4

Mountain Scops Owl Otus spilocephalus

R

4

Oriental Scops Owl Otus sunia

R U

4, 43

Collared Scops Owl Otus bakkamoena

R U

26

Eurasian Eagle Owl Bubo bubo

O

4

Spot-bellied Eagle Owl Bubo nipalensis

R U

4

Dusky Horned Owl Bubo coromandus

R U

4

Brown Fish Owl Ketupa zeylonensis

RU

4

Tawny Fish Owl Ketupa flavipes

RU

4

Brown Wood Owl Strix leptogrammica

R? U

26, 43

Tawny Owl Strix aluco

R

4

80

ANWARUDDIN CHOUDHURY

Forktail 25 (2009)

Species

Status and abundance

Previous records

Collared Owlet Glaucidium brodiei

R

4

Asian Barred Owlet Glaucidium cuculoides

RFC

26, 43

Spotted Owlet Athene brama

RC

4

Brown Hawk Owl Ninox scutulata

R C

4

Hodgson’s Frogmouth Batrachostomus hodgsoni

R V?

29

Great Eared Nightjar Eurostopodus macrotis

R L C

4

Grey Nightjar Caprimulgus indicus

RLC

4

Large-tailed Nightjar Caprimulgus macmms

RL

4

Savanna Nightjar Caprimulgus affinis

RL

4

Speckled Wood Pigeon Columba hodgsonii

RU

4

Ashy Wood Pigeon Columba pulchricollis

RU

25

Pale-capped Pigeon Columba punicea VU

R V

4, 26

Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis

RC

25, 26, 43

Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis

R C

L 11, 25

Red Collared Dove Streptopelia tranquebarica

R C

25, 4

Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto

R C

25, 26, 43

Barred Cuckoo Dove Macropygia unchall

RC

25, 26, 43

Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica

R C

25

Orange-breasted Green Pigeon Treron bicincta

RC

4, 25

Pompadour Green Pigeon Treron pompadora

RC

4, 25

Thick-billed Green Pigeon Treron curvirostra

R C

4, 25

Yellow-legged Green Pigeon Treron phoenicoptera

R U

25

Pin-tailed Green Pigeon Treron apicauda

RLC

4,25

Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon Treron sphenura

RLC

4, 25

Green Imperial Pigeon Ducula aenea

R C

25

Mountain Imperial Pigeon Ducula badia

R C

4,25,26

Sarus Crane Grus antigone VU

S

25, 26

Hooded Crane Grus monacha VU

S

25, 26

Slaty-breasted Crake Gallirallus striatus

Status unclear

45

Brown Crake Amauromis akool

R

45

White-breasted Waterhen Amauromis phoenicurus

R C

1,25

Watercock Gallicrex cinerea

RU

25

Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio

RU

25

Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus

R C

11, 25

Common Coot Fulica atra

W C

11, 25

Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola

W C

25

Solitary Snipe Gallinago solitaria

W R? U

L 25

Wood Snipe Gallinago nemoricola VU

W U

5, 6, 26

Pintail Snipe Gallinago stenura

W C

25

Swinhoe’s Snipe Gallinago megala

s

25

Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago

w c

25

Jack Snipe Lymnocryptes minimus

o

25

Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa NT

o

1

Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus

W P o

25

Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata NT

W P o

25

Spotted Redshank Tringa erythmpus

w c

25

Common Redshank Tringa totanus

w c

25

Forktail 25 (2009) Significant recent ornithological records from Manipur, north-east India

81

Species

Status and abundance

Previous records

Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia

W C

21

Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus

w c

1

Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola

w c

4

Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos

w c

4

Ruddy TuRNSTONjMrewan'a interpres

s

1, 25

Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis

s

45

Ruff Philomachus pugnax

s

25

Greater Painted Snipe Rostratula benghalensis

R C

25

Pheasant-tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgus

R C

25

Bronze-winged Jacana Metopidius indicus

R C

25

Eurasian Thick-knee Burhinus oedicnemus

R U

25

Great Thick-knee Esacus recurvirostris

R U

25

Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus

RU

4

Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta

W V

25

Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva

W C

25

Grey PLOVER Pluvialis squatarola

W U

25

Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius

RLU

21

Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus

W U

4

Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus

W U

25

River Lapwing Vanellus duvauceli

' RU

25

Grey-headed Lapwing Vanellus cinereus

W U

25

Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus

R U

25, 26

Oriental Pratincole Glareola maldivarum

O

25

Small Pratincole Glareola lacteal

LU

25

Pallas’s Gull Larus ichthyaetus

W P O

21

Brown-headed Gull Larus brunnicephalus

W P O

26

Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica

W O

45

River Tern Sterna aurantia

R U

21

Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus

W U

45

Osprey Pandion haliaetus

W U

11

Jerdon’s Baza Aviceda jerdoni

R U

33

Black Baza Aviceda leuphotes

R C

21

Oriental Honey Buzzard Pemis ptilorhyncus

R

21

Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caemleus

RU

1,26

Black Kite Milvus migrans

R C

11, 26

Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus

RU

43

Pallas’s Fish Eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus VU

W O

8, 13, 26

White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis CR

O

26, 4

Slender-billed Vulture Gyps tenuirostris CR

O

33

Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis

W U

38

Crested Serpent Eagle Spilomis cheela

R C

33

Eastern Marsh Harrier Circus spilonotus

w u

1 1

Pallid Harrier Circus macroums

w o

45

Pied Harrier Circus melanoleucos

w u

1 1

Crested Goshawk Accipiter trivirgatus

R

21

Shikra Accipiter badius

R C

21

Besra Accipiter virgatus

R

33

82

ANWARUDDIN CHOUDHURY

Forktail 25 (2009)

Species

Status and abundance

Previous records

Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus

W

33

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo

w u

4

Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus

s

33

Black Eagle Ictinaetus malayensis

R C

21

Indian Spotted Eagle Aquila hastata VU

R U

33

Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga VU

W O

26

Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis

W O

33

Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus

W O

13

Rufous-bellied Eagle Hieraaetus kienerii

RU

4

Changeable Hawk Eagle Spizaetus cirrhatus

RC

33

Mountain Hawk Eagle Spizaetus nipalensis

RU

4, 37

Pied Falconet Microhierax melanoleucos

RU

7

Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni VU

W P

26

Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus

W C

26, 1

Red-necked Falcon Falco chicquera

U

8, 26

Amur Falcon Falco amurensis

P C

13

Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo

W

33

Oriental Hobby Falco severus

R U

4

L^ggar Falcon Falco jugger NT

O

26

Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus

R W U

4

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis

R C

11, 25

Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus

W U

25, 32

Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster NT

R U

25, 31

Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger

R C

1 1, 25

Indian Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscicollis

u

25

Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo

w u

11, 25

Little Egret Egretta garzetia

R C

1 1, 25

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea

R U

25, 32

Purple Heron Ardea purpurea

R C

11, 25

Great Egret Casmerodius albus

R C

1 1, 25

Intermediate Egret Mesophoyx intermedia

R C

11, 25

Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis

R C

25

Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii

RC

11, 25

Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus

R U

25

Little Heron Butorides striatus

R C

25, 32

Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax

R C

25

Malayan Night Heron Gorsachius melanolophus

RU

25

Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis

R U

25

Cinnamon Bittern Ixobrychus cinnamomeus

R C

25

Black Bittern Dupetor flavicollis

RU

25

Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus

O

25

Black-headed Ibis Threskiomis melanocephalus NT

O

25

Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus

W O

21, 30

Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis NT

O

25, 26

Asian Openbill Anastomus oscitans

M O

25, 31

Black Stork Ciconia nigra

W O

31

Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus NT

O

25, 31

Forktail 25 (2009) Significant recent ornithological records from Manipur, north-east India

83

Species

Status and abundance

Previous records

Greater Adjutant Leptoptilos dubius EN

O

26

Bi.ue-naped Pitta Pina nipalensis

R L

4

Blue Pitta Pina cyanea

R? U

4

Hooded Pitta Pina sordida

M?

4

Indian Pitta Pitta krachyura

R? M

4

Silver-breasted Broadbill Serilophus lunatus

R U

4

Long-tailed Broadbill Psarisomas dalhousiae

R L C

26, 43

Asian Fairy Bluebird Irena puella

RLC

26, 43

Blue-winged Leafbird Chloropsis cochinchinensis

RC

4

Golden-fronted Leafbird Chloropsis aurifrons

R C

21

Orange-bellied Leafbird Chloropsis hardwickii

R U

26, 43

Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus

W C

11, 26

Burmese Shrike Lanius collurioides

RLPU

4

Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach

W C

11, 26

Grey-backed Shrike Lanius tephronotus

W C

1

Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius

RU

27

Red-billed Blue Magpie Urocissa erythrorhyncha

RU

26, 38

Common Green Magpie Cissa chinensis

R C

4

Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda

R C

4

Grey Treepie Dendrocitta formosae

'RLC

26, 43

Collared Treepie Dendrocitta frontalis

RU

4

House Crow Corvus splendens

O

21

Large -billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos

RU

4

Ashy Woodsw allow Artamus fuscus

R C

11

Black-naped Oriole Oriolus chinensis

W S

1

Slender-billed Oriole Oriolus tenuirostris

R U

4

Black-hooded Oriole Oriolus xanthomus

R C

4

Maroon Oriole Oriolus traillii

R C

4, 43

Large Cuckooshrike Coracina macei

RC

21

Black-winged Cuckooshrike Coracina melaschistos

RL

4

Rosy Minivet Pericrocotus roseus

R L

4

Grey-chinned Minivet Pericrocotus Solaris

RU

4

Long-tailed Minivet Pericrocotus ethologus

R

4

Short-billed Minivet Pericrocotus brevirostris

R LU

4

Scarlet Minivet Pericrocotus flammeus

R C

21

Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike Hemipus picatus

R

4

Yellow-bellied Fantail Rhipidura hypoxantha

RLC

4

White-throated Fantail Rhipidura albicollis

RLC

4

Black Drongo Dicmrus macrocercus

RC

1 1

Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus

RC

1,26

Crow-billed Drongo Dicrurus annectans

RL

4

Bronzed Drongo Dicrurus aeneus

R C

4, 43

Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo Dicmrus remifer

R C

4

Spangled Drongo Dicmrus hottentottus

R C

4

Greater Racket-tailed Drongo Dicmms paradiseus

R C

4

Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea

RLC

4, 43

Asian Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi

M?

4, 19

84

ANWARUDDIN CHOUDHURY

Forktail 25 (2009)

Species

Status and abundance

Previous records

Common Iora Aegithina tiphia

R C

21

Large Woodshrike Tephrodomis gularis

R

4

Brown Dipper Cinclus pallasii

RU

4

Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush Monticola rufiventris

R L

4

Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius

W C

First record

Blue Whistling Thrush Myophonus caemleus

R L C

4, 43

Orange-headed Thrush Zoothera citrina

M U

4

Siberian Thrush Zoothera sibirica

W U

26

Plain-backed Thrush Zoothera mollissima

O

. 26

Long-tailed Thrush Zoothera dixoni

w

4

Scaly Thrush Zoothera dauma

R L W

4

Long-billed Thrush Zoothera monticola

W U

4

Dark-sided Thrush Zoothera marginata

R? U

4

Black-breasted Thrush Turdus dissimilis

R L C

4, 43

White-collared Blackbird Turdus albocinctus

O

4

Grey-winged Blackbird Turdus boulboul

W C

4, 43

Grey-sided Thrush Turdus feae VU

W U

19, 26

Eye-browed Thrush Turdus obscums

W C

4, 12

Dark-throated Thrush Turdus ruficollis

W C

4

Lesser Shortwing Brachypteryx leucophrys

R

28

White-browed Shortwing Brachypteryx montana

R L

43

Dark-sided Flycatcher Muscicapa sibirica

U

45

Brown-breasted FLYcatcher Muscicapa muttui

R?

26

Ferruginous Flycatcher Muscicapa ferruginea

M

26

Slaty-backed Flycatcher Ficedula hodgsonii

RLU

19

Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher Ficedula strophiata

RU

1

Red-throated Flycatcher Ficedula parva

W C

11

White-gorgeted Flycatcher Ficedula monileger

R U

4

Snowy-browed Flycatcher Ficedula hyperythra

RLU

4

Little Pied Flycatcher Ficedula westermanni

L C

29

Ultramarine Flycatcher Ficedula superciliaris

Bm U

4

Slaty-blue Flycatcher Ficedula tricolor

R W L

39

Sapphire Flycatcher Ficedula sapphira

R WU

4

Verditer Flycatcher Eumyias thalassina

W M C

45

Large Niltava Niltava grandis

R L C

1

Small Niltava Niltava macgrigoriae

R L C

4

Rufous-bellied Niltava Niltava sundara

R L C

1

Vivid Niltava Niltava vivida

U

26

White-tailed Flycatcher Cyomis concretus

21

Pale-chinned Flycatcher Cyomis poliogenys

R C

4

Pale Blue Flycatcher Cyomis unicolor

R? U

4

Blue-throated Flycatcher Cyomis rubeculoides

M

4

Hill Blue Flycatcher Cyomis banyumas

U

26

Pygmy Blue Flycatcher Muscicapella hodgsoni

R U

21

Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher Culicicapa ceylonensis

R W C

4

Siberian Rubythroat Luscinia calliope

w u

4, 43

Bluethroat Luscinia svecica

w

21

Forktail 25 (2009) Significant recent ornithological records from Manipur, north-east India

85

Species

Status and abundance

Previous records

Siberian Blue Robin Luscinia Cyane

S

4, 26

Orange-flanked Bush Robin Tarsiger cyanurus

W V

1

Golden Bush Robin Tarsiger chrysaeus

R W

4

Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus saularis

R C

11, 43

White-rumped Shama Copsychus malabaricus

RC

4

Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros

w u

4

Hodgson’s Redstart Phoenicurus hodgsoni

w u

4

DAURLAN Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus

w c

4

Blue-fronted Redstart Phoenicurus frontalis

w u

4, 43

White-capped W ater Redstart Chaimarromis leucocephalus

R W C

43

Plumbeous Water Redstart Rhyacomis fuliginosus

R W C

4

White-tailed Robin Myiomela leucura

R W

4

Little Forktail Enicurus scouleri

RLU

First record

Black-backed Forktail Enicurus immaculatus

R C

4, 43

Slaty-backed Forktail Enicurus schistaceus

R L C

4

White-crowned Forktail Enicurus leschenaulti

RLU

4

Spotted Forktail Enicurus maculatus

R L C

4

PURPLE Cochoa Cochoa purpurea

RU

4

Green Cochoa Cochoa viridis

RU

4

Common Stonechat Saxicola torquata

‘WRC

1 1

Pied Bushchat Saxicola caprata

M R C

1 1, 43

Jerdon’s Bushchat Saxicola jerdoni

RLU

4

Grey Bushchat Saxicola ferrea

RLC

1

Spot-winged Starling Saroglossa spiloptera

W

4

Chestnut-tailed Starling Stumus malabaricus

RC

L 4

Brahminy Starling Stumus pagodarum

S

21

White-shouldered Starling Stumus sinensis

s

26

Asian Pied Starling Stumus contra

R U

11, 26

Common Myna Acridotheres tristis

R C

11, 43

Jungle Myna Acridotheres fuscus

R C

21

White-vented Myna Acridotheres cinereus

R C

11, 26, 38

Collared Myna Acridotheres albocinctus

RLU

1, 13, 26

Golden-crested Myna Ampeliceps coronatus

R U

4, 13

Hill Myna Gracula religiosa

R C

4

Chestnut-vented Nuthatch Sitta nagaensis

R

18, 19

Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch Sitta castanea

RC

4

White-tailed Nuthatch Sitta himalayensis

R W

4

Velvet-fronted Nuthatch Sitta frontalis

R C

4

Beautiful Nuthatch Sitta formosa VU

R U

4,8

W allcreeper Tichodroma muraria

W

14

Brown-throated Treecreeper Certhia discolor

R

26

Great Tit Pams major

R C

4

Green-backed Tit Pams monticolus

R W

4

Yellow-cheeked Tit Pams spilonotus

R C

4

Yellow-browed Tit Sylvipams modestus

R L

4

Sultan Tit Melanochlora sultanea

R C

4

Black-throated Tit Aegithalos concinnus

R C

26

86

ANWARUDDIN CHOUDHURY

Forktail 25 (2009)

Species

Status and abundance

Previous records

Sand Martin Riparia riparia

R L

4

Plain Martin Riparia paludicola

R L

21

Barn Swallow Hirundo mstica

R W C

1 1

Striated Swallow Hirundo striolata

R W

4

Nepal House Martin Delichon nipalensis

R L

4

Crested Finchbill Spizixos canifrons

R L

26, 43

Striated Bulbul Pycnonotus striatus

R C

4

Black-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus atriceps

R C

4, 43

Black-crested Bulbul Pycnonotus melanicterus

R C

. 4, 43

Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus

R C

11

Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer

R C

11

Flavescent Bulbul Pycnonotus flavescens

R

4

White-throated Bulbul Alophoixus flaveolus

R L C

43, 4

Olive Bulbul I ole virescens

R U

4

Ashy Bulbul Hemixos flavala

R C

4

Mountain Bulbul Hypsipetes mcclellandii

R

26, 43

Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus

R L C

4

Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis

R

4

Bright-headed Cisticola Cisticola exilis

R

1

Striated Prinia Prinia criniger

RLC

4

Hill Prinia Prinia atrogularis

RC

4

Rufescent Prinia Prinia rufescens

R C

1

Grey-breasted Prinia Prinia hodgsonii

R C

18, 19

Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris

RC

28

Ashy Prinla Prinia socialis

R C

4

Plain Prinia Prinia inomata

R C

4

Oriental White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus

RC

11, 43

Slaty-bellied Tesia Tesia olivea

RL

4

Grey-bellied Tesia Tesia cyaniventer

R L

4

Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler Cettia fortipes

L

19

Aberrant Bush Warbler Cettia flavolivacea

RU

4

Black-browed Reed Warbler Acrocephalus bistrigiceps

W U

4

Paddyfield Warbler Acrocephalus agricola

W

21

Blyth’s Reed Warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum

W C

4

Oriental Reed Warbler Acrocephalus orientalis

W U

4

Mountain Tailorbird Orthotomus cuculatus

R

4

Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius

R C

4

Dark-necked Tailorbird Orthotomus atrogularis

R

4

Dusky Warbler Phylloscopus fuscatus

W

37

Tickell’s Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus affinis

w

19

Buff-barred Warbler Phylloscopus pulcher

L

19

Ashy-throated Warbler Phylloscopus maculipennis

R

21

Pallas’s Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus proregulus

W

4

Lemon-rumped Warbler Phylloscopus chloronotus

w

26

Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inomatus

w

1

Hume’s Warbler Phylloscopus humei

w

45

Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides

w

45

Forktail 25 (2009) Significant recent ornithological records from Manipur, north-east India 87

Species

Status and abundance

Previous records

Large-billed Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus magnimstris

W

26

Eastern Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus coronatus

W

29

Bi.yth’s Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus reguloides

W R

29

Golden Spectacled Warbler Seicercus burkii

R

43

Grey-hooded Warbler Seicercus xanthoschistos

s

R L C

1

White-spectacled Warbler Seicercus affinis

R L

4

Grey-cheeked Warbler Seicercus poliogenys

R L

1

Chestnut-crowned Warbler Seicercus castaniceps

RL

19

Yellow-bellied Warbler Abroscopus superciliaris

R L

21

Striated Grassbird Megalurus palustris

R C

4, 43

Rufous-rumped Grassbird Graminicola bengalensis NT

R U

4

White-crested Laughingthrush Garrulax leucolophus

R C

4

Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush Gamilax monileger

RC

4

Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush Garrulax pectoralis

RC

4

Rufous-necked Laughingthrush Garrulax mficollis

R C

26, 43

Chestnut-backed Laughingthrush Garrulax nuchalis NT

RU

4

Yellow-throated Laughingthrush Garrulax galb anus

R C

1, 18

Rufous-vented Laughingthrush Garrulax gularis

R C

29

Moustached Laughingthrush Garrulax cineraceus

RLC

18, 43

Grey-sided Laughingthrush Garrulax caerulatus

■ RLC

28, 37

Spot-breasted Laughingthrush Garrulax merulinus

R C

28

White-browed Laughingthrush Garrulax sannio

R U

18, 43

Striped Laughingthrush Garrulax virgatus RR

R

13, 18

Brown-capped Laughingthrush Garrulax austeni RR

RU

4, 13

Blue-winged Laughingthrush Garrulax squamatus

RU

4

Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush Garrulax erythrocephalus

R L U

26

Red-faced Liocichla Liocichla phoenicea

RLC

4

Abbott’s Babbler Trichastoma abbotti

RC

4

Buff-breasted Babbler Pellomeum tickelli

R

4, 43

Spot-throated Babbler Pellomeum albiventre

RLC

4

Puff-throated Babbler Pellomeum ruficeps

R C

4, 43

Spot-breasted Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus erythrocnemis

R C

26, 28

White-browed Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus schisticeps

R C

4

Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus mficollis

R W C

4

Red-billed Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus ochraceiceps

R

26

Coral-billed Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus femtginosus

R C

4

Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler Xiphirhynchus superciliaris

R W L

4

Streaked Wren Babbler Napothera brevicaudata

R L

4

Eye-browed Wren Babbler Napothera epilepidota

RLC

4

Pygmy Wren Babbler Pnoepyga pusilla

RLC

28

Spotted Wren Babbler Spelaeomis formosus

RU

4

Long-tailed Wren Babbler Spelaeomis chocolatinus

R C

4

Tawny-breasted Wren Babbler Spelaeomis longicaudatus VU RR

R

4, 8, 13

Wedge-billed Wren Babbler Sphenocichla humei NT RR

RLU

4

Rufous-fronted Babbler Stachyris rufifrons

R C

4

Rufous-capped Babbler Stachyris mficeps

RLC

4

Golden Babbler Stachyris chrysaea

RC

4

88

ANWARUDDIN CHOUDHURY

Forktail 25 (2009)

Species

Status and abundance

Previous records

Striped Tit Babbler Macronous gularis

RC

4

Chestnut-capped Babbler Timalia pileata

R C

28

Yellow-eyed Babbler Chrysomma sinense

R

29

Slender-billed Babbler Turdoides longirostris VU

R U

18, 19, 29, 40, 8

Silver-eared Mesia Leiothrix argentauris

R C

4

Red-billed Leiothrix Leiothrix lutea

R

4

Cutia Curia nipalensis

R U

29

Black-headed Shrike Babbler Pteruthius rufiventer

U

4

White-browed Shrike Babbler Pteruthius flaviscapis

RU

4, 27

Black-eared Shrike Babbler Pteruthius melanotis

R WU

4, 28

White-hooded Babbler Gampsorhynchus rufulus

R

4, 29

Rusty-fronted Barwing Actinodura egertoni

R C

4, 29

Streak-throated Barwing Actinodura waldeni RR

R

18, 19

Blue-winged Minla Minla cyanouroptera

R W C

26

Chestnut-tailed Minla Minla strigula

R U

37

Red-tailed Minla Minla ignotincta

RC

1

Golden-breasted Fulvetta Alcippe chrysotis

RU

26, 29

Yellow-throated Fulvetta Alcippe cinerea

RU

4

Rufous-winged Fulvetta Alcippe castaneceps

RC

4

White-browed Fulvetta Alcippe vinipectus

R U

19, 34

Streak-throated Fulvetta Alcippe cinereiceps

R

34

Rufous-throated Fulvetta Alcippe rufogularis

R

4

Rusty-capped Fulvetta Alcippe dubia

RC

21

Brown-cheeked Fulvetta Alcippe poioicephala

R C

4, 43

Nepal Fulvetta Alcippe nipalensis

R L C

1

Rufous-backed Sibia Heterophasia annectans

RU

45

Grey Sibia Heterophasia gracilis

R C

1

Striated Yuhina Yuhina castaniceps

R C

4

White-naped Yuhina Yuhina baken RR

R

4

Whiskered Yuhina Yuhina flavicollis

R W C

4

Stripe-throated Yuhina Yuhina gularis

W U

4

Black-chinned Yuhina Yuhina nigrimenta

RC

29

White-bellied Yuhina Yuhina xantholeuca

RU

1

Grey-headed Parrotbill Paradoxomis gularis

RU

29

Spot-breasted Parrotbill Paradoxomis guttaticollis

R

19

Black-throated Parrotbill Paradoxomis nipalensis

R

4

Lesser Rufous-headed Parrotbill Paradoxomis atrosuperciliaris

RU

19

Greater Rufous-headed Parrotbill Paradoxomis ruficeps

RU

4

Rufous-winged Bush Lark Mirafra assamica

R C

4

Oriental Skylark Alauda gulgula

R WL

21

Yellow-vented Flowerpecker Dicaeum chrysorrheum

R C

4

Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker Dicaeum melanoxanthum

R U

4

Plain Flowerpecker Dicaeum concolor

R C

4

Fire-breasted Flowerpecker Dicaeum ignipectus

R L C

4

Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker Dicaeum cruentatum

R C

4

Ruby-cheeked Sunbird Anthreptes singalensis

R C

4

Purple-throated Sunbird Nectarinia sperata

RLU

4

Forktail 25 (2009) Significant recent ornithological records from Manipur, north-east India

89

Species

Status and abundance

Previous records

Mrs Gould’s Sunbird Aethopyga gouldiae

RLU

4

Green-tailed Sunbird Aethopyga nipalensis

RL

4

Black-throated Sunbird Aethopyga saturata

R L

4

Crimson Sunbird Aethopyga sipamja

R L C

2

Fire-tailed SxJNBiKS^Aethopyga ignicauda

R LC

4

Little Spiderhunter Arachnothera longirostra

R C

4, 43

Streaked Spiderhunter Arachnothera magna

R L C

4

House Sparrow Passer domesticus

RU

43

Russet Sparrow Passer rutilans

R WU

4

Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus

R C

11, 43

Forest Wagtail Dendronanthus indicus

W

4

White Wagtail Motacilla alba

w c

1 1

Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola

w c

1 1

Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava

w c

21

Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea

w c

4

Richard’s Pipit Anthus richardi

w

4

Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus

RC

43

Blyth’s Pipit Anthus godlewskii

w

45

Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni

w c

43

Red-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus

' PU

21

Rosy Pipit Anthus roseatus

w u

4

Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta

w s

4, 26

Buff-bellied Pipit Anthus rubescens

s

45

Black-breasted Weaver Ploceus benghalensis

RLU

4

Baya WEAVER Ploceus philippinus

RLU

New record

White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata

RC

4, 43

Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata

RC

45

Black-headed Munia Lonchura malacca

RU

1 1

Yellow-breasted Greenfinch Carduelis spinoides

R W

4

Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus

W

New record

Crimson-browed Finch Propyrrhula subhimachala

RLU

4

Scarlet Finch Haematospiza sipahi

RLU

4

Brown Bullfinch Pyrrhula nipalensis

RLU

4

Spot-winged Grosbeak Mycerobas melanozanthos

RLU

26

Crested Bunting Melophus lathami

R WC

4

Chestnut-eared Bunting Emberiza fucata

W C

42

Little Bunting Emberiza pusilla

W C

4

Yellow-breasted Bunting Emberiza aureola VU

W

4

Chestnut Bunting Emberiza rutila

W C

4

Black-faced Bunting Emberiza spodocephala

W C

4

Previous records: 1 : Abdulali (1968-1988), 2: Abdulali and Unnithan (1996), 3: Ahmed et al. (2007), 4: Ali and Ripley (1987), 5: Anon (1920),
6: Baker (1921-1930), 7: Baker (1928), 8: BirdLife International (2001), 9: Choudhury (1992), 10: Choudhury (1996), 1 1 : Choudhury (1998a),
12: Choudhury (1998b), 13: Choudhury (2000), 14: Choudhury (2002a), 15: Choudhury (2004), 16: Choudhury (2005b), 17: Godwin-Austen
(1872), 18: Godwin-Austen (1874a), 19: Godwin-Austen (1874b), 20: Godwin-Austen (1882), 21: Grimmettera/. (1998), 22: Higgins (1913a),
23: Higgins, J. C. (1913b), 24: Higgins (1916), 25: Higgins (1933-1934), 26: Hume (1888), 27: Koelz (1951), 28: Koelz (1952), 29: Koelz
(1954), 30: MASS (1998), 31: MASS (1999), 32: MASS (2000), 33: Naoroji (2006), 34: Ogilvie Grant (1895), 35: Powell Connor (1908), 36:
Prashad (1937), 37: Ripley (1982), 38: Roonwal and Nath (1948), 39: Sharpe (1879), 40: Storer (1988), 41: Turner (1899), 42: Unnithan
(2005), 43: Specimen at Zoological Survey of India, 44: Finn (1898), 45: Kazmierczak and van Perlo (2000).

FORKTAIL 25 (2009): 90-95

Timing and abundance of Grey-faced Buzzards
Butastur indicus and other raptors on northbound
migration in southern Thailand, spring 2007-2008

ROBERT DeCANDIDO and CHUKIAT NUALSRI

We provide the first extensive migration data about northbound migrant raptors in Indochina. Daily counts were made at one site (Promsri
Hill) in southern Thailand near the city of Chumphon, from late February through early April 2007-08. We identified 1 9 raptor species
as migrants, and counted 43,451 individuals in 2007 (1 12.0 migrants/hr) and 55,088 in 2008 (160.6 migrants/hr), the highest number
of species and seasonal totals for any spring raptor watch site in the region. In both years, large numbers of raptors were first seen beginning
at 12h00, and more than 70% of the migration was observed between 14h00 and 17h00 with the onset of strong thermals and an onshore
sea breeze from the nearby Gulf of Thailand. Two raptor species, Jerdon’s Baza Aviceda jerdoni and Crested Serpent Eagle Spilomis cheela,
were recorded as northbound migrants for the first time in Asia. Four species composed more than 95% of the migration: Black Baza
Aviceda leuphotes (mean 50.8 migrants/hr in 2007-08), Grey-faced Buzzard Butastur indicus (47.5/hr in 2007-08), Chinese Sparrowhawk
Accipitersoloensis (22.3/hr in 2007-08), and Oriental Honey-buzzard Pemis ptilorhynchus (7.5/hr in 2007-08). Most (>95%) Black Bazas,
Chinese Sparrowhawks and Grey-faced Buzzards were observed migrating in flocks. Grey-faced Buzzard flocks averaged 25-30 birds/
flock. Seasonally, our counts indicate that the peak of the Grey-faced Buzzard migration occurs in early to mid-March, while Black Baza
and Chinese Sparrowhawk peak in late March through early April. Oriental Honey-buzzard migrated throughout the observation period,
with a peak in mid- to late March.

INTRODUCTION

In the last decade, there has been increasing interest in
raptor migration in Indochina (DeCandido et al. 2008).
Scientists investigating this East Asian Continental Flyway
have used satellite telemetry to follow Oriental Honey-
buzzards Pemis ptilorhynchus to determine migration timing,
stopover sites, and differences between routes selected by
males vs females vs immatures (Higuchi etal. 2005, Shiu et
al. 2006). Others have established ‘watch sites’ to assess the
numbers of migrants and species seen in Thailand and
Malaysia (DeCandido et al. 2004, 2006, Lim and Cheung
2007, 2008). Yet our knowledge of raptor migration through
Indochina, particularly during northbound migration, is
limited. Here we provide the first extensive spring migration
data for the region, including the number of raptor species
and individuals involved, and their seasonal timing while
heading north through the continent.

Figure 1. Map of south-central Thailand showing the Promsri Hill
raptor migration watch site in relation to Chumphon City, the main road
(Route 4), and the autumn raptor watch site used since 2000.

In March 2003, large numbers of northbound
migrating raptors were first observed by CN west of the
town of Chumphon on the Isthmus of Kra in southern
Thailand (Fig. 1). Periodic observations by CN in
February through April 2004-2006 confirmed a
significant migration pathway in the area. These raptors
are returning to breed in eastern Russia and southern
China, west through parts of Siberia, Nepal, Mongolia
and Korea, as far east as Japan (Fig. 2).

We were particularly interested in documenting the
abundance and passage timing of Grey-faced Buzzard
Butastur indicus. Previous research focused on the segment
of the population that migrates by island-hopping through
the East Asian Oceanic Flyway via Japan and Taiwan to
winter in the Philippine Islands to Sulawesi and New
Guinea (Kugai 1996, Shiustu/. 2006, Germieru/. 2009).
However, little is known about the continental migrant
population we observed in spring 2007-08. Though Grey¬
faced Buzzards are common October migrants in Thailand
(DeCandido et al. 2004) , further south in the Thai-Malay
Peninsula this species is a rare to uncommon migrant in
either season in Singapore and at Tanjung Tuan on the
west coast of Malaysia (Wells 1999).

From a broader perspective, we had specific research
questions about spring raptor migration in South-East
Asia. ( 1 ) What raptor species migrate through the region
in spring vs autumn? (2) What is the daily pattern of
raptor migration at our Promsri Hill watch site in southern
Thailand: is there a late morning peak with declining
numbers seen for the remainder of the day, similar to that
observed during southbound migration in autumn 2003
at a watch site some 20 km east-south-east (see DeCandido
et al. 2004)? (3) What is the seasonal pattern of spring
migration for raptors commonly seen here including Black
Baza Aviceda leuphotes , Oriental Honey-buzzard, Chinese
Spmovj\\a.\NkAccipitersoloensis and Grey-faced Buzzard?
(4) How do weather variables, such as wind direction,
affect the migration observed at our watch site? By
addressing such questions, we hope to provide information
to biologists, conservationists and birdwatchers interested

Forktail 25 (2009)

Spring migration of raptors in southern Thailand, 2007-08

91

Figure 2. Map of East Asia showing the two primary continental spring
raptor migration count sites: (1) Promsri Hill (Thailand) and (2)
Tanjung Tuan (West Malaysia). Also shown in the primary oceanic
migration corridor of northbound Grey-faced Buzzards in spring: (A)
Philippine Islands, (B) Taiwan, and (C) Japan.

in understanding a crucial time in the life history of Asian
migratory raptors.

METHODS

In late February through early April 2007-08, we made
daily counts of migrant raptors, two bee-eater species
and other land birds from a site 1 5 km west of Chumphon
City (10°28'N 99°13'E, sea-level), known locally as
Promsri Hill or Khao Klai. The watch site (10°30'N
99°04'E) sits on the crest of a hill, c.5 km west of the main
N-S highway (Phetkasem Road, Highway 4) and 47 5 km
south-west of Bangkok (Fig. 1). The site afforded an
unobstructed 360° view of northbound migrants. The
hill is the southern terminus of a low S-N ridge on military
land, and is accessible by permit only. Much of this ridge
is comprised of seasonal grasses, scrub and second growth,
on average less than 2 m in height. Most of the surrounding
area and nearby hills have been developed for pasture and
agriculture (banana, oil palm), with second-growth forest
occupying perhaps the upper 1 0% of these hills. On clear
days it was possible to see east c.25 km to the Gulf of
Thailand; south c.5 km to a tall hill (Khao Thai Dang);

west c.10 km to a hill (Khao Nam Lod) that is part of a
south to north ridge system; and north c.3 km.

This spring migration watch site (Promsri Hill) is c. 1 5
km west-north-west of the autumn watch site used since
2000. Observations by CN each spring from 2004 through
2006 suggested that few migrants pass the vicinity of the
autumn watch site. Instead, Promsri Hill was selected for
spring migration research because it afforded the best
combination of height above the surrounding lowlands,
proximity to significant numbers of migrants, and ease of
access. Earlier in the day, from about 08h00 until 1 OhOO,
the migration is best observed at the intersection of
Highway 4 and Highway 41 (Fig. 1). However, overall
more migrants pass to the west of this intersection, and
these are more easily seen from Promsri Hill.

In both years, we measured hourly the wind speed and
direction, temperature, humidity and barometric pressure
with a hand-held weather station (Kestrel 4000, Nielsen-
Kellerman Corporation, U.S.A.). Wind direction was
determined with a compass. Weather conditions typically
were hazy and humid with little wind in the morning until
09h00, then becoming clear with cumulus clouds. Until
c.09h00 to as late as c.llhOO each day, light westerly
winds (less than 10 km/hr) prevailed, then switching
easterly due to the interaction of the north-east low-
pressure monsoon (Guo et al. 2002) combined with a
sea-breeze from the nearby Gulf of Thailand (Khedari et
al. 2002). However, the exact timing of the wind switch
varied greatly in 2007 compared to 2008, as did the
intensity of these easterly winds.

Raptors were counted with binoculars by RDC with
help from CN. Others visited the site after 14h00 most
days and helped to locate distant flocks of migrants. We
made daily counts during two spring seasons: in 2007,
from 28 February through 3 April (35 days; 388 hours of
observation); and in 2008, from 28 February through 3 1
March (32 days; 343 hours of observation) . Observations
usually began by 07h00 local time, and ended by 18h30
each day. During inclement weather such as
thunderstorms, we remained in the area of the watch site
looking for migrants. For one day in 2008 (10 March),
when it rained all day, no count was made. CN also made
periodic observations of up to three days per week from
late January through February 2003-2006, and again in
April to mid-May 2009.

To locate migrating raptors, observers scanned from
the west-south-west to the east. To identify migrants, we
consulted Lekagul etal.( 1991), Wells ( 1 999), Herremans
and Louette (2000), Robson (2002) and Kasordorkbua et
al. (2008). Scientific names follow Inskipp et al. (1996,
2001). Raptors were considered migrants if they passed
south to north across an imaginary east-west line at the
watch site, and continued north and out of sight. We did
not attempt to age or sex migrants. We defined a flock of
migrating raptors as any group of at least two individuals
passing the watch site within c.3 minutes of one another.
Most raptors were observed migrating within 3 km of the
watch site. Beyond c.5 km it was very difficult to detect
and identify a lone migrant, or small flocks of certain species
such as Chinese Sparrowhawk.

To evaluate the daily and seasonal pattern of raptor
migration, we pooled the data of all individuals we counted
at the site, including migrants we could not identify to
species. To determine the seasonal peak for the commonest
raptor species in 2007 and 2008, we used the highest ten-

92

ROBERT DeCANDIDO and CHUKIAT NUALSRI

Forktail 25 (2009)

day average in each year. In Table 1, for the highest daily
count of individuals for species for which we saw only one
migrant on two different dates, we chose the first date as
the peak. We also calculated a median date (the day at
which 50% of the individuals of a particular species had
been counted) of peak passage for the four commonest
raptors by pooling 2007-08 data for each of these species.

We hypothesised that more raptors would pass the
watch site when winds had an easterly component (NE to
SE), than when winds were from other directions, usually
west to south. We used a chi-square test with one degree
of freedom (Preacher 200 1 ) to analyse the effect of wind
direction on the number of raptors passing the watch site
when winds from these two general directions prevailed.

RESULTS

In spring 2007-08, a total of 98,539 raptors of 1 9 species
was counted, averaging 1 12.0 migrants/hr in 2007, and
160.6 migrants/hr in 2008 (Table 1). Four species
comprised >95% of the migration in 2007-08: Black Baza
(38%), Grey- faced Buzzard (35%), Chinese
Sparrowhawk (17%) and Oriental Honey-buzzard (6%).
Three of these were primarily seen in single-species flocks:
Black Baza, Grey-faced Buzzard and Chinese
Sparrowhawk. In spring 2008, we counted 8,954 (63%)
more Black Bazas and noted three additional raptor species
vs our spring 2007 count (Table 1).

In both years, large numbers of raptors began to pass
the watch site beginning at 1 2h00 (Fig. 3), with most
(>70%) migrants observed between 14h00 and 17h00.
From c.08h00 to 09h30 the migration passed c.5 km to

500 i

Hour of the day

Figure 3. Mean number of raptors counted per hour at Promsn Hill,
Thailand during spring 2007-08.

the east of Promsri Hill following the route of the main
road (Highway 4), and gradually shifted further west
throughout the morning (Fig. 1). In 2007, the highest
hourly count ( 1 ,686) occurred between 1 4h00 and 1 5h00
on 29 March. In 2008, the highest hourly count (2,768)
occurred between 1 6h00 and 1 7h00 on 30 March. Large
numbers of Black Bazas accounted for these high totals.
In 2007-08, significantly greater numbers of migrant
raptors passed the watch site when winds were easterly
(NE, E or SE) than when winds were from other directions
(X2 = 1190.5, p < 0.05, df = 1).

Figure 4 shows the daily totals of the four commonest
migrant raptor species observed at Promsri Hill in spring
2007-08. For Black Baza in 2007-2008, we counted 50.8
migrants/hr. The two-year median date for peak passage

Table 1. Raptor species, numbers counted, and seasonal peaks at Promsri Hill, Chumphon, Thailand, in spring 2007-2008.

Species

Number counted

Seasonal peak

(% of total migrants counted)

(highest daily count)

2007

2008

Osprey Pandion haliaetus

9 (<1%)

7 (< 1 %)

23 Mar 08 (3)

Black Baza Avecida leuphotes

14,109 (32%)

23,063 (42%)

24 Mar 08 (4,334)

Jerdon’s Baza Avecida jerdoni

2 (<1%)

0 (0%)

25 Mar 07 (1)

Oriental Honey-buzzard Pemis ptilorhynchus

2,999 (7%)

2,502 (5%)

25 Mar 07 (285)

Black Kite Milvus migrans

13 (<1%)

9 (< 1 %)

23 Mar 08 (4)

Eastern Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosas spilonotus

5 (<1%)

8 (< 1 %)

27 Mar 08 (2)

Pied Harrier Circus melanoleucos

9 (< 1 %)

3 (<1%)

several dates (1)

Chinese Sparrowhawk Accipiter soloensis

6,555 (15%)

9,741 (18%)

30 Mar 07 (1,391)

Iapanese Sparrowhawk Accipiter gularis

113 (<1%)

457 (1%)

1 Mar 08 (169)

Shikra Accipiter badius

0 (0%)

2 (<1%)

1 Mar 08 (1)

Grey-faced Buzzard Butastur indicus

17,577 (40%)

17,167 (31%)

15 Mar 08 (3,126)

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo

2 (<1%)

1 (<1%)

several dates (1)

Crested Serpent Eagle Spilomis cheela

23 (< 1 %)

15 (<1%)

9 Mar 07 (4); 1 Mar 08 (4)

Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga

3 (<1%)

11 (<1%)

1 1 March 08 (2)

Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus

0 (0%)

1 (<1%)

23 Mar 08 (1)

Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus

0 (0%)

1 (<1%)

27 Mar 08 (1)

Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo

2 (<1%)

2 (<1%)

several dates (1)

Oriental Hobby Falco severus

0 (0%)

1 (<1%)

13 Mar 08 (1)

Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus

1 (<1%)

1 (<1%)

5 Mar 07 (1); 29 Mar 08 (1)

Unidentified

2,029 (5%)

2,096 (4%)

11 Mar 08 (258)

Total

43,451

55,088

24 Mar 08 (5,805)

Forktail 25 (2009)

Spring migration of raptors in southern Thailand, 2007-08

93

5000]

4500

4000

3500

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

0

250 i

(a) Black Baza

D 2007
■ 2008

LL tfe a J di

(b) Oriental Honey-buzzard

jjjuilnJ

ill

150

e

3

©

£

3

z

o J

1400

1200 j
1000 |
800-
600
400
200

0

idJj]

i

I Jill.

(c) Chinese Sparrowhawk

jJ

.ill

II

J[

1500

(d) Grey-faced Buzzard

■Qi&ljijil

1

Ijllriu

Date

Figure 4. Number of migrant individuals counted per day during spring
2007-08 at Promsri Hill, Thailand, (a) Black Baza, (b) Oriental Honey-
buzzard, (c) Chinese Sparrowhawk, (d) Grey-faced Buzzard.

was 25 March. In 2007, the peak ten-day migration period
for Black Baza occurred from 2 1 March to 30 March (Fig.
4a), averaging 932.0 migrants/day and 80.0 migrants/hr.
In 2008, the peak time-frame also occurred from 2 1 March
to 30 March (Fig. 4a), averaging 1,954.5 migrants/day
and 176.9 migrants/hr. The highest single-day count of
migrating Black Bazas was 4,334 on 24 March 2008 (Table
1). Fewer than 100 total migrants of this species were
observed at Promsri Hill after 5 April in 2009, and we
consider their migration complete by mid-April in southern
Thailand.

For Oriental Honey-buzzard in 2007-2008, we
counted 7.5 migrants/hr. The two-year median date for
peak passage was 19 March. In 2007, the peak ten-day
migration period occurred from 19 March to 28 March
(Fig. 4b), averaging 16 1.8 migrants/day and 13.9migrants/
hr. In 2008, the migration peak occurred from 1 1 March
to 20 March (Fig. 4b), averaging 1 57.6 migrants/day and

14.5 migrants/hr. The highest single-day count of migrating
Oriental Honey-buzzards was 285 on 25 March 2007
(Table 1). In past years, the earliest birds were seen on 1
February 2004 (CN). In observations during April through
mid-May 2009, CN observed up to 100 Oriental Honey-
buzzards per day in migration as late as 8 May.

For Chinese Sparrowhawk in 2007-2008, we counted
22.3 migrants/hr. The two-year median date for peak
passage was 26 March. In 2007, the peak ten-day migration
period for this species occurred from 21 March to 30
March (Fig. 4c), averaging 447.5 migrants/day and 38.4
migrants/hr. In 2008, the peak time-frame also occurred
from 21 March to 30 March (Fig. 4c), averaging 739.0
migrants/day and 66.9 migrants/hr. The highest single¬
day count of migrating Chinese Sparrowhawks was 1 ,39 1
on 30 March 2007 (Table 1). In early April 2009, totals
of 200-300 were seen in migration per day. However,
numbers declined rapidly after 5 April, although singles
passed the watch site through early May (CN).

For Grey-faced Buzzard in 2007-2008, we counted

47.5 migrants/hr. The two-year median date for peak
passage was 13 March. Over 99% of all Grey-faced
Buzzards were observed migrating in flocks (789 flocks in
2007; 864 in 2008). Most flocks numbered 2-25
individuals (Fig. 5). In 2007, the peak ten-day migration
period occurred from 5 March to 14 March (Fig. 4d),
averaging 1,364 migrants/day and 120.2 migrants/hr.
During this time, the mean flock size (N = 457 flocks) was

27.6 birds (Standard Deviation [SD] = 26.6). In 2007,

Hour of the day

Figure 5. Number and average size of Grey-faced Buzzard flocks
counted during migration in spring 2007-08 at Promsri Hill, Thailand.

Figure 6. Mean number of Grey-faced Buzzards counted per hour
during spring 2007-08 at Promsri Hill, Thailand.

94

ROBERT DeCANDIDO and CHUKIAT NUALSRI

Forktail 25 (2009)

the largest flock (175) passed the watch site between 1 5h00
and 1 6h00 on 8 March. In 2008, the peak migration time-
frame for this species occurred from 1 1 March to 20 March,
averaging 1,389.4 migrants/day and 128.0 migrants/hr.
For these ten days, the mean flock size (N = 551 flocks)
was 25.0 birds (SD = 56.3). In 2008, the largest flock
(182) passed the watch site between 1 OhOO and 1 1 hOO on
13 March. The highest single-day count was 3,126 on 15
March 2008 (Table 1). Compared to the hourly pattern
of raptor migration at the watch site (Fig. 3), a greater
proportion of Grey-faced Buzzards (Fig. 6) were counted
earlier in the day (08h00 to 1 lhOO). In early April 2009,
few (<25 total) Grey-faced Buzzards were counted, and
none were seen after 5 April 2009 (CN).

We counted fewer than ten individuals of six additional
species: Jerdon’s Baza Aviceda jerdoni, Common Buzzard
Buteo buteo , Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus, Eurasian
Hobby Falco subbuteo, Oriental Hobby Falco severus and
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus (Table 1). Individuals
of these species are difficult to detect if they are part of a
larger mixed-species group, especially if flying at moderate
to high altitudes. Two raptor species, Shikra A ccipiter badius
and Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus, were winter
residents and/or breeders in the area of Promsri Hill, so we
regarded most sightings of these species to be local rather
than migratory individuals.

DISCUSSION

Our research in spring 2007-08 at Promsri Hill documents
a significant northbound migration of at least 19 raptor
species through southern Thailand (Table 1). Our totals
represent the highest numbers of species and individuals
reported for any spring watch site in Indochina. We
identified two species as migrants for the first time during
spring in Asia: Jerdon’s Baza and Crested Serpent Eagle.
Our counts of Black Baza and Grey-faced Buzzard are
the highest reported to date on the mainland during spring
migration. We also observed more species on migration
in this study than we did in our previous research (16
spp.) during southbound migration in autumn 2003
(DeCandido et al. 2004).

Four raptor species accounted for >95% of the
migration in spring 2007-08: Black Baza (38%), Grey¬
faced Buzzard (35%), Chinese Sparrowhawk (17%) and
Oriental Honey-buzzard (6%) . Based upon these data, as
well as on observations made by CN in April to mid-May
2009, we suggest that most Black Bazas and Chinese
Sparrowhawks migrate through southern Thailand in the
last ten days of March and the first few days of April, and
their migration is virtually complete in southern Thailand
by 15 April. Japanese Sparrowhawk Accipiter gularis is a
common southbound migrant in the area of Chumphon
(DeCandido et al. 2004), and observations by CN in
2004-06 suggest that its spring migration through this
area of Thailand occurs primarily from late January to
late February.

Grey-faced Buzzard counts are consistent from year
to year, averaging 17,372/spring (Table 1), with most
migrants travelling in flocks of <25 (Fig. 5). In both 2007
and 2008, our counts of Grey-faced Buzzard exceed the
autumn 2003 count (DeCandido etal. 2004). At Promsri
Hill, we observed a mid-morning (08h00- 1 1 hOO) peak in
the flight (Fig. 6) suggesting that many Grey-faced

Buzzards began their migration in the area, possibly after
roosting nearby overnight. Seasonally, the first Grey-faced
Buzzards have been observed as early as 1 February 2005
(CN). Grey-faced Buzzard migration peaks in early to
mid-March, c.5-20 March each year (Fig. 4d), and is
completed by 10 April in southern Thailand. In Taiwan,
part of the East Asian Oceanic Flyway (Fig. 2), data show
that Grey-faced Buzzard migration peaks between 15
March and 30 March each spring (C. Chen 2006). Only
one count location in Asia (at BaGuaShan, Taiwan), has
reported more spring migrant Grey-faced Buzzards
(c. 22,000/spring) than our 2007-08 counts (see C. Chen
2006, Y.-J. Chen 2006). Further south, fewer than 100
Grey-faced Buzzards are counted annually in northbound
migration at Tanjung Tuan, Malaysia (DeCandido et al.

2006, Lim and Cheung 2007, 2008), and this species is
not seen every year in Singapore (Ow Yong 2008). We
propose that the primary wintering area of the continental
migratory population of Grey-faced Buzzards is in the
highlands of northern Malaysia and southern Thailand.

Our counts of migrant Oriental Honey-buzzards
(2,75 1 /spring) are low compared with recent spring counts
at Tanjung Tuan, where c. 24,000 were counted in 2007
(Lim and Cheung 2007), and 32,000 in 2008 (Lim and
Cheung 2008). There, the peak of the migration is in
mid-March (DeCandido et al. 2006). Lim and Cheung
(2008) report the highest daily counts occurred on 1 1
March 2008 (4,102) and 14 March 2008 (4,367). At
Promsri Hill, Oriental Honey-buzzards peak around 1 0-
25 March (Fig. 4b), suggesting that some of these migrants
also passed through the area ofTanjungTuan, and many
probably migrate to our west, perhaps even through
Myanmar. Migrant Oriental Honey-buzzards continue
to pass Promsri Hill in small numbers (up to 100/day) in
April to mid-May, and future studies might reveal how
late into May migrants of this species pass through
southern Thailand.

Weather, particularly wind direction and speed, played
the major role in the number of migrants we counted in
spring 2007-08. Significantly more raptors were counted
when winds had an easterly component from the Gulf of
Thailand than when winds were from other directions.
Easterly winds were strongest from mid- to late afternoon,
as thermal activity increased, and were associated with
the greatest number of raptors seen (Fig. 3) . These onshore
winds combined with additional easterly winds generated
by the north-east low-pressure monsoon (Guo etal. 2002,
Khedari et al. 2002), causing migrants to drift inland
toward the watch site, particularly in spring 2008. By
comparison, when easterly winds failed on 17-18 March

2007, more than 3,400 raptors were counted in migration
at a site c.5 km to the east of Promsri Hill along the main
road (Route 4), while less than 100 raptors passed the
main watch site (K. Termtanan inlitt. 2007). The diurnal
pattern of spring raptor migration at Promsri Hill peaked
several hours later in the day than the mid-morning peak
we recorded at a nearby coastal watch site east of
Chumphon during autumn 2003 (DeCandido etal. 2004).
There, most raptors were observed when winds had a
westerly component (DeCandido et al. 2004).

Given the importance of the area for understanding
patterns of northbound raptor migration in Indochina,
we recommend further research at the site since we
observed important differences in the pattern of the
migration just between spring 2007 and 2008. During

Forktail 25 (2009)

Spring migration of raptors in southern Thailand, 2007-08

95

our study, we received information that large raptors,
including Oriental Honey-buzzards, had been shot in the
area of the watch site. Educational outreach, particularly
bilingual colouring books of local birds for children, and
on-line brochures of the migrants for adults (see van Kam
et al. 2008), would greatly benefit raptor conservation
locally and regionally.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We dedicate this paper to Asian raptor scholar, Jean-Marc Thiollay. Our
research in Thailand was made possible with strong support from our
family and friends including Aree Nualsri and son, Narathip; Deborah
Allen; Pattaporn Charoenosot; and the Promsri family including Taek,
Jee, Apple, Side, Ying and Ning. Chatuphon Sawasdee of the Thai Raptor
Group designed the two maps. We benefited greatly from the advice and
participation of many colleagues, particularly Nurak Isarasena and
Edmund Pease, Chaiyan Kasorndorkbua, Chaiwat Chinuparawat, Uthai
Treesucon, William Duckworth and Philip Round. In Chumphon,
Captain Narong Pethploy of the Military Police Company, Khetudomsak
Camp, Chumphon Military Province, graciously gave permission and
provided assistance to make Khao Klai (Promsri Hill) a wonderful
observation site in spring 2007-08. Laurie Goodrich of the Hawk
Mountain Sanctuary made many helpful comments that significantly
improved this manuscript. Two referees, Keith Bildstein and Francesco
Germi, contributed their knowledge and expertise. We also wish to thank
our friends in Malaysia who introduced us to raptors in South-East Asia:
Ooi Beng Y ean, Chiu Sein Chiong, Cheang Kum Seng, Lim Aun Tiah,
Lint Kim Chye and the late Laurence Poh.

REFERENCES

Chen, C. (2006) Asian Raptor Migration Project in Taiwan: 2003-
2005. Program and abstracts, Fourth Symposium on Asian Raptors:
Towards Conservation of Asian Raptors through Science and Action,
28-31 October 2005, Taiping, Perak, West Malaysia.

Chen, Y.-J. (2006) Spring migration of the Grey-faced Buzzard in the
central and southern Taiwan. M.S. thesis, Institute of Wildlife
Conservation, National Ping-tung University of Science and
Technology, Taiwan [in Chinese with English Abstract]. 47 pp.
DeCandido, R., Nualsri, C., Allen, D. and Bildstein, K. L. (2004)
Autumn 2003 raptor migration at Chumphon, Thailand: a globally
significant raptor migration watch site. Forktail 20: 49-54.
DeCandido, R., Allen, D. and Bildstein, K. (2006) Spring migration
of Oriental Honey-buzzards and other raptors at Tanjung Tuan,
Malaysia, 2000-2001. Forktail 22: 156-160.

DeCandido, R., Kasorndorkbua, C., Nualsri, C., Chinuparawat, C.
and Allen, D. (2008) Raptor migration in Thailand. BirdingASIA
10: 16-22.

Germi, F., Young, G. S., Salim, A., Pangimangen, W. and Scheilekens,
M. (2009) Over-ocean raptor migration in a monsoon regime:
spring and autumn 2007 on Sangihe, north Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Forktail 25: 104-1 16.

Guo, Y., Toh, J., Zhang, Z. M., Lin, I.-I. and Khoo, V. H. S.
(2002) Investigation of the north-east monsoon characteristics in
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Sensing - A Scientific Vision for Sustainable Development., 1 997
IEEE International 2: 845-847.

Herremans, M. and Louette, M. (2000) A partial post-juvenile molt
and transitional plumage in the Shikra ( Accipter badius ) and Grey
Frog Hawk (Accipiter soloensis). J. Raptor Research 34: 249-261.

Higuchi, H., Shiu, H. J., Nakamura, H., Uematsu, A., Kuno, K.,
Saeki, M., Hotta, M., Tokita, K., Moriya, E., Morishita, E. and
Tamura, M. (2005) Migration of Honey-buzzards Pemis ptilorhyncus
based on satellite tracking. Ornithological Science 4: 109-1 15.

Inskipp, T., Lindsey, N. and Duckworth, W. (1996) An annotated
checklist of the birds of the Oriental region. Sandy, Beds,U.K.: Oriental
Bird Club.

Inskipp, T., Lindsey, N. and Duckworth, W. (2001) Checklist of the
birds of the Oriental Region. Oriental Bird Club.
www.orientalbirdclub.org/publications/checklist/obcchecklist.txt

van de Kam, J., Battley, P. F., McCaffery, B. J., Rogers, D., Hong,
J.-S, Moore, N., Yong-Ki, J., Lewis, J. and Piersma, T. (2008)
Invisible connections. Available On-line: http://www.wetlands.org/
LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=qI4xkTHeeN0%3d&tabid=56

Kasorndorkbua, C., Chinuparawat, C. and Nualsri, C. (2008)
A photographic guide to the raptors of Thailand. Bangkok: Thai Raptor
Group (Amarin Printing and Publishing, Co. Ltd), [in Thai with
English Introduction]. 328 pp.

Ivhedari,J., Sangprajak, A. and Hirunlabh, J. (2002) Thailand climatic
zones. Renewable Energy 25: 267-280.

Kugai, K. (1996) Autumn migration of Butastur indicus Grey-faced
Buzzard-eagle in Japan. Bull. Okinawa Prefectural Mus. 1996: 154-
172.

Lekagul, B., Round, P. D., Komolphalin, K. and Wongkalasin, M.
(1991) A guide to the birds of Thailand. Bangkok: Saha Karn Bhat
Co. Ltd.

Lim, A. T. and Cheung, N. (2007) A report on the monitoring of raptor
migration at Tanjung Tuan, Peninsular Malaysia - spring 2007.
Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Nature Society.

Lim, A. T. and Cheung, N. (2008) A report on the monitoring of raptor
migration at Tanjung Tuan, Peninsular Malaysia - spring 2008.
Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Nature Society.

Ow Yong, A. (2008) Summary report on the raptor migration in
Singapore from autumn 2007 to spring 2008 (ed. K. Yee). Available
online: http://wildbirdsingapore.nss.org.sg/indexE.html

Preacher, K. J. (2001) Calculation for the chi-square test: an interactive
calculation tool for chi-square tests of goodness of fit and
independence [Computer software! . Available from http://
www.quantpsy.org.

Robson, C. (2002) Birds of Thailand. London: New Holland.

Shiu, H. J., Tokita, K., Morishita, E., Hiraoka, E., Wu, Y., Nakamura,
H. and Higuchi, H. (2006) Route and site fidelity of two migratory
raptors: Grey-faced Buzzards Butastur indicus and Honey-buzzards
Pemis apivorus. Ornithological Science 5: 151—156.

Wells, D. R. (1999) The birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. London:
Academic Press.

Robert DeCandido, 1831 Fowler Avenue, The Bronx, Nezu York 10462 U.S.A. Email: rdcny@earthlink.net
Chukiat Nualsri, Nathung Administrative Organization, 99 Mu3 Nathung sub-District Muang Chumphon, Chumphon,
Thailand 86000. Email: bntemstar@gtnail.com

FORKTAIL 25 (2009): 96-103

Eight new birds for Laos

J. W. DUCKWORTH

Documented here are records of five bird species which were not, so far as I have been able to trace, previously recorded in Laos, and
three further species which have previously been published for the country but without substantiating details. An additional species is
removed from the Lao list. None of the birds was collected or photographed, so details of what was observed on each are given (see
discussion of the desirability for this in Rasmussen and Anderton 2005). There remains no rarities committee or equivalent for bird
records in Laos.

Ferruginous Pochard Aythya nyrnca
On arrival at Nong (= lake) Thaleuth (Vientiane
municipality; 18°06'N 102°05'E; 175 m) on 20 January
2009 at 16h00, within ten minutes I noticed two evident
Aythya ducks c.250 m offshore. The only previous Lao
record of the genus was one of Baer’s Pochard (below);
former listing of Tufted Duck A fuliginosa for the country
(e.g. Kingeru/. 1975) presumably reflects its ambiguously
given range as ‘nord de l’lndochine’ [=northern Indochina]
in Delacour and Jabouille 1940: 99). With no reason to
expect the two birds to come closer before darkness, I
persuaded a villager to take me out in a wooden pirogue.
This allowed excellent views of them for most of 16h50-
1 7h20 in the soft late afternoon light down to 30 m (mostly
at 50-80 m). The two birds were seen again on 26 January
(poorly) and on 4 February, when I boated out and watched
them for about an hour, including with a 1 5x telescope
(from the stability of a small island) for 40 minutes as they
loafed at 60 m range in good light. One was an obvious
drake Ferruginous Pochard, with its warm brown plumage,
including a rich burnished mahogany-toned head, neck
and chest, somewhat paler flanks (at least in some lights),
somewhat darker upperparts, and large pure white vent.
Separating the vent and flanks was a bold-margined vertical
dark line, almost black. Dividing the neck from the chest
was a similarly dark line, horizontal and not clear-cut, best
seen when the bird stretched its neck. The eye was almost
white, perhaps ever so slightly toned pale green. The dark-
grey bill had a diffuse black/ish tip, broadest about the
nail, and a slight pale wash behind this tip. A bold white
bar across the remiges was bright right onto the outer
feathers, and a large white belly-patch had a straight, sharp
division from the rich brown chest. These latter features
were seen in flight and when it occasionally reared up from
the water to flap its wings. The identity of the second bird,
superficially similar to a scruffy male Tufted Duck but
lacking any hint of a tuft, remains unresolved. Throughout
observation, the birds were in or near large patches of
sparse emergent rushes (rising about 15-35 cm above
water) and small, scattered, patches of waterlilies (less
than 5% cover of that part of the lake), and were relaxed
enough to feed when I was only 30 m away — risky behaviour
for a bird of this size in Laos. The dark lines afore the vent
and around the lower neck are not indicated in Robson
(2005a), so initially caused some concern over the bird’s
ancestry, but are in fact typical (Vinicombe 2000) . Ageing
the bird is inadvisable, because even first-winter birds
may look immaculate in plumage this late in winter
(Vinicombe 2000).

Villagers identified these birds as nok pet khaa\ saying
that khaa had no other meaning (pet is duck and nok is

bird). This, or a very similar-sounding, name is widely
used for White-winged Duck Cairinia scutulata in Laos
(Evans et al. 1997). They said the ‘species’ was present
only in the cold months (November-February) and that
in the last four winters only two birds had come. A decade
ago, typically 6-8 birds wintered on the lake.

There are at least two previous records of Ferruginous
Pochards on sandbars in the Mekong River seen from
Chiang Saen, Thailand: 12 birds on 27 December 2001
(Round and Jukmongkol 2002) and 30 on 28 February
2005 (Robson 2005b). These constitute implicit Lao
records, the river forming the border between the two
countries. Ferruginous Pochard, listed by BirdLife
International (2008a) as Near Threatened, is a locally
numerous winter visitor to parts of Myanmar, with flocks
of over 1,000 still occurring (Tordoff et al. 2008 and
references therein), but is much scarcer further to the
east, with a 1988-1989 survey of wetlands in north-east
Thailand (Wolstencroft et al. 1993) recording only 1-2
birds at three sites (compared with up to 59 Baer’s
Pochards at eight sites). On the wetlands of the Chiang
Saen plain Ferruginous has, in the last decade, become
much the commoner of the two species (P. D. Round
verbally 2009). Occasional occurrence in Laos is not a
surprise, because it has also been recorded in east Tonkin
(e.g. Stusak and Vo Quy 1986, Nguyen Due Tu et al.
2006) includingatVanLongMarshin2006 (C. R. Robson
in litt. 2009), and there were even two records in Hong
Kong up to 2000 (Carey et al. 2001). The population
trends in Asia remain unclear (BirdLife International
2008a).

Baer’s Pochard Aythya baeri

In early 2000, J. W. K. Parr (verbally 2000, 2009) saw a
single male Baer’s Pochard among the many Lesser
Whistling-ducks Dendrocygna javanica around Ban (= the
village of) Sivilai (Vientiane province; 18°19'N 102°37'E;
175 m), an area of embanked pools where villagers used
to protect birds from hunting (Parr and Parr 1998). No
description was taken because he knew the species from
Thailand, and it was an adult male seen at close range in
good light. To treat this record as provisional would be
understandable, but based upon conversation with the
observer directly after the sighting I think this would be
overcautious.

The number of Baer’s Pochard records from adjacent
north and north-east Thailand (Wolstencroft et al. 1 993,
BirdLife International 2001, Round 2008) suggests that
it might even have been regular in Laos, at least in the
1980s, but since then there have been major global
population declines, numbers reaching Thailand have

Forktail 25 (2009)

Eight new birds for Laos

97

dropped markedly (Round 2008) and it has been
reclassified from globally threatened: V ulnerable (BirdLife
International 2001) to globally threatened: Endangered
(BirdLife International 2008b). Baer’s Pochard has also
been found in the Red River plain of northern Vietnam
(where evidently very rare) and, slightly further from North
Lao, in parts of southern China and Myanmar (BirdLife
International 2001, Nguyen Due Tu et al. 2006), all
indicating that it should reach Lao at least occasionally.
As a globally threatened species, clarification of its current
status in Laos is an urgent conservation priority: ducks
are generally scarce in the country, probably reflecting
heavy hunting (Duckworth et al. 1999, 2002, Bezuijen
2006), and well-vegetated plains wetlands (the typical
winter habitat of this species: BirdLife International 200 1 )
are themselves already much reduced and the remaining
areas are under threat (see below).

Eurasian Thick- knee Burhinus oedicnemus
During heavy Mekong floods, on 1 7 August 2008, Mark
Bezuijen (MB) and I went to the plains south-east of
Vientiane around Nong(= pool) Pen (17°55'N 102°45'E;
1 65 m) in the hope of displaced birds of unusual species.
As we walked between the village of Ban Xiengkhouan
and Nong Pen itself, MB said excitedly ‘there’s a curlew
flying across the road!’. Assuming he meant a Numenius
sp., of which two species have occurred, both very rarely,
in Laos (Duckworth and Tizard 2003, Timmins and
Robichaud 2005), I scanned frantically in the sky: most
land was under feet of water, while most of the rest held
fairly thick vegetation. I could see no bird and felt even
more disorientated when MB said ‘it flew low across the
road and I think landed over there’, ‘there’ being an area
of scrub and ruderals (particularly the carpeting invasive
1 V2-2V2 m high Chronwlaena odorata ) with small (< 10 m
across) patches of short buffalo-grazed grass. This seemed
utterly implausible behaviour for any curlew: after what
seemed an eternity of confusion the penny dropped, by
his reference to white wing-patches, that MB’s use of the
word ‘curlew’ referred to the Burhinidae, based on the
hopefully soon obsolete and taxonomically misleading
use of the name ‘Stone-curlew’ for B. oedicnemus in the
UK. There being no record of this family from the
Vientiane plain, we immediately entered the area into
which it had flown and after an increasingly worrying
search flushed the bird for a flight view of 2 seconds,
perfectly lit, at a range of 60 m. Great Thick-knee Esacus
recurvirostris remains, albeit much declined, widespread
on the Lao Mekong (Thewlis et al. 1998, Duckworth et
al. 1999, 2002) and is a plausible visitor to the plain
during high water. However, while of obvious Burhinidae
shape (big head, big eye, and a beak short and stout for
a wader) and flight action (slow wing-beats), this bird was
only half to two-thirds the bulk of a Great Thick-knee,
had much less white in the wing, and was darker brown
and obviously streaked in plumage. Fortunately over the
next 1 5 minutes I had three further flight views, each of
1 0-30 seconds, at ranges of 1 5-50 m, viewed with 10x42
binoculars. The four flushing distances (thrice by one or
other of us, once by a passing old woman) were at 1 2-30
m. At the last flush, the bird headed off, apparently beyond
a large band of flooded rice. The views allowed repeated
affirmation of the characters noted at the first (with
particular focus that the bird truly was streaked dark on
both upper- and underparts), and indicated a wing pattern

of black remiges separated from the brown upperwing-
coverts by pale bands, and at least one small white patch
within the spread primaries; a white tail-tip; off-white
lines above and below the eye; and dull yellow on the bill.

The sole previous Lao record of Eurasian Thick-knee
may be that of two birds in a rice paddy near Ban Sompoy
(Attapu province; 14°30'N 106°28'E; 90 m), near the
border of Xe Pian National Protected Area, on 2 March
1998 (not February, contra Duckworth et al. 1999). The
observer, T. Tizard, kindly supplied a photocopy of his
(laconic) field notes: the birds were flushed ‘four or five’
times, showing ‘a very obvious small amount of white in
the wing’ and a ‘thin dark bill’ (although the bill invariably
has some yellow on it). He further states (in litt. 2009)
that the birds were obvious thick-knees rather than any
other family, and were smaller and darker (with streaks)
in plumage than the many Great Thick-knees he had
already seen by this time. It seems unlikely that Eurasian
Thick-knee is common on the Vientiane plain, because
Duckworth’s (2007) fairly heavy survey of agricultural
habitats did not find it, but large areas of potentially
suitable land on the Mekong plain downstream of
Vientiane, and on some of the major tributaries (notably
the Xe Kong and in Savannakhet province), have never
had any serious bird survey.

These two Lao records presumably refer to the eastern
form indicus, usually treated as a race of B. oedicnemus ,
but accorded species status by Rasmussen and Anderton
(2005) through being ‘very distinct from B. oedicnemus in
proportions and vocalisations’. Vientiane may be near
the species’s north-eastern range limit, as it does not
inhabit China (Cheng 1987). Robson (2005a) listed the
bird widely in South-East Asia, including neighbouring
Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, but with insufficient
information to classify its seasonal status in many regions.
The only historical records from Cambodia traced by
Thomas and Poole (2003) were those of Delacour ( 1 929),
who found the species to be not uncommon around Siem
Reap and Kompong Thom, in large open grassy plains
(Delacour and Jabouille 1931a). Vietnamese records with
locality detail come only from Pleiku (David-Beaulieu
1939), Danang (then known as Tourane; Delacour and
Jabouille 1940) and (notably similar in date to this Lao
record) Hanoi, where a local woman was seen carrying
two live birds to market (with several snipes Gallinago) on
24 August 1981 (Stusak and Vo Quy 1986); this latter
record, the only one ever from any part of northern
Vietnam, was omitted from Robson (2000, 2005) because
C. R. Robson (in litt. 2009) overlooked it, not because
there is any reason to doubt it. There is very little recently
published on its South-East Asian status, even a generally
thorough global monograph stating that ‘further south
and east, in Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and
elsewhere, little or nothing is known of the former
distribution and numbers of breeding Stone Curlews. Of
the present situation, I can only state that they are
widespread throughout this enormous region, and even
common here and there in suitable places’ (Vaughan and
Jennings 2005: 286). Timmins (2008) considered that
‘the regional [= Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam] status of
this species is enigmatic, due to its cryptic nature and
paucity of survey work in suitable habitats’ . A. W. T ordoff
(in litt. 2008) knows of no recent Vietnamese records.
P. D. Round (in litt. 2008) commented that, for the part
of Thailand adjacent to Laos, ‘I have no idea of its status

98

J. W. DUCKWORTH

Forktail 25 (2009)

in NE Thailand. It is so unobtrusive that it could quite
easily be widespread in Isan’; concentrations of up to 70
have been found around Bangkok (Round 2008), so it
evidently remains reasonably common somewhere. In
general in Thailand it is considered near-threatened, and
to be uncommon (Sanguansombat 2005). Both
Duckworth et al. (1999) and Timmins (2008) highlighted
that, as a relatively large bird of open and fairly open
habitats (i.e. overlapping much with human settlement),
albeit highly cryptic, it could be under severe hunting
pressure. Equally, so little observation has taken place in
suitable habitat that it might prove to be unexpectedly
numerous in Laos.

Narcissus Flycatcher Ficedula narcissina
P. S. Bourdin {in litt. 2006, 2009) found a male Narcissus
Flycatcher in a Mekong-side Vientiane garden (just
upstream of the city centre; 17°58'N 102°35'E; 165 m)
on 28 March 2006, and managed three seconds of shaky
video film. This (and stills from it, circulated to other
birders with an interest in Lao birds) shows clearly the
black upperparts with yellow supercilium and rump; the
large white wing-flash; and the white belly and vent, with
bright yellow breast and throat.

The nominate race, which breeds in the south Kuril
islands, Sakhalin and Japan and winters in Borneo, the
Philippines and Hainan (Dickinson 2003), is a vagrant in
mainland South-East Asia. It has been recorded from
two regions of Vietnam (Robson 2005a, Pilgrim et al. in
prep.), and the first, and (until 2009, only), record for
Thailand was of a single bird on 17 April 1995 at Khao
Sam Roi Yot National Park (12°13'N 99°55,E) which
could not be found the next day (Round and Rumsey
1 997) . It is a scarce annual spring migrant through Hong
Kong, the last few days of March being the start of the
peak month of occurrence (Carey etal. 2001). The green-
backed form F. n. elisae (sometimes treated as a full species,
but see Topfer 2006), which breeds in small parts of
temperate China and winters only in the Thai-Malay
peninsula but has been found as a vagrant in several other
parts of South-East Asia (Round and Rumsey 1997,
Dickinson 2003, Robson 2005a), has not yet been
recorded in Laos.

Japanese Robin Erithacus akahige
Robichaud ( 1 999) observed a robin at close range within
dense but short-stature evergreen forest on Phou Vang
(in Nakai-Nam Theun National Protected Area,
Khammouan province; c. 1 7°48'N 1 05°33'E; c. 1 ,450 m)
on 13 December 1998 and 1 January 1999, in a narrow,
steep, boulder-strewn, nearly dry stream-bed, apparently
coming to a weeping rock, perhaps to drink. It had an
orange head, face and upper breast, a grey belly and clean
white undertail-coverts, and rufous upperparts with a more
orangey tail. A nearby bird, perhaps a female, was seen
only briefly. These descriptive notes were omitted from
the final report of the survey (Robichaud and Stuart 1999)
in anticipation of subsequent formal publication of the
record. They are sketchy for a species otherwise unrecorded
in the country, but the sighting was discussed directly
afterwards with P. Davidson and JWD and then included,
without caveat, in Duckworth et al. (1999). W. G.
Robichaud {in litt. 2009) reviewed his notes and memory
and added that, within the size-range of robins in Lao
(which range up to Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus

saularis), it was rather small. No other South-East Asian
bird of this size shares an orange head and grey belly (see
Robson 2005a). Eurasian Robin E. rabecula , perhaps the
most similar species in Eurasia, is an implausible vagrant.
WGR, an American, knew at time of observation neither
species, and so did not check points to distinguish the two.
Reviewing the record a decade on, with examination of
many photographs of both species on the Internet, WGR
pointed out that Eurasian Robin would be unlikely to
stimulate his description as having an orange head (whereas
this fits Japanese Robin, especially if seen from the side,
where the brown crown and nape are not so obvious) or
with orange otherwise confined to the upper breast (in
Eurasian Robin the entire breast is red in all post-juvenile
plumages, while juveniles are entirely different; lacking
any orange or red breast-patch, or grey underparts: Collar

2005) . The microhabitat, a boulder-rich forest stream, is
perfect for the species (Collar 2005).

Japanese Robin breeds in Japan, Sakhalin and the south
Kuril islands; its winter range is poorly known but is
apparently south to east China and the Ryukyu islands
(Dickinson 2003, King 2008). South-East Asia seems
too far south to hold the species commonly; Carey et al.
(2001) traced only ten records from Hong Kong, mostly
between mid-December and late March. However, there
are records from several regions of Thailand, where it
now occurs almost annually (e.g. King 2008, Robson
2005a, 2007, 2008) and, in Vietnam, from East Tonkin
and Central Annam (C. R. Robson in Crosby 1995,
Robson 2005a).

[Light-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus sinensis
Duckworth et al. (1999) included one Lao record of this
species, an unpublished sighting of a single bird assigned
to P. s. sinensis in low-altitude limestone scrub near the
southern tip of Nam KadingNPA in January 1999. The
observer (T. D. Evans in litt. 2009) saw similar birds
again at the same site on 4 and 1 1 February 1 999, and his
review of field notes suggests that (at least on the middle
date) these were more likely to be the then-undescribed
Bare-faced Bulbul Pycnonotus sp. (see Woxvold et al. this
issue). Fishpool and Tobias (2005) stated of the nominate
P. sinensis that ‘small numbers reach North Laos’ and of
P. s. hainanus that it is a ‘winter vagrant in C Laos’; the
basis for occurrence in C Laos may simply stem from
Robson (2000), who seems to have placed some of Nam
Kading in C Laos, but the basis for statement that P. s.
hainanus occurs cannot now be traced (J. A. Tobias in litt.
2008). There therefore seems to be no specific record
from Laos. However, it is likely that this bulbul will be
found to visit the country: it is an abundant resident in and
winter visitor to Hong Kong (Carey et al. 2001) and a
common winter visitor to north and central Vietnam, also
an uncommon resident in East Tonkin (Delacour and
Jabouille 1931b,StusakandVoQuy 1986, Robson 2005a).
And on 30 December 1988, J. A. Wolstencroft {in litt.

2006) and M. Goodey obtained excellent views of two
individuals of the nominate race in adjacent north-east
Thailand, at Beung Kong Long No-Hunting Area (17°58'-
1 8°03'N 1 03o59'-l 04°02'E; coincidentally, almost directly
over the Mekong from the Nam Kading NPA); and on a
repeat visit there (8 February 1989) found at least eleven,
probably 1 7 or more, of them; these records were omitted
from the report of the survey (Wolstencroft et al. 1993)
because the species is not a waterbird.]

Forktail 25 (2009)

Eight new birds for Laos

99

Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix
On 9 December 2008 I was waiting at the Lane Xang
Minerals Ltd mine headquarters, Savannakhet province
(16°57'49"N 105°59'09"E; c.220 m) when a passerine
landed in some ornamental trees amid chalets and
commenced foraging in the mid-storey, perfectly lit in
the 07h45 morning sun, 9 m from me. I was instantly
astonished to see a large warbler dramatically different
from any common Lao species and after momentary
thoughts of a green Hippolais realised that it was a Wood
Warbler. The bird was in view through 10x42 binoculars
for about 2 minutes, at 9-12 m range, and moved actively
at about 2. 5-4. 5 m above ground in the outer small
branches of various small trees. It was only briefly
significantly obscured by foliage. It then flew off over a
chalet to another patch of trees, and I had to leave for a
meeting. It was highly distinctive, compared with
Phylloscopus species regularly encountered in Laos, by its
large bulk, brightness of plumage, and lack of any wing-
bars, tertial spots, or crown-stripe. The upperparts were
bright green with a faint grey ‘bloom’ apparent at some
angles; the folded remiges were fringed an even brighter
green. The breast and supercilium were bright primrose-
yellow, contrasting with the silvery-white belly, flanks
and vent. The division between the yellow and white was
discrete, although not with a straight-line border; the
precise pattern was not noted. Both the bill and legs were
sturdy (for a Phylloscopus ) and at least partly bright orange-
flesh. The very long wings reaching well down the tail and
the high domed head combined with the plumage colours
to give an appearance totally dissimilar to any common
Lao congener. The bird was silent.

I was already familiar with Wood Warbler through
growing up in the UK, and there is no real confusion
species anywhere in the world. Among leaf warblers yet
recorded in Laos only Yellow-vented Warbler P. cautator
shares this sort of bright plumage with a white belly; but
it has a bright yellow vent, a boldly striped head and is
entirely different in shape and size. TickelFs LeafWarbler
P. affinis and Arctic Warbler P. borealis of the race P. b.
xanthodryas are also bright-coloured and might yet be
found in Laos, but both lack a bright white belly and the
former lacks bright green upperparts while the latter has
bold wing-bars. ‘Green Warbler’ P. [rrochiloides] nitidus is
perhaps the highest risk of confusion, and winters regularly
in South Asia, occurring occasionally east to Bangladesh
(Bairlein et al. 2006), but is readily distinguished by bold
wing-bars (which might, however, be abraded when
worn), the lack of bright fringing to folded remiges, and
has the shape (including shorter wings than a Wood
Warbler) of Greenish Warbler P. trochiloides, a species
(. sd .) abundant in Laos (e.g. Thewlis et al. 1996) and of
which several were seen daily during the present survey.
Among species not known from tropical Asia, both Eastern
and Western Bonelli’s Warblers P. orientalis and P. bonelli
show some similarities to Wood Warbler, but differ in a
number of obvious ways, e.g. neither shows bright
primrose-yellow on the underparts or supercilium . There
are no possible confusion species in the allied genera
Seicercus, Tickellia or Abroscopus. The bright-coloured
Hippolais species Icterine and Melodious Warblers H.
icerina and H. polyglotta, neither recorded ever from South-
East Asia, were excluded by the head shape and underpart
colour pattern, and lack of their distinctive ‘jizz’ (with
which I am familiar from England and Germany).

This appears to be the first record for South-East Asia
as the species is not in Robson (2005a), and may even be
the first for tropical Asia, because T. P. Inskipp (in litt.
2008) knows of no record from the Indian subcontinent;
nor has it yet been found in Hong Kong (Carey et al.
2001, G. J. Carey in litt. 2008). The grey bloom noted on
the upperparts suggests my bird might have been a juvenile
(see Bairlein et al. 2006), the most common age-class
among extreme vagrants in most species (Lewington
et al. 1991). Wood Warbler breeds in Europe and east to
the north-east and eastern Altai (Ernst 1991), rather
further to the east than is conventionally accepted based
on, e.g., Stresemann (1955). Its non-breeding range is a
latitudinal belt across the centre of Africa, south of the
Sahara (Bairlein et al. 2006). It is a proven long-distance
vagrant, perhaps reflecting the long and complex route of
the Siberian breeding populations which, in order to winter
in Africa, may fly mostly west for over 4,000 km before
turning to a more southerly direction (Wernham et al.
2002); thus, if undertaking a reverse migration of similar
distance, arrivals in the north Pacific are explicable (there
is no evidence to support the proposal by Ernst [1991] of
a central Asian wintering ground for eastern populations) .
There are multiple records from the Asia-Pacific region:
one collected in the Aleutians (Alaska, USA) on 9 October
1978 (Gibson 1981); one in the Pribilof islands in October
2004 (Alaska, USA; Pranty et al. 2008); a total of 16
records of singles (eight in September, seven in October
and one on 2 November 2004) from Japan in Japan
Records Committee (2005) including the first from the
country on 8 October 1984 (Brazil 1991); one
photographed at Tok-do, southern Korea, on 13
September 2007 (Kim Jae-Woon per N. Moores in litt.
2008); and a rare passage migrant in west Mongolia,
extremely rare further east in the country (Ernst 1991,
Kovats 1997, Kovats and Halmos 1998; A. Braunlich in
litt. 2008) . Closer to Laos, there are various records from
China: one from Yangbaijain, Damxung, in southern
Xizang Autonomous Region (Tibet) in September
(30°05'N 90°33'E; Cheng 1 987); one in Jiangsu Province,
east China, around 22 September 2008 (per G. J. Carey
in litt. 2008); and one at Turpan, Xinjiang province, on
20 September 2004, apparently not the first for the
province (G. J. Carey in litt. 2008). The species has also
strayed to the Indian Ocean islands, with two records of
single birds from the Seychelles, from Aldabra and Cousin
in November and December (Skerrett and Seychelles
Bird Records Committee 2001, Skerrett et al. 2006),
matching this Lao record in season.

Streaked Weaver Ploceus manyar
Xe Pian National Protected Area is one of the most
important areas in the Lao protected area system for birds
(Thewlis et al. 1998) and was the first to have a modern
survey, in 1992-1993 (Thewlis et al. 1996). This focused
on forests, yet subsequent survey across Laos indicated
that its wetlands were also likely to be of high national
significance to birds. Thus, during a survey of the
Pathoumphon district (Champasak province) in
December 2007-January 2008, I spent as much time as
possible in the wetlands, notably the large (800 ha;
Claridge 1 996) Bung Gnai-Kiatngong. In its eastern part,
about 14°45'58"N 106°04'14"E (150 m), on 12 January
2008 I saw from a distance and against the light a flying
flock of c.30 small passerines which looked out of the

100

J. W. DUCKWORTH

Forktail 25 (2009)

common order, and so waded across to view them, using
10x42 binoculars at 5-9 m range in perfect sunlight for
a total of about five minutes spread across half-an-hour.
They were feeding in and around a small stand of living
Sesbania, amid grazed wet grass, and were relatively shy
and skulking; but about half could be confirmed as
Streaked Weavers. No breeding-plumage males were
present. All birds seen well were basically brown and
recalled sparrows Passer somewhat in size and bill shape.
They showed a bright, clear, well-defined, yellow spot in
the lower rear of the side-neck; a bold, bright, nearly
white supercilium; heavy dark streaks on the breast and
flanks; heavy dark streak-blotches on the upperparts; black
tertials with heavy buff edging; and thick pinkish bills.
The flock kept up a near-continuous chorus of harsh
trills, chuckles and stutters. There were about c.20 in the
same Sesbania stand on 16 January, as well as two amid
a flock of about 15 weavers, mostly Baya Weavers P.
philippinus, a few hundred metres away in bushes on a
small rocky outcrop projecting from the swamp.

A few months later, on 5 July 2008, with Mark Bezuijen
(MB) I visited the Pakxan wetlands, Bolikhamxai
province: one of the largest wetland complexes remaining
on the Lao Mekong plain (Claridge 1996). A colony of at
least 60 nests (perhaps only one complete) was located at
18°23'00"N 103o4L30"E (150 m); MB located another
1 2 or so nests nearby and, accounting for areas not easily
visible, there may have been 100 nests in all. The
proportion which were ‘cock swings’ (i.e. unfinished
display nests built by males: Round 2008) was not
estimated. The completed nest was a ball with a small
down-pointing entrance tube. All nests were of dead,
brown, vegetation, whereas Baya Weaver nests are
constructed of green material (personal observations at
this site, May 2005), so were either in deterioration, or
were being built with long-dead plant material. The nests
were all in the invasive shrub Mimosa pigra above standing
water and about 15 Streaked Weavers, including four
singing males in breeding plumage (and no weavers of
any other species), were in the area.

Finally, on 5 August 2008, I saw at Wat (= temple)
Simouang, Vientiane, among the women selling caged
birds for merit-making release (see van Zalinge 1999 for
Cambodia), two vendors with single Streaked Weavers,
both in non-breeding plumage. One was alone, the other
shared its cage with a single Baya Weaver and single Scaly-
breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata. This is the only time,
in fairly regular checks (sometimes several per week)
during 2007-2008 that the species was present. The
vendors did not consider it anything special, and when
asked its origin indicated ‘from the pa [usually taken as
‘forest’, but here best seen as equivalent to ‘the wilds’]
over there’, gesturing non-specifically inland. At further
questioning they eventually said the birds had originated
in Thailand; but this seemed like an attempt to end the
conversation when it became obvious I was not going to
purchase the birds. It is inherently improbable that they
would disclose the real location, through fear of
competitive undercutting; and it is also fairly unlikely
that they would trouble to acquaint themselves with it in
the first place. Around Vientiane there may remain some
suitable habitat; even into the early 1 990s, the Bung That
Louang-Salakham complex (over 20 km2) was probably
among the most significant sites in the country for small
swampland birds, but ongoing piecemeal encroachment

for rice (Claridge 1996) has since been overtaken by major
conversion to paddy, and semi-natural habitats are largely
destroyed (personal observations). A local origin is
possible for these birds, but cannot be assumed.

These turn out to be not the first Lao records of
Streaked Weaver. The Yale Peabody Museum (YPM),
New Haven, USA, holds two specimens, collected on
2 and 12 October 1944 in Savannakhet (whether the
town or province of that name is not clear; Central Laos)
by A. David-Beaulieu (K. Zyskowski inlitt. 2007). David-
Beaulieu (1949-1950) left his records of weavers from
the province, where they seemed very rare (and he never
found a nest), unidentified, and Ripley (1953), who
oversaw the acquisition of a large part of the David-
Beaulieu collection by YPM, did not discuss them at all.
K. Zyskowski (in litt. 2007) kindly provided photographs
of these specimens, which can (with today’s understanding
of weaver plumages) readily be identified as female/young
Streaked Weaver, with yellow neck-spot, off-white
supercilium and bold dark malar, among other characters .
Streaking on the underparts is rather limited and the
breast is washed strongly buffy; these are features typical
of juveniles (Round 2008).

Despite this pulse of records, Streaked Weaver is
undoubtedly scarce in Laos, given its dependence on tall
swamp habitats in more extensive marshy areas (Thomas
and Poole 2003, Round 2008) . It is basically a resident in
South-East Asia (Robson 2005a), but as a wetland
associate, the strong seasonality of rainfall in the Mekong
basin and hence in wetland characters means that it is
likely to be quite mobile. It has recently been found for
the first time in adjoining north-east Thailand, in Udon
Thani province: there were 5-6 birds at Nong Samrong
on 7 March 2007 (P. Bawden in Robson 2007) and 200
in tall reeds at Nong Han Kumphawapi on 17 October
2007 (P. Burapha and P. D. Round in Robson 2008). In
general in Thailand it is considered near-threatened, and
an ‘uncommon resident... much reduced by human
persecution’ (Sanguansombat 2005: 142), while Round
(2008) considered that ‘it may now be the most threatened
weaver species nationally’. It seems also to have declined
in Cambodia, where it is generally the rarest of the weavers,
but does persist locally in the upper Cambodian Mekong
(Thomas and Poole 2003, Timmins et al. 2003, Timmins
2008), south of Xe Pian NPA. The current status in
Vietnam is difficult to determine but it evidently occurs
locally in the Mekong delta (Buckton & Safford 2004) and
A. W. Tordoff (in litt. 2008) knows of additional recent
records from Chu Prong (border of Central with South
Annam) and Cat Tien National Park (Cochinchina) . Even
historically it was considered as local and uncommon in
Indochina (Delacour andjabouille 1931b). While single
records around Vientiane or other urban centres would
have a cloud of suspicion over origin as potentially relating
to merit releases (with hindsight, the likely source of those
recorded for the Mekong waterfront in Phnom Penh by
Duckworth and Hedges 1 998), the presence of flocks deep
within two of the least converted wetland complexes of
the Lao Mekong plain indicates a natural origin.

Rhd Avadavat Amandava amandava
On 1 October 2005, P. S. Bourdin (in litt. 2006, 2009)
found a group of three Red Avadavats, consisting of a
male and two female or young birds, in rank grass in an
irrigation ditch through dry rice paddies near Ban

Forktail 25 (2009)

Eight new birds for Laos

101

Nongping, Chanthabouli district on the outskirts of
Vientiane (18°02'N 102°35'E; 165 m). New to Laos, he
did not realise at the time of sighting its significance, and
took no descriptive notes; but by fortunate chance his
non-birding brother-in-law was with him, and so as to
show him something ‘a bit spectacular’, the perched male
was viewed for some time through a telescope. Despite
several further visits in the next two months, the avadavats
were not found again; during this time the vegetation
dried and burned.

Even though no notes were taken a male avadavat
must be among the most distinctive birds of South-East
Asia (‘unmistakable’: Round 2008: 168) when viewed,
perched, through a telescope. Because Red Avadavat is
common in the cagebird trade (including merit-release)
in Cambodia (van Zalinge 1999) and Thailand (Round
2008) there must be some possibility of trade into Laos.
However, despite many checks of merit-birds at Vientiane
temples, visits to cagebird traders and lengthy walks round
towns peeking at cagebirds in private houses and gardens,
JWD has never seen one. On balance these seem likely to
have been wild birds.

Red Avadavat is assumed to be resident in South-East
Asia (Robson 2005a) but, as with Streaked Weaver, is
likely to make some level of seasonal movement between
sites. Robson (2002) mapped a localised distribution for
Red Avadavat in Thailand, in the far north (abutting the
upper Lao Mekong) and a fairly large area around
Bangkok, but it has subsequently been found in north¬
east Thailand, over the Mekong from the Vientiane plain,
and indeed a minimum of 170 at Nong Samrong on
7 March 2007 was the highest count for any site in
Thailand (P. Bawden in Robson 2007) . In general in that
country it is considered near-threatened, and an
uncommon resident very much reduced by human
persecution, specifically for the bird trade (Sanguansombat
2005). Elsewhere in South-East Asia it occurs widely in
Myanmar and Cambodia, but in Vietnam it has been
recorded only in T onkin and Cochinchina (Delacour and
Jabouille 1931b, Nguyen Due Tu et al. 2001, Robson
2005a). It underwent a historical decline in Cambodia,
perhaps driven by long-term large-scale trapping (Delacour
and Jabouille 1931b, Thomas and Poole 2003) and today
is rather rare and localised (C. M. Poole in litt. 2008). An
indication of how localised is this species is that there are
no recent records from the Vietnamese Mekong delta;
indeed the only records ever are from Tirant (1879), and
thus questionable (Buckton & Safford 2004).

Concluding remarks

These records include five long-distance migrants of which
one is certainly only a vagrant to Laos (Wood Warbler),
one is likely to be (Narcissus Flycatcher), and three may
yet found to be a scarce winter visitors (both pochards
and Japanese Robin). Many more Palaearctic migrants
which are known from adjacent countries have not yet
been recorded in Laos, and many of these will no doubt
be found with further searching. The other three species
here discussed are resident, and with the two pochards,
are more interesting from a conservation and faunistic
point of view. Four inhabit well-vegetated non-forest
wetlands (the two pochards, Streaked Weaver and Red
Avadavat) and the fifth open areas, although precise
habitats are not known in this part of its range (Eurasian
Thick- knee). The lack of previous Lao records of these

five species is in part a reflection of the limited survey of
non-forest habitats to date: most 1 990s surveys related to
the evolving national protected area system, itself focused
around large forest landscapes at the expense of other
habitat types, particularly wetlands (Chape 2001,
Robichaud et al. 2001). However, survey of non-forest
habitats in Laos has been just about enough in the last
decade to be fairly confident that both pochards and both
passerines are, at best, genuinely scarce and localised in
Laos. Despite the appearance of Streaked Weavers at
three different sites within a few months, a recent genuine
range expansion by it, or by Red Avadavat, is unlikely
given the reduction of swamps in Laos (Duckworth and
Evans 2007) and great scarcity (presumably driven
through persecution) of even the commonest Lao weaver,
Baya Weaver (Duckworth et al. 2002). The status of the
thick-knee remains opaque.

This collation raises the concern of how to treat reports
of species new to the country but lacking conclusive
supporting notes, or even any notes. Observers,
particularly when fielded by conservation projects, are
unlikely to pay significant attention to individuals of
species which may be only erratic visitors to Laos and of
no great conservation significance. Particularly with short¬
term visitors, who may be highly competent and regionally
experienced, it may not even ‘click’ at the time of sighting
that the record is of distributional significance. Accepting
that well into the future levels of ‘birding’ in Laos will
remain low, it would not help evolving understanding of
the Lao avifauna to dismiss all records not supported by
notes, even though this is optimal in countries with high
levels of bird survey and/or recreational birding. Instead,
the most useful course seems to be to document, for each
unusual record, exactly what was seen, in order to allow
the fullest consideration of them within a future national
review of Lao bird records comparable to the model
example for Hong Kong (Carey et al. 2001), where
decisions on these potential firsts can be informed by
future patterns of records.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Xe Pian NPA weavers were found on a survey through the WWF
Lao office and funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Greater
Mekong Subregion Core Environment Program (CEP) Biodiversity
Conservation Corridors Initiative; the Wood Warbler was found on a
survey through the WCS Lao PDR Programme under contract to Lane
Xang Minerals Ltd. Many thanks to Paul Bourdin, Tom Evans, John
Parr, Bill Robichaud and Ted Tizard for supplying their records, and
to Per Alstrom, Philip Bawden, Mark Bezuijen, Gavin Bieber, Axel
Braunlich, Geoff Carey, Martin Collinson, Dan Duff, Tim Inskipp,
Paul Lehman, Eric Meusch, Nial Moores, Colin Poole, Craig Robson,
Philip Round, Payou Thammavongseng, Richard Thewlis, Joe T obias,
A. W. ‘Jack’ Tordoff, Yoshiki Watabe, James Wolstencroft and Kristof
Zyskowski for discussions and further information.

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FORKTAIL 25 (2009): 104-116

Over-ocean raptor migration in a monsoon regime:
spring and autumn 2007 on Sangihe,

North Sulawesi, Indonesia

FRANCESCO GERMI, GEORGE S. YOUNG, AGUS SALIM, WESLEY PANGIMANGEN

and MARK SCHELLEKENS

During spring and autumn 2007 we carried out full-season raptor migration counts on Sangihe Island, Indonesia. In autumn,
230,214 migratory raptors were recorded. Chinese Sparrowhawk Accipiter soloensis comprised approximately 98% of the flight. The
count results indicate that the largest movements of this species towards the wintering grounds of eastern Indonesia occur along
the East Asian Oceanic Flyway, and not the Continental Flyway as previously thought. Both spring and autumn migrations occurred
in the face of monsoon headwinds. The relationship between migrant counts and day-to-day variation in wind direction in Sangihe
differed between the two seasons. More migrants were counted during crosswind conditions in spring when their route takes them
along closely spaced islands than during similar conditions in autumn, when they run the risk of being blown off course during longer
over-water legs. Displacement over the sea by crosswinds coupled with records from other islands point to the existence of an
additional and heretofore unknown eastern route, involving longer water crossings, between Mindanao and the northern Moluccas
via the Talaud Islands. We gathered evidence that Chinese Sparrowhawk behave nomadically during the non-breeding season,
following local food abundances of seasonal insect outbreaks induced by rains. Predictable landfall time on Sangihe suggests that
traditional roosts of thousands of migrants occur on small islands along this oceanic route. Unmonitored land use conversion on
these remote islands could result in the loss of vital roosting habitats.

INTRODUCTION

The migration of raptors in the East Asian Continental
and Oceanic Flyways has been sporadically investigated
throughout this vast region, which stretches for more
than 80 degrees of latitude from north-east Siberia to
eastern Indonesia and New Guinea (McClure 1 974, Lane
and Parish 1991, Chong 2000, Zalles and Bildstein 2000,
Chong and Nitani 2001, Bildstein and Zalles 2005,
Higuchi et al. 2005). From the breeding areas in the
northern third of eastern Asia, the migratory flight splits
into two major corridors: the East Asian Continental
Flyway, a 9,000 km long, mostly overland route stretching
from Siberia and China to mainland South-East Asia and
the Indonesian Archipelago; and the East Asian Oceanic
Flyway, a 7,000 km island-hopping route extending from
north-eastern Siberia, eastern China, Korea and Japan to
Taiwan, the Philippines and Indonesia, involving water-
crossings of up to 300 km (Fig. 1). With hundreds of
thousands of raptors migrating along this route, the latter
is the world’s major oceanic raptor migration system.
However, despite a recent increase of regular watch sites
across the region, substantial gaps remain in our
knowledge of the spatial and temporal migration routes,
the numbers of migrants on passage and their ecology in
the largely undefined wintering grounds. To date, the
migration of raptors in the East Asian Flyways remains
the least understood in the world (Ferguson-Lees and
Christie 2001, Bildstein 2006).

Taiwan is the only country in the Oceanic Flyway
where a long-term monitoring programme has been
implemented, providing a highly detailed account of raptor
migration through the island and useful information to
predict movements towards lesser-studied neighbouring
countries (Lin and Severinghaus 1998, ChenC.S.C. 2005,
2006, 2007, Chen C.S.C. and Sun 2007, Chen Y.J. 2006,
Cheng et al. 2006, Sun 2006, Raptor Research Group of
Taiwan 2008). Other studies along the Oceanic Flyway

90'E 100'E 110'E 120'E 130'E 140'E 150°E

90"E 100'E 110'E 120*E 130'E 140'E 150'E

Figure 1. Map of the East Asian Oceanic and Continental Flyways.
Black arrows show the autumn migration paths. The study sites of
Sangihe and Bali are enclosed in squares.

Forktail 25 (2009)

Spring and autumn 2007 raptor migration on Sangihe, Indonesia

105

have been carried out in Japan (Brazil and Hanawa 1991,
Kugai 1 996, Nitani 2000, in litt. 2007, Shiu et al. 2006),
whilst until now no structured counts have been
undertaken in the Philippines.

In Indonesia, where nearly all Chinese Sparrowhawks
Accipiter soloensis overwinter, raptor migration studies
remain very much in their infancy, and the few works of
relevance were all conducted along the Continental
Flyway. After Ash’s discovery of a migration route over
Bali in 1982 (Ash 1984), two studies were carried out as
partial-season counts (Ash 1 993, Nijman 2004), but they
provided only an incomplete and in instances erroneous
account of the autumn passage over Bali and Java (Nijman
et al. 2006). Subsequently, several counts were carried
out across the country by a network of Indonesian NGOs,
birdwatching clubs and local universities during the 2001-
2004 period (Sukmantoro et al. 2005) . A more concerted
and intensive research initiative was undertaken in Bah in
2004-2005, where more than 90,000 raptors were
observed on migration in autumn 2005, yielding a
previously unrecognised dimension of raptor movements
throughout Indonesia (Germi 2005, Germi and Waluyo
2006). Based on these findings, we hypothesised that
other major corridors within the archipelago might have
been overlooked, in particular from the Oceanic Flyway.
An examination of autumn migration count results from
established watch sites in Japan and Taiwan suggested
that the large numbers of southbound raptors were likely
to winter not only in the Philippines, but also in eastern
Indonesia and possibly New Guinea. The geography of
the Oceanic Flyway indicates two likely entry corridors to
Indonesia: (a) from the Philippines into Borneo via
Palawan (Simpson 1 983, Ellis et al. 1990, Davison 1 997,
Lim etal. 2002), and (b) the volcanic arc ofislands between
Mindanao (Philippines) and Sulawesi (Indonesia), the
so-called Sangihe and Talaud Archipelago. The few
published records of migrating raptors from Sangihe-
Talaud and North Sulawesi (Meyer and Wiglesworth
1898, White 1976, White and Bruce 1986, Rozendaal
and Dekker 1989, Riley 1997, Hornbuckle 2001)
supported our hypothesis and suggested that a significant
but still unquantified migration occurred along this
corridor, hence prompting the undertaking of this study.

METHODS

Study area

Sangihe island (03°35'N 125°32'E) is part of the Sangihe
and Talaud Archipelago, an arc of volcanic islands that
rises from a narrow submarine ridge extending from
Sulawesi to the Philippine island of Mindanao. This
‘stepping-stone’ route involves water-crossing distances
of between 3 and 190 km. Sangihe is 48 km long and 6-
19 km wide, with a surface area of 737 km2 and a rugged
topography (BPS 2006). The north is dominated by Mt
Awu (1,340 m), an active volcano, and in the south by the
extinct volcanic caldera of Mt Sahendaruman (1,03 1 m;
Fig. 2) . Little natural forest habitat is left, restricted to the
higher altitudes of the mountainous areas. Most of the
island has been converted to a mosaic of plantations,
shifting gardens and secondary forest. The vegetation is
dominated by coconut Cocos nucifera plantations in the
east and north, whilst in more mountainous areas nutmeg
Myristica fragrans and clove Eugenia aromatica are the

main crop trees (Riley 2002, Whitten et al. 2002). The
average temperature is 26-28°C with little seasonal
variation; the average rainfall is >3,000 mm per year,
with a distinct wet season from November to March (BPS
2006).

Survey techniques

Of the chain of islands forming the suspected migration
corridor between Mindanao and Sulawesi, we chose
Sangihe because of previous records of migrants and the
logistical facilities available. We extrapolated the passage
periods in reviewing the scant published records from
peer-reviewed literature and birdwatching trip reports:
all records of migrants from Sangihe and adjacent areas
within Indonesia, and count results from established
regular watch sites in southern Taiwan, were collated in
order to predict the more likely passage dates on the island .
We assumed that casual records of large migrating flocks,
all from non migration-related studies, possibly reflected
periods of peak passage. Interviews with local villagers
also provided a clue to the migration periods. Before
fieldwork started, one of us (FG) visited the skin collections
at T ring Museum, UK, to study the age-related plumages
of Chinese Sparrowhawk and Japanese Sparrowhawk
Accipiter gularis for field identification purposes.

Migration counts on Sangihe were conducted during
1 March-16 April 2007 (spring migration) and 20
September-30 November 2007 (autumn migration). In
order to investigate wintering presences, additional
fieldwork was carried out between 1 December 2007 and
1 March 2008. General survey techniques and migration
count protocols adopted the guidelines summarised by
Bildstein andZalles (1995) and Bird and Bildstein (2007).
Following a preliminary analysis of appropriate 1 : 50,000
topographic maps and reconnaissance of the island by car
and on foot, five strategically located watch sites were
selected in spring, and an additional two in autumn (Fig.
2). Four watch sites (Naha airfield, Bulong, Kalekube
and Dagho) were at or near sea-level, whilst the other
three (Pusunge, Lenganeng and Bowong Baru) were on
mountain ridges or hill-tops and provided unrestricted
views and close sight of the migrants; nevertheless the
latter three were often engulfed in low clouds, particularly
during spring. The watch site at Pusunge (03°37'52"N
1 25°30' 1 8"E, 584 m) has a 360° view over the northern
and central part of the island, and was used as the main
watch site through the study. Approximately 70-80% of
the possible flight front over the island was in view from
the watch-sites of Pusunge and Naha; however we
gathered evidence that migration also occurred over the
sea, at and beyond the limit of aided vision. Moreover,
low cloud cover reducing visibility, especially during
March and early October (both peak migration periods),
probably resulted in unknown numbers of migrants
passing undetected. Dense low clouds affecting visibility
and wind direction and speed were the main criteria we
used to select the watch site on each day. Passage deflected
toward the sheltered side of the island, thus forcing us to
move to the more suitable watch site if cloud cover and
wind direction changed during the same day.

Counts were normally made from 06h00 to 1 7h00 by
a team of 1-3 observers, totalling 393 hours of observation
in spring and 754 hours in autumn. Locations and
directions were determined using a handheld global
positioning system unit (Garmin GPS 48) and compass.

106

FRANCESCO GERMI et a!.

Forktail 25 (2009)

P Bukide

Cotabatoi*

- C T
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Figure 2 . Map of Sangihe Island.
White and black arrows show,
respectively for spring and autumn
2007, main paths and sightings of
large flocks on migration. The
watch sites used are numbered 1-
7: (1) Pusunge; (2) Lenganeng; (3)
Bowong Baru; (4) Naha; (5)
Dagho; (6) Kalekube; (7) Bulong.

Migration and weather data were recorded on a standard
form produced by HMANA (Hawk Migration Association
of North America), modified for local requirements. The
directions from which migrants were more likely to appear
were constantly scanned with 10x and 8x binoculars and
20-60 x telescopes, and between these scans the areas
above and on each side of the observer were also checked.
Single individuals or flocks were followed until
identification and direction of travel were established. At
ridge watch sites with combined views to the north and
south, raptors were recorded only from one side, generally
from the arriving direction, in order to avoid double
counting. Most passing raptors were counted individually,
but in instances of large flocks (>200 individuals), ‘blocks’
of ten or more birds were multiplied within the flock, or

the migrants were counted individually as they streamed
in lines out of thermals. Whenever possible, counts of
large flocks were repeated 2-3 times, often by two
observers simultaneously, and if count results differed we
used the average value.

Weather data were logged hourly. Wind direction,
wind speed and air temperature were recorded with a
handheld anemometer (Skywatch Meteos) and compass.
Visual estimates were made of cloud cover, visibility and
precipitation. Additionally, Naha Meteorological Station
(Sangihe) provided hourly readings from the airport
grounds on wind speed and direction, upper winds,
temperature, rainfall and barometric pressure throughout
the study periods. However, because the island weather
observations include the effects of island-induced

Forktail 25 (2009)

Spring and autumn 2007 raptor migration on Sangihe, Indonesia

107

circulations that do not extend to the over-ocean migration
areas, regional weather analyses also were performed.
Weather in the vicinity of Sangihe varies on two timescales,
a seasonal reversal in the monsoon flow between winter
and summer, and lesser variations in wind speed and
direction over periods of roughly a week. The latter are
driven by a variety of atmospheric waves, of which mixed
Rossby gravity waves (Roundy and Frank 2004) are the
biggest contributor near Sangihe. Weather data were
collected to cover each of these timescales. The seasonal
cycle of the monsoon winds along the suspected migration
route was documented using the tropical climatology of
Sadler et al. (1987a, b). These data are monthly means
with two-degree latitude and longitude resolution,
sufficient to cover both the spatial and temporal variations
of the monsoon flow. Day-to-day variation in wind was
documented using the global reanalysis (see next
paragraph) produced by the National Center for
Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the National Centers
for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) (Kalnay et al.
1996). These data are six-hour averages with 2.5 degree
latitude and longitude resolution. For this study, the winds
at the 1,000 mb pressure level (approximately 100 m
above sea level) and the 925 mb pressure level
(approximately 750 m above sea level) were analysed for
OOhOO GMT, 08h00 local standard time at Sangihe. The
winds are presented in the form of migration ‘wind roses’.
For each day the wind vector is plotted as a vector directed
out from the origin. The vector extends in the downwind
direction for a distance proportional to the wind speed.
At the end of each vector is a circle with an area
proportional to the number of migrating raptors observed
in Sangihe that day. This format shows the relationship
of migrant numbers to both wind speed and direction on
a single plot. Migration wind roses were created for both
the full season and the peak migration period, but only
the latter will be shown here so as to focus on the
relationship between migrant counts and day-to-day
variations in wind speed and direction. The days within
the two tails of the migration period are not shown because
they have low counts by virtue of their timing at the start
and end of the migration period rather than because of
any day-to-day variation in the weather. The spring
migration wind roses thus extend from 1 2 March through
1 April while the autumn migration wind roses extend
from 20 September through 29 October.

Reanalysis is the term used by meteorologists to
describe the gridded fields of wind components and other
weather variables that result from assimilating point
observations into a time-dependent model of the
atmospheric physics. These fields provide a more accurate
estimate of the atmospheric state than do the point
observations themselves because they make use of the
modelled physics to interpolate in space and time between
observations. The reanalysis used here is the result of a
national effort to produce a definitive global
meteorological dataset covering the last 60 years.

Statistical techniques

The statistical significance of the conclusions drawn from
the wind roses was tested by fitting linear regression models
to predict migration counts at Sangihe as a function of the
south-to-north component of the wind (headwind or
tailwind depending on season) and the absolute value of
the west-to-east component of the wind (crosswind in

both seasons). Plots of the predicted versus observed
counts suggested a need to transform the observed counts.
Both logarithmic and square-root scaling proved
successful depending on season. Significance testing for
each of the hypotheses was based on 95% confidence
intervals for the predictor coefficients. Correlation
between the de-scaled (i.e. raw count) model predictions
and Sangihe counts is also reported.

RESULTS

During two field seasons in spring and autumn 2007, we
recorded 88,773 and 230,214 migratory raptors
respectively on passage at the site (Figs. 3-4). Species
seen migrating were Osprey Pandion haliaetus haliaetus,
harriers Circus sp., Chinese Sparrowhawk, Japanese
Sparrowhawk, Grey-faced Buzzard Butastur indicus and
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus calidus.

Visible raptor movements on Sangihe and adjacent
regions did not coincide with following winds. The annual
reversal of the monsoon flow (Fig. 5) is timed later in
both spring and autumn than the bulk of migration, so
migrants face headwinds in both seasons. In spring, the
winter north-east monsoon flow remains in place over the
Philippines and north-eastern Indonesia through March
and April. Likewise, in autumn, the summer south-west
monsoon flow produces headwinds during September.
The monsoon flow dies over Sangihe during October and
November as the winter monsoon pushes south into the
northern (October) and central (November) Philippines.
Thus, for spring migration the monsoon flow is opposing
throughout the migration period whereas during autumn
migration the monsoon headwinds fade to near calm in
the vicinity of Sangihe during the peak migration period.
These climatological patterns are reflected in the Sangihe-
area reanalysis 100 m wind vectors for the 2007 migration
season (Fig. 5) . Thus, despite the daily variations in wind
speed and direction caused by the passage of atmospheric
waves, the spring and autumn migration were mostly into
opposing winds ( sensu Richardson 1978).

The timing of the autumn migration throughout
Sangihe was such that the bulk of the migrants passed
before the monsoon trough sets up over the Philippines
on 26 October, and well before the north-east monsoon
reached the island. Thus, migration occurred ahead of
the heavy precipitation (i.e. rainy season) associated with
the trough. The autumn migrants thereby avoided long-
range flight through heavy precipitation at the price of
facing adverse winds. Likewise, spring migration had
passed Sangihe before the monsoon wind reversal
progressed north to the island. The year 2007 was typical
in terms of both monsoon behaviour and the degree of
day-to-day variability in the monsoon flow (Sadler et al.
1987a, b). Maps of the 100 m winds based on 2007
reanalysis data closely match those of the Sadler
climatology for both the spring and autumn migration
months. Furthermore, the observed degree of wind
variability is typical of that induced by tropical waves in
the Sangihe region.

Landfall on Sangihe occurred in an irregular succession
of waves of flocks and single individuals , mainly between
06h00 and 09h00, suggesting that migrants had roosted
overnight on a nearby island. Directions of arrival or
departure showed compensation for wind drift. We have

108

FRANCESCO GERMI et al.

Forktail 25 (2009)

no evidence that raptors travelled at night, nor that they
soared over-water in sea thermals. We located large
communal roosts in the northern half of the island in
spring, where take-off was not long after sunrise (±05hl5)
and well before good thermal conditions developed over
land. Flocks were already formed as soon as they were
detected in flight, so it appears that they had taken off as
a flock, or with very little delay among individuals.
Significant fluctuations in hourly passage of migrants were
associated with time of day (Figs. 3-4) and wind speed:
take-off, landfall and numbers of migrants aloft were higher

during early morning hours (06h00-09h00) and during
periods of low versus high winds, and the passage increased
dramatically in days of light opposing winds, light wind
from any direction, or no wind. Migrants flying into
opposing winds in spring (north-easterlies) and autumn
(south-westerlies) travelled at low altitude, especially over
the sea, and selected sheltered paths on the island.
Maximum headwinds in the reanalysis were only about
20 km/hr, well below the flight speed of the migrants.
Migrants flying over water were almost always using
powered flight, while on the island they progressed mainly

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accipiters (Chinese Sparrowhawk Accipiter soloensis and Japanese
Sparrowhawk A gularis ); (c) Grey-faced Buzzard Butastur indicus ; and
(d) hourly passage of all raptors on Sangihe.

Figure 4. September-November 2007: daily totals of (a) all migrant
raptors; (b) accipiters (Chinese Sparrowhawk Accipiter soloensis and
Japanese Sparrowhawk A. gularis ); (c) Grey-faced Buzzard Butastur
indicus-, and (d) hourly passage of all raptors on Sangihe.

Forktail 25 (2009)

Spring and autumn 2007 raptor migration on Sangihe, Indonesia

109

in soaring and gliding flight. Flocks formed and broke
both over the sea during flapping flight and on land in
soaring and gliding flight, mainly one flock joining another
already soaring in a thermal, then growing in size, and
either continuing together or splitting when part of the
migrants left that thermal or during the following glide.
Flocks or singles encountering the sea upon leaving
Sangihe showed no reluctance to undertake the crossing,
either in flapping-gliding or in gliding from land thermals.
Water crossing started at low altitude (±100 m or less)
with opposing wind, up to ±600 m if land thermals were

present, in weak wind from any direction and in calm
conditions. Raptors soaring over the sea were always near
shorelines and downwind, suggesting that migrants were
using land thermals displaced by the wind up to 3-5 km
offshore.

The relationship between the daily number of migrants
on Sangihe and the 100 m vector winds from the reanalysis
is captured in Figs. 6a and 6c for the peak migration
period (20 September through 29 October) of autumn
2007. Migrants face predominantly head or crosswinds
both in southern Mindanao (their departure zone) and

(a) (b)

100°E 1 10°E 1 20°E 130°E 140°E

Figure 5. Sadler multi-year (1900-1979) wind climatology. Sangihe
is indicated by a star and the monsoon trough by a black curve, (a) In
March, the monsoon trough lies through Sulawesi, yielding NE flow
at Sangihe. (b) In April, the monsoon trough lies through Sangihe,
yielding weak winds there, but NE monsoon flow over the Philippines,
(c) In September, the monsoon trough lies north of Luzon, yielding
SW monsoon flow at Sangihe. (d) In October the monsoon trough lies
through Mindoro, yielding SW monsoon flow at Sangihe. (e) In
November the monsoon trough lies through Mindanao, yielding weak
winds at Sangihe.

110

FRANCESCO GERMI et al.

Forktail 25 (2009)

on Sangihe. Numbers seen at Sangihe each day do not
appear to depend on the wind direction there, although
they are often lower on those days with strong crosswinds
in southern Mindanao. This relationship is statistically
significant (Table 1), as is a tendency to larger numbers
when there are headwinds in southern Mindanao. These
relationships are weaker but still statistically significant
for Sangihe wind components. This pattern remains when
comparing the daily migrant numbers at Sangihe with the
1 00 m wind vector in southern Mindanao on the preceding
day (not shown), but fades for longer lags. Thus, only the
weather on the day of observation and the preceding day
affects the migrant count. A similar pattern occurs when
daily migrant numbers are plotted against the 750 m wind
vectors. There are two explanations for this pattern. The
first, that migrants prefer strong headwinds to strong
crosswinds, is not supported by arguments based on
energy requirements because both conditions slow

ground speed dramatically. The second, that many of the
migrants miss Sangihe during strong crosswinds,
makes more sense, particularly in light of the wide spacing
of the stepping-stone islands to the north. Observations
of flocks bypassing Sangihe at the limit of observation
support this hypothesis that strong crosswinds reduce the
migrants’ ability to direct their southbound route through
Sangihe.

Daily migrant numbers during spring are likewise
affected by the day-to-day variation between crosswinds
and headwinds at both Sangihe and the departure points
in northern Sulawesi. Figs. 6b and 6d for the spring peak
migration period, 12 March through 6 April, show the
relationship between the 100 m wind vectors at Sangihe
and northern Sulawesi and the daily number of migrants
at Sangihe. The number of migrants is lowest when the
Sangihe winds directly oppose their track up the closely
spaced island chain from northern Sulawesi. The same

Table 1 . The most highly correlated regression models for Sangihe migrant numbers as a function of headwind/tailwind and crosswind com ponents.
Bold-faced regression coefficients are significant at the 95% level; those in italics are not. Correlation between the models’ count predictions and
the actual Sangihe counts are also shown.

Season

Response variable

Wind at

Intercept

Headwind

Crosswind

Correlation

Autumn

LoglO (Count)

Southern Mindanao

3.07

0.057

-0.047

0.54

Autumn

Sqrt (Count)

Sangihe

39.5

2.55

-1.98

0.37

Spring

Sqrt (Count)

Northern Sulawesi

50.9

-2.35

-2.59

0.30

Spring

Sqrt (Count)

Sangihe

34.9

-1.38

1.92

0.33

Figure 6. Wind roses at 100 m
during (a) autumn 2007
migration, 20 September to 29
October, at Sangihe, 2. 5°N 125°E;
(b) spring 2007 migration, 12
March to 6 April, at Sangihe,
2.5°N 125°E. Equivalent wind
roses are shown for the same
time periods at (c) southern
Mindanao, 5°N 125°E, during
autumn, and (d) northern
Sulawesi, 0°N 125°E, during
spring. Vectors indicate daily
direction and speed of winds at
these places. Circle area indicates
the number of migrants seen at
Sangihe that day. The arrow
indicates the direction of
migration. Migration tails are
excluded so as not to contaminate
the wind-migration relationships
with low counts from the beginning
and end of migration.

EastWest Wind Component (km/h)

Forktail 25 (2009)

Spring and autumn 2007 raptor migration on Sangihe, Indonesia

111

pattern occurs with northern Sulawesi winds, although
two good migration days occurred with weaker north
winds. This relationship is statistically significant (Table
1) with a tendency to larger numbers when there are
tailwinds or crosswinds at Sangihe. The relationship is
weaker and only the tailwind component is statistically
significant for northern Sulawesi winds. This pattern fades
at both Sangihe and northern Sulawesi with lags exceeding
one day between migrant count and wind vector. Thus,
as in autumn, only the weather on the day of observation
and the preceding day affects the migrant count. Similar
results are obtained using wind vectors at the 750 m level.
This suggests that energy expenditure rather than
navigation may be the dominant factor in spring. In
contrast, during autumn the daily migrant counts are
lower during crosswinds. This pattern may occur because
the migrants must cross several long gaps between islands
during the passage from Mindanao to Sangihe, making it
easy for migrants to miss Sangihe during strong
crosswinds. Conversely, during spring, the route from
Sulawesi to Sangihe is marked by closely spaced and much
larger islands, minimising the navigational challenge.

Spring

3 March-16 April 2007; 42 days, 393 observation hours.
Osprey 6, Chinese Sparrowhawk 87,395, Japanese
Sparrowhawk 76, Grey-faced Buzzard 1,294, Peregrine
Falcon 2; total = 88,773. Prevalent wind direction: N-
ENE (360°-70°). Mean wind speed at 100 m above sea
level: 9.5 km/h.

The spring passage occurred into headwinds on almost
every day. As we recorded small numbers of migrants
from the first day (3 March 2007), some passage had
probably occurred before that date. Flocks also passed
over the sea parallel to the west coast; these were difficult
to locate and we estimate that several thousand migrants
passed undetected over water. In 2008 consistent
northward migratory movements occurred from 27
February onwards, two weeks earlier than the previous
year, indicating that in 2007 we probably missed the head
of the spring migration. Passage was concentrated along
the western, sheltered side of the island. As March-April
is the end of the rainy season, frequent rain and dense low
clouds on ridges and mountaintops resulted in poor or nil
visibility at all elevated watch sites. Low cloud cover forced
us to low-ground watch sites (i.e. Naha airfield. Fig. 2) on
most days, from where passage was visible at a distance,
identification of accipiters to species was often difficult
and an unknown proportion of flocks passed undetected
in clouds and on the opposite, sheltered side of the island.
Weather improved in the second half of the season, when
we moved permanently to high-ground watch sites
(Pusunge and Lenganeng, Fig. 2) . Local people recognise
the existence of a large migration during October-
November, but not in March-April, confirming that low
cloud cover during the spring months seriously affects
the detection of migrants.

Autumn

20 September-30 November 2007; 72 days, 754
observation hours. Harrier sp 1, Chinese Sparrowhawk
225,067, Japanese Sparrowhawk 42 1 , Grey-faced Buzzard
4,710, Peregrine Falcon 15; total = 230,214. Prevalent
wind direction: SE-SW (140°-240°). Mean wind speed
at 100 m above sea level: 7.4 km/h.

As in spring, autumn winds were largely opposing the
migrants’ direction of travel. As we recorded migrants
already from the 20 September, some passage had
probably occurred before this date. Landfall on Sangihe
was mainly along the north-east coast, with most flocks
arriving from Bukide Island (20°-60°) and continuing
south on the eastern, sheltered side of Sangihe. In days of
calm or weak wind, passage concentrated on a direct
north-to-south route, from Lipang Island to the north
coast of Sangihe, then across Mt Awu and over Pusunge
(Fig. 2). However, several observations of distant flocks
travelling over the sea at the limit of visibility, especially
in days of strong south-west wind, suggested that unknown
numbers were deflected to a more easterly over-water
route. Moreover, with strong south-westerlies, low-flying
flocks seeking shelter and following the east coast were
barely visible from our main watch site at Pusunge, so we
consider that unknown numbers were missed on certain
days. Rain cells also deflected the passage towards the dry
side of the island. Minor southbound movements
continued beyond our last counting day on 30 November.

Species accounts

Osprey Pandion haliaetus haliaetus
Pre-2007 records: Dates of previous records (mainly
October-January) suggest that individuals were migrant
P. h. haliaetus. Recorded from Sangihe, Siau, Talaud and
Sulawesi (Meyer and Wiglesworth 1898, Riley 1997).

2007: Extreme dates: 30 March-14 April (6
individuals) . Recorded only in spring, but is possible that
in autumn small numbers passed undetected over tffe
sea. Singles on migration were recorded on the following
dates: Mt Awu: 1 on 30 March; Kalekube: 1 on 30 March;
Pusunge: 3 on 1 1 April and 1 on 14 April.

Oriental Honey-buzzard Peniis ptilorhynchus orientalis
Pre-2007 records: One specimen was collected on
Salayar, southern Sulawesi, in November 1895 (Hartert
1896). Riley (1997) reported one individual on migration
over Poa Island (Sangihe) on 19 October 1995.

2007: As we never observed Oriental Honey-buzzard
during our study, we consider that this species does not
enter Indonesia regularly from the Oceanic Flyway, but
only from the western route along the Continental Flyway.

Harrier Circus sp.

Pre-2007 records: The only certain record of a migratory
harrier in Wallacea was one Eastern Marsh Harrier Circus
spilonotus in North Sulawesi, apparently migrating north
in April 1997 (Wardill and Katuuk 1998).

2007: We observed one dark brown harrier with a
large white rump, which flew south over Pusunge on 29
September. The prominent white rump suggests a female
or juvenile Pied Harrier Circus melanoleucus or Eastern
Marsh Harrier. Both species are winter visitors to the
southern Philippines and may reach Sulawesi.

Chinese Sparrowhawk Accipiter soloensis
Pre-2007 records: The relatively large number of
specimens collected from Sangihe in the nineteenth
century appears to have been overlooked by White and
Bruce (1986) and Coates and Bishop (1997). Meyer and
Wiglesworth (1898) list a total of six specimens from this
island collected between 24 October and 3 November
1 864, October 1 865 and January 1 866. White and Bruce

112

FRANCESCO GERMI et al.

Forktail 25 (2009)

Table 2. Flock sizes of accipiters passing on Sangihe, September-November 2007.

Flock size (individuals)

No. of flocks

% of flocks

No. of accipiters

% accipiter records

Singles

-

-

10,234

4.5

2-99

2,983

83

53,733

23.8

100-499

527

14.6

80,321

35.6

500-999

51

1.4

21,500

9.5

> 999*

42

1

59,700

26.5

Total

3,603

225,488

* Two flocks of > 6,000 accipiters each were observed on 4 and 6 October 2007.

(1986) note one immature bird observed near Petta,
Sangihe, on 2 December 1978. Subsequently, Riley
(1997) recorded this species on 13 October 1995 at
T alawid Atas, with peak counts totalling c. 5 50 birds which
passed south during two hours over Poa Island on 18
October 1995 and 120 birds over Poa Island on 19 October
1995. Birds were most often seen in groups of 8-15 but
on 18 October 1995 two groups of 150-180 birds were
observed. On 17 March 1995 at least 120 birds were seen
flying north over Naha (D. A. Holmes in Riley 1997).
‘Only a few individuals wintering on Sangihe and T alaud’
were reported by Riley (1997), but dates were not given.
Also recorded on migration from Talaud, Siau, North
Sulawesi and northern Moluccas (Meyer and Wiglesworth
1898, White 1976, White and Bruce 1986, Riley 1997,
Gjershaug and Rov 2000).

2007: Extreme dates: 3 March-16 April (87,395); 20
September-30 November (225,067). Chinese
Sparrowhawk, which is the most numerous migratory
raptor in East Asia, comprised the overwhelming majority
(98%) of all raptors on passage, with noticeably large
numbers of juveniles during the autumn. In 2008, the
first northbound migrants were observed on 27 February.
Daily records of overwintering birds were collected from
December 2007 to February 2008: individuals were
recorded in singles or pairs, in primary and secondary
forest up to 1,000 m asl and in all types of degraded or
cultivated habitats, either by direct observation or by their
conspicuous call. Wintering individuals were often
observed still-hunting dragonflies (Odonata) and cicadas
(Cicadidae) from prominent branches and the top of
coconut trees. The most remarkable winter observations
were those of small flocks travelling both southward and
northward in the middle of the ‘wintering’ season,
suggesting nomadic inter-island movements or perhaps
pre-migration staging, or both . The most unusual of such
records were the following: 1 7 heading north near T amako
on 22 January; 10 heading north near Tamako on 31
January; 18 and 7 making landfall near Naha and
continuing southwards on 16 February. Most Chinese
Sparrowhawks passed in large flocks ranging from
hundreds up to ±6,000 individuals (Table 2). One
northbound flock of ±3,000 passed over Lenganeng on
1 5 March, and two flocks of ±6,000 were observed from
Pusunge on 4 and 6 October. In autumn, take-off of birds
that had roosted overnight on the island occurred before
06h00, and large southbound tlocks arriving from the
north-east were observed over the sea as early as 06h45.
Flocks travelling over water were observed flapping or
soaring between 30-100 m above the sea, and Chinese
Sparrowhawks always flew higher than Grey-faced
Buzzards over both sea and land . Mixed flocks of Chinese
Sparrowhawks and Grey-faced Buzzards were observed

crossing under light rain from Bukide to Sangihe in
flapping flight at 50-60 m. Migrants often passed inside
dense low clouds on ridge-tops, and birds reacted to strong
opposing winds encountered at altitude by scattering,
diving suddenly, seeking shelter behind ridges, hugging
the ground and following contours. Chinese
Sparrowhawks were grounded by heavy rains, and were
often heard calling from coconut groves when rain ceased,
probably to maintain contact within the flock, but they
did not take off again in the afternoon. During migration,
individuals roosted and still-hunted from crop trees,
building roofs and light poles around Naha airfield, where
on several occasions they were observed catching
unidentified prey from the ground. A large spring roost
was located south of Mt Awu in coconut plantations at
03°37'N 1 25°27'E. Roosting Chinese Sparrowhawks were
noticeably conspicuous when calling from perches on
prominent tree branches or from the top of coconut trees,
both during migration and winter.

Japanese Sparrowhawk Accipiter gularis
Pre-2007 records: First recorded at Naha, 17 March
1 995 (D. A. Holmes in Riley 1997) and on 14 October at
Talawid Atas a single female, then a further six records
with the maximum being a flock of 8 over Kedang on 2 1
October 1995 in association with Chinese Sparrowhawks,
and a few more individuals from Talaud and Siau (Riley
1997). Also recorded in North Sulawesi (White 1976).

2007: Extreme dates: 3 March-15 April (76); 20
September-29 November (421). Japanese Sparrowhawk
was recorded in singles, small monospecific flocks or in
small numbers within large mixed flocks. Japanese
Sparrowhawk migration behaviour was similar to that of
Chinese Sparrowhawk. A juvenile on passage under light
rain was observed catching a dragonfly that it subsequently
ate in flight. As a result of the similar size between the two
accipiters, Japanese and Chinese Sparrowhawks were not
easily separated. Spotting and counting the former’s small
numbers embedded within large Chinese Sparrowhawk
flocks was difficult, and any visual scan through soaring
or gliding flocks always revealed a large majority, if not
totality, of Chinese Sparrowhawks. Moreover, it was often
impossible to separate individuals of the two species owing
to similarities of transitional plumages amongst juveniles,
and between juveniles of the two species versus adult
Japanese Sparrowhawk. Light conditions and the minor
differences in wing shape and mode of flight during
migration caused additional difficulties (Wattel 1973,
Leader and Carey 1995, Herremans and Louette 2000,
Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001, pers. obs.). The
resulting under-recording of the latter species remains
difficult to quantify, although the numbers involved were
clearly very small. This is in accordance with previous

Forktail 25 (2009)

Spring and autumn 2007 raptor migration on Sangihe, Indonesia

1 13

studies in Bali and Java (Germi 2005, Germi and Waluyo
2006, Nijman et al. 2006) and with the numbers recorded
on passage in Taiwan (158 individuals in autumn 2007:
Raptor Research Group of Taiwan 2008).

Grey-faced Buzzard Butastur indicus
Pre-2007 records: Meyer and Wiglesworth (1898)
recorded eight birds on Sangihe from October to January,
and eight birds on Talaud in October and November.
Also recorded in Siau, Sulawesi and northern Moluccas
(White 1976, White and Bruce 1986, Riley 1997).
McClure (1974), based on 106 ringing recoveries and
hunting records, erroneously concluded that Grey-faced
Buzzard does not go beyond the Philippines during
autumn migration.

2007: Extreme dates: 3 March-15 April (1,294); 7
October-30 November (4,7 1 0) . Grey-faced Buzzard was
the second most numerous migrant, comprising 2% of
the autumn flight. A small vanguard passed on 7-9
October, followed by several days of no passage before a
sudden large influx from 20 October that lasted just over
a week (Fig. 4). Smaller numbers were recorded daily
until the end of the study. In 2008 the first individual
migrating northward was recorded on 16 February,
followed by ten individuals on 20 February, 17 on 28
February and 1 4 on 3 March. Wintering individuals were
recorded on several January and February 2008 dates
from 1,000 m asl in primary forest to lowland cultivated
areas. Southbound birds made landfall on Sangihe mainly
from the north-east (Bukide Island), flapping-gliding at
±50 m over the sea. Small flocks were observed on several
occasions soaring low over the sea near coastlines, but
most individuals crossed from Bukide to Kalekube-Naha
in flapping-gliding flight, including during light rain. The
largest flock, ±150 individuals soaring over Naha airfield,
was observed on 2 1 October. When in mixed flocks, Grey¬
faced Buzzards generally soared and glided lower and
slower than the accipiters, generally followed at the tail of
mixed flocks, and passed later in the day, with most migrant
movements occurring in late mornings and afternoons.
Individuals calling at night on the outskirts of Tahuna
and soaring low over forest soon after sunrise indicated
overnight stopovers on the island.

Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
Pre-2007 records: Riley (1997) reported one female on
Poa Island (Sangihe) on 19 October 1995 on migration
with Chinese Sparrowhawks.

2007: We never observed Common Kestrel during
our study; instead we had almost daily observations of the
resident Spotted Kestrel Falco moluccensis, not showing
migratory behaviour.

Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus calidus
Pre-2007 records: Three October records from Sangihe
and Siau (Riley 1997).

2007 : Extreme dates: 1 7 March-2 April (2); 7 October-
5 November (15). The large and pale migratory subspecies
calidus was clearly distinguishable from the smaller and
darker resident F. p. eruesti. Singles on passage on the
following dates: Lenganeng: 1 7 March; Pusunge: 2 April;
7, 13, 1 6, 2 1 and 30 October; Naha: 22 and 26 October;
two singles on 5 November. Pairs of calidus (female and
male) travelling together were observed from Pusunge on
14, 18 and 23 October.

DISCUSSION

Our results reveal that major and previously unrecognised
raptor migration movements occur between Mindanao
(Philippines) and Sulawesi (Indonesia). The five species
recorded on passage are long-distance, trans-equatorial
migrants, and Chinese Sparrowhawk is a super-flocking
migrant ( sensu Bildstein 2006), assembling in flocks up to
several thousands of individuals. The chain of stepping-
stone islands which includes Sangihe funnels a flight of at
least 250,000 raptors, overwhelmingly Chinese
Sparrowhawk, and indicates that the East Asian Oceanic
Flyway, and not the Continental Flyway as previously
thought, is the main migration route to the wintering
grounds of this species in eastern Indonesia, in both spring
and autumn.

Raptors migrating into headwinds have been reported
extensively in the literature (e.g. Haugh 1975, Richardson
1978, 1990, Kerlinger 1984, 1989, Elkins 2004).
However, most authors find that following winds are a
key component of favourable travelling conditions,
especially for species that fly over large expanses of
inhospitable habitat such as deserts and oceans. Our
observations here demonstrate that raptors migrating
through Sangihe in spring and autumn react differently
to adverse winds than those observed in other parts of the
globe. This difference in behaviour appears to reflect both
the geography and wind climatology of this island-hopping
route. The monsoon climate of Sangihe produces much
more consistent wind directions in each of the migration
seasons than would a mid-latitude climate. Thus, the
only way to avoid adverse winds is to wait for the seasonal
change in the monsoon. This transition from headwind
to tailwind occurs, however, too late in both spring and
autumn seasons to fit within the raptors’ migration
schedule. Another reason not to delay migration to await
the shift in monsoon wind direction is that doing so would
require flying through the band of heavy precipitation
that forms along the border between the north-east and
south-west monsoon. Moreover, the monsoon winds at
Sangihe are less intense than those along many temperate
routes. Hence, migrant raptors can make good progress
by flying low enough in the atmospheric surface layer (i.e.
the layer where wind speed increases logarithmically with
height) that their airspeed significantly exceeds wind
speed. Geography also plays a role in that the raptors seen
at Sangihe are migrating in relatively short over-water
legs between islands that provide food sources (e.g.
insects). Thus, even slow progress against adverse
winds can be supported by feeding stopovers on the larger
islands.

Early morning flights are the norm both in Sangihe
and Taiwan, and it is well known that flapping migrants
(as an over-ocean flight would require) fly primarily in
the early hours, when the air is calm and temperatures are
cool. Moreover, the apparent need to cover the over¬
water legs during daytime is probably another explanation
for this phenomenon. As there is no evidence of night
migration in either Chinese Sparrowhawk or Grey-faced
Buzzard (Kugai 1996), the highly predictable landfall
time on Sangihe (06h00-09h00) indicates that large,
regular night roosts occur on some islands along the
corridor, and that morning take-off should be at or shortly
after sunrise. We estimate that Chinese Sparrowhawk
travelling speed over land, with strong thermal assistance

FRANCESCO GERMI et al.

Forktail 25 (2009)

1 14

and combining soaring-gliding and flapping-gliding flights
was 40-50 km/hr. Our estimate closely matches the results
from radar studies in Taiwan (Cheng et al. 2006, Sun
2006, Chen C.S.C. and Sun 2007), where Chinese
Sparrowhawk mean flight speed, over water, averaged
50 km/hr. Extrapolating a mean over-ocean flight speed
of 45 km/hr, it is evident that in order to reach Sangihe in
the early morning hours, autumn super-flocks take-off at
±05h30 from the small islands between Marore and
Dumarehe, up to 120 km to the north of Sangihe.
Therefore, the reduced passage after lOhOO may reflect
a direct non-stop flight from southern Mindanao, probably
±5 hours long (Fig. 4).

Chinese Sparrowhawk is considered a winter visitor
to the Philippines, where it has been recorded from August
to May (Dickinson et al. 1991, Kennedy et al. 2000, A.
Gamauf in litt. 2008). Thus, comparing annual counts of
southbound Chinese Sparrowhawks from Taiwan (a
maximum of 409,000 in 2004) with our results from
Sangihe (225,000 in 2007) it would appear that up to
180,000 individuals of this species may drop out in the
Philippines to overwinter there. However, the apparent
scarcity of winter records from this archipelago suggests
that an unknown percentage of these migrants continue
south-west into Borneo and southward into Wallacea.
Our numerous records of Chinese Sparrowhawks and
Grey-faced Buzzards during December-February indicate
that these species are common wintering birds on Sangihe .
Winter observations of Chinese Sparrowhawks feeding
on large insects and small birds were made by us in Sangihe,
Bali and Flores. These records come from a great variety
of habitats ranging from primary and secondary forests,
scrub, agricultural landscapes, towns, villages and ‘kemiri’
Aleurites moluccana forest on Flores, where prey includes
dragonflies (Odonata), cicadas (Cicadidae), termite alates
(Isoptera), swifts Collocalia sp. and munias Lonchura spp.
In central Flores, where Chinese Sparrowhawks feed
heavily on cicadas, the majority of this accipiter leaves the
area in late November once cicada emergences terminate,
and only small numbers remain through the winter (pers.
obs.). These observations, coupled with the anomalous
winter movements we noted in Sangihe (see species
accounts), suggest that Chinese Sparrowhawk may be
nomadic during the non-breeding season,
opportunistically following local food abundances as
seasonal insect emergences occur. Interestingly, large
emergences of cicadas are known to occur during the
rains in October-November in New Guinea and in
October-February in the Moluccas (H. Duffels in litt.
2008), indicating that Chinese Sparrowhawk overwinter
in eastern Indonesia and New Guinea when insect
abundance is at its highest. Moreover, the widespread
fragmentation of habitats occurring in Indonesia might
even improve the feeding opportunities for an
opportunistic migrant such as Chinese Sparrowhawk, as
degraded habitats may offer numerous empty niches that
are not used by resident species.

Our autumn observations show that significant
numbers of migrants were deflected by the wind far out
at sea, bypassing Sangihe and following the islands from
a distance as a leading line, drifting further to the south¬
east and landing as a result in the northern Moluccas, as
demonstrated by several records from these islands (White
and Bruce 1986, Gjershaug and Rov 2000). The radar
studies in T aiwan show that a large percentage of Chinese

Sparrowhawks travel 35-70 km off the coast along an
established sea route: for example in autumn 2005, out
of a total passage of over 205,000 Chinese Sparrowhawks
recorded by radar, 62,356 individuals (30% of the total)
passed on the sea route and remained mostly undetected
by the ground-based observers. In the expectation that
Chinese Sparrowhawks utilise the same ability for long-
range over-ocean flights in the rest of the flyway, we
presume that an unknown proportion of this species passed
undetected off Sangihe. Since visual and radar counts of
southbound Chinese Sparrowhawks in Taiwan varied
between a minimum of 69,000 individuals in 2001 to a
maximum of 409,000 in 2004, with an average of 200,000
in most years, the large fluctuations in Chinese
Sparrowhawk numbers from yearly radar counts might
be due either to migrants travelling below the radar
horizon, as radar does not track flight below 200 m which
occurs under variable weather conditions, or to the passage
being too far out at sea to be detected even by radar.

Bearing in mind all the factors outlined above that
bias census efforts, and collating Taiwan figures with the
225,000 Chinese Sparrowhawks we counted in Sangihe
and the visible passage of 84,000 accipiters observed in
Bali (Germi and Waluyo 2006), we estimate that at least
350,000 Chinese Sparrowhawks are streaming into
eastern Indonesia annually, both through the Sangihe-
Talaud Archipelago in the north and Bali in the west.
Thereafter, our combined results provide strong evidence
that up to 400,000 migratory raptors of at least seven
species enter Wallacea each autumn. However, other than
anecdotal information from Sulawesi’s northern
peninsula, there are very few observations of Chinese
Sparrowhawk elsewhere on this island. Similarly, there
are very few winter records of this species from the
Moluccas and the Lesser Sundas. A handful of specimens
and even fewer observations pertaining to Chinese
Sparrowhawk and Grey-faced Buzzard provide solid,
albeit sparse, evidence that both species occur further to
the east in Wallacea and in the extreme western tip of
New Guinea. That Chinese Sparrowhawk has been so
uniformly ‘overlooked’ suggests to us the following:

(1) this species has been genuinely overlooked due to a
lack of observers present at the right time of year; and/or

(2) there are insufficient suitable wintering areas in
Wallacea, so a large proportion of the migrants are
dispersing into remote and poorly surveyed areas as far as
New Guinea, whilst others lead nomadic lives across the
region, following seasonal food abundances such as insect
outbreaks.

Our observations indicate that a more easterly route,
involving longer water crossings caused by displacement
by seasonal crosswinds and those associated with day-to-
day variations in the monsoon flow, occur between south¬
eastern Mindanao and the Moluccas via Miangas and the
Talaud Islands. This is supported by several records of
Chinese Sparrowhawks and Grey-faced Buzzards from
both Talaud and the northern Moluccas (Meyer and
Wiglesworth 1898, White 1976, White and Bruce 1986,
Riley 1997), and notably by the observation of 145 Chinese
Sparrowhawks making landfall on Ternate Island from a
northward direction on 7 October 1996 (Gjershaug and
Rov 2000) . Additional fieldwork on this unknown corridor
is urgently needed. The possibility of such a scenario
requires further investigation in order to determine the
wintering grounds of this large number of migratory

Forktail 25 (2009)

Spring and autumn 2007 raptor migration on Sangihe, Indonesia

115

raptors. Moreover, the occurrence of regular, traditional
roosting sites of thousands of migrants on small islands,
as our observations from Sangihe demonstrate, implies
that there are potentially serious threats for the
conservation of these species. Unmonitored conversion
of land use on these small, remote islands could result in
loss of vital roosting habitats with very limited alternatives
on an oceanic migration route. It is worth noting that
significant declines in Chinese Sparrowhawk breeding
pairs have been recently documented in Korea, where a
50-75% drop has occurred during the last 30 years in
some local populations (Choi and Nam 2008). We
recommend an urgent survey of the roosting sites along
the Oceanic Flyway, as a high conservation priority for
future research.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This study was funded by Natural Research Ltd (UK) and Hawk
Mountain Sanctuary Project Soar (USA). We wish to thank Dapel
Masihore and Tadius Haribulan, who kindly admitted us onto their
land at Pusunge; Naha Airport Authority for granting us permission to
carry out part of the counts from the airfield; William Frank and Paul
Roundy for their helpful discussions of monsoon meteorology and
tropical waves; Muhamad Sain Kadir and Sujamo (Naha Meteorological
Station, Sangihe), and Budi Yuniarto (Statistic Office of Sangihe) who
provided local weather data; Mark Adams and the Natural History
Museum, Tring (BMNH), for access to skins; Keith Bildstein and
Norman Elkins for useful comments on the manuscript. We are also
grateful to the following people for their kind cooperation at various
stages of the study: Bas van Balen, Nick Blackbeard, Corry Shih-Chung
Chen, Hans Duffels, Anita Gamauf, Jan Ove Gjershaug, When-Horn
Lin, Victor Mason, Henk van Mastrigt, Mike McGrady, Vincent
Nijman, Yasunori Nitani, Jon Riley, Myron Schekelle, Yuan-Hsun
Sun, Mike Thornton, Dono Waluyo, Sumadi Wayan, Vanessa Wise
and Toru Yamazaki.

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FORKTAIL 25 (2009): 117-124

Surveys of nocturnal birds at Bala rainforest,

southern Thailand

ALAN KEMP, MEG KEMP and SIRIPORN THONG-AREE

We conducted surveys for nocturnal birds (Strigiformes, Caprimulgiformes) at Bala rainforest, southern Thailand, in the ten lunar
months from March to November 2004, mainly between dusk and midnight of successive nights in the week preceding full moon. At
0.5-km intervals along the 12.6 km of road that bisects Bala, we listened for calls both before and after broadcasting a 1-min recording
of the loud call for each of the species that we expected. We also searched, by day and on non-survey nights, for additional signs of
nocturnal species along or near the road, especially of Buffy Fish Owl Ketupa ketupa and nightjars. From all detections of a species, whether
heard calling, responding to our broadcast, or seen, we estimated its distribution, temporal and spatial relative abundance, and density
along the road. Two species were new records for Bala, Oriental Bay Owl Phodilus badius and Brown Wood Owl Strix leptogrammica. Two
small insectivorous species were the most widespread and abundant. Collared Scops Owl Otus bakkamoena and Javan Frogmouth
Batrachostomus javensi, at~8.0/km2 and ~5.5/km2, respectively. We detected three medium-sized to small species, Oriental Bay Owl,
Reddish Scops Owl Otus rufescens and Brown Flawk Owl Ninox scutulata, as well as a possible fourth species, Gould's Frogmouth
Batrachostomus stellatus, only in lowland forest below ~300 m asl; all were at low overall densities of <1 .6/km2. Three large species also
occurred at low densities, but probably as widely spaced territorial pairs along the road: Barred Eagle Owl Bubo sumatranus at <2.5 km/
pr, Brown Wood Owl Strix leptogrammica at <4.2 km/pr, and Buffy Fish Owl at <2.5 km/pr, the last estimated from spacing of signs along
streambeds. Smaller species were most vocal during the middle of the dry season (May) and larger species during the south-west monsoon
(August-September). Grey Nightjar Caprimulgus indicus was the only common caprimulgid, a boreal migrant detected during November
to April. Our results are useful for preliminary ecological and management analyses, but require repetition, refinement of technique and
comparison with results from different Indomalayan forests to improve their applicability.

INTRODUCTION

Nocturnal birds are difficult to survey in any habitat,
especially in forests where the prospects of seeing them
by day are slight and finding them at night are difficult.
Fortunately, most nocturnal forest species are vocal, utter
loud and/or distinctive calls, and respond to broadcast of
their calls (Gerhardt 1991, Takats et al. 2001, Delport et
al. 2002, Newton et al. 2002) oreven those of other species
(Enriquez and Salazar 1997). We conducted a survey
over ten lunar months for nocturnal species in a lowland
and submontane rainforest of southern Thailand, based
on repeated broadcasts of their calls. In rainforests of the
Thai-Malay Peninsula, owls (Strigiformes), and
frogmouths and nightjars (Caprimulgiformes) are the
main nocturnal orders (Wells 1999). Other mainly diurnal
orders with species that show crepuscular and/or nocturnal
activity, such as Bat Hawk Macheiramphus alcinus
(Falconiformes), Great Argus Argusianus argus
(Galliformes) and Helmeted Hornbill Buceros vigil
(Bucerotiformes), were present but are discussed
elsewhere (Kemp and Kemp 2007).

Southern Thailand is on the Isthmus of Kra and so is
the only part of that country to include habitats with a
comprehensive representation of the rich Sundaic fauna
and Malesian flora (Wells 1999). The few conservation
areas within these habitats are therefore of particular
national significance, but also of regional importance given
the conservation threats facing the high biodiversity of the
entire Sundaic region, especially its lowland forests and
birds (Wells 1999, Ibrahim etal. 2005). Efforts have been
made in southern Thailand to establish the presence and
population status of various taxa (e.g. Gale and Thong-
aree 2006, Kemp et al. 2007, Kemp and Kemp 2007,
Pattanavibool et al. 2007), but so far no attempt has been
made to survey nocturnal birds other than establish a
preliminary list of species (Thong-aree 2004). Two of the
species on this list are of international conservation

concern, Reddish Scops Owl Otus rufescens, which is listed
as Near Threatened, and White-faced Scops Owl O.
sagittatus, listed as Vulnerable (IUCN 2007). Our survey
attempted to confirm which species were present, their
abundance, and how best to monitor their populations.

STUDY AREA

The Bala section of Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary covers
111.5 km2 of the San Kala Kiri mountains on the southern
border of Thailand, at altitudes ranging from 50-960 m
asl (5°44'-57'N 101°46'-5 1 'E; Fig. 1). The Hala section,
which has forests rising to about 1,400 m asl, is a larger
area of 314 km2 about 22 km to the west of Bala, and
separated from Bala by a >5 km wide corridor of
agricultural land. The high rainfall on the sanctuary has
eroded the granite, sandstone and laterite geology into a
series of sharp ridges and deep valleys. The vegetation at
Bala is rainforest, classified as Malayan-type Tropical
Lowland Rainforest and comprised of dipterocarp and
palm communities, dominated along the ridges by Shorea
trees and Eugeissona and Johannesteijsmannia palms
(Niyomtham 2000). Selective logging occurred at Bala
prior to the national logging ban of 1989, mainly during
the 1970s, with additional felling along the road during
its construction in 1987-1992. Declared a wildlife
sanctuary in 1997, Hala-Bala was by then already
surrounded by secondary forest and agriculture (details
in Gale and Thong-aree 2006, Kemp et al. 2007).
However, the entire Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary still
supports at least 366 species of birds (Thong-aree 2004),
including most of those expected for this Sundaic fauna
(Wells 1999), and it retains Malesian flora of sufficient
quality to provide food and nest sites for many species.

Rainfall occurs in all months at Bala, least during the
hot season (February-July), mainly as afternoon
thunderstorms during the south-west monsoon (August-

118

ALAN KEMP, MEG KEMP and SIRIPORN THONG-AREE

Forktail 25 (2009)

Figure 1 . Map showing the position of Bala within southern Thailand
and of the road through the Bala section of Hala-Bala Sanctuary.

October), and with a peak during the north-east monsoon
(November-January). Mean annual rainfall at Waeng
(weather station 583008; 13 km NNE of the east end of
the Bala road; 50 m asl) was 3,455 mm (1992-2004; SD
650 mm), but the total rainfall during 2004 was only 77%
of the mean and only above the monthly average in
September-October. The mean annual temperature at
Sukhirin (weather station 553201; 16 km NNW of the
east end of the Bala road; 1 20 m asl) was 27°C (maximum
monthly mean 32°C, minimum mean 24°C) and mean
annual relative humidity 82% (monthly mean maximum
94%, mean minimum 67%). The hottest months were
March-May and the coolest November-January, while
relative humidity, although consistently high, varied
inversely with temperature.

We conducted our survey along the 12.6 km of paved
road that bisects Bala from east to west, and is marked off
at 0.5-km intervals (see Fig 1). The altitude along the
road ranges from 99 m asl (at 0.0 km and the east gate)

to 572 m asl (at 10.0 km and the highest point), and then
drops to 308 m asl (at 12.6 km and the west gate). Bala
forms part of the catchment area for the Ko-lok River and
some of its tributaries, including the Khlong Ai Ivrading
stream that runs alongside much of the eastern part of the
road.

METHODS

We searched for 13 nocturnal species already reported
from Bala (Thong-aree 2004). These species, listed
wherever possible in the sequence of Inskipp etal. (1996),
with their size indicated by body mass (del Hoyo et al.
1999), are as follows: White-fronted Scops Owl, 120 g;
Reddish Scops Owl, 77 g; Collared Scops Owl Otus
bakkamoena, 100-120 g; Barred Eagle Owl Bubo
sumatranus, c.600 g; Buffy Fish Owl Ketupa ketupa,
c.600 g; Spotted Wood Owl Strix seloputo, 1011 g;
Collared Owlet Glaucidium brodiei, c. 53-63 g; Brown
Hawk Owl Ninox scutulata, 172-227 g; Gould’s
Frogmouth Batrachostomus stellatus, 47-49 g; Javan
Frogmouth B.javensis, 46-47 g; Malaysian Eared Nightjar
Eurostopodus temminckii, c.80 g; Grey Nightjar
Caprimulgus indicus , 60-108 g; and Large-tailed Nightjar
C. macrurus, 54-79 g. We also searched for another species
known from the nearby Hala rainforest (Mountain Scops
Owl Otus spilocephalus , 55-120 g), and three additional
species indicated from the literature (Lekagul and Round
1 992, del Hoyo et al. 1 999, Wells 1 999, Robson 2002) as
likely for the area (Oriental Bay Owl Phodilus badius, 255-
308 g; Brown Wood Owl Strix leptogrammica, 500-700 g;
and Large Frogmouth Batrachostomus auritus, 206 g.

We conducted our survey over the 10 lunar months
from March to November 2004 (Table 1 ). We performed
a standard routine for each lunar month of broadcasting
calls and listening for responses at 0.5-km intervals along
the 12.6 km of road (see Appendix for details). We
attempted to confine our surveys to between the onset of
darkness and midnight, spread over several successive
nights in the week preceding full moon, and continuing
each night from where we had left off the previous night.
Initially we started our surveys at the eastern end of the

Table 1 . Details of surveys along the road through Bala rainforest, southern Thailand, over 1 0 successive lunar months of 2004, showing the date
of full moon, dates of surveys, earliest and latest times of night for broadcasts, whether done at the 0.50- or 0.25-km markers, whether started
at 0.0 or 12.5 km, and the total number of locations where broadcast.

Date of

full moon

Survey duration

Broadcast

start and finish

Earliest Latest

Markers used

0.5-km 0.25-km

Starting
location, km

No. of broadcast
locations used
in analyses

6 March

2-5 March

1 9h24

22h 1 5

X

4.0*

17

5 April

31 March- 10 April

19h05

23h05**

X

2.0

25

4 May

30 April-5 May

18h40

22hl0

X

0.25

24

3 June

29 May-4 June

18h45

22h00

X

0.0

25

2 July

27 June-1 July

18h50

21h40

X

12.25

24

31 July

25-31 July

18h45

21h55

X

0.0

25

30 August

25-29 August

18h50

21h55

X

0.25

25

28 September

21-26 September

18h50

22h00

X

0.0

24

28 October

10-27 October

18h20

2 1 h 1 5

X

0.0

15***

26 November

18-21 November

18h20

22h00

X

12.25

24

*Only most eastern locations tested in first month.

**Three locations at the west end of the road had to be completed during 04hl0-05hl5 on 10 April.
***Military orders curtailed survey.

Forktail 25 (2009)

Surveys of nocturnal birds at Bala rainforest, southern Thailand

119

road (0.0 km) and conducted our broadcast routine at
each 0.5-km road marker, but on alternate lunar months
from 5 April we broadcast from midway between the 0.5-
km markers (i.e. at the 0.25-km and 0.75-km positions
along the road; Table 1 ). In this way, over two successive
lunar months, we carried out our broadcast routine at
each 250-m interval, and so ensured a finer scale for
detection. We also alternated the start of successive lunar-
monthly surveys from opposite ends of the road for the
0.25/0.75-km surveys, starting at the western end from
the 12.5 km mark, to minimise effects of broadcasting
earlier or later in the evening and on different days before
full moon. We recorded the coordinates and altitude at
each broadcast location with a portable GPS (Garmin
Etrex Vista). We never attempted to broadcast or listen
at 4.25 km and 4.5 km, where a broad treeless verge and
noisy waterfalls made the effort futile, but we included
both locations in our calculations as this unsuitable habitat
was still part of our overall survey area.

To broadcast the calls, we used a cassette tape player
with four speakers built into a 3-door Suzuki SF413
Caribian 4x4 vehicle, with one speaker in each of the
front door panels and one on either side of the rear luggage
compartment. We opened all doors during each broadcast,
the player was set to maximise base tones and minimise
tape noise, and we turned the volume as high as possible
without causing distortion. Under normal conditions and
along the open road, we could hear the broadcast of each
target species’s calls from at least 250 m, and we knew
from their responses that all species were heard and able
to hear from at least that distance. We did not attempt to
broadcast or listen during periods of rain or strong wind.

On arrival at each broadcast location, our basic
technique was to listen for 5 min, broadcast a 1-min cut
of the loud call of a target species, listen for a response,
then play and listen for the next species, and so on until
we had broadcast and listened for all target species for
that lunar month and location. Which species were
broadcast, the order in which they were broadcast, the
source of recordings used for each species, and die intervals
of silence between successive recordings evolved during
the study, and so changed between lunar months as we
developed our experience of the area and species involved,
and obtained new or improved recordings (see Appendix) .
We compiled a new cassette tape for each lunar month
that included all periods of silence and calls played, thereby
presenting a consistent lunar-monthly routine and quality
of broadcast at each location (Takats et al. 2001). From
July, for the last six lunar months, we did not broadcast
recordings of Oriental Bay Owl, Reddish Scops Owl and
Brown Hawk Owl (and some other undetected species)
between 4.0 km (287 m asl) and 12.0 km (389 m asl),
and we also moved these species to the latter part of the
playback tape for convenience during broadcasts. This
excluded highland areas above ~300 m asl, where these
species had been undetected previously, and so reduced
the time necessary to complete the lunar-monthly surveys
(see Appendix).

At each broadcast location, whenever we heard a call
or saw a bird, we identified the species involved and
estimated its distance (to the nearest 50 m) and direction
(to the nearest octant) from the broadcast point. We also
noted if the call/sighting was a ‘response’ to our tape (i.e.
if, within the broadcast or subsequent listening period for
the species concerned, the individual either made its first

call or appearance or, if it had been calling previously,
responded again and/or moved closer).

We used additional search methods for some species.
For Buffy Fish Owl, we paddled along stretches of river
by day looking for characteristic owl-like droppings or
pellets on rocks, logs, branches and bridges. We did this
mainly in April-September, when river levels were lowest,
especially after drier periods with little or no rain to wash
away any signs. For nightjars, we attempted some
broadcasts initially (see Appendix), but after failing to
obtain any vocal responses we searched with the vehicle’s
headlights along the road and with a spotlight on road
verges in the course of our regular broadcast surveys and
other work. In addition, by night or day throughout 2004
we recorded any calls heard or sightings made of nocturnal
birds, especially around the Hala-Bala Wildlife Research
Station where we resided (see Fig. 1) and along the road
and adjacent trails where we conducted most of our other
fieldwork.

We analysed our data by species, location and lunar
month using two measures per broadcast location: (1)
the mean number of individuals detected overall relevant
broadcast periods and (2) the highest number of different
individuals ever detected within a single broadcast
sequence. We compared mean and highest numbers by
species using Spearman’s Rank Correlation, and
considered P=0.05 significant, as calculated with
SigmaStat 3.5. For comparison with altitude, we
compared mean number of detections per location at
0.25-km intervals, to provide maximum resolution, but
note that we did separate lunar-monthly surveys at only
0.50-km intervals, so that adjacent means at 0.25-km
intervals were statistically independent with respect to
the probability of detecting an individual at that particular
altitude. However, when we estimated the density for
each species, within the habitats encompassed by a circle
of 250 m radius around each broadcast location (an area
of 0. 196 km2 or a total survey area of 4.71 km2 for all 24
lunar-monthly locations combined), we calculated the
estimates twice, first using surveys done at the 0.5-km
markers, and second using surveys done midway between
the 0.5-km markers (at 0.25 km and 0.75 km), so that the
surveys formed separate samples and excluded false
replication of individuals detected.

RESULTS

Species detected

Our surveys along and around the road through Bala
forest detected seven species of owl (Oriental Bay, Reddish
Scops, Collared Scops, Barred Eagle, Buffy Fish, Brown
Wood and Brown Hawk Owl) , one or probably two species
of frogmouth (certainly Javan, probably Gould’s) and
one or probably two species of nightjar (certainly Grey,
probably Malaysian Eared). Two owl species were new
records for Bala (Oriental Bay and Brown Wood Owl).
We did not detect four nocturnal species reported
previously for Bala (White-fronted Scops Owl, Collared
Owlet, Spotted Wood Owl and Large-tailed Nightjar), or
two other species considered possible for the area
(Mountain Scops Owl and Large Frogmouth).

All responses were aural, except twice when we
detected Barred Eagle Owl visually before it started to
call. The percentage of detections for the commoner owl

120

ALAN KEMP, MEG KEMP and SIRIPORN THONG-AREE

Forktail 25 (2009)

Table 2. Results of broadcast surveys for nocturnal species detected at 0.25 km intervals along the paved road through Bala rainforest, southern
Thailand, during 1 0 lunar months in 2004. We recorded for each lunar month (a) the number of locations broadcastfor each species, (b) the number
of individuals detected across all broadcasts, separated by a “/” from the number of uncertain detections or detections during other non-survey
activities in the lunar month preceding, and (c) the mean number detected per broadcast-location within each lunar month. For each species detected,
the mean for the lunar months with the highest value is underlined.

Nocturnal

Lunar months by date of full moon

6 5 4 3 2 31 30 28 28

26

Overall

total

% detections

as responses

during

species

Broadcast results

Mar Apr May Jun Jul Jul Aug Sep Oct

Nov

or mean

broadcasts

Oriental

a. Number of locations

0

0

12*

5

12

9

9

5

7

4

63*

Bay Owl

b. Detections

0/0

0/0

0/0

0/0

1/0

3/0

0/1

0/1

0/0

0/0

4/2

100

(OBO)

c. Mean detections

X

X

0.00

0.00

0.08

0.33

0.01

0.02

0.00

0.00

0.06

Reddish

a. Number of locations

12

15*

15*

5

12

9

9

5

7

4

93*

Scops Owl

b. Detections

1/0

1/1

4/0

0/0

3/0

1/2

2/0

1/1

1/0

1/0

15/4

53

(RSO)

c. Mean detections

0.08

0.07

0.27

0.00

0.25

0.11

0.22

0.20

0.14

0.25

0.16

Collared

a. Number of locations

17

25

25

24

25

25

25

25

12

26

229

Scops Owl

b. Detections

4/1

6/2

26/2

9/1

9/4

18/0

14/1

16/1

8/0

6/1

116/13

27

(CSO)

c. Mean detections

0.23

0.24

1.04

0.38

0.36

0.72

0.56

0.64

0.67

0.23

0.51

Barred

a. Number of locations

12

0

25

0

25

25

25

25

12

26

175

Eagle Owl

b. Detections

0/1

0/0

0/1

0/2

0/1

3/0

3/2

3/1

1/0

0/1

12/9

40

(BEO)

c. Mean detections

X

X

X

X

0.00

0.12

0.12

0.12

0.08

0.00

0.07

Brown

a. Number of locations

0

0

0

0

25

25

25

25

12

26

138

Wood Owl

b. Detections

0/0

0/0

0/0

0/0

2/0

2/0

2/0

6/0

0/0

2/0

14/0

63

(BWO)

c. Mean detections

X

X

X

X

0.08

0.08

0.08

0.24

0.00

0.08

0.10

Brown

a. Number of locations

12

14*

14*

14*

14*

9

9

5

7

4

102

Flawk Owl

b. Detections

2/0

3/0

7/0

4/0

1/0

1/0

0/0

2/0

1/0

2/0

23/0

58

(BHO)

c. Mean detections

0.17

0.21

0.50

0.29

0.07

0.1 1

0.00

0.40

0.14

0.50

0.23

Javan

a. Number of locations

17

25

25

24

25

25

25

25

12

26

229

Frogmouth

b. Detections

8/0

11/0

15/0

8/0

15/0

14/0

8/0

11/0

3/0

7/0

101/0

75

(JFM)

c. Mean detections

0.48

0.44

0.60

0.33

0.60

0.56

0.33

0.44

0.25

0.27

0.43

*For lunar-monthly comparison of species restricted to low altitudes, we calculated the mean in each lunar month only for the 12-15, or
fewer, locations that covered the range within which we had detected each of these species in the first three months of our survey. See text
for further explanation.

x = months without recordings available to broadcast.

and frogmouth species that were judged as responses to
conspecific broadcasts varied from 27% to 100% (Table
2). Some species also responded to calls of other species:
Collared Scops Owl to the similar calls of Reddish Scops
Owl (3 times); Barred Eagle Owl to Brown Wood Owl (1)
and Javan Frogmouth (1); and Javan Frogmouth to
Oriental Bay Owl (3), Reddish Scops Owl (3), Gould’s
Frogmouth (2) and Barred Eagle Owl (1).

We detected a few owl species outside the lunar-month
surveys by means other than broadcasting (Table 2). In
particular, in our search for Buffy Fish Owl along the
catchment area of the Khlong Ai Krading stream,
upstream and within 5 km of the Hala-Bala Research
Camp, we found three locations with suggestive signs
(thick owl-like droppings and large pellets with crab and
fish remains). At one location, just below the research
station, an owl was flushed and positively identified by
day by another observer in May (Surachai Rungkunakorn
pers. comm.), while we also positively identified an owl
at a fourth location, on the handrail of the bridge over the
road at 3.8 km, during our September lunar-monthly
survey.

For species other than owls, we recorded only two
brief responses that could have been Gould’s Frogmouth
(May at 1.0 km and August at 0.75 km), despite a total
of 215 broadcasts all along the road, and both of these

responses were at low elevations, within 1 km of an even
lower site well known to birders for this species. We
counted at least six Grey Nightjars on roadside
embankments at 4. 5-6.0 km on the survey of 2 March,
and during that week we caught a male and female by
hand for examination. We continued to observe Grey
Nightjars in the same area until 10 April, after which we
did not see them there again until 21 November. On 10
March, by day, we flushed two nightjars from the forest
floor near the road, one of which was suspected to be a
Malaysian Eared Nightjar, and in May an unidentified
large nightjar flew silently over the 1 ,0-km location when
the call of this species was being played; these tentative
records were from elevations below ~150 m asl.

Temporal and spatial distribution

The mean number of detections per location varied
temporally for each species (Table 2). We detected the
smaller species most frequently in May (Reddish Scops,
Collared Scops and Brown Hawk Owls, and Javan
Frogmouth), with the last two species also vocal in
November and July respectively, while the intermediate¬
sized Oriental Bay Owl was detected most frequent in
July, and the larger Barred Eagle and Brown Wood Owls
even later, during July-September and September
respectively.

Forktail 25 (2009)

Surveys of nocturnal birds at Bala rainforest, southern Thailand

121

Broadcast sites (km)

Figure 2. Mean numbers of seven nocturnal bird species detected over
1 0 lunar months of 2004, plotted at 0.25 km intervals above the altitude
gradients along the 12.6 km of road through Bala rainforest, southern
Thailand. On any one lunar-monthly survey, we did broadcasts only at
locations 0.5 km apart and recorded number of individuals per species
within a radius of 250 m. Abbreviations for species as in Table 2.

The mean number of detections per broadcast location
also varied spatially, at least with respect to altitude (Figure

2) . Two main patterns were evident. For Oriental Bay,
Reddish Scops and Brown Hawk Owls, we detected them
most frequently below~300 m asl, although we did detect
each species at broadcast locations up to 308 m, 456 m
and 404 m asl, respectively. However, the detections made
at the two highest locations were in steep terrain and the
birds were actually calling from the floor of a deep valley
at least 100 m below. After 6 June, we only broadcast
calls for these species at altitudes below ~300 m asl, but
we still never heard any of these species at higher altitudes
during subsequent surveys. We detected all other species
across the full range of altitudes, particularly Collared
Scops Owl and Javan Frogmouth, while Barred Eagle
and Brown Wood Owls were patchy in their distribution
along the road.

Density estimates

We estimated densities for each species using the overall
mean number of detections per locality from all surveys,
as well as the higher values calculated using the highest
number detected per location on any one survey (Table

3) ; we present both estimates separately for surveys
conducted at the 0.5-km and 0.25-km markers. We also
estimated densities for the same species from elsewhere
on the Thai-Malay Peninsula, converting available data
into units comparable to our results (see Table 3; Wells
1995).

For Barred Eagle, Brown Wood and Oriental Bay
Owls, we also estimated the potential number of pairs
along the whole 12.5 km transect. Our detections for
these species were clumped around widely separated
localities and we assumed that each clump represented a
pair that was territorial within a separate home range.
This appeared to be accurate for Barred Eagle and Brown
Wood Owls, as we sometimes heard neighbouring pairs
calling at one another along their adjacent boundaries.
For Buffy Fish Owls we also estimated the density of

Table 3. Estimated overall density along 1 2.5 km of road through Bala rainforest, southern Thailand, for nocturnal species detected within a 0.25-
km radius (0.1964 km2) of each broadcast location. We derived separate estimates based on (a) the overall mean of the numbers detected per
broadcast at all locations and (b) the overall mean for the highest number detected at each location on any one broadcast, each one separately
for the 0.5-km or 0.25-km locations. We also estimated (c), the spacing between apparent territories for larger and more widely separated species.
We compared our results with approximate densities converted to similar units from reports elsewhere on the Thai-Malay Peninsula (W ells 1999).
Abbreviations of species as in Table 2, with the addition of BFO = Buffy Fish Owl.

Nocturnal

species

Estimated density as number of individuals detected/km2

Estimated densities for other
areas of Thai-Malay Peninsula

a) From overall
mean / playback
location*

Mean density
as % of

highest density

b) From overall mean for highest no. of
individuals/24 lunar-monthly locations

Surveys
at 0.5 km

markers

Mean of means

at 0.5+0.25 km

markers

Surveys
at 0.25km

markers

c) Estimated
territorial spacing at
Bala as km/pair**

Nos/km2,
from no. of
pairs x 2

Nos/km2,
from no./

reserve area

OBO

0.31/0.36*

51/34

0.61/1.27*

0.51/1.06*

0.41/0.85*

4.2 (n =3)

-

-

RSO

0.71/0.87*

79/45

0.90/1.49*

1.20/1.94*

1.49/2.38*

-

2-4

0.15-0.17

CSO

2.65

33

8.57

7.95

7.32

-

4-8

15-17

BEO

0.46

40

1.85

1.16

0.47

2. 5/1. 8 (n = 5/7)

-

-

BWO

0.56

58

1.24

0.96

0.68

4. 2/3. 2 (n = 3/4)

2

1.2

BFO

-

-

-

-

-

2. 5/1. 7 (n = 2/3)

-

-

BHO

0.87/1.17*

56/64

2.04/3.64*

1.55/2.73*

1.06/1.82*

-

-

-

JFM

2.29

41

5.95

5.53

5.11

-

6

0.15

*We calculated two density values for ‘lowland’ species (OBO, RSO, BHO): the first an overall value across all locations and habitats, the second a value only
for locations within their lowland habitat below -300 m asl.

**See text for details of how number of pairs was determined, with widely separated pairs for OBO, but with lower/upper values for the less clearly separated
pairs of BEO, BWO and BFO.

122

ALAN KEMP, MEG KEMP and SIRIPORN THONG-AREE

Forktail 25 (2009)

pairs, assuming that all the signs detected were indeed
from this species, and that concentrations of signs at
locations separated from each other by at least 1 km
represented different territorial pairs along the 5 km of
river that we surveyed.

DISCUSSION

The eastern end of the road that we surveyed at Bala rose
gradually from a wide valley with patchy agriculture,
through well-developed lowland rainforest, into
submontane rainforest along a higher intervening section
with sharp ridges and deep valleys, and then, at the western
end, descended steeply into a narrow valley and ended
among more cultivation. Across these habitats, and in 10
of the 13 lunar months of 2004, our technique detected
most species of nocturnal birds known previously to occur
in the Bala section of Hala-Bala Sanctuary. We failed to
detect White-fronted Scops Owl, Collared Owlet, Spotted
Wood Owl and Large-tailed Nightjar, but added Oriental
Bay and Brown Wood Owls to the list.

Our data for the mean numbers recorded per location
had sufficient resolution to confirm Oriental Bay, Reddish
Scops and Brown Elawk Owls only below -300 m asl,
while Collared Scops, Barred Eagle and Brown Wood
Owls, and Javan Frogmouth, occurred across all altitudes
sampled. These results are consistent with the altitudinal
preferences of these species reported elsewhere (Lekagul
and Round 1991, Wells 1999, Robson 2002), and they
suggest that our data were precise enough for additional
applications, should other such ecological measures
become available along the road that delimit topographic
features, vegetation types, nest sites or availability of prey.

We probably did not detect some species because we
sampled mainly at altitudes or in habitats where they
were not common. Uthai Treesucon (pers. comm. 2004)
only expected White-fronted Scops Owl in forest below
100 m asl, altitudes similar to where we probably detected
Gould’s Frogmouth but where it was certainly not
common. Collared Owlet were only expected to be
common above 600 m asl, and Mountain Scops Owl at
even higher altitudes, equivalent to the peaks of the Hala
part of the Sanctuary (Robson 2002, Thong-aree 2004),
and both above the 590 m asl peak along the Bala road.
Spotted Wood Owl and Large-tailed Nightjar were
expected in disturbed areas around the forest periphery,
habitat only present at the ends of the road (Lekagul and
Round 1991, Wells 1999, Robson 2002). Although we
recorded Buffy Fish Owl at a low overall density, due to
the limited amount of its linear riparian habitat, it was
spaced within that habitat at densities equivalent to those
of the similar-sized Barred Eagle Owl in the extensive
tracts of terrestrial forest.

Variation in the numbers of species and individuals
detected at broadcast locations, both within and between
lunar months, suggests that our techniques were not
consistent in detecting all species or individuals, even for
those expected to be resident. The consistently lower
values recorded for the mean number per location
compared to the highest number per location support
this suggestion, but even though we found the mean and
highest numbers significantly correlated for all species
(Spearman Rank Correlation, P<0.001), the difference
does suggest that each value provides a slightly different

estimate of relative abundance. The percentage difference
between these two measures may even be an additional
index for how detectable each species was when using our
particular broadcast technique (T able 3) . The percentage
of detections that we scored as responses to our broadcasts
also differed between species (27-100%; Table 2),
probably indicating specific but undocumented
differences in basic biology and communication
behaviour, or differences in elicitation of responses for
those calls that we chose to broadcast. All such variation
contributes to the incidence of ‘false absences’, which
would need to be incorporated into future survey design
(Wintle et al. 2005).

For some species, seasonal variation in detection was
correlated with known migratory tendencies, e.g. the Grey
Nightjar (Wells 1999). However, Oriental Bay Owl
(detected between July-September) and maybe even
Malaysian Eared Nightjar (March-May), which were
expected to be residents, may only have been local vagrants
or summer visitors to Bala. For other species expected to
be resident, variability in detection was probably due to
variation in calling intensity at different ages and stages
of the reproductive cycle, including variation in detection
resulting from seasonality in vocal behaviour and
responsiveness as related to territorial and/or courtship
behaviour (Table 2). We detected small, mainly
insectivorous species (Reddish Scops, Collared Scops and
Brown Hawk Owls, and Javan Frogmouth) most often in
May-June, coincident with the peak of the dry season
when many other bird species were breeding (Table 2,
Wells 1 999, Kemp and Kemp 2007). We detected large,
mainly small-vertebrate feeders (Barred Eagle and Brown
Wood Owls) most often in July-September, when several
large diurnal raptors were also most active with calls and
displays (Kemp and Kemp 2007), and maybe the
uncommon medium-sized but large-footed Oriental Bay
Owl fits this pattern as well. Barred Eagle Owl was the
only species for which we confirmed breeding, when we
saw and heard a juvenile begging by day and night south
of the 1.25-2.25 km position on the road between 11
June and 24 October, and heard a second juvenile once
at 11.0 km in July, suggesting that the species was most
vocal after fledging young.

Overall, we consider our survey estimates conservative,
including those based on the highest numbers per location.
Besides lunar-monthly variation, we know from other
non-survey observations that some birds were present
during our surveys but undetected. For example, we
observed a pair of Barred Eagle Owls several times in one
area (6. 0-7.0 km) next to the road, by day and at dusk,
and even found their regular diurnal roost. Yet we never
detected them there on our surveys, and only a single
response to broadcasts, by an adult that flew up to perch
at a location 1 km away, may have belonged to this pair.
We also heard on some nights at the Hala-Bala Research
Station more individual Brown Hawk, Reddish Scops
and Collared Scops Owls than the highest numbers we
ever detected at any of the survey locations (1.75-2.50
km) on the adjacent road.

Our estimates of density are conservative for additional
reasons. We assumed that each species was resident, or
at least sedentary, when we detected it at Bala, and that
we had some probability of repeated detections at or near
the localities where we first recorded a species. In support
of these assumptions, we detected most of the common

Forktail 25 (2009)

Surveys of nocturnal birds at Bala rainforest, southern Thailand

123

species on all or most months of the survey and some
individuals of most species often called from a similar
position at a particular location on different lunar months.
We had to assume that we detected all individuals within
a circle of 250 m radius around each broadcast location,
but our estimates of density certainly indicate only
minimum values for the habitats surveyed (Table 3). For
instance, we assumed that the habitat on either side of the
road was uniformly suitable for all species, although
roadworks have altered the verges to varying extents and
the adjacent forest also showed obvious but undocumented
differences in composition, structure, altitude, aspect and
slope. For most species, we were also not able to distinguish
which sex called and so assumed that it was usually the
male (see Wells 1999). Only in the larger owl species
(Barred Eagle and Brown Wood Owls) and the commoner
small species (Collared Scops Owl and Javan Frogmouth)
was it sometimes possible to distinguish the sexes and to
hear both members of a pair calling at the same time and
location. Our survey therefore failed to include most non-
calling adult males, adult females and juveniles of either
sex, which would have at least doubled the densities
recorded. Our conservative estimates of density appear
similar to what little is recorded for the same species, also
based on their calling, in other Malesian forests on the
Thai-Malay Peninsula (Table 3, Wells 1999), but we
found no comparable data for these species from where
they occur in other types of Asian forests.

Comparison with other studies of noctural forest-
bird communities

Because we did not manage to follow our lunar-monthly
protocols exactly, owing to disruptions from vehicle
breakdowns, wind, rain, fallen trees and regional security,
we ended up with different sample sizes by species, lunar-
month and location, and so had to adjust our results
accordingly. We also did not control for a variety of
factors that may have affected our results. These include
changes between lunar months in the type and quality
of calls broadcast, the duration of listening intervals,
the sequence in which species were broadcast, and the
number of species broadcast per location (and hence the
length of the total listening/broadcast period both in and
between lunar months) . However, despite the exploratory
nature of our surveys, the assumptions we had to make
about uncontrolled factors and the uneven sample sizes,
our data did detect temporal and spatial variations
consistent with known altitudinal preferences and
breeding seasonality, and provide conservative estimates
of density.

We found no equivalent nocturnal surveys for other
tropical Asian forest-bird communities, only exemplary
studies from South America that examined diverse
communities of up to six species of tropical forest owls.
The latter studies had similar findings to our survey in
showing temporal and spatial variation in species
abundance and detection, but they also examined
additional aspects that we did not consider in our survey
design. One survey distinguished how different owl species
responded to broadcast of inter- as well as intra-specific
calls (Enriquez and Salazar 1 997), something we noticed
but did not control. Another survey found that two
adjacent but distinctive habitat types supported different
communities of owl species (Borges etal. 2004), suggesting
that variation in density with forest type is a factor that

requires further study in our region. A third survey alerted
us to possible effects of moonlight, finding significantly
higher detection around full moon, but only before the
moon had risen or when it was obscured by clouds
(Enriquez-Rocha and Rangel-Salazar 2001), although a
fourth study found no effects of moon phase or cloud-
cover (Lloyd 2003). In addition, many other survey
techniques and results with relevance to our study are
available from surveys of only one or two species in North
American, African and Australian forests (e.g. Takatz et
al. 2001, Delport et al. 2002 and Newton et al. 2002,
respectively, and references therein).

Further surveys at Bala and in other Asian forests are
obviously required, with improved techniques and more
attention to the spatial, social, habitat and environmental
requirements of each species. We offer our preliminary
estimates of relative abundance and minimum density as
a basis for further ecological studies and conservation
planning, with special urgency for White-faced and
Reddish Scops Owls whose restricted lowland habitats in
Thailand must be of very limited area and quality,
including in Bala Sanctuary.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

BIOTEC funded our year in Thailand and the support of its Director
Dr Morakot T anticharoen and her staff, in particular Khuns Therrapatt
Prasansakij, Kutilda Lamduan and Chimaiporn Watemaha, was much
appreciated. The Wildlife Conservation Office of the Department of
National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation allowed us to work in
the Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary. At Bala we received all manner of
assistance and support from the staff of Hala-Bala Wildlife Research
Station, and from Khun Sunthorn Toadum and staff of The Wild
Flowering and Ornamental Plant Collection Project in The South of
Thailand. The Hornbill Project Thailand, led by Prof. Pilai Poonswad,
continued, from its offices at Mahidol University in Bangkok, with
logistical and moral support of our work in Thailand and was, as always,
much appreciated. Prof. George Gale supplied the map, and Uthai
Treesucon assisted with call identification and supply. The editors
made many useful suggestions to improve the manuscript.

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identification of individual African Wood Owls Strix woodfordii: a
technique to monitor long-term adult turnover and residency. Ibis
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ALAN KEMP, MEG KEMP and SIRIPORN THONG-AREE

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of the birds of the Oriental Region. Sandy, Bedfordshire, UK: Oriental
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Notes on timing of breeding and migration from Bala Forest,
Thailand. Website http:llwww.nfi. museum, search for Hala-Bala,
site currently under reconstruction.

Kemp, A. C., Kemp, M. I. and Thong-aree, S. (2007) Flow long must
one watch over a rainforest to record all the hornbills? Pp. 199-212
in A. C. Kemp and M. I. Kemp, eds. The active management of hornbills
and their habitats for conservation. CD-ROM Proceedings of the 4th
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South Africa. Pretoria, South Africa: Naturalists and Nomads.

Lekagul, B. and Round, P. D. (1991 ) A guide to the birds of Thailand.
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Lloyd, FI. (2003) Population densities of some nocturnal raptor species
(Strigidae) in southeastern Peru. J. Field Om. 74: 376-380.

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and conservation of owls: proceedings of the Owls 2000 Conference,
Canberra, Australia. Canberra: CSIRO Publishing.

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Chimchome, V., Jornburom, P. and Chaikheiw, S. (2007) Hornbill
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Robson, C. (2002) Afield guide to the birds of Thailand. London: New
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Takats, D. L., Francis, C. M., Holroyd, G. L., Duncan, J. R., Mazur,
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Alan Kemp*, Meg Kemp * and Siriporn Thong-aree, Peat Swamp and Hala-Bala Rain Forest Narathiwat Province Research
Unit, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC) , c/o Hala-Bala Wildlife Research Station,
P. O. Box 3, Waeng Narathizuat 91 960, Thailand.

Current addresses: * Research Associate, FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town, P. O. Rondebosch, 7000 South
Africa. * Naturalists and Nomads, Postnet Suite #38, Private Bag XI 9, Menlo Park, 01 02 South Africa. E-mail:
leadbeateri@gmail. com.

APPENDIX

Details of the 1-min cuts of the loud call of each bird species, and of the intervals between playbacks, that were included on the playback tape
routine used during each lunar month for a nocturnal survey along the road through Bala rainforest, southern Thailand. Recordings were copied
from Birds of Asia, species cuts 1 , 2 or 3 (BoA 1 , 2, 3) , Birds of Singapore (BoS) and Birds of Thailand (BoT) , or supplied by Uthai T reesucon
(TR) . Abbreviations of species are as in T able 2, with the addition of MSO - Mountain Scops Owl, SWO - Spotted Wood Owl, COW - Collared
Owlet, LFM - Large Frogmouth, GFM - Gould’s Frogmouth, MEN - Malaysian Eared Nightjar, LTN - Long-tailed Nightjar.

Lunar month
and date of
full moon

Nocturnal species, acronym of name, number used to indicate position in tape sequence,
months in which call(s) broadcast (X), and source of recordings

Silent

intro¬

duction,

min

Silent

interval,

min

Species sequence by species
number for 1-min cuts/separation
of highland/lowland spp.

Tape

edition

OBO

1

RSO

2

MSO

3

cso

4

BEO

5

SWO BWO COW
6 7 8

BHO

9

LFM

10

GFM

11

JFM

12

MEN

13

LTN

14

Total tape
duration, min

6 Mar

1.3

X

X

X

X

5.0

5.0

4-12-14-6

29.0

1.4

X

X

X*

X

X

5.0

5.0

2-4-12-9-5

35.0

5 Apr

2

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

5.0

2.5

6-9-2-3-4-12-11

29.5

4 May

3

X

X

X

X*

X

X

X

X

X

X

2.5

2.5

6-9-2-5-4-12-11-10-8-1

39.5

3 Jun

4.1/2

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

5.0

2.5

9-4-12-13/2-1-11-10

**19.0/32.0

2 Jul

5.1/2

X

X

X

TR

X

X

X

X

X

5.0

2.5

5-4-12-7/2-9-11-10-1

19.0/35.5

31 Jul

5.1/3

X

X

X

TR

X

X

X

X

X

X

5.0

2.5

5-4-12-7/2-9-11-10-1-6

19.0/39.0

30 Aug

5.1/3

X

X

X

TR

X

X

X

X

X

X

5.0

2.5

5-4-12-7/2-9-1 1-10-1-6

19.0/39.0

28 Sep

6.1/2

X

X

X

TR

X

X

X

X

X

X

5.0

2.5

5-4-12-7/2-9-1-6-1 1-10

19.0/39.0

28 Oct

6.1/2

X

X

X

TR

X

X

X

X

X

X

5.0

2.5

5-4-12-7/2-9-1-6-1 1-10

19.0/39.0

26 Nov

7.1/2

X

X

X

TR

X

X

X

X

X

5.0

2.5

5-4-12-7/2-9-1-6-11

19.0/35.5

Source for loud
calls used in
playback

BoT

BoA

1&2

BoA

BoA

1&2

BoA

1-3

BoS

TR

BoA

BoA

1&2

BoA

1-3

BoA

1&2

BoA

1-3

BoS

BoS

* For BEO, during 6 Mar to 4 May we had only low-quality recordings available.

** From 3 Jun to 26 Nov we did not play calls of the lowland species RSO, BHO and GFM at all sites, hence two times for tape duration are shown here.

FORKTAIL 25 (2009): 125-129

Black-necked Cranes Grus nigricollis in Bhutan:
migration routes, threats and conservation prospects

PHURBA LHENDUP and EDWARD L. WEBB

Black-necked Crane Grus nigricollis is a globally threatened species, of which a few hundred individuals winter in Bhutan. The species
has been monitored on its wintering grounds in Bhutan since 1987, but little is known about migration routes or about threats during
migration and wintering. In this study, we conducted interviews with local people at wintering sites and potential stopover sites to identify
movement patterns and to prioritise threats to the conservation of this species. We found that several of the causes of cranes disappearing
from former wintering areas are still prevalent in the current wintering areas; these are apart from the addition of many new threats. One
of the main threats is loss and degradation of wetland habitat from development and agriculture. We consider habitat protection to be
of highest priority in conserving the species. Our study also identifies four migration routes (Gasa, Lhuntshi, Trashi Yangtshe and Paro)
and six stopover areas (Gasa, Tshokhana, Dungkhar, Baptong, Tangmachu and Shengana) used by the cranes during their migration
in and out of Bhutan in winter.

INTRODUCTION

Many cranes across the world are threatened with
extinction. Among these, one of the least known is the
Black-necked Crane Grus nigricollis , which is currently
classified as Vulnerable (BirdLife International 2009). In
the Himalayan country of Bhutan, Black-necked
Cranes visit several wintering grounds, arriving from
China’s Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau from early November
to mid-December, and remaining until mid-February.
Since this species is well-known among the people of
Bhutan, the annual migration of Black-necked Cranes to
Bhutan is an event of both biological and cultural
importance.

Many conservationists believe that there may have
been a historical decline in Black-necked Crane numbers
due to human activities (Bishop 1996, Meine and
Archibald 1996, BirdLife International 2001) although
more recent work suggests that numbers in China may be
increasing (Bishop etal. 2007). In Bhutan, trends in crane
numbers are unclear (Lhendup 2007). However, casual
observations and monitoring data (Royal Society for the

Protection of Nature, unpublished data) show that cranes
from two former wintering sites in Bhutan have
disappeared, and that some wintering grounds may not
have stable populations. At present there are five known
wintering grounds in Bhutan (Fig. 1 ) and three abandoned
wintering grounds. It is commonly believed that human
activities are responsible for the abandonment of these
three locations. Migratory crane populations in Bhutan
may be negatively affected by human activities in several
ways. Settlement expansion, land development and farm
mechanisation are considered threats to the survival of
cranes, as well as the loss and degradation of habitat from
other causes (Bishop 1996, Meine and Archibald 1996,
BirdLife International 2001, International Crane
Foundation 2004).

Planning conservation actions for a migratory bird
requires two sources of information. First, it is imperative
to understand migratory routes, so that conservation
action can be implemented in appropriate places to make
the greatest positive impact. Second, it is necessary to
understand the threats to the species at both the wintering
grounds as well as along migration routes.

Figure 1 . Map of past and present
Black-necked Crane wintering
sites in Bhutan.

126

PHURBA LHENDUP and EDWARD L. WEBB

Forktail 25 (2009)

Although monitoring of Black-necked Cranes in
Bhutan has taken place since 1987, this monitoring has
only been done, for logistical reasons, at the
wintering grounds. While this is the most crucial long¬
term data for monitoring, it is also necessary to
understand the movements of the cranes through migratory
routes (routes within Bhutan to arrive at the wintering
grounds) and stopover areas. This information is important
because birds can be affected by human activities all
through the migratory path as well as at the wintering
grounds. To date, however, efforts to map the migratory
routes using radio tracking and satellite telemetry have
not been successful (Dietzman and Mirande 1998).

Once migration routes and wintering grounds have
been identified, it is necessary to document the extent,
degree and types of threats to cranes in these locations.
This has not yet been fully done in Bhutan. Arriving at a
definitive list of threats to cranes is complex and, from a
biological perspective, probably impossible in a short
timeframe. However, the most important threats are often
obvious, and in assessing these, local ecological knowledge
of rural inhabitants who observe cranes annually can be
very helpful.

In this study, we used questionnaires and interviews to
garner information from local people to meet three
objectives: (1) map wintering habitats, migratory routes
and stopover areas of Black-necked Cranes in Bhutan;
(2) compile and analyse the threats to past and current
crane populations; and, (3) provide a list of prioritised
crane conservation measures.

METHODS

To map the migratory routes of Black-necked Cranes, 1 8
sites across Bhutan were visited from June to December
2006. Cranes had been observed at least once at each of
these sites (Fig. 1). At each site, we interviewed local
people to document their observations on crane behaviour,
length of stay at the site, and the direction of flight when
arriving and departing. This information was used to map
migratory routes and stopover areas outside the wintering
grounds. A total of 68 people were interviewed. Informants
were conservation officials and local people who had
observed or knew about the cranes.

To document local people’s perceptions of crane
population trends and threats to the species, we held focus-
discussion groups at all current and former (i.e.,
abandoned) wintering areas. Discussion groups ranged in
size from nine to greater than 20 persons, with an effort
made at each site to have a minimum of 20 participants.
In total, 93 villagers participated in the discussion groups,
51 male and 42 female, aged 21 to 76. At the abandoned
sites, the numbers of participants were 8 in Tshokhana, 9
in Samteygang and 2 1 in Gongkhar. Discussions at these
three sites focused on the historical changes that may have
been responsible for the decline and disappearance of the
cranes at those sites. At the current wintering areas, there
were 22 participants in Phobjikha, 23 in Bumdeling, 1 6 in
Khotokha, 20 in Gyetshaand 12inThangbi. Focus-group
discussions at these five sites centred on the possible threats
that might be affecting existing populations, and on
recommendations for possible conservation measures.

During the group discussions, threats to the cranes
were listed, discussed and then scored according to

importance (following Bishop 1996). The scoring system
was the same at both abandoned and extant wintering
sites. Critical threats (scored as 3) were those considered
to be major threats in terms of disturbance and interference
with the cranes and, in the opinion of participants, needed
immediate action. In abandoned sites these were factors
that participants considered the most likely causes of local
extirpation. Significant threats (scored as 2) were
important, though not considered as unambiguous as
critical threats in terms of why the cranes may have
abandoned past sites or may be declining in present sites.
Lesser threats (scored as 1 ) were considered detrimental in
some localities or for some populations, but without a
Significant or Critical impact on the species. Based on
the group discussion, we produced a matrix of possible
responsible threats and their rankings. The threats from
the two different types of wintering sites (former and
current sites) were compared to judge how threats may
have changed in quality and intensity.

At each current wintering area, the discussion group
was asked to propose conservation measures for each of
the threats, based on their combined opinion. This was
done so that threat-specific actions could then be used to
promote conservation action both locally (site-specific)
and at the regional or national level.

RESULTS

Migratory routes and stopover areas

We identified four migration routes and confirmed six
stopover areas based on our interviews with local people.
Most routes occur along river valleys (Fig. 2).

For cranes entering Bhutan from the West, Paro and
Gasa appear to be the major migratory routes (Fig. 2),
with the Gasa route being the more important of the two,
as inferred from the interviews and sighting information.
For example, cranes wintering in Khotokha and
Phobjikha have been observed to use the Gasa route for
both autumn and spring migration. Gasa is a well-used
stopover area, with cranes being reported to spend around
two weeks here towards the end of October. In contrast,
people interviewed along Paro routes had little
knowledge about the movements of Black-necked Cranes.
A sighting of a lone Black-necked Crane near Paro (Kichu)
in January 2003 was reported in local news (Kuensel Online
2003) . Local people told us that they thought this individual
was probably lost and had strayed away from the main
group while migrating. In 2000 six cranes were seen flying
east over Paro in November (P. van der Poel and P.
Lhendup, unpublished). Thus, it appears reasonable to
conclude that only a small number of cranes use the Paro
route along the Pa Chu river, with most cranes that enter
from the west following the Gasa route. Cranes entering
through the Paro or Gasa routes appear to winter in
Gyetsha. Local people in Gyetsha reported cranes arriving
from the west in the autumn. A study by the Royal Society
for the Protection of Nature reached a similar conclusion
(Wetlands International 2007). Apart from Gasa, cranes
were reported to stop over in Tshokhana for about a week
towards the end of October. Shengana was reported to be
a former stopover area, now abandoned by cranes.

Cranes entering from the north-east of Bhutan use
either the Lhuntshi or Trashi Yangtshe routes (Fig. 2).
Most cranes that winter in Bumdeling utilise the Trashi

Forktail 25 (2009)

Black-necked Cranes in Bhutan

127

LHUNTSHI ROUTE

ROUTE

•ungkhar

[Bumdelij

Shengana

hangbi

iongkhar

Samteygang

Tshokhana;

^Phobjikha

■Khotokha

GASA ROUTE

PARO ROUTE

TRASHI YANGTSHE

Main rivers

# Current wintering area
Q Abandoned wintering area
B Staging area
□ Abandoned staging area

Migratory routes

Figure 2. Migratory routes of
Black-necked Cranes in Bhutan.

Yangtshe route along Kuri Chu and Kulong Chu. Three
stopover areas are located along this route: Dungkhar,
Baptong and Tangmachu. The cranes were reported to
spend about 1 5 days in each of these stopover areas in
November.

Black-necked Cranes have been observed as vagrants
at six other locations in Bhutan (Fig. 1 ) . At these locations,
most references by local people were to a single individual
in the past. In Muhung, local residents said that they
found a roost site in 2000, which was subsequently
abandoned.

Threat analysis: former wintering areas

Cranes in Tshokhana disappeared around 40 years ago,
so younger people in these areas had no knowledge of
them. Similarly, Samteygang had always been a minor
wintering ground, and their presence and subsequent
disappearance in 1 994 was not known to many local people.
Local people in Gongkhar recalled the appearance of cranes
around the late 1970s, about the same time that cranes
started disappearing from T shokhana. About 20-30 cranes
were reported to have occurred in Gongkhar; these stopped
coming 10-12 years after they first appeared. It is possible
that these may have been cranes from Tshokhana. In
general, low participation in our discussion groups at
abandoned sites suggests that there has been a loss of

Table 1. Threat scores of Black-necked Cranes in Bhutan.

ecological knowledge, and perhaps even tradition, in those
sites that used to be a temporary home to migratory cranes.

Across these three abandoned wintering areas, land
use change involving land development and expansion of
settlements was consistently cited as a Critical factor
leading to crane disappearance; it had the highest total
score and was the only factor listed at all three abandoned
wintering sites (Table 1). An increase in the human
population and, most importantly, development activities
that claimed habitat through the construction of houses,
schools, shops and roads were described as the reason for
these changes.

Changes in agricultural practices, too, were considered
to be highly influential in leading to the disappearance of
cranes (Table 1). In traditional farming practices, fallen
grains of barley and paddy are left in the fields after
harvesting in early winter, and these were described as
providing important food for cranes. With development,
the land area under agriculture has declined, reducing
food availability. Crop changes, such as the addition of
potato as a winter crop in Gonkhar, were described as
causing a similar decline in food availability.

Hunting, livestock grazing, and stray dogs were also
described as having led to crane disappearance (T able 1 ) .
Hunting in Tshokhana’s crane areas was claimed to have
coincided with the arrival and settling of exiled Tibetan

Threats

Former wintering areas

Current wintering

areas

Tshokhana

Gongkhar

Samteygang

Phobjikha

Bumdeling

Khotokha

Gyetsha

Thangbi

Land use change through settlement

expansion and land development

3

3

2

2

3

Changes in agriculture practices

3

3

2

Hunting

3

Livestock grazing

1

2

i

i

1

1

Stray dogs

1

i

i

2

1

1

1

Predators

1

i

i

i

1

1

1

Tourist and outside visitor

2

2

1

1

Sound of vehicle movement

2

i

2

Other minor threats

17

128

PHURBA LHENDUP and EDWARD L. WEBB

Forktail 25 (2009)

refugees in the late 1950s and early 1960s which was
followed by increased hunting by both Tibetan and
Bhutanese residents in the area.

Threat scores: current wintering areas

Based on the ranking of various threats discussed in the
five current wintering areas it appears that cranes wintering
in Bumdeling face a much larger set of threats than those
at other sites (Table 1). Phobjikha ranked second, followed
by Khotokha. Thangbi was the least disturbed site
according to this ranking. Only one threat— land use
change through settlement expansion and land
development — was ranked as Critical, and only in
Bumdeling. All other threats were listed as Significant or
Lesser. The majority rankings were of Lesser threat,
suggesting that most wintering areas were fairly
undisturbed. Interestingly, although predators were
described as being present in all the areas, their effects on
the cranes were considered minimal and they were
described as being part of the ecology of the system.
Bumdeling had a long list of other threats that were not
listed at the other sites (Table 1).

Conservation measures: community perspective

In relation to the threats identified, conservation measures
were suggested by local people during the group
discussions. People in Bumdeling and Phobjikha were of
the opinion that the government should ban construction
activities and settlements that intrude into crane habitat.
In addition, they argued that prior to any construction
activities, an impact assessment should be conducted,
which should be closely integrated with the process of
issuing a government permit for construction. They also
suggested that any tourists or visitors wishing to watch
cranes should be required to obtain a permit, and visitors
be accompanied by guides to monitor their movements.

Winter cropping is banned in Bumdeling by the
Government, so that the farmland can serve as feeding
ground for the cranes that feed on left-over paddy in the
fields after harvest. Local people said that they should be
compensated for the economic losses resulting from not
being allowed to sow a winter crop . T o control disturbance
from vehicle movements, they suggested that town
expansion should not create parking spaces near crane
habitat, and that drivers should be educated on crane
conservation. Similarly, local people in Phobjikha suggested
that there should be strict monitoring by the RSPN to
prevent vehicles from moving close to the crane habitat;
signboards would contribute to this goal. Local people in
all the areas surveyed were of the opinion that measures
should be initiated to reduce the number of stray dogs.

DISCUSSION

The fate of migratory cranes depends upon the availability
of high-quality habitat, and in Bhutan there is a lack of
knowledge of vital stopover areas and migratory routes
and their importance in migration. Stopover areas along
migration routes are likely to be important in providing
shelter, water, and food for replenishment of energy
reserves. In the absence of detailed information on the
behaviour of cranes at their stopover areas and the
consequence for the population if these areas were to
become unsuitable, caution would dictate that conservation

effort be expended at these areas. Regular and systematic
monitoring of stopover sites could be coordinated by the
forestry officials and local people. Land-planning agencies
and organisations should be provided information on
heavily used migration routes and stopover sites so that
these can be given special protection.

Although more information is needed on migration
routes and stopover areas, this should not detract from an
emphasis on conservation on the wintering grounds . Based
on perceived threats in former and current wintering areas,
it appears that the most critical factors (in particular, change
in land use) responsible for the disappearance of cranes
from the former wintering areas still prevail in the current
wintering areas. This could mean a future decline in
numbers of cranes in Bhutan if appropriate conservation
measures are not adopted. Threats from the expansion of
settlements, ranked as Critical in former wintering areas,
still persist in Bumdeling and Phobjikha. To deal with this
threat, the Government of Bhutan should adopt new
policies, including banning construction and settlements
that intrude into crane habitat, and carefully monitoring
all construction works in wintering areas, especially those
using dynamite detonation. Similarly, while evaluating
applications for forest clearance for construction, the
National Environment Commission should give a high
priority to protecting crane flight paths, stopover and
overwintering areas.

Of the two major wintering areas in Bhutan, threats to
cranes appear to be higher in Bumdeling than Phobjikha.
Threats from settlement expansion and disturbance by
stray dogs are higher in Bumdeling and changes in
agriculture practices and several other minor threats mean
that the habitat in Bumdeling is under great pressure.
Vehicular movement appears to be a greater problem in
Phobjikha, while disturbance from tourists, livestock
grazing and predators poses similar threats in both these
wintering areas.

The number and extent of threats to cranes appear to
have increased over the past few decades, suggesting that
a comprehensive programme to address the conservation
needs for cranes is urgent. Such a conservation action plan
would be national in scope and would prioritise research
and conservation activities. Our study suggests that
information available with local people is often very useful
and should be incorporated into monitoring and
conservation planning. Below, we suggest some additional
important components of such a plan.

(1) Improve awareness of the Black-necked Crane’s
ecological, cultural and religious value. Threats from
changing agriculture practices are still prevalent in
Bumdeling, as also in the abandoned wintering grounds of
Tshokhana and Gongkhar. The root cause of this threat is
profit-oriented winter cropping despite the ban, where
farmers grow mustard and other vegetables, rather than
leaving their land fallow in the winter. Clearly, a halt to
winter cropping would be looked upon unfavourably by
farmers, as conservation would not provide the economic
returns to compensate for lost income. Yet Bhutan’s Middle
Path strategy of development supports the maintenance of
biological diversity while allowing for sustainable livelihoods .
An awareness of the ecological, cultural and religious value
of cranes needs to be improved, such that the non-monetary
value of cranes does not diminish over time.

(2) Implement agricultural subsidies for farms that are
located in areas that are demonstrated to be important

Forktail 25 (2009)

Black-necked Cranes in Bhutan

129

crane habitat. Subsidies could be used to pay farmers to
not cultivate their land, so that the habitat could be utilised
by the cranes in winter. The Government of Bhutan has,
for example, implemented a policy of paying for livestock
losses due to natural predators like tigers and leopards. An
agricultural subsidy, as suggested here, would require a
substantially larger investment.

(3) Regulate tourist access to cranes. Though eco-
tourism is widely believed to be an environmentally friendly
activity, local people in our discussion groups reported
that it was a threat to the cranes when practised improperly.
In attempting to take photographs, tourists often approach
and disturb cranes (e.g., in Phobjikha: Chacko 1 998), and
they often wear conspicuous clothing. Clearly ecologically
appropriate crane-watching rules need to be enforced. A
permit system for tourists or visitors wishing to watch cranes
could improve compliance with such rules. Finally,
requiring the use of local guides might help to reduce the
disturbance cranes face from visitors.

(4) Strengthen educational programmes for the general
public and focusing on students, teachers, policy makers
and communities that depend on wetlands that serve as
habitat for the cranes. An education programme like the
one adopted in Phobjikha (where there is an annual crane
festival) should be replicated. Emphasis in these programmes
should be placed on the effects of land use change on crane
habitat, both along migration routes and on wintering
grounds.

(5) Study crane food requirements and how food
resources are affected by agricultural practices. Eurasian
Cranes Grus grus in south-west Spain appear to obtain a
more balanced diet from natural sources (acorns, bulbs,
invertebrates) than from agricultural fields alone (Guzman
et al. 1999). On the other hand, a study of Black-necked
Cranes wintering in Tibet (Bishop et al. 1 998) showed that
agricultural land contributed significantly to food availability.
Further research is needed to determine the contribution of
agricultural land towards food for the cranes, and the impact
of winter cropping on crane feeding habitats. This could
lead to improved cropping techniques or, more broadly,
policy to support non-cropping schemes in Bhutan.

(6) Monitor cranes systematically and comprehensively.
At present, crane monitoring is insufficient for the task at
hand. Increased intensity in monitoring should accompany
more systematic efforts in gathering, organising and
disseminating data. Professional training in crane surveys,
monitoring techniques and emerging concepts of
ecosystem-based wetland management could be carried
out through collaborative programmes with national and
international organisations.

(7) Encourage cross-border conservation efforts
between Bhutan and China, which should cooperate in
sharing information so that crane conservation can be
planned in a more holistic manner. Since the conservation
of a migratory species will depend on efforts at breeding
grounds, migration routes, and wintering areas, a
comprehensive conservation plan for the Black-necked
Crane should involve both China and Bhutan, as well as
other countries within the range of the species.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This study was supported by the Asian Institute of Technology,
Thailand, and the International Crane Foundation (ICF). We would
like to extend our thanks to Dr. George Archibald and Mr. James Allen
Rogers, without whose support this study could not have been done.
Our heartfelt thanks also go to all the member of local communities and
officials who provided information during our field surveys. We would
also like to gratefully acknowledge the help we received from the Royal
Society for the Protection of Nature, Nature Conservation Division
and Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhutan.

REFERENCES

BirdLife International (2001) Threatened birds of Asia: the BirdLife
International Red Data Book. Cambridge, UK. BirdLife
International.

BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Grus nigricollis.

Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 9 June 2009.
Bishop, M. A. (1996) Black-necked Crane ( Grus nigricollis). Pp 174-
179 in C. D. Meine and G. W. Archibald, eds. The cranes: status
survey and conservation action plan. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.
Bishop, M. A. and Tsamchu, D. (2007) Tibet Autonomous Region
January 2007 Survey for Black-necked Crane, Common Crane,
and Bar-Headed Goose. China Crane News 1 1(1): 24-26.
Bishop, M. A., Canjue, Z., Song, Y., Harkness, J. and Gu, B. (1998)
Winter habitat use by Black-necked Cranes Grus nigricollis in Tibet.
Wildfowl 49: 228-241.

Chacko, R. T. (1992) Black-necked Cranes in Bhutan: a full winter
study. October 1991 April 1992. LTnpublished report to Oriental
Bird Club and Department of Forest in Bhutan, Bangalore, India.
Chacko, R. T. (1998) A winter 1997-98 study of Black-necked Cranes
in Bhutan. Unpublished report to Oriental Bird Club and
Department of Forest in Bhutan, Bangalore, India.

Dietzman, G. and Mirande, C. (1998) Satellite tracking of a Black¬
necked Crane from Bhutan to Tibet. Summary report. International
Crane Foundation, Baraboo, Wisconsin.

International Crane Foundation (2004) Black-necked Crane. Available
online: http://www.savingcranes.org/blackneckedcrane.html.
Accessed 8 June, 2009.

Kuensel Online (2003) Alone crane in Paro. 31 January 2003. Available
online: http ://www. kuensel online, com/modules. php?name=
News&file=print&sid=2462

Lhendup, P. (2007) Black-necked Cranes in Bhutan: Migration Routes,
Threats and Conservation Prospects. M.Sc. Thesis, Asian Institute
of Technology, Bangkok.

Guzman, J. M. S., Garcia, A. S., Amado, C. C. and del Viejo, A. M.
( 1999) Influence of farming activities in the Iberian Peninsula on
the winter habitat use of common crane ( Grus grus) in areas of its
traditional migratory routes. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment
72: 207-214.

Meine, C. D. and Archibald, G., eds. (1996) The Cranes: Status survey
and conservation action plan. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.
Wetlands International (2007) Research initiated by the Royal Society
for Protection of Nature (RSPN) of Bhutan reveals new insights
into the migration of the Black-necked Crane, Online news.
Accessed 31 January, 2007 from http://www.wetlands.org.

Phurba Lhendup , Research and Monitoring Section, Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary, Trashi Yangtshe, Bhutan. Current
address: Freshwater Conservation program, WWF-Bhutan, Thimphu, Bhutan. Email: phurba@wwfbhutan.org. bt
Edzuard L. Webb, Natural Resources Management, The Asian Institute of Technology, P. O. Box 4, Klong Luang Pathum
Thani 12120, Thailand. Current address: Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Science, National University of
Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117543. Email: ted.webb@nus.edu. sg

FORKTAIL 25 (2009): 130-136

Updates to the distribution and status of birds

in Vietnam

JOHN D. PILGRIM, PETER BIJLMAKERS, TOON DE BRUYN, STEPHANE
DOPPAGNE, SIMON P. MAHOOD and ANDREW W.TORDOFF

There is no formal list of the distribution and status of birds in Vietnam, so the value of records must largely be gauged by comparisons
with the works of C. Robson. Birdwatching activity and coverage in the country remains modest, with a bias towards Tonkin and in
particular the environs of Hanoi. Records are given for 65 bird species (including five Vulnerable and two Near Threatened) where it
appears that the information significantly adds to existing knowledge. A few of these may involve birds released for merit or from fear of
avian flu, but all warrant publication.

INTRODUCTION

No formal records have been kept of the distribution and
status of bird species in Vietnam. Robson (2005a) is the
most up-to-date and publicly available reference, with
significant additional records listed by Robson (2003a, b,
2004a, b, 2005b, c, 2006a, b, 2007a, b, 2008). The only
Vietnamese-language field guide to the birds of Vietnam
(Nguyen Cu et al. 2005) is largely based on an earlier field
guide to the birds of Hong Kong (Viney et al. 1996). The
distributions of most resident species are well known due to
collections made during the French colonial era (e.g.
Oustalet 1 899, 1 903, Bangs and Van Tyne 1931, Delacour
and Jabouille 1931) and more recent efforts (see Tordoff
2002) , while the establishment of the Vietnam Birdwatching
Club in 2006 marks clear progress in public interest in
birds . There are, however, currently few active birdwatchers
in Vietnam and so the status or distribution of a number of
species, particularly migratory ones, is unclear.

As some of the most active birdwatchers in Vietnam
over the last few years, we present here those observations
of PB, TDB, SD, SPM and JDP that update Robson
(2005a), with contributions from AWT. Records
presented here are mainly from East T onkin, as all authors
have been based in Hanoi. Vogel et al. (2003) also list
important distributional updates for East Tonkin, none
ofwhich overlaps those listed here. It is possible that other
people have also made similar observations (e.g. see Salah
2008 for photographs of some other significant records)
but here we have only specifically considered the published,
peer-reviewed literature. Unpublished observations by
others have been added only where we are aware of them,
and not collated systematically. Taxonomy and
nomenclature follow Inskipp et al. (1996).

Although many bird species have declined markedly in
both abundance and distribution in Vietnam over the last
decade, it is easier to prove than to disprove presence of a
species in a region. Thus, all records presented here are
either new records for the biogeographic regions adopted
by Robson (2005a), ‘upgrades’ to the status presented by
Robson (e.g. from vagrant to passage migrant, from passage
migrant to winter visitor, or from migrant/winter visitor to
resident), or records of species listed as vagrants by Robson.
In a number of cases, Robson lists a dual status for a
species within a given region. For example. Black Kite
Milvus migrans is listed as both a resident and winter visitor
for East T onkin. However, this is not followed consistently,
e.g. Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis is listed only as a
resident for East Tonkin, despite the fact that it is also a

passage migrant and winters in some numbers. In this
paper we only list the most permanent status a species has
in any region, thus for example preferring resident over
winter visitor, and winter visitor over passage migrant.

Throughout, it is sadly the case that escaped (or
released) cagebirds or the ‘merit release’ of birds for
religious practices could cloud genuine records. Records
from protected areas far from towns are no exception,
owing to the misguided practice by the authorities of
releasing confiscated animals in protected areas nearest
the point of confiscation rather than nearest the point of
capture. Nonetheless, confiscations of birds from trade
are rare, and the merit release trade in Vietnam is small to
date. An additional source of recent unusual records may
have been the release of caged birds by owners or traders
owing to fear of avian influenza or of prosecution during
crackdowns on bird trade during avian influenza outbreaks
(Brooks-Moizer 2007). We have already excluded a
number of very unlikely records on the basis of their escape
likelihood (e.g. Baya Weaver Ploceus philippinus in Hanoi)
but believe all of the following records warrant publication
for future reference. If threatened, the IUCN threat
category is given after the species name.

SPECIES LIST

Japanese Quail Cotumix japonica
Listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a) as a winter
visitor and possible breeder, but the only previous recent
record that we are aware of is from Xuan Thuy National
Park, Nam Dinh Province (probably referring to a passage
migrant: BirdLife International in Indochina and Xuan
Thuy Nature Reserve 2002). PB, JDP and AWT
collectively saw a quail species on 15 and 18 March and
22 and 24 April 2007 on an island in the Red River in
Hanoi. No birds were heard calling and no breeding-
plumage birds were seen, so identifications are tentatively
assigned to this species rather than Common Quail C.
cotumix on the basis of known range (Common Quail is
not known to winter east of India, although there are
records of vagrants from Myanmar: Madge and McGowan
2002).

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

Listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a) as a vagrant.
Up to two males and a female were observed by PB and
TDB in shrimp-ponds within the buffer zone of Xuan
Thuy National Park, Nam Dinh Province, on 6 January

Forktail 25 (2009)

Updates to the distribution and status of birds in Vietnam

131

2007. One male was seen by PB at Van Long Nature
Reserve, Ninh Binh Province, on 18 November 2007.

Rod-breasted Merganser Mergus senator
Listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a) as a vagrant.
One female was photographed by PB and TDB on Ha
Nam Island, Quang Ninh Province, on 2 1 January 2007
(Robson 2007a).

Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla
Not listed for North Annam by Robson (2005a), but one
was observed by SD in Pu Mat National Park, Nghe An
Province, on 27 December 2003.

Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis
Listed for Central and South Annam by Robson (2005a)
only as a winter visitor. Records from Phong Nha National
Park, Quang Binh Province, on 1 5 August 2005 by TDB
and SD and 29 July 2006 by TDB and JDP, and from Yok
Don National Park, Dak Lak Province, on 19 August

2006 by JDP, could be of early-returning winter visitors
or may indicate that it is resident in both of these regions.

Silver-backed Needletaii. Hirundapus cochinchinensis
Robson (2005a) lists the status of this species in East
Tonkin as unclear. An earlier report lists records from
East T onkin in April and May (Le T rong T rai et al. 2004) .
Records of one on 10 April 1999 from Cue Phuong
National Park, Ninh Binh Province, by AWT, a few on 8
May 2004 by SD, 15-30 on 9 April 2005 by TDB, SD
and AWT, two on 2 June 2006 by PB, c.10 on 1 April

2007 by PB and JDP, and 5 on 1 1 April 2007 by PB at
Tam Dao National Park, Vinh Phuc Province, indicate
that the species may be solely a passage migrant in East
Tonkin, rather than a scarce resident as is now believed
to be the case in West Tonkin (Robson 2004a).

Oriental Scops Owl Otus sunia

Robson (2005a) lists the status of this species in East and
West Tonkin as unclear. A bird seen by SD on Con Lu
island, near Xuan Thuy National Park, Nam Dinh
Province (East Tonkin), on 29 October 2005 (Robson
2006a), was certainly a migrant. Likewise, a bird found
roosting in a small tree by PB in Ham Rong Gardens, Sa
Pa, Lao Cai Province (West Tonkin), on 10 October
2007, was likely also to have been a migrant.

Pale-capped Pigeon Columba punicea (Vulnerable)
Not listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a), but two
records are listed by Robson (2004a) and another by
Robson (2005b). Several birds, including a female seen
perched at close range, were seen by SPM and JDP on
Quan Lan Island, Bai Tu Long Bay, Quang Ninh
Province, on 1 3- 1 4 April 2008. The ecology of this species
remains unclear (Gibbs etal. 2001), and thus it is difficult
to speculate on its status in East Tonkin.

White-browed Crake Porzana cinerea
Not listed for East T onkin (indeed, only for Cochinchina
within Vietnam) by Robson (2005a), but it appears to be
resident, either having recently expanded its range into
this region (Duckworth and Evans 2007) or perhaps
having previously been overlooked. First recorded in East
Tonkin at Van Long Nature Reserve, Ninh Binh Province,
on 1 3 December 2003 by SD. It has since been recorded

throughout the year collectively by PB, TDB, SD, JDP
and AWT, with up to seven individuals, including young
birds, seen together since 17 July 2005.

WATERCOCK Gallicrex cinerea

Listed for East Tonkin (by Robson 2005a) as a passage
migrant, but it at least occasionally oversummers. Five
males and a female were observed by TDB and SD at Van
Long Nature Reserve, Ninh Binh Province, on 1 7 July
2005 (Robson 2005c).

Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
Not listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a), but this
is an oversight as Pedersen and Nguyen Huy Thang (1996)
report one from Xuan Thuy National Park in Nam Dinh
Province on 3 May 1996 and five from Nghia Hung on 4
May 1 996. It appears to be an uncommon and local winter
visitor. We have records from Xuan Thuy on 26 August
2000 (1 seen by AWT), the island of Con Lu, offshore of
Xuan Thuy, on 25 April 2004 (8 seen by SD), 23 October
2004 (4 seen by SD), 29 October 2005 (1 seen by TDB
and SD), 4 September 2006 (1 seen by PB, TDB and
JDP; Robson 2007a), 20 February 2007 (1 seen by JDP),
6 October 2007 (10 seen by JDP), and 22 September
2007 (2 seen by PB, TDB and JDP), and Dinh Vu Island,
near Hai Phong City on 21 September 2003 (1 seen by
TDB and SD).

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata
Listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a) as a vagrant.
One was seen by AWT at Xuan Thuy National Park,
Nam Dinh Province, on 23 September 2000, and a female
was seen by SPM and JDP just north of Quan Lan town,
Quan Lan Island, Bai Tu Long Bay, Quang Ninh
Province, on 13 April 2008.

Pheasant-tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgus
Only listed for East T onkin by Robson (200 5 a) as a passage
migrant, but it is a regular winter visitor. For example,
PB, TDB, SD and JDP have collectively observed
individuals at Van Long Nature Reserve, Ninh Binh
Province, from September to April.

Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus
Robson (2005a) lists the status of this species in East
Tonkin as unclear. It is at least a winter visitor, with
widespread records from at least 19 August (2006; by
PB) to 22 April (2007; by JDP).

Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta
Listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a) as a vagrant.
One was recorded by SD on Ha Nam Island, Quang Ninh
Province, on 7 January 2006 (Robson 2006a).

Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula
Not listed for Vietnam by Robson (2005a), but is at
least a vagrant to East Tonkin. One was seen by JDP
on the Red River near Xuan Thuy National Park,
Nam Dinh Province, on 2 1 February 2007 (Pilgrim et al.
2009).

Oriental Plover Charadrius veredus
Not listed for East T onkin by Robson (2005a), but Robson
(2003a) lists a record of two birds at Xuan Thuy National
Park, Nam Dinh Province, on 1 7 March 2003, and Robson

132

JOHN D. PILGRIM et al.

Forktail 25 (2009)

(2005b) lists another of two birds nearby on 29 March

2005. On Quan Lan Island, Bai Tu Long Bay, Quang
Ninh Province, 1 4 birds, in two flocks, were seen by SPM
and JDP on 1 3 April 2008. Two individuals, presumably
remnants of these flocks, were seen by SPM and JDP the
following day.

Black-naped Tern Sterna sumatrana
Listed for Vietnam by Robson (2005a) as a resident in
Cochinchina and a non-breeding offshore visitor
elsewhere, except East Tonkin. However, it appears to
breed in Central Annam, at least occasionally. On 4 June

2006, SD observed c. 1 5 catching fish at the mouth of the
estuary in Hoi An, Quang Nam Province, and flying
towards the Cham islands with fish in their bills.

White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus
Not listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a), but it is
at least a vagrant there and probably an overlooked passage
migrant. Five birds were seen by TDB and SD at Xuan
Thuy National Park, Nam Dinh Province, on 6 December
2003 and another five by PB, TDB and JDP on 4
September 2006 (Robson 2007a).

Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus
Not listed for West Tonkin by Robson (2005a), but it is
at least likely to be a rare and local resident, with singles
seen in Lai Chau Province near Tam Duong on 12
February 1 998 by AWT, and 20 km west of the Tram Ton
Pass, Hoang Lien National Park, on 2 1 July 2007 by TDB.

Grey-headed Fish-Eagle Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus (Near
Threatened)

Not listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a), but an
earlier report from Ba Be National Park (Kemp et al.
1 994), Bac Kan Province, and one immature observed by
JDP at Trang An, Ninh Binh Province, on 8 September
2006, suggest it is a regular visitor or, less likely, a rare and
local resident.

Eurasian Marsh-Harrier Circus aeruginosus
The taxon Circus ( aeruginosus ) aeruginosus is considered
a subspecies by Inskipp et al. (1996) but a full species
‘Western Marsh Harrier’ by Robson (2005a). It is not
listed for Vietnam by Robson but is a regular rare winter
visitor to at least East Tonkin. At least one female was
recorded by PB and JDP in the buffer zone of Xuan Thuy
National Park, Nam Dinh Province, on 1 1 November
2006 and by JDP on 20 February 2007, and a male was
seen there by PB and TDB on 6 January 2007; one male
and one immature were seen by JDP on an island in the
Red River in Hanoi on 28 January 2007; and one male
was seen by PB and JDP on an island in the Red River in
Hanoi on 3 1 March 2007. Also of note is that this species
is not listed for Cambodia by Robson but one near-adult
male was recorded by JDP at Kampong Trach, Kampot
Province, on 16 January 2007.

Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga (Vulnerable)
Only listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a) and
BirdLife International (2001) as a passage migrant, but
it may be a very rare and local winter visitor, with one seen
by AWT at the Thang Long bridge, Hanoi, on 12
November 2005 and one adult seen by TDB and JDP at
Thai Thuy, Thai Binh Province, on 6 January 2008.

Changeable Hawk Eagle Spizaetus cirrhatus
Not listed for East Tonkin, North Annam, or Central
Annam by Robson (2005a), but it is probably a rare and
local resident throughout these regions. A dark morph
was seen by JDP at Cue Phuong National Park, Ninh Binh
Province, in East Tonkin on 1 4 April 2007, and apparently
some weeks earlier by other observers (Le Manh Hung
pers. comm.). One was seen by AWT at Phu Ninh lake,
Quang Nam Province, in Central Annam on 30 July 2006.
Earlier publications detail other records from Central
Annam (e.g. Tran Quang Ngoc et al. 2001) as well as
records from North Annam (e.g. Le Trong Trai et al.
1999a; 2001a).

Amur Falcon Falco amurensis

Not listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a), but it is at
least a vagrant there, and more probably an erratic passage
migrant. Over Con Lu island, near Xuan Thuy National
Park, Nam Dinh Province, TDB and SD observed at least
28 passing through on 29 October 2005 (Robson 2006a).

Merlin Falco columbarius

Listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a) as a vagrant.
On Con Lu island, near Xuan Thuy National Park, Nam
Dinh Province, SD saw a male on 6 December 2003, a
female on 7 December 2003, and one individual on 1
April 2006 (Robson 2006b).

Lr rTLE Egret Egretta garzetta

Only listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a) as a winter
visitor, but it was recorded at Van Long Nature Reserve,
Ninh Binh Province, on 17 July 2005 by TDB and SD
and 23 July 2006 by PB and on the Red River in Hanoi
by PB on 19 and 22 August 2006 and 24 August 2007.
These records may be of early returning winterers, or of
non-breeding resident birds.

Chinese Egret Egretta eulophotes (Vulnerable)

Only listed for East T onkin by Robson (2005a) as a passage
migrant, but it is probably a rare winter visitor. About five
were seen by TDB and JDP at Thai Thuy, Thai Binh
Province, on 6 January 2008.

Pacific Reef Egret Egretta sacra

Not listed for Central Annam by Robson (2005a) but
likely to be a rare resident. One dark morph bird was seen
by TDB on Cham Island, Quang Nam Province, on 13
July 2007.

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea

Robson (2005a) lists this species as a winter visitor
throughout Vietnam but a resident only in Cochinchina.
It is at least occasionally present year-round in Central
Annam. A single bird was seen by SD at Hoi An, Quang
Nam Province, on 4 June 2006.

Von Schrenk’s Bittern Ixobrychus eurhythmus
Within Vietnam, Robson (2005a) lists this species as a
passage migrant only in Central Annam, but it is at least
occasionally also a migrant in East Tonkin. A female was
observed by SD at Xuan Thuy National Park, Nam Dinh
Province, on 25 April 2004 (Robson 2004b).

Black Bittern Dupetor flavicollis

Robson (2005a) lists the status of this species in Vietnam

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Updates to the distribution and status of birds in Vietnam

133

as unclear. It appears to be a rare breeding resident in
Cochinchina (with records from PB and JDP in Cat Tien
National Park, Dong Nai Province, in February, June and
December, and breeding-season records by AWT from at
least another eight sites); at least a rare breeding visitor to
East Tonkin, with records at Van Long Nature Reserve,
Ninh Binh Province, of three birds on 17 July 2005 by
TDB and SD (Robson 2005c) and 13 August 2005 by
AWT, and a male and a female seen together on 23 July

2006 by PB; and at least a rare breeding visitor to North
Annam, for example with records by AWT from Ben En
National Park in July 1997. It thus seems likely that the
species is a rare breeding visitor or resident throughout
Vietnam.

Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia
Listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a) as a vagrant.
One was observed by AWT on Ha Nam island, Quang
Ninh Province, on 26 January 2002 (with three Black¬
faced Spoonbill P. minor ) and another by TDB and SD
in Xuan Thuy National Park, Nam Dinh Province, on 1 9
January 2003.

Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala (Near Threatened)
Confusingly listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a) as
both a vagrant and a (mainly winter) non-breeding visitor.
This species is, rather, a non-breeding visitor in autumn
(i.e., the wet season in Cambodia), with records in East
Tonkin cumulatively by PB, TDB, JDP and AWT from
17 August to 7 October.

Fairy Pitta Pitta nympha (Vulnerable)

Listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a) as a passage
migrant or vagrant. BirdLife International (2001) suggests
it is a passage migrant in Vietnam but lists just six records.
Single birds were seen in Xuan Thuy National Park, Nam
Dinh Province, on 25 April 2004 by SD, 9 September

2007 by PB and TDB, and 23 September 2007 by PB,
TDB and JDP.

Burmese Shrike Lanins collurioides
Not listed for West Tonkin by Robson (2005a), but a first
spring male was listed by Robson (2005b). One presumed
migrant was seen by JDP in Sa Pa town, Lao Cai Province,
on 2 May 2008.

Long-tailed Shrike Lanins schach
Not listed for South Annam by Robson (2005a), but one
individual was seen by SPM on 25 April 30 km
south-west of Chu Yang Sin National Park in Dak Lak
Province. Robson (2005a) notes that this species is a
resident in all parts of Vietnam from Central Annam
northwards, and our own observations show that there is
at least some movement south in winter. The species is
therefore probably a scarce winter visitor to South Annam.

Yellow-bellied Fantail Rhipidura hypoxantha
Not listed for Central Annam by Robson (2005a), but
one individual was seen by JDP on 9 July 2007 in Bach
Ma National Park, Thua-Thien Hue Province. This is
unlikely to be a resident species as the park is well visited,
we know of no other records, and this would be a significant
range extension. Confiscated wildlife is sometimes
released in this park (JDP pers. obs.), and this record may
be a consequence of such action.

Orange-headed Thrush Zoothera citrina
Robson (2005a) lists the status of this species in East
Tonkin as unclear. We have observed up to 20 birds on
the small islands of Con Lu and Con Xanh at Xuan Thuy
National Park, Nam Dinh Province, by SD in April 2004
and 2006 (Robson 2004b), and by PB, TDB and JDP
September and October 2006 and 2007. These can only
refer to passage migrants as the habitat on the islands
consists of little more than Casuarina eqnisetifolia. Single
individuals seen by AWT in Cue Phuong National Park,
Ninh Binh Province, on 1 0 April 1 999 and by TDB and
JDP in Tam Dao National Park, Vinh Phuc Province, on
24 September 2006, could refer to resident or migrant
individuals. However, regular visits to Ba Vi National
Park, Ha Tay Province, have only resulted in records of
the species during migration (by PB from 5-11 October
2006, with an earlier record by SD on 26 September
2004).

Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarins
Listed by Robson (2005a) as a winter visitor throughout
Vietnam, and as a passage migrant in East Tonkin and
resident in West T onkin. It is likely to be at least a localised
resident in East Tonkin. Two birds were observed by
TDB and SD at Van Long on 17 July 2005 (Robson
2005c) and by AWT on 13 August 2005.

Chinese Thrush Tnrdus mupinensis
Listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a) as a vagrant.
The only previous records of which we are aware were
single individuals at Xuan Thuy National Park, Nam
Dinh Province (Scott et al. 1989), and an ‘after-the-fact’
unpublished identification from Cue Phuong National
Park, Ninh Binh Province (Bishop 2002). Subsequently,
on the morning of 8 October 2006, at least three birds
were seen by TDB and JDP in a thin valley of evergreen
forest (between extensive bamboo forest) on the side of
Tam Dao 2 peak, in Tam Dao National Park, Vinh Phuc
Province.

Ferruginous Flycatcher Muscicapa ferrmginea
Not listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a) but at
least a vagrant there. A migrant adult was seen
and photographed by PB, TDB and JDP on Con Lu,
an island offshore of Xuan Thuy National Park
(Nam Dinh Province), on 22 September 2007. An
earlier record is listed from Ba Be National Park, Bac
Kan Province, without details (Le Trong Trai et al
2004).

Narcissus Flycatcher Ficednla narcissina
Listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a) as a vagrant,
but it is probably a regular (if rare) passage migrant.
Single males were observed in Cue Phuong National Park,
Ninh Binh Province, on 9 April 2007 by PB, and on an
island in the Red River in Hanoi on 22 April 2007 by
JDP, and a female was seen by TDB and JDP on the
island of Con Lu, offshore of Xuan Thuy National
Park, Nam Dinh Province. This last record was of F.
(; narcissina ) elisae which, though considered a subspecies
of F. narcissina by Inskipp et al. (1996), is considered a
distinct species (‘Green-backed Flycatcher’) by Robson
(2005a), and listed as a vagrant to East Tonkin. Currrent
treatment of the taxon is summarised by Collar and Pilgrim
(2007).

134

JOHN D. PILGRIM et al.

Forktail 25 (2009)

Blue-and-white Flycatcher Cyanoptila cyanomelana
Not listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a), but it is
an uncommon passage migrant with records of up to two
birds at Cue Phuong National Park (Ninh Binh Province)
on 26 October 2005 and 8 April 2007 by PB and 14 and
1 5 April 2007 by JDP, Xuan Thuy National Park (Nam
Dinh Province) on 1 April 2006 by SD and 8, 9, 22 and
23 September and 6 October 2007 by PB, Ba Vi National
Park (HaTay Province) on 3 April 2005 by SD, 8 October

2005 by TDB and SD, 27 October 2006 and 5 April 2007
by PB, and Tam Dao National Park (Vinh Phuc Province)
on 25 March 2007 by PB. On 7 October 2007, about 10
individuals were recorded by JDP at Xuan Thuy.
Moreover, for South Annam Robson (2005a) lists this
species only as a passage migrant, but at least some birds
may winter there: a male was recorded by JDP in the Ta
Nung Valley, near Da Lat, Lam Dong Province, on 18
November 2006.

Pale Blue Flycatcher Cyomis unicolor
Listed for East T onkin by Robson (2005a) only as a vagrant
to the coast. However, records of individuals well inland
in Tam Dao National Park, Vinh Phuc Province, on 21
August 2004 by TDB and SD (Robson 2004b), and Ba
Vi National Park, Ha Tay Province, on 5 August 2006 by
PB, TDB, JDP and AWT (Robson 2006b) and 24 August

2006 by PB, suggest that it is at least a regular scarce
migrant throughout East Tonkin.

Hill Blue Flycatcher Cyomis banyumas
Not listed for Central Annam by Robson (2005a), but it
appears to be resident there. Several individuals were
observed by TDB and JDP in Phong Nha National Park,
Quang Binh Province, on 28 July 2007. An earlier report
lists this species for Dakrong, Quang Tri Province (Le
Trong Trai et al. 2001b).

Plumbeous Water Redstart Rhyacomis fuliginosus
Listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a) as a resident
with some movements. A female seen by PB in Hanoi
Botanical Gardens on 25 and 26 October 2006 is thus
exceptional (Robson 2007a). Given the location, this
could relate to an escaped or released individual. However,
the following species is now known to undertake longer-
distance movements and has been recorded in the same
location.

White-tailed Robin Myiomela leucura
Listed for all but extreme southern Vietnam by Robson
(2005a) as a resident undertaking minor movements.
However , a record by PB and JDP of an exhausted female
on Con Lu, an island offshore of Xuan Thuy National
Park, Nam Dinh Province, on 12 November 2006, was
at least 1 50 km from suitable habitat (i.e. Pu Luong Nature
Reserve, Thanh Hoa Province), suggesting that — at least
on occasion — longer migratory movements are
undertaken. This supports the possible wild status of an
individual seen in Hanoi Botanic Gardens on 3 December
2003 (Robson 2004a).

Jerdon’s Bushchat Saxicola jercLoni
Not listed for West Tonkin by Robson (2005a). One
male and one female were seen in rocky tall grassland by
PB c.25 km from Sa Pa town on the road towards Lai
Chau town, on 31 October 2005 (Robson 2006b). This

is the only recent record we are aware of from Vietnam,
but it is unclear whether it refers to localised residents or
wintering/passage individuals.

Barn Swallow Himndo rustica

Only listed as a resident/breeding visitor within Vietnam
in West and East Tonkin by Robson (2005a), but it is at
least a year-round non-breeding visitor, and possibly a
breeding visitor, to Central Annam, South Annam and
Cochinchina. Regularly recorded in some numbers in
Cochinchina in June (e.g. by JDP in Cat Tien National
Park, Dong Nai Province), with at least some in July (e.g.
two seen by SD in Tra Su, An Giang Province) . Recorded
in South Annam by TDB and SD at Di Linh, Lam Dong
Province, on 25 June 2005, and by SD at Mui Ne, Binh
Thuan Province on 27 June 2005. Recorded by SD in
Central Annam in Phong Nha National Park, Quang
Binh Province, on 4 July 2004 and by TDB and SD on 1 5
August 2005, and by JDP in Bach Ma National Park,
Thua-Thien Hue Province, Central Annam, on 13 July
2006.

Asian House Martin Delichon dasypus
Within Vietnam listed as a winter visitor only to Central
and South Annam by Robson (2005a). Not surprisingly,
it is at least a rare passage migrant in East Tonkin. Five
or six were seen by PB, TDB, SD and AWT on Ha Nam
Island, Quang Ninh Province, on 4 March 2006 (Robson
2006a).

Ashy Bulbul Hemixos flavala

Not listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a) but,
following prior sightings of this species at Ba Vi National
Park, Ha T ay Province, on the western edge of East T onkin
in May (Robson 2004a), we can confirm that H. f.
hildebrandi is resident there (multiple sightings by PB,
TDB, JDP and AWT). The species is also known from
Tam Dao National Park in East Tonkin (Davidson et al.
2005).

Grey-bellied Tesia Tesia cyaniventer
Not listed for Central Annam by Robson (2005a). A ‘first
record’ listed by Robson (2004a) overlooks previous
records from Central Annam by previous authors (e.g.
Le Trong Trai et al. 1999b, 2000). Two birds were
observed by JDP at the Lo Xo Pass, northern Kon Turn
Province, on 3 March 2008. The species is presumably
resident in Central Annam.

Chinese Bush-Warbler Bmdypterus taesanowskius
Listed only as a winter visitor to South Annam within
Vietnam by Robson (2005a), but it is at least a vagrant
(and possibly winter visitor) to East Tonkin. One migrant
was seen by PB, TDB and JDP on Con Lu, an island
offshore of Xuan Thuy National Park, Nam Dinh
Province, on 22 September 2007. As identification of
Bradypterus species is complex, it was fortunate that good
views were obtained for approximately 20 minutes at a
range of c.5 m.

Pleske’s Warbler Locustella pleskei (Vulnerable)

Listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a) as a winter
visitor. Robson (2004a) lists records from December to
March (1995-2003) at Xuan Thuy National Park, Nam
Dinh Province. Speculative playback by TDB and JDP

Forktail 25 (2009)

Updates to the distribution and status of birds in Vietnam

135

revealed at least three birds at Thai Thuy, Thai Binh
Province, on 6 January 2008.

Thick-billed Warbler Acrocephalus aedon
Not listed for West Tonkin by Robson (2005a), but a
singing bird was seen by JDP in Sa Pa town, Lao Cai
Province, on 2 May 2008.

Mrs Gould’s Sunbird Aethopyga gouldiae
Not listed for South Annam by Robson (2005a), but this
is a typographic error (C. Robson in litt. 2008), as A. g.
annamensis is commonly recorded on the Dalat Plateau.

House Sparrow Passer domesticus
Only listed in Vietnam by Robson (2005a) in west
Cochinchina, but one male was seen by SD with Eurasian
Tree Sparrow Passer montanus at Binh Phuoc, on Can
Gio island south-east of Ho Chi Minh City, on 23
November 2005 (Robson 2006a).

Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola
Only listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a) as a
vagrant, but it appears to be a regular passage migrant, at
least in early spring, with up to seven recorded by PB,
TDB, JDP and AWT from 17 March to 22 April 2007
along the Red River in Hanoi. Robson (2008) also lists a
record of this species from Hanoi.

Buff-bellied Pipit Anthus rubescens
Not listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a). One bird
(of the race japonicus) was observed by JDP and AWT on
an island in the Red River in Hanoi on 17 March 2007
and presumably the same bird was seen nearby the
following day by JDP.

Black-headed Munia Lonchura malacca
Not listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a), but
recorded by SD on an island in the Red River in Hanoi
on 3 December 2005 (20 individuals) and on Ha Nam
Island, Quang Ninh Province, on 7 January 2006 (12
individuals). Regular sightings by PB, TDB, JDP and
AWT suggest that these populations are now resident at
both locations. These maybe established populations of
escaped cage birds.

Grey-capped Greenfinch Carduelis sinica
Not listed for Central Annam by Robson (2005a), but at
least 1 0 were seen by SD at Hoi An, Quang Nam Province,
on 4 June 2006 (Robson 2006a), with birds appearing to
be holding territory. Robson (2008) also lists a record for
Danang in Central Annam. Listed for East Tonkin by
Robson (2005a) as of unclear status, but evidently
resident, with records cumulatively by PB, TDB, JDP
and AWT along the Red River in Hanoi in March, April,
August and December, including adults feeding young in
early April 2007.

Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus
Not listed for East Tonkin by Robson (2005a), but it
appears to be a scarce winter visitor. Following records
from Ba Vi National Park, Ha Tay Province, in December
2003 and February 2004 (Robson 2004a), individuals
were recorded by PB in Ba Vi on 1 5 and 1 9 January 2007,
by PB in Tam Dao National Park (Vinh Phuc Province)
on 6 February 2007, and by TDB and JDP on an island

in the Red River in Hanoi, where there was an immature
on 9 December 2006. JDP observed four birds at the
latter site on 28 January 2007.

Japanese Grosbeak Eophona personata
Not listed for Vietnam by Robson (2005a). A
male photographed by PB on 23 November 2006 in
Cue Phuong National Park, Ninh Binh Province,
was presumed to be a wild bird (Bijlmakers and
Kohler in prep.). This record was previously reported
as a Yellow-billed Grosbeak E. migratoria (Robson
2007a).

Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala
Not listed for Vietnam by Robson (2005a) but at least a
vagrant in East Tonkin. JDP and AWT observed two
males on an island in the Red River in Hanoi on 9 April
2006 and PB, TDB and JDP watched and photographed
a female on Con Lu, an island offshore of Xuan Thuy
National Park (Nam Dinh Province), on 1 5 October 2006
(Pilgrim et al. 2009).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We thank the staff of the protected areas from which many of these
records come. For company in the field during these observations, we
are grateful to David Capper, Penny Capper, Andrew Crutchley,
Gemma Crutchley, Oji Dalimunthe, Jonathan Eames, Horst Kohler,
Stephan Lauper, Barney Long, John Morrison, Nguyen Due Tu, Bella
Roscher and Nicholas Wilkinson. Craig Robson, Jonathan Eames and
an anonymous reviewer provided valuable comments and corrections
on earlier versions of this manuscript.

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FORKTAIL 25 (2009): 137-141

The generic taxonomy of parrotbiUs (Aves, Timaliidae)

JOHN PENHALLURICK and CRAIG ROBSON

The parrotbills are typically considered to contain just three genera: Conostoma, Paradoxornis and Panunis. Discounting Panums from
consideration (it has recently been shown to have a distant relationship to the babblers), we maintain a single species in Conosioma, C.
aemodium, and assign the species currently lumped into Paradoxornis among seven genera that fall into two groups based in part on size:
the first group (which also includes Conostoma ) consists of Hemirhynchus (for paradoxus and unicolor ); Psittiparus (for gularis, margaritae,
ruficeps and bakeri) and Paradoxornis (for flavirostris, guttaticollis and heudei ); the second comprises Chleuasicus (for atrosuperciliaris) , a new
genus Sinosuthora (for brunnea , webbiana, alphonsiana, conspicillata, zappeyi and przezvalskii), Neosuthora (for davidiana ) and Suthora (for
fulvifrons , verreauxi , nipalensis, humii, poliotis, ripponi and beaulieui) .

INTRODUCTION

Earlier accounts of the parrotbills, such as Sharpe (1883),
Hartert (1907), Hartert and Steinbacher (1932-38), and
Baker (1930), treated them in multiple genera, but in
recent works (Deignan 1964, Dickinson 2003, Robson
2007) the great majority have been placed in Paradoxornis.
This arrangement goes back to Delacour (1946), who
assigned all taxa except Great Parrotbill Conostoma
aemodium and Bearded Reedling Panunis biarmicus to
Paradoxornis. His explanation for this radical move was
brief, and roughly translates as follows:

The vast genus Paradoxornis ( Suthora , Psittiparus,
Neosuthora and Cholomis are synonyms) includes very
variable height and form of which the beak varies a
great deal in height and power. The case of P. paradoxus
of Gansu is extraordinary; this bird is almost identical
to P. unicolor of the Himalayas and of Yunnan, but it
lacks one toe on its claw; these are assuredly very close
forms, almost conspecific. The small species such as
P. fulvifrons, P. nipalensis, P. verreauxi resemble the
tits with long tails ( Aegithalos ) and probably constitute
a transition between the tits and the babblers.

It is remarkable that so drastic a revision should have
been accepted with so little justification. Deignan (1964)
followed suit without any discussion. However, just as
the lumping of almost all laughingthrushes into the genus
Gamtlax has recently been seen as excessive (Rasmussen
& Anderton 2005, Collar & Robson 2007), so the lumping
of almost all parrotbills into Paradoxornis also seems now
to be in need of reconsideration.

Yeung et al. (2006), basing their molecular analysis on
a combination of mitochondrial genes cytochrome-6 and
ND2 for a total of 2, 1 84 base pairs, showed that the genus
Paradoxornis (as most recently recognised) isparaphyletic.
In particular, Conostoma is embedded in the middle of the
genus Paradoxornis. Their analysis clearly supports a return
to a polygeneric arrangement of the parrotbills. Here we
use evidence from morphology, calls and songs to reinforce
the view that a return to something like the earlier multiple-
genera treatments ofparrotbills is desirable. We also discuss
some generic names proposed recently which are invalid,
with notes on recent splits and possible further splits.
However, we exclude the genus Panurus. Molecular
evidence demonstrates that Panums biannicus has a more
distant relationship to other parrotbills than was previously
thought, and appears to have a closer relationship to non¬
babbler species (Ericson and Johansson 2003, Alstrom et
al. 2006, Jonsson and Fjeldsa 2006). Consequently its
common name should revert to Bearded Reedling, in order

to reflect this distant relationship. We will go through the
genera we propose, giving the full citation for the generic
name, plus synonyms, and listing the species we assign to
each genus, and its subspecies, with detailed distribution
provided for both monotypic species and subspecies.

THE GENERA AND SPECIES

Conostoma Hodgson, 1842

Conostoma Hodgson, 1842 [‘1841 Journal of the Asiatic
Society of Bengal 10: 856. Type, by monotypy, Conostoma
aemodius Hodgson, 1842. Synonyms: Enendrozdvoma
Kashin, 1978.

• Conostoma aemodium Hodgson, 1842 Great
Parrotbill. India (Himalayas from Uttarkhand to
Arunachal Pradesh); Nepal; Bhutan; south Tibet;
north Myanmar; China (south Gansu, south Shaanxi,
Sichuan, north-west Yunnan).

The sole member of the genus Conostoma is much larger
than the other parrotbills (27.5-28.5 cm; 88-1 10 g), and
has a less graduated tail. The outermost pair of retrices is
about three-quarters of the total length of the tail. The bill
is longer than it is high, and is proportionately much longer
than those of other parrotbills. Both males and females are
grey-brown, with a whitish forehead. This assignment is
consistent with the treatments of Sharpe (1883), Hartert
(1907, 1932-38) and Deignan (1964).

Hemirhynchus Hodgson, 1843

Hemirhynchus Hodgson, 1 843, Journal of the Asiatic Society
of Bengal 12: 1 007 . New name for Heteromorpha Hodgson,
1843, hence the type is Heteromorpha unicolor Hodgson,
1843. Synonyms: Heteromorpha Hodgson, 1843, not
Heteromorpha Heubner, 1822 (Lepidoptera); Cholomis J.
Verreaux, 1870.

• Hemirhynchus paradoxus (J. Verreaux, 1870) Three¬
toed Parrotbill.

H. p. paradoxus. China (south Gansu, south-east
Shaanxi [Daba Shan], west-central, north and
north-east Sichuan.

H. p. taipaiensis (Cheng, Lo and Chao, 1973).
China (south Shaanxi [Qinling Shan]).

• Hemirhynchus unicolor (Hodgson, 1843) Brown
Parrotbill. West-central to east Nepal; India (Himalayas
of West Bengal, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh);
Bhutan; south-east Tibet; north Myanmar; China (west-
central to south-west Sichuan, north-western Yunnan) .
These two very similar species range in length from

20-21 cm and weigh 31.5-39 g. They are similar in size

138

JOHN PENHALLURICK and CRAIG ROBSON

Forktail 25 (2009)

to the species discussed in relation to Paradoxomis sensu
stricto below, but their overall plumage more closely
resembles that of Great Parrotbill. Their voices also differ
from those of species placed in Paradoxomis sensu stricto ,
and their songs resemble those of the Great Parrotbill,
consisting of rather loud, clear, relatively phrased songs,
comprising usually up to four notes; in contrast, their call
notes differ from those of Great, consisting of guttural
calls, short shrill whining sounds and harsh crackling notes.
The species paradoxus was assigned to Cholornis in Sharpe
(1883) and Hartert (1907, 1932-1938) — evidently in
ignorance of the priority of Hemirhynchus — while both
authors plus Baker (1930) assigned unicolor to Suthora.

Yeung etal. (2006) used the generic name Heteromorpha
for this group in a figure in their presentation labelled
‘Congruence between molecular phylogeny and Robson’s
taxonomy’. However, as noted above, this name is
preoccupied.

Psittiparus Hellmayr, 1903

Psittiparus Hellmayr, 1903, Das Tierreich Lief. 18: 163.
New name for Scaeorhynchus Oates, 1889. Hence type is
Paradoxomis ruficeps Blyth, 1842. Synonyms:
Scaeorhynchus [as Scceorhynchus ] Oates, 1889, not
Scaeorhynchus E. E. Wilson, 1881 (Pantopoda).

• Psittiparus gularis (G. R. Gray, 1845) Grey-headed
Parrotbill.

P. g. gularis. India (Sikkim, north West Bengal,
west Arunachal Pradesh); Bhutan.

P. g. transfluvialis (E. Hartert, 1900). India (central
and east Arunachal Pradesh [east from Dafla Hills] ,
south Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram); west
[north Chin Hills], north, east and south-east
Myanmar; north-west Thailand; China (west and
north-west Yunnan).

P. g. rasus Stresemann, 1 940. West Myanmar (south
Chin Hills, incl. Mt Victoria).

P. g. laotianus Delacour, 1926. Extreme east
Myanmar (east of Salween R); north-west Thailand
(Khun Tan Range etc.); Laos; Vietnam (west and
east Tonkin, north and central Annam).

P. g. fokiensis (David, 1874). China (south-central
and south-east Sichuan east to north Jiangxi, south¬
east Anhui, Zhejiang and north Fujian; south to
north-east Guangxi and north Guangdong).

P. g. hainanus Rothschild, 1903. China (Hainan I).

• Psittiparus margaritae Delacour, 1927 Black-crowned
Parrotbill. Extreme east Cambodia (south-east
Mondulkiri); Vietnam (southern highlands of S
Annam) .

• Psittiparus ruficeps (Blyth, 1842) White-breasted

Parrotbill. India (Sikkim, north West Bengal,
Arunachal Pradesh [except east/south-east]); Bhutan.

• Psittipams hakeri (Hartert, 1900) Greater Rufous¬
headed Parrotbill.

P. b. bakeri. India (south-east Arunachal Pradesh,
south Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur,
Mizoram); extreme north-east Bangladesh; south¬
east Tibet; north, east and south-east Myanmar;
north Laos; China (north-west Yunnan).

P. b. magnirostris Delacour, 1927. Vietnam (east
Tonkin).

Birds in this grouping are somewhat smaller in size
than the previous and following groups, ranging from
15.5-19.5 cm in length, and 27-37 g in weight. With this

group, the tail is almost equal in length to the wing, and
shows little graduation, with the outermost feathers about
five-sixths the length of the central feathers. They have
relatively well-structured songs, with those of White¬
breasted and Greater Rufous-headed Parrotbills being
particularly varied, jolly and emphasised. All species give
distinctive joiw and jieu call notes, those of White-breasted
and Greater Rufous-headed being louder and more clearly
audible. In addition, when alarmed, Grey-headed
Parrotbill utters harsh scolding rattles like those of a
scimitar-babbler Pomatorhinus, and White-breasted and
Greater Rufous-headed Parrotbills, in a similar context,
emit a highly distinctive loud, metallic, spluttering rattle.
Collar (2006) provided evidence that the isolated form
margaritae of south Indochina should be split from P.
gularis , and this treatment was followed by Robson (2007) .
King and Robson (2008) provided reasons for splitting P.
bakerifromP. ruficeps. Sharpe (1883) assigned both ruficeps
and gularis to Suthora ; Hartert (1907) and Baker (1930)
assigned both to Psittiparus.

Paradoxomis Gould, 1836

Paradoxomis Gould, 1836, Proceedings of the Zoological
Society of London, Pt. 4, no. xxxviii (May): 17. Type, by
monotypy, Paradoxomis flavirostris Gould, 1836.
Synonyms: Bathyrhynchus McClelland, 1837 ; Anacrites
Gistel, 1848; Calamomis Gould, 1874.

• Paradoxomis flavirostris Gould, 1836 Black-breasted
Parrotbill. India (Brahmaputra R floodplains in West
Bengal, north-east Assam, and immediately adjacent
areas of Arunachal Pradesh; formerly south Assam);
formerly north-east Bangladesh.

° Paradoxomis guttaticollis David, 1871 Spot-breasted
Parrotbill. India (extreme east Arunachal Pradesh,
south Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur,
Mizoram); east Bangladesh; west, north, east and
south-east Myanmar; north-west Thailand, north
Laos; Vietnam (west and east Tonkin); China (south
Gansu and south Shaanxi south to west-central
Sichuan and Y unnan, and east through Guizhou, north
Guangxi and north Guangdong to north Fujian).

• Paradoxomis heudei David, 1872 Reed Parrotbill.

P. h. polivanovi Stepanyan, 1979. Extreme east
Mongolia; China (north-east Nei Mongol and
Heilongjiang); extreme south-east Russia (Lake
Khankha region of Ussuriland).

P. h. heudei. China (south-east Shandong south
along coast to north Zhejiang, and inland in Yangtze
R system to north Jiangxi [Jiujiang area]).
Populations in north and south Hebei and coastal
Liaoning not yet assigned to race.

As with the species assigned to Hemirhynchus , this
group is relatively large, with the length of the three species
being 18-22 cm. Spot-breasted Parrotbill comes in at
26.5-40 g on current knowledge. Reed Parrotbill is
considerably lighter, with late summer females being as
little as 15.9 g (although Spot-breasted may not have
been weighed at this season) . All species are characterised
by a strongly graduated tail, the outer feathers not more
than two-thirds the total tail length. The bill is short and
deep; the cutting edge of the upper mandible has a deep,
S-shaped curve, and there is a corresponding curve in the
lower mandible. In terms of voice, Black-breasted and
Spot-breasted have songs made up of a variable series of
clear, quite high staccato notes, which are very similar to

Forktail 25 (2009)

The generic taxonomy of parrotbills

139

each other. The song of Reed Parrotbill is equally varied,
although often consisting of more notes. Sharpe (1883)
and Baker (1930) assigned flavirostris and guttaticollis to
Paradoxornis ; Hartert (1907) assigned flavirostris to
Cholomis and guttaticollis to Suthora.

Stepanyan (1979) proposed that the east Mongolian
population of Reed Parrotbill was worthy of subspecific
recognition under the name mongolicus. Stepanyan (1998)
raised polivanovi to full species status, distinct from heudei ,
with mongolicus as a subspecies. However, Stepanyan’s
theory was based on the presumed ‘huge’ gap between
northern polivanovi and southern heudei. Since then, as
noted by Robson (2007: 319), populations of Reed
Parrotbills have been found in the intervening areas, and
it is probable that, when a full geographical series of
specimens can be examined, the differences separating
the northern and southern taxa will turn out to represent
no more than the end points of a cline. Such a cline would
mean that polivanovi would at best be accorded subspecies
status, if it deserved recognition at all . We follow Robson
(2007) in recognising polivanovi as a subspecies of heudei
and in returning mongolicus to the synonymy of polivanovi.

The four genera discussed so far form a natural group:
the lengths of all species exceed 1 5 cm. The genera to be
discussed next also form a natural group, with all taxa
having total lengths of 15 cm or less.

Chleuasicus Blyth, 1845

Chleuasicus Blyth, 1845, Journal of the Asiatic Society of
Bengal 14: 578. Type, by monotypy, Chleuasicus ruficeps
Blyth, 1845 = Chleuasicus atrosuperciliaris Godwin-Austen,
1877.

• Chleuasicus atrosuperciliaris Godwin-Austen, 1877

Lesser Rufous-headed Parrotbill.

C. a. oatesi (Sharpe, 1903). India (Sikkim, north¬
west Bengal, west and central Arunachal Pradesh) ;
Bhutan.

C. a. atrosuperciliaris. India (east Arunachal
Pradesh, extreme east Meghalaya, south Assam,
Nagaland, Mizoram); north and south-east
Myanmar; extreme north-west Thailand; north and
central Laos; Vietnam (west and east Tonkin);
China (west and north-west Yunnan).

Chleuasicus is monotvpic, containing only Lesser
Rufous-headed Parrotbill P. atrosuperciliaris Godwin-
Austen, 1877. This medium-sized (15 cm) parrotbill has
a noticeably peaked crown and rather short, deep-based
bill. Possible songs are a series of sharp chipping notes,
rapidly repeated at varying speeds after variable but short
intervals.

Sharpe (1883: 494) treated atrosuperciliaris as a
synonym of Chleuasicus ruficeps Blyth, 1 845, but Deignan
( 1 964: 439) treated the latter as preoccupied, by secondary
homonymy (International Code on Zoological
Nomenclature, Art. 57.2, 1999: 59), by Paradoxornis
ruficeps Blyth, 1845. With the allocation of ruficeps to
Psittiparus, however, the secondary homonymy is
removed, but since the replacement of ruficeps by
atrosuperciliaris occurred prior to 1961 (for example in
Delacour 1946: 26), and since atrosuperciliaris has been in
consistent use since 1961 (e.g. Deignan 1964: 439,
Dickinson 2003: 624), ruficeps must be considered
permanently invalid (ICZN Art. 59. 3). Baker (1930)
assigned atrosuperciliaris , as a subspecies of ruficeps , to
Suthora.

Sinosuthora Penhallurick & Robson, 2009

Sinosuthora Penhallurick & Robson, 2009. Type, by
original designation, Suthora conspicillata A. David, 1871 .

Yeung et al. (2006) in their presentation used the
generic name Suthora Hodgson, 1 837 for this group, and
Temnoris Hodgson, 1841 for the group which we place in
Suthora below. The type of Suthora Hodgson (1837) Indian
Review 2: 32, is, by monotypy, Suthora nipalensis Hodgson,
1837. Temnoris Hodgson, 1841 isanewnameforSwr/zora,
with the same type species. Thus the species assigned to
Temnoris by Yeung et al. (2006), namely fulvifrons,
nipalensis, and verreauxi , should correctly be placed in
Suthora Hodgson, 1 837. This raises the question of what
generic name is available for the species incorrectly placed
in Suthora by Yeung et al., namely brunnea, zuebbiana,
alphonsiana, conspicillata, zappeyi and przewalskii. As far
as can be determined, there is no available generic or
subgeneric name associated with any of these taxa.
Accordingly, a new generic name is proposed:
Sinosuthora new genus

Diagnosis: small parrotbills 1 1-1 5 cm in length. Relatively
plain in coloration, with brown to rufous-chestnut-fringed
wings; all lack pronounced lateral crown-stripes. Type:
Suthora conspicillata A. David, 1871. Gender: feminine.

• Sinosuthora brunnea (Anderson, 1871) Brown¬
winged Parrotbill.

V. b. brunnea. North-eastern Myanmar; China (west
and north-west Yunnan [west of Lijiang Range
and Lake Er Hai]).

S', b. styani (Rippon, 1903). China (north-west
Yunnan [Dali Region]).

S', b. ricketti (Rothschild, 1922). China (south-west
Sichuan [from Yalong Jiang] to north-west Yunnan
[Lijiang region and area east of Lake Er Hai]).

• Sinosuthora webbiana (Gould, 1852) Vinous-
throated Parrotbill.

S. w. mantschurica (Taczanowski, 1885). Extreme
south-east Russia (south Ussuriland); China (east
Heilongjiang south to north-east Hebei).

S. w. fulvicauda (Campbell, 1892). China (south¬
east Nei Monggol [north of Beijing] south to
extreme north Henan); North Korea; South
Korea.

S. zu. suffusa (Swinhoe, 1871). China (south Gansu,
south Shaanxi, central and east Sichuan, east
Guizhou and Guangxi, east to south Shanxi, inland
south Jiangsu, Fujian and Guangdong); Vietnam
(north-west part of east Tonkin).

S', zv. webbiana. China (coastal Jiangsu and north
Zhejiang).

S. w. elisabethae (La Touche, 1922). China (south¬
east Yunnan); Vietnam (north part of east T onkin) .
S. w. bulomacha (Swinhoe, 1866). Taiwan.

• Sinosuthora alphonsiana (J. Verreaux, 1870) Ashy-
throated Parrotbill.

S'. a. alphonsiana. China (central and south-central
Sichuan).

S. a. ganluoensis (Li and Zhang, 1980). China
(Ganluo region of south-central Sichuan).

S. a. stresemanni (Yen Kwokyung, 1934). China
(Guizhou and adjacent south-east Sichuan).

S. a. yunnanensis (La Touche, 1921). China (south¬
east Yunnan); Vietnam (northern west Tonkin).
Introduced birds in Italy (north Lombardy) may
represent an undescribed race.

140

JOHN PENHALLURICK and CRAIG ROBSON

Forktail 25 (2009)

• Sinosuthora conspicillata (David, 1871) Spectacled
Parrotbill.

S’, c. conspicillata. China (east Qinghai, south Gansu,
north-central and north-east Sichuan).

S. c. rocki (Bangs and Peters, 1928). China (west
Hubei).

• Sinosuthora zappeyi (Thayer and Bangs, 1912) Grey-
hooded Parrotbill.

S. z. zappeyi. China (south-central Sichuan
[excluding Erlang Shan]).

S. z. erlangshanicus (Cheng, Li and Zhang, 1983).
China (south-central Sichuan [Erlang Shan]).

• Sinosuthora przezvalskii (Berezowski and Bianchi, 1891)

Rusty-throated Parrotbill. China (south Gansu,
extreme north Sichuan).

These are relatively small, small-billed and long-tailed
parrotbills with a length of 11-15 cm and weight of 6-
1 3 g. The songs of the species that are known are similar,
consisting of series of 2-5 quickly delivered, thin, high,
often piercing notes, in some species preceded by weak
introductory notes. As with Suthora below, they climb in
a tit-like fashion, bounce between perches and frequently
hang upside-down.

Looking at the species within Sinosuthora , brunnea was
treated by Deignan (1964: 435) as a subspecies of webbiana',
but Robson (2007 : 3 1 5) pointed out that its widely accepted
treatment as a separate species is supported by skeletal
features of the skull (Han Lianxian 1991).

Sinosuthora alphonsiana was treated as a species distinct
from webbiana by Deignan (1964) and in the first and
second editions of Howard and Moore (1980, 1994), but
Dickinson (2003) reduced it without comment to a
subspecies of webbiana. The issue here appears to concern
interbreeding: hybrids have been recorded from Sichuan,
in two reports from the early twentieth century, and
near Sa Pa in Tonkin. However, the frequency of
hybridisation needs to be considered in any zone of overlap,
and where the vast majority of two taxa breed true, with
only infrequent hybridisation, this can be taken as evidence
that the two taxa should be considered different species
(Gill 1990: 501-502). Robson (2007: 293) commented
that considering the level of association between the two,
hard evidence of interbreeding is suprisingly scarce. Thus
the evidence in fact favours treating the two taxa as distinct
species, and we follow Robson (2007 : 3 1 5) in this regard.

As with alphonsiana , the form ricketti was treated as an
independent species by Deignan ( 1964) and in the first and
second editions of the Howard and Moore (1980, 1994),
but Dickinson (2003) relegated it without comment to a
subspecies of P. brunnea. Dickinson may well have followed
Han (1991), who merged ricketti with brunnea on the basis
of feather colour, bill colour, geographical distribution and
skeletal features. Robson (2007: 315) cited features of
morphology in which the two taxa differ markedly but,
pending further study, they are treated as conspecific here.

Suthora Hodgson, 1837

Suthora Hodgson, 1837, India Reviezu 2: 32. Type, by
monotypy, Suthora nipalensis Hodgson, 1 837. Synonyms:
Temnoris Hodgson, 1 84 l;Sutoria Nicholson, 1853 ;Sutora
Des Murs, 1854.

• Suthora fulvifrons (Hodgson, 1 845) Fulvous Parrotbill.

S'. f. fulvifrons. Central and east Nepal; India
(Himalayas of Sikkim and north West Bengal);
Bhutan.

S’. /. chayulensis Kinnear, 1940. India (central
Arunachal Pradesh); adjacent south-east Tibet.

S. f. albifacies Mayr & Birckhead, 1937. North
Myanmar; China (west and north-west Y unnan, and
adjacent south-west Sichuan); extreme south-east
Tibet.

S.f cyanophrys A. David, 1 874. China (south Shaanxi
to south-central Sichuan).

Identity of populations in west and east Arunachal
Pradesh, India, not yet known.

• Suthora verreauxi Sharpe, 1883 Golden Parrotbill.

S’, v. verreauxi. China (central Sichuan to south
Shaanxi and west Hubei).

S’, v. craddocki Bingham, 1903. Extreme east
Myanmar (east of Salween R); north Laos; Vietnam
(west Tonkin and north-west part of east Tonkin);
China (east Guangxi, south Hunan, north
Guangdong).

S. v. pallida La Touche, 1922. China (north Fujian).
S. v. morrisoniana Ogilvie-Grant, 1906. Taiwan.
Identity of specimens from central Yunnan (Ailao
Shan) and Guizhou, China, not yet determined.

• Suthora nipalensis Hodgson, 1837 Grey-capped
Parrotbill.

S. n. garhivalensis (Fleming and Traylor, 1964).
India (Uttarkhand).

S. n. nipalensis. West and central Nepal.

• Suthora hutnii Sharpe, 1883 Orange-eared
Parrotbill. East Nepal; India (Sikkim and north West
Bengal); Bhutan (east to Shemgang).

• Suthora poliotis Blyth, 1851 Grey-breasted
Parrotbill.

S. p. poliotis. India (central and east Arunachal
Pradesh, Meghalaya, south Assam, Nagaland,
Manipur); west [north Chin Hills] and north
Myanmar; China (west and north-west Yunnan).
S. p. feae Salvadori, 1889. East and south-east
Myanmar; west and north-west Thailand.

• Suthora ripponi Sharpe, 1905 Buff-breasted
Parrotbill.

S’, r. patriciae Koelz, 1954. India (Mizoram).

S. r. ripponi. West Myanmar (south Chin Hills).

• Suthora beaulieui (Ripley, 1953) Black-eared
Parrotbill.

S’. b. beaulieui. North-east Thailand (Phu Luang);
north and central Laos; Vietnam (N Annam).

S. b. kamoli (Eames, 2002). South Laos (east part);
Vietnam (Central Highlands of C Annam).

These are small and small-billed parrotbills, with their
collective length being 11.5-12.5 cm and weight 5-7 g.
This group shares with the small parrotbills allocated to
Sinosuthora a long graduated tail, with the outer retrices
half the length of the central ones. The bill is short and
thick, slightly longer than deep, with almost straight cutting
edges. The nostrils are very small, circular and completely
concealed by plumules, and the legs are long in relation to
body size. Like Sinosuthora , the species in Suthora climb in
a tit-like fashion, bounce between perches and hang upside-
down. However, the voices of Suthora differ from those of
Sinosuthora. Suthora nipalensis and .S’, verreauxihavt strange,
extended, high, wheezy, buzzy and nasal songs of 2-6
notes; although they also give extremely high, thin, steadily
rising secondary-type songs of 2-4 notes, which are more
similar to the songs of the Sinosuthora group. These two
species also utter short rattles and quite harsh, low, slightly

Forktail 25 (2009)

The generic taxonomy of parrotbills

141

sputtering calls, as well as scolding squeaky nasal calls. Sharpe
(1883) assigned fulvifrons to Chleuasicus, but Hartert (1907)
and Baker (1930) assigned it to Suthora. All three assigned
nipalensis to Suthora , as did Sharpe in the case of verreauxi.

Deignan (1964) treated verreauxi as a subspecies of
nipalensis, but Dickinson (2003: 623) split these taxa and
Yeung et al. (2006: 88) indicated their paraphyletic
relationship. Other evidence in Yeungs al. (2006) strongly
suggests at least two species within the Black-throated
Parrotbill P. nipalensis as arranged above: nominate tiipalensis,
which forms a sister clade with verreauxi ; and poliotis, which
forms a sister clade with ripponi. This split between 5.
nipalensis and 5. poliotis was previously recognised by Baker
( 1 930), who included humiijeae and npponim his S', poliotis.
Furthermore, Yeung et al. (2006: 88) stated: ‘the deep
divergence between subspecies of P. nipalensis implies their
taxonomic re-ranking to species status’. Robson (2007: 293)
developed this point:

The Black-throated Parrotbill currently comprises a
group of ten highly distinctive subspecies. Modern
taxonomists would argue that these represent more than
one species, and a simple division according to basic
plumage differences would support the following five
sibling species: the ‘Grey-capped Parrotbill’, consisting
of the nominate race and subspecies garhwalensis ; die
‘Orange-eared Parrotbill’, currently race humiv, the ‘Grey¬
breasted Parrotbill’, made up from races poliotis and feae;
the ‘Buff-breasted Parrotbill’, containing the taxa ripponi >
and patnciae ; and the ‘Black-eared Parrotbill’, represented
by the current races beaulieui and kamoli.

The plumage features and vocal differences of these
various taxa are described in detail in Robson (2007:317).

According to Robson (2007: 317), the form crocotia
Kinnear, 1954, is currently best treated as a semi-stable
hybrid population between 5. humii and 5. poliotis.

Neosuthora Hellmayr, 1911

Neosuthora Hellmayr, 1911, in Wytsman, Genera Avium
Pt. 18: 74.Type,byoriginaldesignation,S»f/zorad<3£7<ih7?z<2
Slater, 1897.

• Neosuthora davidiana (Slater, 1897) Short-tailed
Parrotbill.

N. d. davidiana. China (soudi Zhejiang, north Fujian).
N. d. thompsoni (Bingham, 1903). East Myanmar;
Thailand (south-east part of north-west and adjacent
north-east); north Laos; Vietnam (north part of west
Tonkin).

N. d. tonkinensis (Delacour, 1927). Laos (extreme
east part of north and north-east part of central);
Vietnam (east Tonkin, north Annam). Specimens
from south Hunan and north Guangdong, China
have not been assigned to a race.

This small species (9.5-10 cm, 8.5 g) has a jizz like that
of a munia Lonchura (Estrildidae). Its song is also very
distinctive, being a very thin, high-pitched rapid ascending
series of 6-9 notes.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This study benefited from the contributions of Carol K. L. Yeung, Lei
Fu-ming, Yang Xiao-jun, Han Lian-xian, Lin Mei-Chu and Li Shou-

Hsien, to all of whom we record our deepest thanks. We also thank

Nigel Collar for spending many hours editing the manuscript, and his

helpful comments.

REFERENCES

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Collar, N. J. and Robson, C. (2007) Family Timaliidae (babblers). Pp.70-
291 in J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott and D. A. Christie, eds. Handbook of
the birds of the world, 12. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions.

Deignan, H. G. (1964) Subfamily Panurinae, parrotbills. Pp 430-442 in
E. Mayr and R. A. Paynter, eds. Checklist of birds of the world, 10.
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Delacour, J. (1946) Les Timaliines. Oiseau et R.F.O. 16: 7-36.

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the birds of the world. Third edition. London: Christopher Helm.

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world. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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Ripley guide. Washington, D.C. and Barcelona: Smithsonian
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Robson, C. (2007) Family Paradoxomithidae (parrotbills) . Pp. 292-320
inj. del Hoyo, A. Elliott and D. A. Christie, eds . Handbook of the birds
of the world, 12. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions.

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nov. (Paradoxomithidae, Aves) from the eastern part of the
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(In Russian.)

Yeung, C. K. L., Lei Fu-ming, Yang Xiao-jun, Han Lian-xian, Lin Mei-
Chu and Li Shou-Hsien (2006) Molecular phylogeny of parrotbills.
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John M. Penhallurick, 86 Bingley Crescent, Fraser, A.C. T. 2615, Australia. Email: jpenhall@bigpond.net.au
Craig Robson, 63 Stafford Street, Norwich NR2 3BD, England.

FORKTAIL 25 (2009): 142-146

The Endangered White-eared Night Heron
Gorsachius magnificus in Vietnam:
status, distribution, ecology and threats

JOHN D. PILGRIM, DAVID F. WALSH, TRAN THANH TU, NGUYEN DUCTU,
JONATHAN C. EAMES and LE MANH HUNG

White-eared Night Heron is a very poorly known, globally Endangered species, occurring mainly in China, with only two prior records
in Vietnam. Recent targeted surveys resulted in observations from two sites in Bac Kan Province, northern Vietnam, including the first
breeding record of the species from Vietnam. Local awareness of the species was raised considerably in survey areas, including among
hunters who had previously had a high impact on the species. Data from other sites are presented, threats outlined, and recommendations
for further action made.

INTRODUCTION

White-eared Night Heron Gorsachius magnificus is a very
poorly known species, despite recent fieldwork in China
(e.g. Fellowes et al. 2001, Bi Cheng Li et al. 2007, He
Fen-qi et al. 2007). It is known from eight provinces of
south-east China and two records from northern Vietnam
(BirdLife International 200 1 , 2007, He Fen-qi etal. 2007) .
Recent fieldwork and literature review in China have
clarified and extended the known distribution of the
species but, despite its relatively wide range, it still appears
to be very rare and patchily distributed. Owing to its
presumed small and fragmented population, and

presumed declines in line with forest clearance and
fragmentation, it is categorised as globally Endangered
(BirdLife International 2007). It is listed in the Vietnam
Red Data Book as Critically Endangered (MoST and
VAST 2008), but has not yet been listed as a protected
species in Vietnam (Pilgrim and Nguyen Due Tu 2007).

Its distribution and status in Vietnam have to date
been almost entirely unknown. A specimen was reportedly
collected by Vo Quy in 1975 at or near SonTay in HaTay
Province (formerly part of Hoa Binh Province) , but recent
attempts to locate the specimen have been unsuccessful
(BirdLife International 2001, Le Trong Trai verbally
2007, authors’ experience). The location was incorrectly

Figure 1. Map of northern Vietnam showing survey sites and locations of previous reports (including Chinese records).

Triangles indicate survey sites: (1) Xuan Lac Commune, Cho Don District, Bac Kan Province; (2) Nam Mau Commune, Ba Be District, Bac
Kan Province; (3) Luc Son Commune, Luc Nam District, Bac Giang Province; (4) Ky Thuong Commune, Hoang Bo District, Quang Ninh
Province; (5) Dong Chum and Dong Ruong Communes, Da Bac District, Hoa Binh Province. Circles indicate previous records (BirdLife
International 2001). Square indicates correction of previous Vietnam locality record shown by BirdLife International (2001). Grey polygons
indicate proposed or existing protected areas adjacent to survey sites.

Forktail 25 (2009) The Endangered White-eared Night Heron Gorsachius magnificus in Vietnam

143

mapped by BirdLife International (2001) as 20°50'N
105°58'E and should in fact be 21°08'N 105°30'E (Fig.
1 ). After 25 years without records, the species was believed
to be possibly extinct in Vietnam until a bird was observed
roosting on 30 April and 1 May 2001 at Lung Ly, Xuan
Lac District, Bac Kan Province (Le Trong Trai et al.
2004). It is unclear whether the species undertakes
seasonal movements in any of its range, and it has been
suggested that Vietnamese records may solely represent
migrants or vagrants (BirdLife International 2001).

Here, results of recent surveys for the species in
northern Vietnam are presented, along with consequent
insights into its status, distribution, ecology and threats.

METHODS

Surveyors for White-eared Night Heron in China had no
success with speculative surveys, finding the species only
by following up promising information from local
informants (John Fellowes in litt. 2007). Thus, prior to
surveys in Vietnam, posters were put up across the
proposed survey area in government offices and public
places (cafes, bars, restaurants, shops and meeting halls),
explaining why this species needs to be conserved and
that it should not be hunted. Posters also illustrated
confusion species (Malayan G. melanolophus and Black-
crowned Night Herons Nyticorax nyticorax ) and offered
a limited number of rewards for sightings reported by the
public and confirmed during the project surveys. Rather
than mailing posters, to ensure they were actually put up
and visible, they were hand-posted in mid-February,
before the surveys were intended to start. A press release
was also circulated prior to the surveys, but no media
decided to run the story.

From 27 February to 4 April 2008, TTT and DFW
(‘the team’) visited sites in four provinces in northern
Vietnam where it was considered that White-eared Night
Heron might be present based on (a) the location of the
two previous Vietnamese records, (b) proximity of known
populations in China, (c) existing natural forested streams
(the species’s presumed optimal natural habitat), and (d)
presence of protected areas that may have reduced hunting
pressure (Fig. 1 ) . NDT initially accompanied the team at
each survey location in order to facilitate relationships
with local authorities. Visits to a further province, Tuyen
Quang, were not possible owing to difficulties in obtaining
travel permissions. The team aimed to (i) raise public
awareness about the species, and the need for its
conservation; and (ii) conduct field surveys for the species,
informed by feedback from local people.

In each study area, the initial main focus was on
interviewing local people to raise awareness about the
possible presence of White-eared Night Heron and to
assess local knowledge of the species. These interviews
generally took place away from villages in the mornings
(when local people were working in the fields or forest),
both in and away from villages in the afternoons, and in
cafes in villages in the evenings. Where possible, hunters,
fishermen and foresters were specifically targeted, along
with people living in houses in valleys close to the forest.
In addition, the team attempted, where possible, to
encourage interest in birds amongst local schoolchildren.

General bird observations and assessments of habitat
type and extent were made when the team was not

conducting interviews. On most evenings, from 1 8h00-
18h45, the team positioned themselves in locations
allowing a clear view, in attempts (either speculative or
guided by local information) to hear or see night herons
leave roost sites, and on occasions a spotlight was used to
search streams and lakes for feeding individuals.
Additional searches of possible roost sites were made
during the day.

From 9 to 12 April 2009, TTT and DFW revisited
two survey sites, followed by a number of other observers
after news of their sightings.

RESULTS

Disappointingly, no feedback was received in response to
the posters prior to the surveys, perhaps because they
were distributed less far in advance than had been planned.
However, distribution of the posters played a strong role
in informing local communities of the planned surveys
prior to their implementation, saving time in explanation
during the survey period.

Xuan Lac Commune, Cho Don District, Bac Kan
Province

From 28 February to 7 March 2008, the team worked in
Ban O and nearby villages in Xuan Lac Commune, visiting
areas at 200-700 m altitude. This area is within the 1,788
ha South Xuan Lac Species and Habitat Conservation
Area (a proposed local-level nature reserve), and adjacent
to the Ban Bung sector of Na Hang Nature Reserve.
However, Ban O was a large village in a relatively wide
valley, with rice paddies bordering a medium-sized stream.
The river valley narrowed considerably c. 1 km either side
of the village, with limestone cliffs and good quality forest
on either side. A side valley (towards the small villages of
Ban Ho and Ban He) held similar habitat. Otherwise,
forest along valley sides in this area was more or less
degraded. Approximately 6-10 km upstream, good quality
forest was found in the area of the 200 1 sightings ofWhite-
eared Night Heron, although some selective logging was
noted. The small valley at the site of the previous sightings
was dry at the time of these surveys.

On 4 March, the team were shown a White-eared
Night Heron skull (identifiable by its remaining feathers)
by a local hunter, who stated that he had shot it for food
two days previously c.l km south of Ban O, that the bird
had been a female containing four eggs, and that another
bird remained in the wild. The following day, the hunter
showed the team areas of the river where he had very
occasionally seen the species feeding during the daytime
and trees where he had (again very occasionally) seen the
species roosting. He also showed the team a tree where
the species had apparently nested in 2007, stating that he
had climbed up and taken four large young birds from the
nest for food. The nest was about 15 m up in a 20 m-tall
tree directly adjacent to the river. The stated foraging
areas were in the fast-flowing, narrow sections with
limestone cliffs or good quality forest on either side.

At 1 8h25 on the evening of 5 March, while waiting at
a vantage point, the team heard a White-eared Night
Heron calling from the area explored the previous day,
and then spotlit the bird and observed it well as it flew
down the valley, still calling in flight. The bird was not
seen the following day, in inclement weather, but was

144

JOHN D. PILGRIM et al.

Forktail 25 (2009)

seen (although not heard) at the same time and place on
7 March.

Although the main threat to birds in the area appeared
to be ongoing deforestation, hunting has also clearly been
an issue for at least White-eared Night Heron. The hunter
referred to above was, as promised on the posters, given
a small reward for showing the team a live bird, and made
fully aware of relevant laws and the need to preserve the
species in the future. His response was very positive, but
of course the lasting impact on him remains uncertain.

Upon their return in 2009, TTT and DFW heard
from the hunter that he had seen up to six birds in the
summer of 2008 and had still seen some birds within 200
m of the same site in 2009.

Nam Mau Commune, Ba Be District, Bac Kan
Province

From 8 to 13 March 2008, the team worked in Ba Be
National Park, and Bo Lu and Coc Toe villages, in Ba Be
District, to the south-west of Ba Be lake, at the bottom of
the same valley explored in Xuan Lac, at an altitude of
c. 1 50 m. The area surveyed was inside the national park,
with a number of ponds near Coc Toe Village. The river
valley from Xuan Lac was steep-sided but flat-bottomed,
with rice fields alongside the river and good quality forest
on the valley sides, near Ba Be lake. Outside the park,
forest was extremely degraded or absent and similar small
ponds were not seen.

Although the team only received vague reports of
White-eared Night Heron in the first two days in this
area, they decided to hold a speculative watch at dusk on
1 0 March at the bottom of the river valley next to Ba Be
lake, a site with a good view of the surrounding area. Only
a Black-crowned Night Heron was recorded leaving its
roost, but on 1 1 March at 18h25 a White-eared Night
Heron was heard calling downstream from forest
immediately adjacent to Ba Be lake. It called four or five
times, including at least twice in flight as it flew high
upstream overhead. With a spotlight, good views were
obtained of the white throat, chestnut sides to neck, black-
and-white head pattern, chestnut underwing coverts, and
scaling on the breast and belly. On the evening of 12
March, two night herons were seen but neither called and
could not be caught in a spotlight.

A follow-up visit to this site by Paul and Chantal Griggs,
Nguyen Van Lam and Hoang Van Chat resulted in further
views of three night herons flying from roost between
1 8h20 and 1 8h30 on 24 March 2008, but they did not call
and were not identified. During this visit, information was
also obtained from a local man that he had previously seen
up to four individuals together in another part of Ba Be,
plus nests.

Upon their return in 2009, TTT and DFW heard
from Hoang Van Chat that he had found a nest the previous
year. On 9 April, they observed three White-eared Night-
herons leaving the same roost as in 2008, followed by
4 on both 1 0 and 1 1 April. Four birds were later observed
by JDP and Nicola Edwards on 18 April 2009, with at
least three confirmed to be adults. The birds flew out in
twos, with one bird in each set calling. Consequently, on
25 April 2009, Hoang Van Chat guided JCE, LMH,
Richard Craik and Ananda Van Boeyen to the same nest
that he had found the previous year, inside the core
zone of Ba Be National Park, where they photographed
an adult (Plate 1) and two very recently fledged

Plate 2. Two immature White-eared Night Herons in Ba Be National
Park, April 2009. (Jonathan C. Eames)

immature birds (Plate 2) . Two adults and two immatures
were later seen by Sarah Brook, Stephan Lauper, Simon
Mahood, Jill Rischbieth and Nicolas Wilkinson
leaving the roost area on 3 May 2009. The following day,
an inspection of the nest site revealed that all birds had
left the nest, although an immature was found roosting
nearby.

The recent sightings together reveal that at least two
pairs of adults were at Ba Be in 2009, with at least one pair
raising at least two young.

Luc Son Commune, Luc Nam District, Bac Giang
Province

From 17 to 21 March 2008, the team worked in and
around Dong Vanh village in Luc Nam District, at an
altitude of c. 120-200 m. The forest around the village
was largely degraded — more so than had been anticipated
from prior analysis of land use data — and deforestation
was ongoing. In only three small areas to the south and
east of the village was there good quality forest adjacent
to medium-sized streams. At higher altitudes, lots of forest
remained, but only with very small streams. The area
adjoins the Thanh Luc Son sector of Tay Yen Tu Nature
Reserve. However, although this reserve was decreed by
the Chairman of the Council of Ministers in 1 986, and a
management board and investment plan since established
at provincial level, its incorporation into the national
protected areas network has not been finally approved by
central government (Tordoff et al. 2004).

Forktail 25 (2009) The Endangered White-eared Night Heron Gorsachius magnificus in Vietnam

145

The only information received about White-eared
Night Heron in this area was from a local man who claimed
that the species had been present twenty years ago when
the area was still forested, but the team considered his
information too vague to be seriously considered.

Ky Thuong Commune, Hoang Bo District, Quang
Ninh Province

From 24 to 28 March 2008, the team worked in Ivhe
Luong, Khe Phuong, and adjacent hamlets in Ky Thuong
Commune, adjacent to Ky Thuong Nature Reserve, at
an altitude of c. 1 00-200 m. Deforestation was much less
evident than in other survey sites, presumably owing to
poor current road access and a small human population,
and a large amount of good forest remained. Three
medium-sized streams within good quality forest merged
to the east of Khe Phuong to form a larger stream which
descended through a rocky gorge, reminiscent of the area
in Xuan Lac where White-eared Night Heron was
observed on this survey. However, no relevant information
was received from local people, who appeared to have
very little knowledge of wildlife.

Dong Chum and Dong Ruong Communes, Da Bac
District, Hoa Binh Province

From 3 1 March to 4 April 2008, the team worked in Nhap
and adjacent villages in Dong Chum and Dong Ruong
Communes, north-west of the proposed Phu Canh Nature
Reserve, at c. 2 50-400 m altitude. Nhap was a large village,
with good forest nearby — along the steep-sided valley of
the Suoi Bao stream to the north, and the Suoi Nhap
stream to the south. Some rice paddies adjoin both streams,
and deforestation is now spreading in the general area. At
least one local person claimed to have seen White-eared
Night Heron in forest adjacent to a very small stream
south of Nhap, at c.400 m altitude, but the team did not
have high confidence in the accuracy of this information.
Nonetheless, this site looked similar to the location of the
2001 White-eared Night Heron sighting in Xuan Lac, and
further surveys may yet find the species here.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

These surveys, like recent surveys in China, were facilitated
by prior attempts to solicit local information on White¬
eared Night Heron, and local knowledge led to one of the
sight records of the survey team. Nonetheless, the team
experienced several issues with the reliability of local
information, in particular that Little Heron Butorides
striatus and Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus are, to
inexperienced observers, superficially similar and proved
to be common confusion species because they were not
included on awareness posters. Moreover, White-eared
Night Heron seems to be almost entirely nocturnal and
to change daytime roost trees regularly (even if staying in
the same general area), and so prior local sightings proved
of limited use in locating the species. However, the team
had success with speculative watches for White-eared
Night Heron leaving roosts at an area providing a sweeping
view. The success of this technique suggests that it should
be employed by future survey teams. Most surveys in
China have been later in the year, but surveys at a similar
time to those presented here may be optimal for locating
the species, owing to its loud territorial calls.

Contrary to suggestions that prior Vietnamese records
represent solely migrant or vagrant individuals, the results
presented in this paper prove that White-eared Night
Heron at least breeds, and is probably resident, in northern
Vietnam. Subsequent to the 2008 surveys, Nguyen Cu
photographed a juvenile bird in captivity near Na Hang
Nature Reserve, Tuyen Quang Province (Eames 2008),
but ill-advised confiscation by Forest Protection Staff
resulted in its death. As there are no records to the south,
in areas much better surveyed, it can be inferred that the
species is largely or wholly resident in northern Vietnam.
However, limited local knowledge of the species, and
assessment of its abundance as ‘rare’ by those local people
who were aware of it, suggest that the species is as rare
and patchily distributed as in the Chinese part of its range.

The hunter’s report of finding four eggs inside a female
White-eared Night Heron at the start of March, plus
observations of recently fledged young in late April 2009,
tallies with what little is known of breeding from China,
although breeding dates in Vietnam appear about a month
earlier. Bi Cheng Li et al. (2007) note clutch sizes of 3—
5 eggs, with hatching dates from 3-13 May and an
incubation period of c.25 days. He Fen-qi et al. (2007)
collate records of a nestling in May in Hubei Province,
and a 4-8 week old nestling in May, three young birds in
June, and a juvenile in August in Guangxi Zhuang
Autonomous Region. Likewise, the old nests pointed out
to surveyors in Vietnam and the nest found this year at Ba
Be accord with the observation of Bi Cheng Li etal. (2007)
that this species prefers to nest high in trees near to water.

These surveys were only able to confirm the presence
of White-eared Night Heron in Bac Kan Province, at two
sites 8 km apart. These records were very near the only
other recent record of the species in Vietnam, but c.240
km from the next nearest known records in Guangxi,
China (He Fen-qi et al. 2007), suggesting that other
populations exist — or at least have existed — in the
intervening area (Fig. 1). Local information in Hoa Binh
Province was tantalising, and could not be fully
investigated owing to short survey time and poor weather.
Knowledge gained from, and awareness raised by, these
surveys will greatly facilitate location of any other
populations of this species in the future.

All areas surveyed were, to varying degrees,
experiencing pressure from deforestation and hunting, as
is the case throughout Vietnam. Overfishing and heavy
use of agricultural chemicals are also widespread, and
may be additional threats to the species (Fellowes et al.
2001, Bi Cheng Li et al. 2007), but were not quantified
during these surveys. Protected areas such as Ba Be
National Park and, to a lesser extent, the South Xuan Lac
Species and Habitat Conservation Area have managed to
slow threats and should be supported in their efforts. It
is not clear to what extent deforestation is a threat to
White-eared Night Heron. Given that it has been recorded
breeding in plantation forest and urban areas in China
(He Fen-qi et al. 2007), and that both sightings in the
surveys detailed here were close to villages, hunting is
likely to be a much greater threat. Although the survey
team identified a few hunters who may have a large impact
on White-eared Night Heron populations (such as the
hunter in Ban O who had apparently accounted for five
birds and four eggs in two years), most hunting appeared
to be undertaken opportunistically during other activities
such as collection of non-timber forest products. With

146

JOHN D. PILGRIM et al.

Forktail 25 (2009)

hunting widespread in Vietnam, little government capacity
to enforce wildlife law, and local information that this
species is good to eat (unlike many herons in the region),
the prospects of reducing hunting appear low. However,
rewarding local people to find and protect nests of rare
species during the crucial breeding season has proven a
cost-effective approach to conservation in neighbouring
Cambodia (Clements et al. 2008).

The BirdLife International-Vietnam Programme is
helping Ba Be National Park to prepare for Ramsar
designation, and plans to develop a site-species action
plan for White-eared Night Heron at Ba Be. In northern
Vietnam, further surveys are needed to clarify the
distribution of White-eared Night Heron, particularly in
Bac Kan, Cao Bang and Lang Son provinces (all within
the known extent of occurrence of this species), and in
Hoa Binh Province (following leads from the surveys
reported here) . Given the (at least former) distribution of
the species as far south as southern Hainan, the possibility
that undiscovered populations remain in other areas of
northern Vietnam should not be ignored. Additional
surveys in Bac Kan Province and, ifpossible, neighbouring
Tuyen Quang Province are needed to assess the size of
the species’s population in that area, and its geographic
extent. Ecological studies of the species will be essential
in order to formulate detailed recommendations for the
species’s conservation management. Even without these
additional data, this breeding population of White-eared
Night Heron in northern Vietnam is a clear conservation
priority at both national and international levels. Nest
protection schemes such as those for other waterbirds in
Cambodia (Clements et al. 2008) would not only meet
immediate conservation needs, but also provide a good
basis for raising awareness of the species in local
communities. The Government of Vietnam should add
the species to its list of strictly protected species (Appendix
IB), and give real support to the nation’s valuable protected
areas network — a system which is currently severely
underfunded and being heavily impacted by infrastructure
projects such as roads and hydropower.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Surveys in 2008 were supported by funding from the Oriental Bird
Club and from the BirdFair/RSPB Research Fund for Endangered
Birds. Logistical support and guidance was provided by BirdLife
International in Indochina. DFW was granted a sabbatical by the
Headmaster and Governors of Ipswich School to conduct this research.
The authors are grateful to Nguyen Cong Mao for distributing the
posters, Ben King for supplying a recording of White-eared Night Heron,
Le Trong Trai for advice on previous records in Vietnam, Nguyen Van
Lam and Simon Mahood for subsequent information from Ba Be, and
Chan Pui Lok Bosco, John Fellowes, He Fen-qi, and Michael Lau for
providing advice from their experiences with surveys in China. A number

of government staff kindly facilitated necessary research permissions

and the work of the team in the field. The team particularly thanks

Hoang Van Chat and Nong The Dien of Ba Be National Park, and

Phan Van Luc of the National Museum of Nature.

REFERENCES

Bi Cheng Li, Ping Ping Jiang and Ping Ding (2007) First breeding
observations and a new locality record of White-eared Night-
heron Gorsachius magnificus in Southeast China. Waterbirds 30:
301-304.

BirdLife International (2001) Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife
International Red Data Book. Cambridge, UK: BirdLife
International.

BirdLife International (2007) Species factsheet: Gorsachius magnificus.
Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 30/4/2008

Clements, T., Garrett, L., Tan Setha, Kong Kim Sreng, Pech Bunnat,
Thong Sokha and Rours Vann (2008) Bird Nest Protection
Programme in the Northern Plains. Draft unpublished report to
the Wildlife Conservation Society Cambodia Programme.

Eames, J. C. (2008) White-eared Night Heron photographed at Na
Hang Nature Reserve. The Babbler 26:37-38.

Fellowes, J. R., Zhou Fang, Lee Kwok Shing, Hau, B. C. H., Lau, M.
W. N., Lam, V. W. Y., Young, L. and Hafner, H. (2001) Status
update on White-eared Night Heron Gorsachius magnificus in South
China. Bird Conservation International 11: 101-111.

He Fen-Qi, Fellowes, J. R., Chan, B. P. L., Lau, M. W. N., Lin Jian-
Sheng and Lee Kwok Shing (2007) An update on the distribution
of the ‘Endangered’ White-eared Night Heron Gorsachius magnificus
in China. Bird Conservation International 17: 93-101.

King, B. (2005) Vocalisation of the White-eared Night Heron Gorsachius
magnificus. Forktail 21: 177-178.

LeTrongTrai, Eames, J. C., Nguyen Due Tu, Furey,N. M., Kouznetsov,
A. N., Monastyrskii, A. L., Dang Ngoc Can, Nguyen Truong Son,
Nguyen Van Sang, Nguyen Quang Truong and Bui Xuan Phuong
(2004) Biodiversity report on the Ba Be/Na Hang Conservation Complex.
Report of the Creating Protected Areas for Resource Conservation
using Landscape Ecology (PARC) ProjectVIE/95/G31&031 . Hanoi:
Government of Viet Nam (FPD)/UNOPS/UNDP/Scott Wilson Asia-
Pacific Ltd.

MoST [Ministry of Science and Technology] and VAST [Vietnam
Academy of Science and Technology] (2008). Sach do Viet Nam.
Phan I: Dong Vat [Red data book of Vietnam. Volume 1 . Animals] .
Hanoi: Natural Sciences and Technology Publishing House. In
Vietnamese.

Pilgrim, J. D. and Nguyen Due Tu (2007) Threatened and alien species
in Vietnam: background and recommendations for the content of the
national Biodiversity Law. Hanoi: BirdLife International-Vietnam
Programme.

Tordoff, A. W., Tran Quoc Bao, Nguyen Due Tu and Le Manh Hung
(Eds.) (2004) Sourcebook of existing and proposed protected areas in
Vietnam. Second edition. Hanoi: BirdLife International in Indochina
and the Forest Protection Department of the Ministry of Agriculture
and Rural Development.

John D. Pilgrim, BirdLife International in Indochina, P. O. Box 89-6 Dinh Le, Hanoi, Vietnam. Email: pilgrim@birdlife. org. vn
David F. Walsh, 20 Netley Close, Ipszvich, IP2 9YB, U.K. Email: davidfwalsh@hotmail.co.uk

Tran Thanh Tu, Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity Resources, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Hanoi, Vietnam. Email:
trantubt@yahoo. com

Nguyen Due Tu, BirdLife International in Indochina, P. O. Box 89-6 Dinh Le, Hanoi, Vietnam. Email: tu@birdlife. org. vn
Jonathan C. Eames, BirdLife International in Indochina, P. O. Box 89 — 6 Dinh Le, Hanoi, Vietnam. Email:
eames@birdlife. org. vn

Le Manh Hung, Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity Resources, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Hanoi, Vietnam. Email:
hungniltava@yahoo. com

Forktail 25 (2009)

SHORT NOTES

147

New bird records for Alabat Island,
Quezon Province, Philippines

JAMES PAUL S. GOMEZ, ROGELIO V. SISON and DAVID J. LOHMAN

The Philippines has 576 bird species, 74 (12.8%) ofwhich
are threatened with global extinction. As many as 59
(30.7%) of the 1 92 endemic Philippine species are globally
threatened and a further 40 endemic species are near-
threatened (BirdLife International 2001). The Philippine
archipelago was originally almost entirely forested, but
large areas have been cleared for agriculture in the past
century. Estimates of current forest cover vary
considerably, but it is clear that forests have been
drastically reduced in almost every region of the country.
Satellite data from the late 1980s indicate that Mindoro
has retained 8.5% forest cover, Luzon 24%, Mindanao
29% and Palawan 54% (BirdLife International 2003).
Since estimates were made, further forest loss and
degradation has taken place as a result of increases in
farmland and pasture, and harvesting of timber and non¬
timber products.

Alabat Island (Fig. 1) in Quezon province has an
estimated land area of 210 km- and lies approximately 1
km off the coast of eastern Luzon. Few extensive avian
surveys have been conducted on the island in recent
history; Kennedy etal. (2000) listed only nine bird species
from the island. We report on a six-day faunistic survey
of Alabat Island, estimate the island’s forest understorey
avian diversity, and discuss the conservation value of the
island’s remaining forest.

METHODS

From 27 April to 2 May 2007, twelve four-shelf, 30 mm
mesh 12x2.6 mmistnets (Avinet, Inc., Dryden,NY) were
erected in the understorey of primary and adjacent
secondary forest sites around Mt Camagong, Alabat Island
( 1 4°8. 1 7 'N 1 22° 1 . 24'E; Fig. 1 ), at elevations ranging from
c.50 to 150 m. Mount Camagong is centrally located on
the island and has a single path over its c.300 m peak,

Figure 1 . Location of focal sampling location on Mt. Camagong, Alabat
Island, Quezon Province, Philippines (maps not to scale).

allowing access to forests along an elevational gradient.
Nets were positioned along ridges, paths and streams,
and two nets were located along a forest edge abutting a
clearing. Nets were opened at approximately 05h00 and
were checked at half-hour intervals until approximately
1 7h00, for a total of approximately 864 mist-netting hours.

We took photographs of each trapped bird and
collected a blood sample from the brachial vein of each
bird as photographic and genetic vouchers. Extracted
DNA from these birds was subsequently used for several
genetic investigations, including the development of new
COI barcoding primers for passerine birds. The total
body length from tip of the bill to tip of the longest tail
feather was measured while the living bird was flattened
against a ruler. Right wing chord length was measured
while the wing was flattened against a ruler, and tail length
was measured from the vent to the tip of the longest tail
feather using a ruler. The head length, bill length, and
tarsus length were recorded using a digital Vernier caliper.
Head length was measured from base of skull to bill-tip;
bill length was measured as the total length of the
unfeathered portion of the upper mandible. The body
mass of each bird was also recorded using a set of Pesola
spring scales. Twenty-one birds were collected, prepared
as museum skins, and deposited in the National Museum
of the Philippines (PNM) as voucher specimens (Table
1), and the rest were banded and released. Liver and
muscle tissues were preserved from all birds collected.
Residency status is gleaned from Kennedy et al. (2000).

The total species richness of forest understorey birds
in the sampling area was estimated using the Chao2 and
first-order jackknife non-parametric diversity estimators
calculated with Estimates 8.0 (Colwell 2006). These
indices apply different analytical methods to the numbers
of shared and unique species in sequential samples to
estimate the number of unsampled species in the
community (Colwell and Coddington 1994, Colwell et
al. 2004, Chao et al. 2005) . Walther and Morand (1998)
found that, of the ten or more methods for biodiversity
estimation, the Chao2 and first-order jackknife indices
gave the most reliable estimates when all methods were
compared with a variety of real and simulated datasets.
Further details of each method are provided with the
online documentation to Estimates 8.0 (Colwell 2006).

RESULTS

A total of 85 individuals from 24 understorey species
were recorded during the six-day survey (Table 1),
including 1 1 Philippine endemics and near-endemics,
four migratory species, and one globally threatened species
(Table 1). This survey adds 21 bird species to the nine
already known from Alabat Island (Kennedy etal. 2000);
these new records are marked with an asterisk (*) in Table
1 . Philippine Bulbul was the most common species, with

148

SHORT NOTES

Forktail 25 (2009)

Table 1. Status, morphometry and species information on birds mistnetted on Alabat Island from 27 April to 2 May 2007. Species marked with
an asterisk (*) were recorded from Alabat Island for the first time. Catalogue numbers refer to specimens vouchered in the National Museum
of the Philippines (PNM), and GenBank accession refers to cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) DNA barcode sequences (http://
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) for select specimens. Numbers in parentheses are standard deviations; n = total number of individuals captured; E =
Philippine endemic, NE = Philippine near endemic, R = resident, M = migrant; f = IUCN status Vulnerable (all other species = Least Concern) .

j:

Birds

n

Residency

status

Total length

(mm)

Wing chord

(mm)

Tail (mm)

Total head

(mm)

Bill length

(mm)

Tarsus lengtl

(mm)

Weight (g)

Catalogue

number(s)

GenBank

accession

Philippine Trogon

i

E

288

133

169

44.52

19.29

18.99

77

19905

Harpactes ardens*

Spotted Wood-Kingfisher

i

E

251.00

109.00

88.00

77.43

42.98

22.64

101.00

Actenoides lindsayi*

Indigo-Banded Kingfisher

i

E

138.00

57.00

25.00

58.93

32.58

15.44

16.50

Alcedo cyanopecta *

Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher

9

E

125.1 1

53.1 1

22.89

53.79

31.19

13.02

16.44 •

19898

Ceyx nielanurus' f

(4.86)

(2.26)

(2.42)

(1.66)

(1.08)

(1.45)

(L31)

Ruddy Kingfisher

1

M

269

119

74

85.64

50.16

23.21

78.5

19895

EU54

Halcyon coromanda *

1466

White-throated Kingfisher

1

R

264

113

77

90.36

56.1

19.66

67.5

Halcyon smymensis

Oriental Cuckoo

1

M

294

175

160

51.41

20.97

22.98

79

19903

Cuculus saturates*

Common Emerald-Dove

3

R

227.00

136.50

93.89

43.36

17.79

30.54

122.83

EU54

Chalcophaps indica

(11.31)

(0.71)

(3.01)

(1.68)

(1.51)

(1.87)

(3.33)

1467

White-browed Shama

2

E

174.50

76.50

80.00

38.26

14.43

30.09

24.00

EU54

Copsychus luzoniensis *

(7.78)

(0.71)

(0.82)

(0.18)

(0.94)

(2.83)

1451

Oriental Magpie-Robin

3

R

195.67

91.74

87.83

43.00

16.97

32.16

32.67

19891,

Copsychus saularis*

(5.51)

(3.91)

(0.72)

(0.72)

(0.51)

(1.60)

(4.16)

19896

Mangrove Blue Flycatcher

4

R

149.33

72.33

60.08

35.48

12.67

20.36

17.00

19902,

EU54

Cyomis rufigastra *

(6.35)

(2.08)

(1.26)

(1.13)

(2.13)

(0.70)

(0.82)

19888

1452

Red-striped Flowerpecker

3

E

85.67

50.00

25.67

25.89

9.84

16.26

7.33

19904,

Dicaeum australe*

(7.23)

(2.0)

(2.08)

(1.20)

(0.21)

(0.82)

(1.15)

19906

Black-naped Monarch

4

R

154.00

65.77

69.01

32.93

12.10

20.77

1 1.00

19892,

Hypothymis azurea *

(9.83)

(2.27)

(3.13)

(0.52)

(0.45)

(2.33)

(1.47)

19893

Philippine Bulbul

16

E

200.14

93.43

89.13

44.59

21.23

22.30

37.00

Ixos philippinus *

(8.55)

(5.35)

(6.60)

(1.52)

(2.66)

(L59)

(2.11)

Brown Shrike

6

M

188.17

87.33

89.50

39.21

15.48

30.84

28.08

19908

Lanins cristatus *

(7.73)

(4.41)

(5.21)

(1.57)

(0.55)

(7.79)

(2.42)

Grey Wagtail

1

M

176

78

85

33.44

13.47

21

15

EU54

Motacilla cinerea *

1458

Purple-throated Sunbird

1

R

96

48

34

29.24

13.38

15.72

6.5

EU54

Nectarinia sperata *

1459

Yellow-bellied Whistler

13

E

168.15

85.23

70.68

40.35

15.39

24.14

23.31

19907

Pachycephala philippinensis *

(4.47)

(4.46)

(3.00)

(2.74)

(1.08)

(1.15)

(1.58)

Lemon-throated Leaf-Warbler

1

E

1 18

62

43

29.3

9.34

22.27

28

EU54

Phylloscopus cebuensis *

1460

Red-bellied Pitta

2

R

154.00

93.50

35.99

42.10

19.04

39.30

53.75

19889

EU54

Pitta erythrogaster*

(0.71)

(2.81)

(0.12)

(4.05)

(0.12)

(1.06)

1462

Yellow- vented Bulbul

2

R

180.50

77.50

84.50

35.55

14.19

22.57

29.00

19900,

Pycnonotus goiavier*

(0.71)

(3.54)

(3.54)

(0.26)

(0.01)

(0.25)

(2.83)

19901

Yellow- wattled Bulbul

2

E

179.50

85.50

86.28

33.98

14.78

23.35

25.25

19890

EU54

Pycnonotus urostictus *

(4.95)

(2.12)

(9.51)

(0.40)

(0.65)

(2.32)

(3.18)

1463

Pied Fantail

2

R

191.50

85.00

104.50

34.13

11.94

24.67

16.50

19897,

Rhipidura javanica *

(6.36)

(1.41)

(0.71)

(1.10)

(0.42)

(0.70)

(0.71)

19899

Rufous Paradise-Flycatcher

5

NE

230.20

89.80

129.40

42.55

16.93

19.70

20.60

19894

Terpsiphone cinnamomea*

(38.45)

(4.15)

(36.44)

(0.80)

(0.85)

(1.33)

(2.27)

Forktail 25 (2009)

SHORT NOTES

149

I I

12 13 14 15 16

Figure 2. Species-abundance plot of birds mistnetted during six days
of sampling, showing a characteristic log-normal distribution.

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Figure 3. Species accumulation curve of forest understorey birds over
six days of sampling. Dashed line indicates total number of species
estimated with the first-order jackknife method.

1 6 individuals, followed by Yellow-bellied Whistler with
13 and Philippine Dwarf Kingfisher with nine. Six of the
nine species reported from Alabat Island by Kennedy et
al. (2000) were not found during our survey: Common
Kingfisher Alcedo atthis, White-collared Kingfisher
Halcyon chloris , Amethyst Brown Dove Phapitreron
amethystina , White-eared Brown Dove Phapitreron leucotis,
Island-collared Dove Streptopelia bitorquata and
Pompadour Green Pigeon Treron pompadora. These
previous records combined with our new records indicate
that nearly 40% of kingfisher species found in the
Philippines can be found on Alabat Island.

A species abundance histogram (as estimated by
capture rate) of the total dataset shows a typical log¬
normal distribution (Fig. 2), indicating that our sampling
effort was sufficient to apply species richness estimation
methods to extrapolate total community diversity. The
number of captured individuals per species is listed in
Table 1, along with the mean and standard deviation of
all morphological measurements taken, and the
conservation and endemic status of each species based on
the status given by Kennedy et al. (2000).

The Chao2 method estimated the total mean number
of forest understorey bird species to be 34, with a standard
deviation of 8, while the first-order jackknife estimated
alpha diversity to be 33 species (SD = 3) . These estimates

suggest that we sampled 70-72% of the total species
diversity of forest understorey birds at our site (Fig. 3).

DISCUSSION

Our estimates of species richness indicate that the total
number of forest understorey bird species on Alabat is less
than 40, but the island’s total avian diversity would include
additional species of forest canopy birds, shorebirds,
predatory birds and human commensals, none of which
we sampled or surveyed. On one occasion, one ofus (RVS)
heard hornbill calls, but the species could not be discerned.
Our failure to record six of the species previously reported
for the island is perhaps attributable to their restriction to
part of the island we did not sample, to local extinction, or
to chance.

Interestingly, the only species we captured listed by
IUCN (2007) as Vulnerable, Philippine Dwarf Kingfisher,
was the third most commonly sampled species. The
population on Alabat appears to be large and thriving. In
the experience of one of us (RVS), many of the species
recorded on Alabat, including Philippine Dwarf Kingfisher,
Himalayan Cuckoo, Philippine Trogon, Red-bellied Pitta
and Rufous Paradise-flycatcher, are typically found only in
relatively undisturbed primary forest. This indicates that
the forests of Alabat Island remain suitable for these habitat
specialists, and are likely to harbour substantial diversity in
other taxa of vertebrates and invertebrates.

We suggest that the remaining primary forest of Alabat
Island be protected. Aerial photographs (accessible using
Google Earth; http://earth.google.com) indicate that most
(>80%) of this hilly island is forested, and the presence of
large timber trees suggests that our study site has not been
extensively logged. It is likely that the steep terrain over
much of this island has prevented conversion of the forest
for agricultural purposes, although the large families of local
human inh abitants suggest that a population explosion could
create new pressures for agricultural land and timber. Further
surveys of other animal and plant taxa would provide a
fuller basis for conservation measures on Alabat Island.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We thank Venancio U. Samarita, Virgilio Palpal-latoc, Corazon S. Alvina
and other staff of the National Museum of the Philippines for their
assistance. Arvin C . Diesmos, Carmela Espanola, Dan Lagunzad, Mary
Rose Posa and Steve Pryor provided helpful comments on a previous
version of this manuscript. This research was conducted under
Gratuitous Permit No. R4A-2005-02 from the Philippine Department
of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Protected Areas and
Wildlife Bureau; specimens were transported under Wildlife T ransport
Permit No, 2007-01 from the DENR Community Environment and
Natural Resources Office, Gumaca, Quezon. The expedition on which
these data were collected was funded by grant R-l 54-000-270-1 12
from the Singapore Ministry of Education.

REFERENCES

BirdLife International (2001) Threatened birds of Asia: the BirdLife
International Red Data Book. Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International.
BirdLife International (2003) Saving Asia ’s threatened birds: A guide for
government and civil society. BirdLife International.

150

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Forktail 25 (2009)

Chao, A., Chazdon, R. L., Colwell, R. K. and ShenT.-J. (2005) Anew
statistical approach for assessing similarity of species composition
with incidence and abundance data. Ecol. Lett. 8: 148-159.

Colwell, R. K. (2006) EstimateS: Statistical estimation of species
richness and shared species from samples. Version 8. Persistent
URL <purl. oclc.org/estimates>

Colwell, R. K. and Coddington, J. A. (1994) Estimating terrestrial
biodiversity through extrapolation. Philos. Trans. Roy. Soc. 345:

101-118.

Colwell, R. K., Mao, C.-X. and Chang, J. (2004) Interpolating,
extrapolating, and comparing incidence-based species accumulation
curves. Ecology 85: 2717-2727 .

James Paul S. Gomez, Institute of Biology, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines. Email:
jsgomez@up. edu.ph

Rogelio V. Sison, National Museum of the Philippines Zoology Division, P. Burgos St., Manila 1000, Philippines

David J. Lohman, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore
117543, Republic of Singapore. Email: lohman@nus.edu. sg

IUCN 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of threatened species.

www.iucnredlist.org. [accessed 13 February 2008].

Kennedy, R., Gonzales, P., Dickinson, E., Miranda, H. and Fisher, T.
(2000) A guide to the birds of the Philippines. Oxford, UK: Oxford
University Press.

Lohman, D. J., Prawiradilaga, D. M. and Meier, R. (2009) Improved
COI barcoding primers for Southeast Asian perching birds (Aves:
Passeriformes). Mol. Ecol. Res. 9: 37-40.

Walther, B. A. and Morand, S. (1998) Comparative performance of
species richness estimation methods. Parasitology 116: 395-405.

Additional altitudinal records from Seram,
South Maluku, Indonesia

lOHN BOWLER

Further to the welcome set of new island records and new
altitudinal records from South Maluku (Rheindt and
Hutchison 2007a), I present some additional records from
Seram (2-3°S 127-130°E). These records were obtained
during ornithological research conducted on Seram in
July-September 1987 as part of an Operation Raleigh
expedition and all altitudinal data pertain to areas within
the Manusela National Park in the centre of this island.
Rheindt and Hutchinson (2007a) generally refer to the
altitudinal data given in Coates and Bishop (1997), which
in turn were frequently sourced from Bowler and Taylor
(1989, 1993). Baseline altitudinal data for all species on
Seram are given by White and Bruce (1986).

Altitudinal data in 1987 were mostly obtained from
work conducted on the northern face of the Merkele
Ridge between the villages of Roho (300 m), Kanikeh
(700 m) and the summit ridge of Gunung Binaia at
2,850 m, between 25 July-14 August 1987, and from
the separate ridge of Gunung Kobipoto (1,470m) on
15-24 August 1987. Averages of the readings of three
altimeters were taken for each observation. Most of these
data have appeared elsewhere, e.g. Bowler and Taylor
( 1989, 1993), but I present some previously unpublished
information here, gleaned from my field notebooks, as
well as referring to the results where relevant of the 1 996
Cambridge University expedition to north-east Seram
(Isherwood et al. 1997).

The island of Seram remains comparatively little visited
and further fieldwork will undoubtedly add to our current
knowledge of the altitudinal range of bird species on this
island.

Red-breasted Pygmy Parrot Micropsitta bndjnii pileata
Up to six tiny parrots were observed and heard in the
upper canopy of intact lower montane forest above

Kanikeh at 1,500 m on 4 August 1987, which were
assumed to be this species. Although, not specifically
identified at the time, subsequent observations of a single
bird of this species on Gunung Kobipoto (Bowler and
Taylor 1 989), plus frequent observations of the only other
small parrot species on the island, the Red-flanked
Lorikeet Charmosyna placentis, a lowland forest species,
leave the identification as this species most likely. This
record suggests that the upper altitudinal limit of Red¬
breasted Pygmy Parrot on Seram may be well above the
900 m given in Coates and Bishop (1997), as indeed it is
on Burn (1,200 m in Coates and Bishop 1997).

Island Leaf-warbler Phyllopscopus poliocephalus
ceramensis

The lower altitudinal limit of this species on Seram was
given erroneously as 7 00 m in Bowler and Taylor (1989).
The authors overlooked two of their own records of this
species in bird parties in lowland forest near Roho at an
altitude of 350 m on 25-26 July 1987, whilst Isherwood
et al. (1997) recorded this species at 300 m near Wae
Fufa, north-east Seram, in 1 996. The altitudinal limits of
this species clearly extend to much lower elevations on
Seram than either on Burn, where P. p. everetti was not
recorded in areas visited up to 1,200 mbyjepson (1993),
although Coates and Bishop (1997) list this race as
occurring down to 700 m, or on Bacan, where P. p.
waterstradti is recorded as occurring between 1,500 and
2,100 m (Coates and Bishop 1997). The situation on
Seram appears to be more like that on Halmahera, where
Lambert and Yong (1989) recorded P. p. henrietta down
to 550 m, and Coates and Bishop (1997) report it down
to 300 m. These differences in altitudinal tolerance,
together with reported variation in both plumage and
song between the island populations (see Rheindt and

Forktail 25 (2009)

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151

Hutchison 2007b), indicate that this complex species
group is worthy of further study.

Snowy-browed Flycatcher Ficedula hyperythra
negroides

The upper altitudinal limit of this species on Seram was
given erroneously as 2,000 m, instead of 2,300 m, in
Bowler and Taylor (1989), an error transferred to Coates
and Bishop (1997) but corrected to 2,300 m by Rheindt
and Hutchinson (2007a). Birds of this species were
frequently seen above 2,000 m on Gunung Binaia in
August 1987, featuring regularly on transects conducted
at 2,100 m and 2,200 m. No birds were observed above
2,300 m, however, despite extensive fieldwork at these
higher elevations. Birds were also regularly observed at
lower elevations as well, commonly down to 1 ,000 m and
occasionally to 700 m (Bowler and Taylor 1989),
indicating that the altitudinal centre of the range of this
species on Seram lies somewhat below 2,000 m.

Cinnamon-chested Flycatcher Ficedula buruensis
ceramensis

The upper altitudinal limit of this species was raised to
c. 1,250 m on Gunung Kobipoto by Rheindt and
Hutchinson (2007a), and the authors go on to state that
this race seems to be restricted to bamboo vegetation in
montane forest. In 1987, this species was found to be
commonest in submontane forest near Kanikeh at 650-
850 m, where it was often found within stands of bamboo.
It was also observed less frequently in intact forest at this
altitude outside bamboo stands, as well as in secondary
garden areas within the enclave. At Wae Fufu, north-east
Seram, Isherwood et al. (1997) commonly found this
species in primary lower montane forest above 800 m in
August 1996, with birds generally seen low down in
patches of small tree-ferns but also flicking between the
stems of ginger herbs at 1 .0-1.5 m from the forest floor.
An adult bird was observed in intact lowland rainforest at
200 m north of Gunung Kobipoto on 20 August 1987,
and an immature bird was observed in lowland rainforest
at 100 m near Solea on 30 August 1987 (Bowler and
Taylor 1989), whilst an adult was observed in bamboo at
Hoti, north-east Seram, at just 30 m elevation on 23 July
1 996 (Isherwood etal. 1 997). This species would therefore
appear to occur at a wide range of elevations on Seram
and in a variety of vegetation types, as it is reported to do
on Buru, where the nominate race has been observed in
degraded lowland forest near the coast (Jepson 1993) as
well as in forest at higher altitudes.

Olive Honeyeater Lichmera argentauris patasiwa
This species is a small-island specialist, with records to
date in South Maluku confined to small offshore islets
around Seram. Rheindt and Hutchison (2007a) reported
birds of this species flying towards the mainland from the
islet of Pulau Opin near Sawai, an act mirrored by a bird
seen flying from the islet of Pulau Lusaoloate on 16
September 1987 (Bowler and Taylor 1989), the type locality
for this race (White and Bruce 1 986) . It seems likely, despite
the absence of records to date, that birds must regularly
visit coastal habitats on the main island of Seram.

Scarlet Myzomela Myzomela dibapha elisabethae
The upper altitudinal limit of this species was raised to
2,300 m on Gunung Binaia by Rheindt and Hutchinson
(2007a), and the authors go on to state that they doubt
the species occurs below 1,800 m on this mountain as a
result of habitat constraints, despite it occurring at 1 ,000-
1 ,400 m on the lower isolated ridge of Gunung Kobipoto.
In August 1987, this species was commonly seen on the
northern slope of Gunung Binaia at 1,200-1,400 m
elevation, including a group of 10 birds containing three
red males taking nectar from tree-heather flowers at
1,200 m on 3 August 1987. Isherwood et al. (1997)
recorded 1 5 sightings of this species on forested ridges at
800-1,000 m during fieldwork at Wae Fufa, north-east
Seram, in August 1 996. In addition, this species was also
present on occasion as low as 650-700 m at the edges of
the enclave near Kanikeh, where birds, including red
males, were observed feeding high up in the crowns of
flowering trees in July-August 1987 (see Bowler and
Taylor 1989). This species would appear to have a similarly
wide altitudinal tolerance on Seram, as it does on Buru,
where M. d. wakoloensis has been recorded from the
lowlands to 1,500 m (Coates and Bishop 1997).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank John T aylor for his help and companionship in the
field, the Operation Raleigh organisation and its members in the field
in Seram for providing vital logistical support, and the Directorate-
General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHPA) in
Bogor, Ambon and Seram for their support and assistance.

REFERENCES

Bowler, J. and Taylor, J. (1989) An annotated checklist of the birds of
the Manusela National Park, Seram (birds recorded on the
Operation Raleigh Expedition). Kukila 4: 3-29.

Bowler, J. and Taylor, J. (1993) The avifauna of Seram. Pp. 143-160
in I. D. Edwards, A. A. Macdonald and J. Proctor, eds. Natural
history of Seram. Andover, UK: Intercept.

Coates, B. J. and Bishop, Iv. D. (1997) A guide to the birds of Wallacea.

Alderley, Queensland: Dove Publications.

Isherwood, I. S., Willis, J. D. A, Edwards, T. R. K., Ekstrom, J. M. M.,
Kuriake, S., Lubis, I. R., Notanbun, H., Putnarubun, J., Robinson-
Dean, J. C. and Tobias, J. A. (1997) Biological surveys and
conservation priorities in north-east Seram, Maluku, Indonesia.
Cambridge, UK: CSB Conservation Publications.

Jepson, P. ( 1 993) Recent ornithological observations from Buru. Kukila
6: 85-109.

Lambert, F. and Yong,D. (1989) Some recent bird observations from
Halmahera. Kukila 4: 30-33.

Rheindt, F. E. and Hutchinson, R. O. (2007a) New island records and
new altitudinal records of birds from South Maluku, Indonesia.
Forktail 23: 158-161.

Rheindt, F. E. and Hutchinson, R. O. (2007b) A photoshot odyssey
through the confused avian taxonomy of Seram and Buru (southern
Moluccas). BirdingASIA 7: 18-38.

White, C. M. N. and Bruce, M. D. (1986) The birds of Wallacea. London:
British Ornithologists’ Union (Checklist no. 7).

John Bowler, Pairc na Coille, Balephuil, Isle of Tiree, Argyll PA77 6UE, UK Email: john.bowler@rspb.org.uk

152

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Forktail 25 (2009)

Long-billed Plover Charadrius placidus nesting in
its Himalayan wintering range: first breeding record

for the Indian Subcontinent

JAMES A. EATON and FRANK E. RHEINDT

The Long-billed Plover Charadrius placidus is a little-known
Eastern Palaearctic shorebird. Its breeding range is restricted
to Japan, the Russian Far East and China north of the
Yangtze River and east of Sichuan (Meyer de Schauensee
1984, Cheng 1987, Wiersma 1996, MacKinnon and
Phillipps 2000). Recently, the species has also been found
breeding south of the Yangtze River in Jiangxi province in
2007 and 2008 (Wilkinson et al. 2008, JAE pers. obs.).
While Japanese populations are probably sedentary,
mainland birds mostly winter to the south of their breeding
range in an area extending from eastern Nepal and north¬
east India to northern Indochina, southern China, South
Korea and Japan (Wiersma 1996). The species is reported
to breed from mid-April, using ‘...depressions on sandy
ground among pebbles and rocks...’ to deposit four eggs
(Wiersma 1996, Wilkinson etal. 2008). Hayman etal. (1986)
provided further details on the breeding habitat, indicating
that the plovers nest ‘. . .mainly on pebble beaches and spits
on lakeshores and in stony riverbeds . . . ’, while avoiding areas
of pure sand or large boulders.

On 3 1 March and 1 April 2007, JAE, FER and a group
of three other observers encountered up to five Long-billed
Plovers in an area of shingle bank on the edge of a fast¬
flowing river and in adjacent fields in Sangti Valley (western
Arunachal Pradesh, India) at 1,570 m (27°24' 21.65"N
92°16'50.45"E). The birds were flushed and relocated as
single individuals or in pairs. Later that year, in May, adult
birds continued to be seen at the same location (Peter Lobo
pers . comm.) . The area is well known as a wintering location
of the species, so the records were assumed to be of late
wintering birds before their departure to the breeding
grounds. The following year, however, on 1 1 April 2008,
JAE — leading a Birdtour Asia tour with seven other
participants — returned to the area of shingle bank and found

Figure 1 . Adult Long-billed Plover Charadrius placidus
close to pulli, Sangti Valley, 1 1 April 2008. (James Eaton)

two pairs of Long-billed Plover exhibiting territorial
behaviour (Figure 1 ) . The birds refused to fly off and instead
crouched down when approached closely. One of these two
pairs was found to be guarding a group of three pulli that
were presumably less than a week old (Figure 2).

This observation confirms breeding for the Long-billed
Plover in western Arunachal Pradesh, an area long
presumed to be an exclusive wintering ground of the
species and more than 1 ,500 km from the nearest breeding
grounds in north-east Sichuan. The phenological and
ecological aspects surrounding this breeding record appear
to be fairly typical for the species: the nest area was located
on a stony riverbed, and the three pulli, which presumably
fledged some time in early April, may well have originated
from an initial clutch of four eggs. Although breeding in
the Sangti Valley was only confirmed for the 2008 season,
it is also likely to have occurred at least in 2007 (Peter
Lobo and Mario Camici pers. comm.), when adult birds
were seen well into May, by which time breeding has
thoroughly progressed in their northern breeding grounds.

This breeding record of Long-billed Plover in
Arunachal Pradesh raises two interrelated questions. (1)
Is breeding in the wintering grounds of north-east India a
relatively new phenomenon, e.g. one that has arisen
recently as a response to anthropogenic causes such as
habitat conversion or climate change? (2) Does this record
constitute an isolated instance of breeding on the wintering
grounds (involving great geographic separation from the
breeding range), or does it reveal the forefront of a genuine
breeding range extension that also covers all the intervening
areas between the site in question and the northern
breeding grounds?

The definite answers to these questions cannot be given
on the basis of this sole breeding record and must await

Figure 2. Long-billed Plover Charadrius placidus pullus,
Sangti Valley, 1 1 April 2008. (James Eaton)

Forktail 25 (2009)

SHORT NOTES

153

further data from the field. However, the absence of
breeding records and the scarcity of non-breeding records
of this species from relatively well-visited intervening areas
such as western Sichuan, south-east Xizang and north¬
west Yunnan argue against a broad extension of the
breeding range from the north-east, but instead suggest
that breeding in Arunachal Pradesh is in geographical
isolation from the main breeding range. Similarly, the
absence of previous breeding records of this species from
the Himalayan wintering grounds, which include areas
such as Nepal that have historically received much
ornithological attention, strongly indicates that breeding
on the wintering grounds has arisen only recently,
potentially in response to climate change or
anthropogenically induced habitat change.

Instances of long-distance migrants commencing
breeding activity in their wintering grounds have been
known for decades, most famously exemplified by the
White Stork Ciconia ciconia breeding in South Africa
(Roberts 1941). However, anthropogenically induced
climate change has been documented to affect the
phenology, physiology and distributions of hundreds of
animal and plant species since the 1 990s (e.g. Visser et al.
1998, Dunn and Winkler 1999, Hughes 2000, Stevenson
and Bryant 2000). The Long-billed Plover’s nesting
habitat is restricted to the vicinity of rivers and lakes —
often in the neighbourhood of villages — and nesting birds
are conspicuous and easy to find. Therefore, it is
exceedingly unlikely that the species has been overlooked
as a breeding bird in vast areas of its range for centuries.
Instead, breeding in Arunachal Pradesh and potentially
in neighbouring areas is probably a recent phenomenon.
If so, this geographical extension of breeding activity would
fall into a time-frame that is characterised by a global
influx in patterns of distributional change in birds and
other animals in response to the rising levels of greenhouse
gases in our atmosphere (Hughes 2000) . It will therefore
be important to see if the coming years produce more
breeding records of this species from areas that have
hitherto been assumed to be outside of its breeding range.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to thank Mario Camici, Geoff Carey, Dave
Farrow, Paul Holt, Jesper Hornskov, Krys Kazmierczak
and Craig Robson for providing information. Peter Lobo
deserves warm thanks for arranging our visit to Arunachal
Pradesh and providing information.

REFERENCES

Cheng, T. H. (1987) A synopsis of the avifauna of China. Beijing: Science
Press.

Dunn, P. O. and Winkler, D. W. (1999) Climate change has affected
the breeding date of tree swallows throughout North America.
Proc. Roy. Soc. B 266: 2487-2490.

Hayman, P., Marchant, J. and Prater, T. (1986) Shorebirds: an
identification guide to the waders of the world. London: Croom Helm.

Hughes, L. (2000) Biological consequences of global warming: is the
signal already apparent? Trends Ecol. Evol. 15: 56-61.

MacKinnon, J. and Phillipps, K. (2000) A field guide to the birds of
China. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Meyer de Schauensee, R. (1984) The birds of China. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.

Roberts, A. (1941) Notes on some birds of the Cape Province. Ostrich
11: 124.

Stevenson, I. R. and Bryant, D. M. (2000) Climate change and
constraints on breeding. Nature 406: 366-367.

Visser, M. E., van Noordwijk, A. J., Tinbergen, J. M. and Lessells, C.
M. (1998) Warmer springs lead to mistimed reproduction in great
tits ( Pants major). Proc. Roy. Soc. B 265: 1867-1870.

Wiersma, P. (1996) Family Charadriidae species accounts. Pp.410-
442 in. J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott and J. Sargatal, eds. Handbook of the
birds of the world , 3. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions.

Wilkinson, R., Dowell, S., He, F.-Q. and Lin, J.-S. (2008) Long-billed
Plover Charadrius placidus breeding in Jiangxi province, east-central
China. BirdingASIA 9: 86-87.

James A. Eaton, 17 Keats Avenue, Littleover, Derby DE23 4EE, U.K. Email: janieseaton@birdtourasia.com
Frank E. Rheindt, Schafhohle 4, 74226 Nordheim, Germany Email: frankrheindt@yahoo.com.au

Three new bird records from the
Andaman Islands, India

M. A. RAJA MAMANNAN and LALITHA VIJAYAN

The Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal cover
6,408 km2, spread over >325 islands and rocks (21
inhabited) . During a study of the avifaunal diversity of these
islands between 2003 and 2004, we surveyed five major and
5 2 outer islands, relying on Ali and Ripley (1983), Grimmett
et al. (1998) and Kazmierczak and van Perlo (2000) for
identification and information on distribution and status.
In the study, we recorded 153 species, including three species
new to the archipelago (Vijayan et al. 2005). These latter
three species, evidently vagrants, are described here.

Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher Muscicapa ( Cyomis )
tickelliae

An individual was seen on a Ficus species in moist
deciduous/semi-evergreen forest near Sonapahar
Reservoir, South Andaman (c. 1 1°42'-1 1°43'N 92°36 -
92°38'E) on 19 March 2004 at 08h30. We observed it for
c. 1 2 minutes at a distance of 20 m while it foraged in the
area. The blue body, orange-rufous throat and breast,
prominent white belly, and the sharp tick tick vocalisation
accompanied by tail-flicking were diagnostic.

154

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Forktail 25 (2009)

Grey-headed Flycatcher Culicicapa ceylonensis
An individual was observed perched on bushes in forest on
12 March 2004 at 07h30 near Nayasahar Reservoir,
Silviculture Division, Sippighat, South Andaman
(c.ll°34'N 92°40'E). We watched it for c.25 minutes in
poor weather and light conditions. Despite poor visibility,
the prominent ashy grey on the head, throat and breast, and
yellowish belly and rump, were diagnostic of this species.

Blue-fronted Robin Cinclidium frontale
A male was sighted at close range in moist deciduous
forest at Chidiyatapu, South Andaman (c.ll°30'N
92°42'E) on 3 and 4 December 2003. The long graduated
tail (lacking white), deep blue upperparts, deep slaty blue
on the belly and whitish tail-coverts were diagnostic.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This paper is dedicated to the late Dr. Ravi Sankaran. The study was
funded by the NBDB, Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science

and Technology, Govt, of India. We thank the Department of
Environment and Forests, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Andaman
District Administration and our field assistants for support during
fieldwork. We are grateful to two anonymous reviewers for their valuable
comments on this paper.

REFERENCES

Ali, S. and Ripley, S. D. (1983) Handbook of the birds of India and
Pakistan. Compact edition. Vols 1-10. New Delhi: Oxford
University Press.

Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C. and Inskipp, T. (1998) Birds of the Indian
subcontinent. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Kazmierczak, K. and van Perlo, B. (2000) A field guide to the birds of
India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and the
Maldives. Sussex: Pica Press.

Vijayan, L., Prasad, S. N., Raja Mamannan, M. A. and Kausik, P.
(2005) Avifaunal diversity of the Andaman Islands and their
conservation. Final Technical Report. Coimbatore, India: Salim
Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History.

M. A. Raja Mamannan, and Lalilha Vijayan, Division of Conservation Ecology, Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and
Natural History, Anaikatty, Coimbatore, 641 108, India. Email: rajamamannan@yahoo. co. in

Spectacled Finch Callacanthis burtoni :
another new country record for Bhutan

K. DAVID BISHOP

At 07h30 on the morning of 1 9 April 2008 at an elevation
of c. 3,000 m I was driving a tour party from the Paro
Valley in western Bhutan slowly uphill through an
extensive stand of mature silver fir, hemlock and
rhododendron forest on the road to Chelila at c.4,000 m.
We were looking for pheasants along the roadside when
my attention was drawn to a finch-like bird foraging on
the edge of the bitumen. Initially I was distracted by the
presence of several Himalayan Monal Lophophorus
impejanus nearby but after they dispersed I focused my
attention on this distinctive and somewhat familiar
passerine. At first I could not place it, but knew I had seen
it illustrated. Checking Rasmussen and Anderton (2005)
while the bird was still a few metres in front of me, I
realised that we were looking at a female Spectacled (or
Red-browed) Finch Callacanthis burtoni. I and several
members of the tour then took a series of images,
unfortunately all through the front window of the bus and
thus less than ideal (one photograph supplied to the
editors).

The bird was a stocky, drab-coloured medium-sized
passerine with three immediately noticeable features: a
quite striking area of yellow-orange skin surrounding the
eye; a heavy yellowish bill; and a pronounced, rather
splotchy white band across what seemed to be the greater
coverts. Other features were the dark crown and cheek,
which highlighted the colour of the facial skin; the slightly

grey-brown nuchal collar; dark wings highlighted by
white tips to the primaries; finely streaked dusky-
brown underparts; and pink legs. The bird continued
hopping on the roadside, picking at the ground and
seemingly feeding on seeds. We watched it for some
20 minutes.

Spierenburg (2005) in his recent review of the Bhutan
avifauna does not mention Spectacled Finch, and this
would appear to be the first published record of this species
for Bhutan and the most easterly record of this species.
Spectacled Finch is endemic to the Indian subcontinent
(Rasmussen and Anderton 2005) and ranges from north¬
west Pakistan, Chitral and Safed Koh (possibly also into
extreme eastern Afghanistan) and south-east along the
Himalayas marginally to Sikkim where it is known from
one record (but see below) . In parts of its range it is erratic
in occurrence and east of Kumaon, Uttar Pradesh, it is
verylocal (Clementeru/. 1993, Rasmussen and Anderton
2005), although there appear to be increasing numbers of
observations from this region (Manoj Sharma pers.
comm.; orientalbirdimages.org). In Pakistan Spectacled
Finch is local and generally a scarce resident, and
undergoes small altitudinal movements, summering from
2,740 m up to the tree-line. In north-west India it is locally
frequent in Kashmir and breeds from 2,400 m up to the
tree-line and winters from 3,000 m down as low as 800 m
(Grimmett et al. 1998). In Nepal this species is chiefly a

Forktail 25 (2009)

SHORT NOTES

155

local and erratic winter visitor with just one summer record
(Inskipp and Inskipp 1985). However, recent observations
in the Annapurna Conservation Area indicate that
Ghorepani in particular is a regular wintering area for
small numbers, with a maximum count of 1 1 during
February 2001 (Basnet 2002), and there is evidence it
may also breed there (Rossetti 1978, Inskipp and Inskipp
2003, Martin Naylor pers. comm.).

In addition there have been several recent records
within the extreme east of the species’s known winter
range. On 31 December 2007 four males and four females
were observed in conifers c. 8 km from Lava on the
Alghara-Lava road (J. W. den Besten Orientalbirding
message 9691); a flock of c.20 was photographed at the
Darjeeling Botanical Gardens on 12 February 2008
(Manjula Mathur pers. comm, to Sumit Sen, 22 February
2008), and on 21 March 2008 a male was photographed
near Yuksam, West Sikkim (Dipankar Ghose pers.
comm.). The latter is the only record for Sikkim since
that of Stevens (1925). Clement et al. (1993) state that
movements of this species are poorly known or understood
and probably only of short distance or altitudinal range.
Observations presented here show that this species occurs
more regularly and further to the east in winter than was
earlier thought. Why it moves so far east in winter is
unclear. Some observers have suggested that this is in
response to exceptionally heavy snow conditions,
especially in the north-west of the subcontinent, or possibly
to food scarcity in its ‘normal’ winter range or to food
abundance in the form of bumper crops of conifer seeds.
Probably it is a combination of these factors and that it
has been overlooked owing to the lack of observers at
higher elevations during winter.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I thank all those who so generously contributed their records and/or
corresponded with me regarding winter records of this species: Dipankar
Ghose, Manoj Sharma, Sumit Sen, Ravi Chand Potluri, Peter Kaestner
and Martin Naylor. I also thank Victor Emanuel, for whom I have led
tours annually in Bhutan since 1994, my driver Wangdi and our ground
agents Gangri Tours and Travel, and my clients on the VENT 2008
Bhutan II tour for sharing this exciting discovery.

REFERENCES

Basnet, S. (2002) Birding in the deepest gorge in the world. Danphe 1 1
(1): 8-10.

Clement, P., Harris, A. and J. Davis. (1993) Finches and sparrows: an
identification guide. London: Christopher Helm and A. & C. Black.
Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C. and Inskipp, T. (1998) Birds of the Indian
Subcontinent. London: Christopher Helm and A. & C. Black.
Inskipp, C. and Inskipp, T. (1985) A guide to the birds of Nepal. London:

Christopher Helm and A. & C. Black.

Inskipp, C. and Inskipp, T. (2003) Bird conservation priorities of the
Annapurna Conservation Area. Report to UNEP-WCMC/King
Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation/ Annapurna Conservation
Area Project.

Rasmussen, P. C. and Anderton, J. C. (2005) Birds of South Asia: the
Ripley guide. Washington DC and Barcelona: Smithsonian
Institution and Lynx Edicions.

Rossetti, J. B. O. (1978) Notes on birds recorded in Nepal, August
1978. Unpublished report.

Spierenburg, P. (2005) Birds in Bhutan: status and distribution. Bedford,

U. K.: Oriental Bird Club.

Stevens, H. (1925) Notes on the birds of the Sikkim Himalayas. Part

V. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 30(2): 352-379.

K. David Bishop, P. O. Box 1234, Armidale, NS W 2350, Australia, kdbishop@ozemail.com.au

Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula and
Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala :

new records for Vietnam

JOHN D. PILGRIM, PETER BIJLMAKERS, ANDREW CRUTCHLEY, GEMMA
CRUTCHLEY,TOON DE BRUYN and ANDREW W.TORDOFF

As explained elsewhere (Pilgrim et al. 2009), no formal
records have been kept of the distribution and status of
bird species in Vietnam, and the status or distribution of
a number of species, particularly migratory ones, is
unclear. In the last few years, a small number of resident
expatriate birdwatchers have focused considerable
attention on migratory birds, particularly in northern
Vietnam. This has resulted in a better understanding of
the status of a number of species (Pilgrim et al. 2009),
including records of three species not previously reported
for the country. One of these will be discussed elsewhere
(Bijlmakers and Kohler in prep.) and two are detailed
below.

Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula
On the morning of 2 1 February 2007, a Common Ringed
Plover was seen near the mouth of the Red River, just
north of Xuan Thuy National Park in Nam Dinh Province
(c. 20°29'N 106°55'E). The bird was flushed towards
AC, JDP and GC by a farmer from a muddy field that had
been flooded in preparation for planting rice. The
observers had been watching the field for a few minutes
previously, and had noted snipe Gallinago sp., Spotted
Redshank Tringa erythropus. Common Greenshank T.
nebularia , Wood Sandpiper T. glareola and Kentish Plover
Charadrius alexandrinus. When most of these birds flew
from the field, a small plover flew towards the observers.

156

SHORT NOTES

Forktail 25 (2009)

landing for less than a minute in the field of bare earth and
grass where the observers were standing, before flying off
to the south-east. While in this field, the bird was only
about 50 m from the observers. It was subsequently
searched for in the area it was thought to have landed, but
was not refound. At this time, shorebirds were widely
distributed across the area’s rice paddies, many of which
were in the early stages of planting and therefore offered
suitable habitat.

It was immediately obvious that this bird was a
breeding-plumaged adult Charadrius plover, and not a
Little Ringed Plover C. dubius, since it had a strong wing-
bar in flight, clearly bicoloured bill and no yellow around
the eye. The only real confusion species with Common
Ringed Plover is Semipalmated Plover C. semipalmatus,
a species which has been expanding its (tiny) breeding
range in far north-eastern Russia (Syroechkovskiy 2004)
and has been recorded as far west as Japan (Hashimoto
2007), the Marshall Islands (VanderWerf 2006), and New
Zealand (D. Bakewell in lit:. 2008). JDP is very familiar
with both species from extensive time spent in Europe
and North America. The key features noted on the Red
River bird were a deep black breast-band that looped
down evenly to become deepest at the front, a long, clear
white supercilium extending above and behind the eye,
and a thick, robust bill. These features, though variable
and somewhat subjective, are all strongly indicative of
Common Ringed Plover. Unfortunately, in the brief
period that this bird was present, it was not heard to call
and views were too brief to gain an objective assessment
of other more subtle features supporting separation from
Semipalmated Plover (e.g. extent of toe webbing, wing-
bar prominence, and differences in bill and overall
structure).

Common Ringed Plover does not appear to have been
previously recorded in Vietnam, and is rarely reported
across South-East Asia (MacKinnon and Phillipps 1 993,
Coates and Bishop 1997, Kennedy et al. 2000, Robson
2005). In Myanmar, it is known from just a single
observation of four individuals in April 1 944 in the north¬
west of the country (Smythies 1986), and there are only
three records from the Philippines (the first in 1969, and
then in 2002 and 2004; A. Jensen in litt. 2008). The first
record for peninsular Malaysia was in 1 984, but there are
now several records from there and several from Sabah
since 2005 (Wells 1999, D. Bakewell pers. comm. 2008),
as well as several confirmed or likely records from Brunei
(Smythies and Davison 1999). The species has also proved
to be an annual visitor in small numbers to Singapore
(Mauro 2000) and was first recorded in Thailand in
January 1997 (Mauro 2000) but has since proved to be
a regular, though rare, winter visitor to northern Thailand,
with the first record from Thailand’s Central Plain in
February 2000, at Khok Kham (P. Round/BCST Records
Committee in litt. 2007). The geographic and temporal
pattern of records presented above, particularly those
from Thailand, suggest that greater observer coverage in
Vietnam may reveal that Common Ringed Plover is a rare
annual visitor to at least the north of the country.

Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala
On the morning of 9 April 2006, two male Black-headed
Buntings were seen by JDP and AWT on an island in the
Red River in Hanoi (c.21°06'N 105°85'E). The birds
were seen briefly but clearly at a distance of about 20 m.

in old rows of tomatoes growing on canes, a habitat that
has also attracted Little Bunting E. pusilla and Black¬
faced Bunting E. spodocephala on this island. In both cases,
the combination of unstreaked yellowish underparts and
dark face and crown eliminated all other possible Emberiza
buntings. One bird appeared to be in almost full breeding
plumage, whereas the other was still heavily in moult,
with only patches of solid black on the face.

Subsequently, on the morning of 1 5 October 2006, a
female Black-headed Bunting was seen on Con Lu, an
island just offshore of Xuan Thuy National Park in Nam
Dinh Province. Soon after arriving on the island PB, TDB
and JDP observed a bunting perched at the top of a small
Casuarina equisetifolia tree for just over five minutes, at a
distance of about 1 2 m from the observers. The bird was
also photographed by PB. Like many other birds that
land on this small island with poor habitat, it then flew
west towards the mainland. The bunting had a uniform
pale yellowish wash across the underparts, noticeably more
yellow on the undertail-coverts. The underparts showed
no obvious streaking or spotting. The upperparts were a
warm pale brown, darker on the wings, with brown (not
very dark) streaking on the mantle and crown. The wings
were long, with a long primary projection suggesting a
relatively short tail. The bill was noticeably long and
relatively heavy.

The combination of unstreaked, yellow-washed
underparts and no visible white in the tail eliminates all
but female Black-headed and Red-headed E. bruniceps
Buntings. These are very similar in appearance, a situation
so complicated by the possibility of hybrids showing any
combination of features of the two species that
identification requires extreme caution. The two species
have a unique moult strategy among buntings (Byers et
al. 1995): juveniles undergo a partial moult into first-
winter plumage within a few weeks of fledging, and another
partial moult into adult plumage on the wintering grounds.
Adults moult partially between the breeding season and
migration to the wintering grounds. The moult is variable
and may be very restricted in females. It is followed by a
rapid complete moult on the wintering grounds, from
September (Svensson 1992) or October (Cramp and
Perrins 1994) onwards.

A bird observed in October in Vietnam is thus most
likely to be in worn plumage. A worn first-winter bird
would normally show streaking or spotting on the breast,
unlike this individual. Instead, our bird’s plain breast and
obvious white fringing to the median and greater coverts
suggest it was a worn adult female. Such clear white
fringing is usually indicative of Black-headed (rather than
Red-headed) Bunting but, in such worn plumage, it is
certainly not conclusive. Other features indicative of
Black-headed Bunting were the noticeably yellowish wash
across the underparts, particularly on the undertail-
coverts, brown mantle streaking, clear brown crown
streaking, long wings and primary projection, and long,
relatively heavy bill (Porter et al. 2004, Shirihai and
Gantlett 1993, Cramp and Perrins 1994, Byers etal. 1995,
Dernjatin and Vattulainen 2007). None of these features
is diagnostic but, taken together and in the absence of
features supporting Red-headed Bunting, they strongly
suggest that this bird was an adult female Black-headed
Bunting.

Black-headed Bunting breeds in south-eastern Europe
and Asia Minor, wintering in western and central India.

Forktail 25 (2009)

SHORT NOTES

157

Birds arrive in India from August-September, leaving in
March-April (Ali and Ripley 1974). Overall, the species
appears to have a propensity for overshooting during
migration, with the most distant records in Asia coming
from Japan and Sabah, Borneo (Byers etal. 1995, Dymond
1999). The species does not appear to have been previously
recorded in Vietnam (Robson 2005). The first record
from Laos was in a lowland dry harvested paddyfield at
Vangviang (Vientiane Province), in late November 1994
(Thewlis 1 995) . Two males were also recorded in legumes
among rice and grass stubble at Bung Gnai-Kiatngong,
Xe Pian, Laos in 2008 (Duckworth 2008) . Although there
have been some clear records of Black-headed Bunting in
Thailand (e.g. an adult male at Choe Lae, Mae Taeng,
January 2005), others have been of females or immatures
not identifiable to species (e.g. at Rangsit, Pathumthani,
in December 2004) or with feather damage possibly
indicative of captive origin (e.g. a Black-headed Bunting
in extremely worn female or immature plumage at Cho
Lae, Mae Taeng, Chiang Mai, in October 2004). The
first record of Black-headed Bunting in Thailand was of
a specimen from a market in the south. Although neither
Black- nor Red-headed Bunting has been recorded in
recent bird market surveys in Thailand, they apparently
both ‘occur in the cagebird trade in some neighbouring
countries’ (Bird Conservation Society of Thailand 2005) .
This includes one record of each species in trade for merit
releases in Cambodia (M. Gilbert and R. Thomson in litt.
2008) . In Thailand, Black-headed Bunting is thus retained
on the Thai list in Category D (‘species... for which the
possibility of escape or release from captivity cannot
satisfactorily be excluded’: Round 2000). Nonetheless,
Red-headed Bunting was accepted as a Category A (wild
occurring) vagrant to Thailand on the basis of a record of
two females or immatures in December 2004 in the north
of the country.

The possibility of captive origin also haunts the records
of Black-headed Bunting presented here from Vietnam.
This is particularly true of the male birds recorded in
Hanoi, on an island where — although significant numbers
of buntings and other migrant and wintering species are
regularly observed — other species likely to be of captive
origin have been recorded (e.g. Black-throated
Laughingthrush Garrulax chinensis and Baya Weaver
Ploceus philippinus : JDP pers. obs.). However, we know of
no records of Black-headed Bunting in trade in Vietnam
(pers. obs., BirdLife International-Vietnam Programme
unpublished data, Franklin 2005, Brooks-Moizer 2007).
Furthermore, the season, location, sex and behaviour of
the second record detailed above are strongly suggestive
of wild origin. Owing to a widespread trade in cagebirds
and birds for merit releases, the possibility of captive origin
will rarely be completely excluded in records of vagrant
passerines in South-East Asia. Nonetheless, the records
of Black-headed Bunting presented here, the trajectory of
its migration route and its well-known tendency for
vagrancy all suggest that it is likely to be a genuine vagrant
or rare winter visitor to Vietnam.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors are grateful for the continued support of the staff of Xuan
Thuy National Park, particularly Truong who has consistently gone out
of his way to ensure early morning access to islands at the park during

migration. For help with identification of the female Black-faced

Bunting, we thank Steve Gantlett and Richard Millington. Comments

from an anonymous reviewer improved this manuscript.

REFERENCES

Ali, S. and Ripley, S. D. (1974) Handbook of the birds of India and
Pakistan, 10. Bombay: Oxford University Press.

Bijlmakers, P. and Kohler, H. (in prep.) First record of Japanese
Grosbeak Eophona personata for Vietnam.

Bird Conservation Society of Thailand (2005) Report of the sixth
meeting of BCST Records Committee. Online at: http://
www.bcst.or.th/eng/act/brc_reportl .htm

Brooks-Moizer, F. (2007) Avian Influenza H5N 1 and the wild bird
trade in Hanoi. Master of Science dissertation, University of East
Anglia, Norwich, UK.

Byers, C., Olsson, U. and Curson, J. (1995) Buntings and sparrows.
Mountfield, East Sussex, UK: Pica Press.

Coates, B. J. and Bishop, K. D. (1997) A guide to the birds of Wallacea.
Alderley, Queensland, Australia: Dove Publications.

Cramp, S. and Perrins, C. M. (Eds.) (1994) The birds of the western
Palearctic, 9. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Dernjatin, P. and Vattulainen, M. (2007) Red-headed Bunting —
juvenile and female plumaged birds. Alula 13: 50-54.

Duckworth, J. W. (2008) A reconnaissance wildlife survey of the BCI
pilot villages in the BCI Xe Pian-Dong Hua Sao corridor.
Unpublished report to WWF Lao office.

Dymond, N. (1999) Two records of Black-headed Bunting Emberiza
melanocephala in Sabah: the first definite occurrences in Malaysia
and Borneo. Forktail 15: 102-103.

Franklin, E. (2005) Bird collecting in Bach Ma National Park and its
buffer zone. Hue Province, Vietnam. Paper submitted in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science,
Zoology Department, University of Hawai’i, USA.

Hashimoto, N. (2007) The first record of the Semipalmated Plover
Charadrius semipalmatus in Japan. J. Yamashina Inst. Om. 39:27-
30.

Kennedy, R. S., Gonzales, P. C., Dickinson, E. C., Miranda Jr., H. C.
and Fisher, T. H. (2000) A guide to the birds of the Philippines.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.

MacKinnon, J. and Phillipps, K. (1993) A field guide to the birds of
Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Bali. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Mauro, I. (2000) Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula: a new
species for Thailand. Forktail 16: 178-180.

Pilgrim, J. D., Bijlmakers, P., De Bruyn, T., Doppagne, S., Mahood,
S., and Tordoff, A. W. (2009) Updates to the distribution and
status of birds in Vietnam. Forktail 25: 130—136.

Porter, R. F., Christensen, S. and Schiermacker-Hansen, P. (2004)
Field guide to the birds of the Middle East. Princeton, U.S. A: Princeton
University Press.

Robson, C. (2005) Birds of Southeast Asia. Princeton and Oxford:
Princeton University Press.

Round, P. D. (2000) Field check-list of That birds. Bangkok: Bird
Conservation Society of Thailand.

Shirihai, H. and Gantlett, S. (1993) Identification of female and
immature Black-headed Buntings. Birding World 6: 194-197.

Smythies, B. E. (1986) The birds of Burma. Liss, Hampshire, UK,
and Pickering Ontario, Canada: Nimrod Press and Silvio
Mattacchione.

Smythies, B. E. and Davison, G. W. H. (1999) The birds of Borneo. Kota
Kinabalu, Malaysia: Natural History Publications (Borneo) Sdn.
Bhd. and The Sabah Society.

Svensson, L. (1992) Identification guide to European passerines. Fourth
edition. Stockholm: self-published.

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Syroechkovskiy, E. (2004) A summary of Spoon-billed Sandpiper (SBS)
conservation work in summer 2004. Tattler 41 : 6-7.

Thewlis, R. M. (1995) A Black-headed Bunting ( Emberiza
melanocephala ) record from South-east Asia. Nat. Hist. Bull. Siam
Soc. 43: 171 172.

VanderWerf, E. A. (2006) Observations on the birds of Kwajalein
Atoll, including six new species records for the Marshall Islands.
Micronesica 38 (2): 221-237.

Wells, D. R. (1999) The birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula, 1. London:
Academic Press.

John D. Pilgrim, BirdLife International in Indochina, P. O. Box 89-6 Dinh Le, Hanoi, Vietnam. Email: pilgrim@bird.life. org. vn
Peter Bijlmakers, c/o Royal Netherlands Embassy, The Ampwalk, 7th floor, South Block, 218 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia. Email: peterbijlmakers@yahoo.com

Andrew Crutchley and Gemma Crutchley, Poppy Cottage, 6 Upper Leazes, Stroud, Gloucestershire, England, GL5 1LA, UK.

Email: drew.crutchley@googlemail.com and gem.crutchley@googlemail.com
Toon De Bruyn, Flemish Association for Development Cooperation and Technical Assistance, IB Bac Son, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Email: toondebruyn@gma.il. com

Andrew Jack’ Tordoff, BirdLife International, Wellbrook Court, Girton Road, Cambridge, CB3 0NA, UK. Email:
jackbirdlife@hotmail.com

First breeding record of the Greenish Warbler
Phylloscopus trochiloides in alpine habitats,

southern Tibet

XIN LU

The Greenish W arbler Phylloscopus trochiloides is a medium-
size (9 g) Old World leaf warbler. Its breeding range covers
northern Eurasia, but there are two reproductively isolated
forms that are connected to the south by a long chain
(Baker 1997). Through this chain of populations, traits in
morphology, ecology, behaviour (Irwin 2000, Irwin et al.
2001) and genotype (Irwin et al. 2005) change gradually,
providing an interesting example of ‘speciation by force of
distance’. However, it seems that the species’s distribution
as currently recognised does not include high-altitude
populations in the Tibetan plateau.

Over the Tibetan plateau, data on breeding ecology of
this species have been collected in a few sites, including
Himalayan Kashmir (Price and Jamdar 1991) and
southern Gansu in China (Bi 2004). On 20 July 2006, I
found a Greenish Warbler nest in an alpine scrub-covered
valley (Xiongse, 29°27'N 91°40'E) near Lhasa, southern
Tibet. In the Lhasa area, alpine scrub has suffered heavy
degradation outside the valleys owing to long-term human
activity, but it persists inside the valleys like my study site
so that some birds vulnerable to vegetation degradation,
such as the Tibetan Eared Pheasant Crossoptilon harmani ,
are able to breed there (Lu and Zheng 2003).

The domed-shape nest (external diameter 1 18 mm,
internal diameter 60 mm, depth 87 mm) was located at
4, 1 00 m a.s.l. in alpine willow woodland near a stream on
a north-facing slope. As with congeners in other areas
(Price and Jamdar 1991, Bi 2004), it was placed on the
ground with small bushes for shelter, and had moss and
thin grass but no feathers as its main construction
materials. This differs from the sympatric Tickell’s Leaf
Warbler Phylloscopus affinis , which always uses feathers to
line its nest (Lu 2008). The nest held three nestlings.
They weighed 7. 9-8. 9 g, had dull upperparts and light
yellow underparts, and received food (green caterpillars

and flies) from both parents. The male parent (identified
by lack of a brood-patch) was trapped and measured in
mm: body length 1 18.0, tail 54.2, wing 61.3, tarsus 21.0
and bill 8.5. The species normally shows one wing-bar
but this individual showed two.

Typically, the Greenish Warblers are adapted to nest
at high altitudes. In Kashmir, they were observed to occur
in birches close to the treeline (3,300-3,600 m: Price and
Jamdar 1991); in southern Gansu they prefer to nest in
conifer forests at 2,000-2,500 m (Bi 2004) . My alpine site
(4,100 m) represents the highest breeding record of the
species. I have carried out fieldwork on alpine breeding
birds in this area over the past decade. Relative to TickelPs
Leaf Warbler, for which more than 50 nests have been
observed over 10 breeding seasons, Greenish Warbler is
rather scarce at this site, with this nest being my only
breeding record of this species there. Ticehurst (1938)
noted Gyantze near Lhasa as the site of a breeding record
(altitude 14,000 feet), but he also stated that the record
was uncertain as the specimen that was shot could not be
traced and no one has met with the species there since.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I am grateful to an anonymous referee for advice with this note.

REFERENCES

Baker, K. (1997) Warblers of Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Princeton:
Princeton University Press.

Bi, Z. L. (2004) Study on the vocalizations, breeding ecology and nest
evolution of Phylloscopus warblers. Ph.D thesis, Institute of Zoology,
Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Forktail 25 (2009)

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159

Irwin, D. E. (2000) Song variation in an avian ring species. Evolution
54: 998-1010.

Irwin, D. E., Bensch, S. and Price, T. D. (2001) Speciation in a ring.
Nature 409: 333-337.

Irwin, D. E., Bensch, S., Irwin, J. H. and Price, T. D. (2005) Speciation
by distance in a ring species. Science 307: 414-416.

Lu X. (2008) Breeding ecology of an Old World high-altitude warbler,
Phylloscopus affinis. J. Orn. 149:41-47.

Lu X. and Zheng, G. M. (2003). Reproductive ecology of Tibetan
Eared Pheasant Crossoptilon harmani in shrub environment, with
special reference to the effect of food. Ibis 145: 657-666.

Price. T. D. and Jamdar, N. (1991) Breeding of eight sympatric species
of Phylloscopus warblers in Kashmir. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 88:
242-255.

Ticehurst, C. B. (1938) A systematic review of the genus Phylloscopus.
London: Trustees of the British Museum.

Xm Lu, Department of Zoology , College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China, E-mail: luxinwh@l 63. com

Records of Black-browed Reed Warbler
Acrocephalus bistrigiceps from Luzon, Philippines

PHILIP D. ROUND and TIMOTHY H. FISHER

We detail records in 2008 and 2009 of Black-browed
Reed Warblers Acrocephalus bistrigiceps from Candaba,
Pampanga Province, Luzon, Philippines, made during
searches for Streaked Reed Warbler A. sorghophilus,
conducted jointly on behalf of the Wild Bird Club of the
Philippines and The Wetland Trust, UK.

On 24 April 2008 at c.07h30, THF and PDR heard
short, soft ‘chacking’ sounds from a small Acrocephalus
warbler in a narrow margin of Phragmites along a track at
the entrance to the ‘Mayor’s Pond’, Barangay Visal San
Pablo, Candaba (15°04'N 120°53'E). THF saw the first
bird, and this, then a second, flew across the track. The
initial assumption was that both were Streaked Reed
Warblers, since this was the only species of small
Acrocephalus then recorded in Philippines. The views were
fleeting (PDR never saw the first individual), but the second
individual showed a plain mantle and PDR’s immediate
impression was that it looked very like a Black-browed
Reed Warbler. THF made ‘pishing’ noises and at least
one of the two birds responded by singing. PDR made a
tape of the song with a Sennheiser ME 66 microphone
and a Sony MD player, and played the tape back. This
attracted the bird. Views were initially fleeting, but
eventually it climbed towards the tops of reed-stems where
it was seen initially breast-on and then later back-on, at
ranges of 5-10 m. The combination of the head pattern,
in which a broad, black lateral crown-stripe contrasted
with a pale central crown and a broad, long creamy
supercilium, and the unstreaked upperparts left us in no
doubt that it was a Black-browed Reed Warbler. Black-
browed Reed Warbler differs from Paddyfield Warbler A.
agricola and Manchurian Reed Warbler A. tangorum
(neither of which has yet been recorded in Philippines) in
its bold and long black brow, which contrasts markedly
with the pale central crown. It differs from Streaked Reed
Warbler in its plain (instead of streaked) upperparts which
lack a contrasting rufous rump; and from all three species
by its slightly shorter tail in which the individual rectrices
are broader and more rounded at the tip.

Erection of an 1 8 m mist-net in an attempt to catch the
bird took longer than expected as the net was tangled.
The minidisk player and a small speaker were placed on

the ground beneath the net, with the disk set to play
repeatedly the song PDR had just taped. However, there
was no obvious response and the bird ceased singing within
c.15 minutes of the net being erected and was not seen
again.

PDR and Madsen Bajarias returned to the site at 05h00
on 27 April and immediately erected 2 x 1 8 m superfine
small-mesh mist-nets and 1 x 12 m regular small-mesh
mist-net in series along the Phragmites-ihnged track. This
was again accompanied by continuous playback of the
same recorded song. THF and Jon Hornbuckle arrived
shortly afterwards. No small Acrocephalus were either seen
or heard until 06h45 when MB commenced to extract a
small bird from the net. JH approached and determined
that it was a Black-browed Reed Warbler and took over
the extraction. The bird was placed in a bag and was
examined at approximately 07h 1 5, by which time Carmela
Espanola, Michael C . Lu, Felix Servita and Joey Zaballero
were also present. A detailed plumage description and
biometrics were recorded (by PDR), after which the bird
was photographed (Plate 1) and released.

Plate 1. Black-browed Reed Warbler Acrocephalus bistrigiceps caught at
Candaba, Philippines, 27 April2008. (P. D. Round/The WetlandTrust)

160

SHORT NOTES

Forktail 25 (2009)

The trapped bird appeared significantly warmer-
coloured and less worn than the bird seen well on 24
April, suggesting that two different Black-browed Reed
Warblers were present. Wing length was 51 mm and tail
length 46 mm. The body plumage, coverts and tertials
were little worn, imparting a relatively warm brown tone
to the upperparts, suggesting that the bird had undergone
a moult of some or most contour feathers during the
winter. This also suggested that this was probably a
different individual to the bird seen well on 24 April (which
appeared greyer-brown above and whiter, less buffy
below). It is assumed, therefore, that two Black-browed
Reed Warblers were present (both the birds- the first
glimpsed only — seen on 24 April).

In 2009 an individual was located by PDR in a patch
of Phragmites in a water-filled ditch (c.400 m distant from
the previous sightings) at C.17h00 on 16 March 2009,
shortly after its short chacking calls were heard. It was in
view for only a few seconds, but the distinctive head pattern
and unstreaked upperparts left no doubt that it was a
Black-browed Reed Warbler.

These are apparently the first records for the
Philippines. The Black-browed Reed Warbler breeds
widely in north-east Asia, Central Asia, northern, central
and eastern China and northern Japan, and winters
commonly in south-east China and in the South-East
Asian mainland south to Sumatra (Robson 2000,

Dickinson 2003). Written accounts of both the 2008 and
2009 sightings (photographs and full biometrics and wing
formula of the bird in the hand) are filed with the Philippine
Bird Records Committee.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We thank Director Mundita Lim and Carlo Custodio of the Protected
Areas and Wildlife Bureau, Department of Environment and Natural
Resources Conservation. In Candaba Municipality we should
particularly like to thank Mayor lerry Pelayo and his staff, and Mr
Romulo C. Sanguyo, for their hospitality. Madsen Bajarias provided
assistance in the field in 2008; Desmond Allen, Carmela Espanola,
Linda Gocon, IxiMapua, Leni Sutcliffe, AlexTiongco and Jon Villasper
in 2009. Arne Jensen and Michael C. Lu organised the surveys, which
were funded by a grant to Wild Bird Club of the Philippines by The
Wetland Trust. We thank Stephen Rumsey for his support and
encouragement.

REFERENCES

Dickinson, E. C. ed. (2003) The Howard and Moore complete checklist of
birds of the world. Third edition. London: Christopher Helm.
Robson, C. (2000) Afield guide to the birds of Southeast Asia. London:
New Holland.

Philip D. Round, Department of Biology, Mahidol University, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok 1 0400, Thailand, Email:
frpdr@mahidol. ac. th

Timothy H. Fisher, 129, C M Recto St., BF Homes Subdivision, Fas Pinas City, Metro Manila, Philippines. Email:
timothyfisherph @hotmail. com

Counts of Steppe Eagles Aquila nipalensis at a
carcass dump in Jorbeer, Rajasthan, India

PRADEEP SHARMA and K. S. GOPI SUNDAR

The Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis (Hodgson 1833) has
an estimated global population of 100,000-1,000,000
individuals (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001) and is
regarded as the most common wintering Aquila eagle in
the Indian subcontinent (Naoroji 2006). In India, the
species has a widespread winter distribution in the
northern and central states (see Naoroji 2006) . Wintering
population estimates are not available, but counts of
migrating flocks over the Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh
(Donald 1923, ven Besten 2004) and Nepal (de Roder
1989, DeCandidocru/. 2001, Gurung etal. 2004) suggest
that at least thousands of eagles winter in India, and that
their arrival is staggered over October-November with
birds departing during February-March each year. Little
is known about the wintering ecology of the species.
Juveniles and adults of the Steppe Eagle are suspected to
prefer different wintering locations and habitats (Naoroji
2006). Other than some observations on the migrating
population in Nepal that suggest that young birds
predominate in wintering areas (de Roder 1989), little is

known of the age composition of the wintering population
of the species. In this study we estimated the abundance
of wintering Steppe Eagles every fortnight at a carcass
dump in Jorbeer, western Rajasthan, India over three
consecutive winters in 2003-2006. We specifically
ascertained ( 1 ) numbers of individuals at the site, (2) the
age composition of wintering Steppe Eagles, and (3)
whether eagle counts at Jorbeer follow patterns similar to
those observed during counts of migrating birds over the
Himalaya.

STUDY AREA

Jorbeer is a dumping site for cattle carcasses, situated
10 km from Bikaner city, Rajasthan (Figure 1). The site
is in the Thar Desert at 235 m above mean sea level, with
a landscape dominated by arid, undulating sand dunes
with sparse desert vegetation. The climate is dry with an
average annual rainfall of 260-270 mm and temperatures

23°0’0"N 25°0'0,,iN 27°0’0"N 29°0,0"N

Forktail 25 (2009)

SHORT NOTES

161

69°0'0"E 72°0'0"E 75°«'0"E 78°0'0"E

Figure 1. Map showing the location of Jorbeer (black dot) in India.

range from a minimum of 4°C in winter to a maximum
of 45°C in summer. Other raptors at the site included six
species of vultures (Egyptian Neophron percnopterns, White-
rumped Gyps bengalensis, Long-billed G. indicus, Eurasian
Griffon G.fulvus, Cinereous Aegypius monachus, and Red¬
headed Sarcogyps calvus Vulture), one species of resident
kite, and rarer species like Imperial Eagles Aquila heliaca,
Indian Spotted Eagles A. hastata and Tawny Eagles A.
rapax. The vegetation is mainly composed of scattered
trees, principally Salvadora oleiodes, Azadirachta indica
and Prosopis cineraria , shrubs such as Ziziphus nummularia ,
and grasses such as Lasiurus sindicus and Panicum
antidotale. Carcasses were mainly cattle but included
camels and dogs. Approximately 15-20 carcasses were
dumped each day at the site providing a regular and large
source of food to scavenging birds and mammals. Some
carcasses originated from veterinary colleges and hospitals,
and may have contained the drug diclofenac, which has
caused the rapid decline of vultures in south Asia (Green
et al. 2004, Oaks et al. 2004). Stray dogs were present in
varying numbers at the site. The Jorbeer dump varied in
size depending on the number of carcasses dumped but
largely ranged from 3 to 5 ha. Plate 1 shows an overview
of the site with some raptors.

Plate 1 . A view of the Jorbeer carcass dump showing various raptors.
(Pradeep Sharma)

METHODS

Steppe Eagles counts were undertaken fortnightly from
December 2003 to January 2006. Pre-determined routes
that completely covered the carcass dump site were walked
by the same two observers. Counts began at sunrise and
lasted for an hour. The age of each eagle was recorded
either as young (juvenile and subadult) or adult. A few
Tawny Eagles may have been included in some counts,
but their numbers appeared to be too low to affect
population estimates. To assess whether seasonal changes
in abundance were similar to previous counts in the
Himalayas, cumulative counts of each 1 5-day period were
compared. Because the Himalayan birds were counted on
passage migration and the Jorbeer birds likely overwintered
in Rajasthan, we assumed that, in each count period, eagles
counted over the Himalayas were likely to be different
individuals, while each count at Jorbeer likely represented
cumulative numbers of eagles in their wintering site. We
therefore compared cumulative counts in the Himalaya
against simple counts at Jorbeer. Counts were plotted
graphically to examine simple relationships. Although
Jorbeer is expected to lie further along in the migration
route of Steppe Eagles, we did not use a time-lag in these
analyses because count periods were relatively large at 1 5
days, and the years being compared were different. Since
the number of sample points are very low (3 or 4 fortnights)
and years of counts are different, the comparisons are
exploratory and we avoid statistical testing.

RESULTS

Steppe Eagles were observed from September to May,
with the highest counts occurring from December to

Table 1. Raw fortnightly counts of Steppe Eagles at Jorbeer carcass
dump (Dec 2003 to Jan 2006). A indicates periods when counts
were not conducted.

Count periods

2003-04

Year of count

2004-05

2005-06

1-15 Jul

-

0

0

15-31 Jul

-

0

0

1-15 Aug

-

0

0

16-31 Aug

-

0

0

1-15 Sep

-

0

2

16-30 Sep

-

9

12

1-15 Oct

-

3

5

16-31 Oct

-

9

5

1-15 Nov

-

8

28

16-30 Nov

-

17

38

1-15 Dec

28

22

46

16-31 Dec

22

49

61

1-15 Jan

26

109

81

15-31 Jan

14

113

89

1-15 Feb

27

100

-

16-28 Feb

31

136

-

1-15 Mar

33

122

-

16-3 1 Mar

53

79

-

1-15 Apr

30

0

-

16-30 Apr

16

0

-

1-15 May

19

0

-

16-31 May

37

0

-

1-1 5 Jun

0

0

-

1 6-30 Jun

0

0

-

162

SHORT NOTES

Forktail 25 (2009)

Figure 2. Correlations ofSteppe Eagle counts at Jorbeer carcass dump
in 2004 (closed symbols) and 2005 (open symbols) with (a) arriving
patterns at Himachal Pradesh (triangle; 200 1 ) and Nepal (square; 2003),
and (b) departure patterns at Himachal Pradesh (circles; 2002).
Himachal Pradesh counts are from den Besten (2004) and Nepal counts
are from Gurung et al. (2004).

February (Table 1 ). All the eagles scavenged on carcasses,
and there were no observations of individuals hunting or
kleptoparasitising each other. Eagles perched on trees
and carcasses with no apparent display of territorial
behaviour. Only six adult eagles were observed during
this study (two in March 2004 and 4 in February 2005)
with the rest being young birds. A single dead young
Steppe Eagles was observed on each of 14 December
2004, 9 December 2005 and 29 January 2005. The causes
of mortality could not be ascertained. Individual counts
varied widely from day to day, averaging 43 birds (± 38
SD, range: 2-136, excluding periods with no eagles).
The reduced number during December 2003 to May
2004 (Table 1) was possibly due to a large number of
stray dogs using the site in those months. Movements of
eagles while at the site were not possible to determine,
nor could we assess whether individual eagles stayed
throughout the winter at Jorbeer. In years when counts
covered total wintering time, eagles were seen at the site
as late as May (in 2004; Table 1). Eagle counts at Jorbeer
were positively related to cumulative counts of migrating
eagles over the Himalaya during the autumn migration
(Figure 2). Spring migration patterns were positively
related in one year and negatively related in another year
(Figure 2).

DISCUSSION

Naoroji (2006) reports that Steppe Eagles return to nesting
areas by April, though our observations show that they
stayed on in Jorbeer until late May in 2004. In 2005
however, eagles were not seen after March indicating that
there are year-to-year changes in migrating or
overwintering behaviour. Patterns of abundance in Jorbeer
during arrival were positively related to counts of arriving
birds over the Himalayas. This suggests that sites like
Jorbeer with consistent supply of food for the eagles may
be useful to monitor migration behaviour. Relationships
during departure were positive in one year and negative
in the other. This difference was possibly because
departure patterns differed across years. Due to such
annual variations in migration and unknown flight
distances in wintering grounds, counts at individual sites
will be of very limited value to determine population
estimates. Multi-year, standardised counts, and
synchronising effort at Himalayan and wintering locations
are required to understand how well counts at wintering
sites perform as population indices, and if they can be
useful to determine migration behaviour.

Migrating Steppe Eagle populations in the region are
dominated by young birds (de Roder 1 989, Naoroji 2006),
and the observations at Jorbeer corroborate this. This
may be a result of adult birds choosing more optimal
wintering sites (Cox 1968) - which the arid Thar Desert
is unlikely to be - and also of adult birds remaining closer
to their breeding sites (Naoroji 2006) . Counts at wintering
sites are therefore unlikely to be useful to understand the
demography of Steppe Eagles.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

PS thanks Dr. Chirayu Goswami for assistance with counts, and KSGS
thanks Linda Eels at the University of Minnesota for library support
and S . Kittur for help with various things . Three anonymous reviewers
made useful comments on a previous version of this paper.

REFERENCES

Cox, G. W. ( 1 968) The role of competition in the evolution of migration.
Evolution 22: 180-192.

DeCandido, R., Allen, D. and Bildstein, K. L. (2001) The migration
of Steppe Eagles ( Aquila nipalensis) and other raptors in central
Nepal, autumn 1999. J. Raptor Res. 35: 35-39.
den Besten, J. W. (2004) Migration of Steppe Eagles Aquila nipalensis
and other raptors along the Himalayas past Dharamsala, India, in
autumn 2001 and spring 2002. Forktail 20: 9-13.
de Roder, F. E. (1989) The migration of raptors south of Annapurna,
Nepal, autumn 1985. Forktail 4: 9-17.

Donald, C. H. (1923) Migration of eagles. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.
29: 1054-1055.

Ferguson-Lees, J. and Christie, D. A. (2001) Raptors of the world.
London: Christopher Helm.

Green, R. E., Newton, I., Shultz, S., Cunningham, A. A., Gilbert, M.,
Pain, D. J. and Prakash, V. (2004) Diclofenac poisoning as a cause
of vulture poisoning declines across the Indian subcontinent. J.
Appl. Ecol. 41: 793-800.

Gurung, S. B., Gurung, S., Gurung, S. and McCarty, K. (2004) Autumn
2003 raptor migration in central Nepal. International Hawkwatcher
9: 12-15.

Forktail 25 (2009)

SHORT NOTES

163

Naoroji, R. (2006) Birds of prey of the Indian subcontinent. London:
Christopher Helm.

Oaks, J. L., Gilbert, M., Virani, M. Z., Watson, R. T., Meteyer, C. U.,
Rideout, B. A., Shivaprasad, H. L., Ahmed, S., Chaudhry, M. J.

I., Arshad, M., Mahmood, S., Ali, A. and Khan, A. A. (2004)
Diclofenac residues as the cause of vulture population decline in
Pakistan. Nature 427: 630-633.

Pradeep Sharma, 30-B New Civil Lines, Bharatpur District 321001 , Rajasthan, India. Email: pradeep@gmx.fr.

K. S. Gopi Sundar, International Crane Foundation E-l 1 376, Shady Lane Road, Baraboo, WI 53913-0447, USA. Email:
gopi@savingcranes. org

Status and distribution of vultures in
Andhra Pradesh, India

G. UMAPATHY, S. HUSSAIN and S. SHIVAJI

Gyps vultures in the Indian subcontinent and South-East
Asia have declined catastrophically during the last decade,
and current populations are estimated to be <5% of the
original (Prakash etal. 2003). The major reason for these
declines appears to be the use of the veterinary drug
diclofenac for treating cattle (Oaks et al. 2004, Prakash et
al. 2005, Swan et al. 2006). Conservation efforts in India
have included research and captive breeding programs
(Prakash etal. 2003, Umapathy etal. 2005, MoEF 2006).
Most detailed studies have taken place in northern India,
where vultures occurred at their highest densities in the
past; less information is available from southern India.
The southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh has six
species of vultures: White-backed Vulture Gyps bengalensis,
Long-billed Vulture G. indicus, Indian Griffon Vulture
G. fulvus, Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus, King
Vulture Sarcogyps calvus and Cinereous Vulture Aegypius
monachus (All and Ripley 1983). An informal survey
between 1990 and 1997 counted approximately 8,500
vultures across the state (Srinivasulu and Srinivasulu
1999). In the present study, we provide updated
information on the status and distribution of vultures in
Andhra Pradesh.

METHODS

We surveyed vultures across Andhra Pradesh, including
all major cities, the 19 Wildlife Sanctuaries, the four
National Parks, Srisailam Tiger Reserve and important
reserve forests, between January and December 2007
(Table 1), using the road-transect survey method (Fuller
and Mosher 1981) between 08h00 and 17h00. Road
transects were run at 20-30 km/h; where roads were absent
(mainly forests, but also remote villages and open land)
transects were walked at c. 3km/h. Detectability may have
been higher along foot transects, but we did not attempt
to quantify this. Road transects were mostly on state
highways and on roads running through protected areas.
No transects were repeated, and adjoining transects were
separated by at least 30 km. Vultures were recorded within
300 m of a transect using 1 Ox binoculars. Encounter rates
of vultures were calculated as the number of individuals
sighted per km of transect.

In addition to running transects, we also visited 54
municipal, town, and village dump yards, looking for
carcasses and vultures. Information on these dump yards
was collected from local government offices. At least two
hours in the morning (between 08h00 and 1 lhOO hrs)
were spent searching dump yards and, whenever animal
carcasses were found, a second visit was made the next
day. In general, we attempted to visit sites where vultures
had previously been reported. During the survey, we gave
questionnaires to officers of the Forest Department (the
government department responsible for wildlife
conservation) as well as local wildlife biologists and
naturalists. The questions focused recent vulture sightings
and the availability of carcasses.

RESULTS

In total, we covered 4,670 km across 129 separate
transects, which varied in length from 3 to 160 km. Of
this total, road transects accounted for 4,070 km and foot
transects for 603 km. In all, we saw 20 individual vultures
of three species (Table 2 and Fig. 1 ) . The two Gyps vultures
sighted were found exclusively in forests, while the third
species, Egyptian Vulture, was seen only at municipal

Table 1. Total transect length, protected areas (sanctuaries, national
parks, and tiger reserve) surveyed and number of dump yards visited.

Total distance No. of protected No. of dump
District covered (km) areas surveyed yards visited

1 . Adilabad

741

3

10

2. Hyderabad

218

2

4

3. Anantapur

209

—

3

4. Visakapatnam

174

i

2

5. Kakinada

162

i

3

6. Chittoor

387

2

3

7. Kadapa

182

2

3

8. Nellore

138

2

3

9. Warangal

41 1

2

4

10. Khammam

181

i

8

1 1 . Kurnool

1,593

2

6

12. Medak

274

2

5

164

SHORT NOTES

Forktail 25 (2009)

Table 2. Details of vulture sightings during the survey.

Species

Date of
sighting

Number of

individuals Location

District or

Protected area

Coordinates

Long-billed Vulture

2 April 2007

4

Mattadiguda, Utnoor

Adilabad

19°22'02'

'N 78°47'28"E

Long-billed Vulture

6 April 2007

3

Dharmaraopet, Bellampally

Adilabad

19°03'17"N 79°29'24"E

Long-billed Vulture

3 March 2007

1

Tummalabayilu, Markapur

Srisailam Tiger reserve

1 5°58'48'

'N 79°06'59"E

Long-billed Vulture

26 September 2007

5

Sundipenta, Kurnool

Srisailam Tiger reserve

16°05'70'

'N 78°91 '30''E

White-backed Vulture

30 March 2007

1

Domalpenta

Srisailam Tiger reserve

16°10'70'

'N 78°90'47"E

Egyptian Vulture

18 January 2007

1

Dump yard next to Mahaveer
Hanna Vanasthali National Park

Hyderabad

17°21'06'

'N 78°34'56"E

Egyptian Vulture

27 January 2007

1

Dump yard next to Mahaveer
Harina Vanasthali National Park

Hyderabad

17°21'06'

'N 78°34'56"E

Egyptian Vulture

3 February 2007

3

Dump yard next to Mahaveer
Harina Vanasthali National Park

Hyderabad

17°26'52'

'N 79°34'56"E

Egyptian Vulture

31 March 2007

1

Mavala Lake

Adilabad

19°37'49'

'N 78°30'28''E

Figure 1. Sightings of White-backed (WBV), Long-billed (LBV) and
Egyptian Vultures (EV) in Andhra Pradesh, India in 1990-1997 (from
Snnivasulu and Srinivasulu 1999) and in 2007. District numbers are
given in Table 1.

dump yards. On transects, 1 3 Long-billed Vultures were
seen (encounter rate 0.003 individuals per km) and one
White-backed Vulture was seen (encounter rate 0.0002).

During the survey, we found 1 1 fresh animal carcasses
(all of cattle), eight of which were on the outskirts of
villages, two beside the road, and one in forest. Of the 54
dump yards visited, only 18 were active, and were used
for dumping slaughterhouse waste: bones of cattle, chicken
waste and so on. Five of the six Egyptian Vultures seen
were at a single dump yard in Hyderabad city. (Note that,

because these were seen on different visits, the actual
number of individuals may have been less than five.)
Vultures were not seen at the other dump yards, but other
scavenging birds were sighted, including Black Eagle
Ictinaetus malayensis. Crested Serpent Eagle Spilomis
cheela , Short-toed Snake Eagle Circaetus gallicus and Black
Kite Milvus migrans. In the questionnaire survey, 22% (of
80) respondents had seen vultures at least once in the
previous five years and 4% had sighted vultures on
carcasses during the last five years. Most respondents
(78%) said that they had not seen any abandoned carcasses
in the previous five years.

DISCUSSION

We found very few vultures compared with similar studies
in northern India. For example, Prakash et al. (2003)
surveyed northern, eastern and western India, and
calculated encounter rates of 0. 14 and 0.08 individuals/
km for White-backed and Long-billed Vultures
respectively. Encounter rates from our study show that
vulture abundance in Andhra Pradesh is many times lower
than these estimates.

Information collected during this survey clearly shows
a catastrophic decline of vultures in Andhra Pradesh, just
as has been documented in northern India (Prakash et al.
2003, 2007). A collation of sightings from 1990 to 1997
in Andhra Pradesh totalled 8,615 individual White-
backed, Long-billed, Egyptian and King Vultures, from
120 sightings at 39 sites in 15 districts (Srinivasulu and
Srinivasulu 1999). This earlier study found that the
number of individuals per sighting was relatively large,
ranging from 4.6 (King Vulture) to 38.1 (White-backed
Vulture). In contrast, we found only 20 vultures, and in
very small groups (Table 2) . A strict comparison between
the earlier study and our own is not possible, because no
formal sampling method was used by Srinivasulu and
Srinivasulu (1999). Nonetheless, the differences in the
number of vultures seen, and in group size, are striking.

Further, although we found White-backed and Long¬
billed Vultures exclusively in or near forests, Srinivasulu
and Srinivasulu (1999) found them mostly near villages

Forktail 25 (2009)

SHORT NOTES

165

and towns. It is possible that one of the reasons for this
change in distribution is a reduction in the number of
carcasses being abandoned. Personal observations suggest
that, rather than dumping them, cattle-owners in Andhra
Pradesh are increasingly selling sick cattle to
slaughterhouses, or burying dead cattle after skinning
them. This may explain the large number of inactive dump
yards (3 6 of 54) that we found as well as the high proportion
of respondents who reported not having seen an animal
carcass in the previous five years. These pieces of
information, together with our observations of Gyps
vultures only in forested areas suggest that a decline in
food availability could be an additional factor in hastening
the decline of vultures in Andhra Pradesh, as has been
proposed for northern Indian populations (Prakash er al.
2003).

Our results show that at least two wild populations of
Long-billed Vulture (at Srisailam Tiger Reserve and
Adilabad) and one population of White-backed Vulture
(at Srisailam Tiger Reserve) exit in Andhra Pradesh. We
suggest urgent implementation of steps to monitor
population sizes and reproduction of vultures at these
sites. In addition, monitoring diclofenac in cattle and
enforcing the ban on its use are crucial. Maintaining
feeding facilities (‘vulture restaurants’), where diclofenac-
free carcasses are provided regularly is a conservation
action that may provide immediate respite to the vulture
populations in these areas.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This study was funded by the Department of Biotechnology (Ministry
of Science and T echnology, Government of India) and the Central Zoo
Authority of India (Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government
of India). We thank the Chief Wildlife Warden of Andhra Pradesh for
permits to carry our this work, and the Forest Department as a whole
for their help during the survey.

REFERENCES

Ali, S. and Ripley, S. D. (1983) Handbook of the birds of India and
Pakistan togetherwith those of Nepal and Ceylon. Oxford, UK: Oxford
University Press.

Fuller, M. R. and Mosher, J. A. (1981) Methods of detecting and
counting raptors: a review. Stud. Avian Biol. 6: 235-248.

MoEF (2006) . Action plan for vulture conservation in India. New Delhi:

Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.
Oaks, J. L., Gilbert, M., Virani, M. Z., Watson, R. T., Meteyer, C. U.,
Rideout, B. A., Shivaprasad, H. L., Ahmed, S., Chaudhry, M. J.

1., Arshad, M., Mahmood, S., Ali, A. and Khan, A. A. (2004)
Diclofenac residues as the cause of vulture population declines in
Pakistan. Nature 427: 630-633.

Prakash, V., Green, R. E., Rahmani, A. R., Pain, D. J., Virani, M. Z.,
Khan, A. A., Baral H. S., Jhala, Y. V., Naoroji, R., Shah, N.,
Bowden, C. G. R., Choudhury, B. C., Narayan, G. and Gautam,
P. (2005) Evidence to support that diclofenac caused catastrophic
vulture population decline. Curr. Sci. 88: 1533-1534.

Prakash, V., Pain, D. J., Cunningham, A. A., Donald, P. F., Prakash,
N., Verma, A., Gargi, R., Sivakumar, S. and Rahmani, A. R. (2003)
Catastrophic collapse of Indian white-backed Gyps bengalensis and
long-billed Gyps indicus vulture populations. Biol. Conserv. 109:
381-390.

Prakash, V., Green, R. E., Pain, D. J., Ranade S. P., Saravanan,

5., Prakash, N., Venkitachalam, R., Cuthbert, R., Rahmani A. R.
and Cunningham, A. A. (2007) Recent changes in populations of
resident Gyps vultures in India. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 104: 127-
133.

Srinivasulu, B. and Srinivasulu, C. (1999) Status of vultures in Andhra
Pradesh, India. Vulture News 40: 26-34.

Swan, G., Naidoo, V., Cuthbert, R., Green, R. E., Pain, D. J., Swarup,
D., Prakash, V., Taggart, M., Bekker, L., Das, D., Diekmann, J.,
Diekmann, M., Killian, E., Meharg, A., Patra, R. C., Saini, M. and
Wolter, K. (2006) Removing the threat of diclofenac to critically
endangered Asian vultures. Biol. Lett. 4: 1-4.

Umapathy, G., Sontakke, S., Reddy, A., Ahmed, S. and Shivaji, S.
(2005) Semen characteristics of the captive Indian White-Backed
Vulture ( Gyps bengalensis) . Biol. Reprod. 73: 1039-1045.

G. Umapathy, S. Hussain and S. Shivaji, Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species, Centre for Cellular and
Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad 500 007, India. Email: guma@ccmb. res. in

166

Forktail 25 (2009)

Erratum

Li, Y. D. and Kasorndorkbua, C. (2008) The status of the Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis in South-East Asia.
Forktail 24: 57-62.

A record from Peninsular Malaysia in Table 1 on page 58 has the date incorrectly reported. The record from Muar
(Johor) is from 1 6 January 1995, not 20 January 1995, and was first reported in the New Straits Times: Anon. (1995)
Wildlife department seizes endangered vulture from fisherman. New Straits Times , 20 January 1995.

Forktail 25

2009

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Campbell, B. and Lack, E. eds. (1985) A dictionary of birds. Calton,
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field guide to the birds of South-East Asia. London: Collins.
Kuroda, Nh., ed. (1984) Ketteiban seibutsu daizukan;chorui
[ Illustrations of animals and plants: birds], Tokyo: Sekai
Bunkasha. (In Japanese.)

Rosljakov, G. E. (1985) [‘Information on the distribution and
numbers of Aix galericulata and Mergus squamatus over
Chabarovsk Territory.’] Pp. 101-102 in N. M. Litvinenko,
ed. Rare and endangered birds of the Far East. Vladivostok: Far
East Science Center, Academy of Sciences of the USSR. (In
Russian.)

Sien Yao-hua, Kuan Kuan-Hsun and Zheng Zuo-xin (1964) [‘An
avifaunal survey of the Chinghai province.’] Acta Zool. Sinica
16: 690-709. (In Chinese.)

Smythies, B. E. (1981) The birds of Borneo. Third edition. Kota
Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur: The Sabah Society and the
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Somadikarta, S. (1986) Collocalia linchi Horsfield & Moore - a
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White, C. M. N. and Bruce, M. D. (1986) The birds of Wallacea
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