Butaritari P A C I F I C O C E A N Island Marakei Island and Atoll Abaiang Island Taburao Buariki Bonriki and Bikenibeu Bairiki Binoinano Tabiauea Kaniet Is. EQUATOR KIRIBATI Kuria Island 0° Hermit Is. Nauru Ooma Aranuka Island Nonouti Island Ninigo Is. Beru Island Wuvulu ST MATTHIAS IS. Abemama Island Nikunau ADMIRALTY IS. Mussau Lavongai Tabiteuea Manus (New Hanover) Tabar Is. Island Arorae Island Rambutyo Lihir Is. Onotoa Djaul Island Bismarck S ea Tanga Is. New Ireland Tamana Island Long Witu Is. Feni Is. Karkar New Britain Umboi Lakina N E W G U I N E A SOLOMONS Niutao Tonga Choiseul TUVALU BISMARCKS Santa Isabel Nui S olomon S ea Vaitupu Nggela Sule Island Trobriand Is. Malaita Lafanga and Motulalo Funafuti Woodlark Pavuvu and Pyramid Island Niuoko D’ENTRECASTEAUX IS. Mbanika Islands Guadalcanal -10° Reef Islands Santa Cruz TEMOTU L OUISIADE ARCHIPELAGO Rennell UtupVuaanikoro Torres Is. Bank Is. Wallis and Futuna Gaua C o r a l S e a Maewo Yasawa Island FIJI Thikombia Santo Island Ambae Matacawa Levu Island Pentecost Vanua Levu Taveuni Ambrym Yanggeta Island Island Malekula Naviti Island Epi Makogai Island VANUATU Waya Efate Ovalau Malolo Island Vitu Levu Moala Island Gau Kabara Panan Île Art Erromango Vatulele Island Island Beqa Island A U S T R A L I A Tanna Totoya Ono Ouvéa Aneityum Kadavu Island Island Matuku -20° Island Lifou Vatoa Grande Terre Maré BOMel inside cover.indd 2 4/7/11 08:38:58 Îles des Pines 160° 170° -180° Birds of Melanesia The Bismarcks, Solomons, Vanuatu and New Caledonia http://avaxhome.ws/blogs/ChrisRedfield 000 BOMel prelimsintro.indd 1 4/7/11 17:05:55 This page intentionally left blank helm field GuideS Birds of Melanesia The Bismarcks, Solomons, Vanuatu and New Caledonia Guy dutson illustrated by richard Allen, Adam Bowley, John Cox and Tony disley ChriSTopher helm loNdoN 000 BOMel prelimsintro.indd 3 4/7/11 17:05:55 Published in 2011 by Christopher Helm, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 49–51 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP Copyright © 2011 text by Guy Dutson Copyright © 2011 illustrations by Richard Allen, Adam Bowley, John Cox and Tony Disley The right of Guy Dutson to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. ISBN (print) 978-0-7136-6540-6 ISBN (epdf) 978-14081-5246-1 ISBN (epub) 978-14081-5245-4 A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means – photographic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or information storage or retrieval systems – without permission of the publishers. This book is produced using paper that is made from wood grown in managed sustainable forests. It is natural, renewable and recyclable. The logging and manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. Commissioning editor: Nigel Redman Project editor: Jim Martin Designed by Marc Dando at Fluke Art Printed in China by Lion Production Limited. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 illustration credits Richard Allen: Plates 1–20 Adam Bowley: Plates 46–86 John Cox: Plates 31–45 Tony Disley: Plates 21–30 Cover illustrations Front: Kagu (John Cox) Back: Knob-billed Fruit Dove (John Cox), Superb Pitta (Adam Bowley), Moustached Kingfisher (Adam Bowley), Buff-bellied Monarch (Adam Bowley) Visit www.acblack.com/naturalhistory to find out more about our authors and their books. You will find extracts, author interviews and our blog, and you can sign up for newsletters to be the first to hear about our latest releases and special offers. 000 BOMel prelimsintro.indd 4 4/7/11 17:05:55 page ACkNowledGemeNTS 8 Contents iNTroduCTioN 9 Aims of this book 9 Geographical coverage 9 maps 10 island types and climate 18 Vegetation and habitats 19 melANeSiAN orNiTholoGy 20 Nomenclature 20 Taxonomy 20 Biogeography and island distributions 20 endemism 21 migration 21 introduced species 22 how many bird species in melanesia? 22 BirdwATChiNG iN melANeSiA 23 identifying birds 23 plumages and moult 25 finding birds 25 Studying birds 25 Birdwatching etiquette 25 Birdwatching sites 26 organisations and records 33 further reading 33 CoNSerVATioN 33 Threats and solutions 33 Globally threatened species 33 extinct species 35 uSiNG The plATeS ANd SpeCieS TexTS 36 iSlANd GroupS of melANeSiA 37 CheCkliST of The BirdS of melANeSiA 38 Colour plATeS n plate 1: Grebes, whistling ducks and diving ducks 52 n plate 2: dabbling ducks 54 n plate 3: Albatrosses, large petrels and Shearwaters 56 n plate 4: larger Shearwaters and smaller all-dark petrels 58 n plate 5: Smaller Pterodroma petrels and prions 60 000 BOMel prelimsintro.indd 5 4/7/11 17:05:55 n plate 6: Smaller Shearwaters and petrels 62 n plate 7: Storm petrels 64 n plate 8: Boobies 66 n plate 9: Tropicbirds, frigatebirds and pelican 68 n plate 10: Cassowary, Cormorants, megapodes and Junglefowl 70 n plate 11: herons, egrets, ibis and Spoonbill 72 n plate 12: herons, Bitterns and kagu 74 n plate 13: kites, harrier and honey Buzzard 76 n plate 14: osprey and Sea eagles 78 n plate 15: Variable Goshawk and Bismarcks hawks 80 n plate 16: other Goshawks 82 n plate 17: pacific Baza and falcons 84 n plate 18: Quail, Buttonquails and Crakes 86 n plate 19: rails and Bush-hen 88 n plate 20: woodford's rail, Gallinules and Jacana 90 n plate 21: large Shorebirds 92 n plate 22: plovers 94 n plate 23: Curlews, Godwits and Turnstone 96 n plate 24: Sandpipers and Tattlers 98 n plate 25: knots, ruff, Snipes and phalarope 100 n plate 26: Small Sandpipers 102 n plate 27: Gulls and large Terns 104 n plate 28: Smaller Terns 106 n plate 29: pelagic Terns and Noddies 108 n plate 30: Skuas and Jaegers 110 n plate 31: Cuckoo-doves 112 n plate 32: Ground doves 114 n plate 33: fruit doves 116 n plate 34: imperial pigeons i 118 n plate 35: imperial pigeons ii 120 n plate 36: other pigeons i 122 n plate 37: other pigeons ii 124 n plate 38: Cockatoos and lories 126 n plate 39: lorikeets, parakeets and parrots 128 n plate 40: lorikeets and pygmy parrots 130 n plate 41: Cuckoos 132 n plate 42: Coucals and koel 134 n plate 43: Nightbirds and Barn owls 136 n plate 44: owls 138 n plate 45: Swifts 140 n plate 46: Small kingfishers 142 n plate 47: large Bismarck kingfishers 144 000 BOMel prelimsintro.indd 6 4/7/11 17:05:55 n plate 48: large Solomons, Vanuatu and New Caledonia kingfishers 146 n plate 49: Bee-eaters, dollarbird, hornbill and pittas 148 n plate 50: Bismarcks Swallows, wagtails and Trillers 150 n plate 51: Bismarcks Cuckooshrikes 152 n plate 52: Bismarcks Sunbirds, flowerpecker and honeyeaters 154 n plate 53: Bismarcks myzomelas 156 n plate 54: Bismarcks fantails and whistlers 158 n plate 55: Bismarcks monarchs 160 n plate 56: Bismarcks flycatchers and flyrobins 162 n plate 57: Bismarcks Thrushes, warblers and white-eyes 164 n plate 58: Bismarcks Thicketbirds, warblers and Bush Chat 166 n plate 59: Bismarcks drongos, woodswallow, Crow and Starlings 168 n plate 60: Bismarcks parrotfinch and mannikins 170 n plate 61: Solomons Cuckooshrikes 172 n plate 62: Solomons Sunbird, flowerpecker and honeyeaters 174 n plate 63: Solomons whistlers 176 n plate 64: Solomons fantails and flycatchers 178 n plate 65: Solomons monarchs 180 n plate 66: Solomons Swallows, Thrushes and Crows 182 n plate 67: Solomons warblers, robin, parrotfinch and mannikin 184 n plate 68: Solomons white-eyes 186 n plate 69: Solomons drongo, Starlings and mynas 188 n plate 70: makira passerines i 190 n plate 71: makira passerines ii 192 n plate 72: makira passerines iii 194 n plate 73: makira passerines iV 196 n plate 74: rennell passerines i 198 n plate 75: rennell passerines ii 200 n plate 76: Temotu passerines i 202 n plate 77: Temotu passerines ii 204 n plate 78: Vanuatu passerines i 206 n plate 79: Vanuatu passerines ii 208 n plate 80: Vanuatu passerines iii 210 n plate 81: Vanuatu passerines iV 212 n plate 82: New Caledonia passerines i 214 n plate 83: New Caledonia passerines ii 216 n plate 84: New Caledonia passerines iii 218 n plate 85: New Caledonia passerines iV 220 n plate 86: New Caledonia passerines V 222 SpeCieS ACCouNTS 225 GAzeTTeer 427 iNdex 432 000 BOMel prelimsintro.indd 7 4/7/11 17:05:55 My personal interest and love of the birds of Melanesia started on a student expedition in 1990 and has brought me on regular return visits. On these field visits, notably a year island-hopping in 1997–1998, I have had the fortune to observe almost all of the extant Melanesian birds. I am extremely grateful to those people who have ACknowledgements assisted me through their time and effort. Any visitor to Melanesia will soon realise that their greatest acknowledgements are owed to the local people whose generosity and kindness is a highlight of working in the region. This book must be dedicated to those Melanesians who have helped me, and to those who are willing to help similar visitors. I hope that this book is seen as a small gesture in return, and that it helps to cultivate interest in birds and bird conservation within the region. On my 1990 visit, special thanks go to my fieldwork colleagues David Buckingham and Jonathan Newman, our main advisors notably Nigel Collar and Alison Stattersfield (BirdLife International, previously International Council for Bird Preservation) and Jared Diamond, and our financial sponsors (A. J. Burton 1956 Charitable Settlement, A. S. Butler Charitable Trust, Bartle-Frere Exhibition, British Ornithologists’ Union, Cable and Wireless plc, Cambridge Expeditions Fund, Condor Conservation Trust, Cotton Trust, D. M. Charitable Trust, Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust, Godinton Trust, ICBP/FFPS, Interpet, King Edward’s School Birmingham, L. A. Cadbury Charitable Trust, Mary Euphrasia Moseley Trust, New York Explorers’ Club’s Youth Activity Fund, People’s Trust for Endangered Species, R. and M. Foreman Charitable Trust, Radley Charitable Trust, Rayne Foundation, Selwyn College, Spicers plc, Trinity Hall, Vincent Trust, The Wall Charitable Trust and Whitley Animal Protection Trust). Most of the fieldwork underpinning this book was undertaken in 1997–1998 with generous sponsorship from Bird Exploration Fund, A. J. Burton Charitable Trust, Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation, Keith Ewart Charitable Trust, Parrot Society, Percy Sladen Memorial Fund and the Peter Scott Trust for Education and Research in Conservation. Subsequent fieldwork and museum studies were sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History (Collection Studies Grant), Bird Exploration Fund and British Ornithologists’ Union. I benefited from shared time in the field with Nicolas Barré, David Buckingham, Chris Eastwood, Phil Gregory, Yves Létocart, Jon Newman, John Pilgrim, Kester Wilson, and Birdquest and Sicklebill Safaris tour participants, and I am very grateful for logistic support and accommodation from Max Benjamin (Walindi Dive Resort), Ellen and Matthieu Degott-Rekowski, Eagon (Choiseul), Chris Eastwood, Mark Hafe, Ross Hepworth, Roy Hills, Seri Hite, KFPL, Solomon Islands Development Trust, William Manehage, Jérome Spaggiari, Tim Turner, Wild Dog mine, WWF-Solomon Islands and many village communities, especially those at which I stayed for several weeks, notably Rossun, Tirotonga, Kena, Hauta, Buma and Vatthe. In Papua New Guinea, I was granted research permission by Michael Laki and staff of the National Research Institute and the Department of Environment and Conservation. In the Solomon Islands, I was granted research permission by Moses Biliki and Audrey Rusa and worked with the Solomon Island Development Trust and World Wide Fund for Nature–Solomons. In Vanuatu, I worked with the Environment Unit and Vatthe Conservation Area Project. In New Caledonia, I worked with the Société Calédonienne d’Ornithologie, with permission to visit the reserves from the DRN of Province Sud, and ASPO in Ouvéa. In researching the text, I am extremely grateful to the following for their advice and access to data: Mark Adams (Natural History Museum), Nicolas Barré (Société Calédonienne d’Ornithologie), Bruce Beehler, K. David Bishop, Vincent Bretagnolle (CNRS), Walter Boles (Australian Museum), Bill Bourne, Ian Burrows, Stuart Butchart, Brian Coates, Nigel Collar, Jared Diamond, Jonathan Ekstrom, Tom Evans, Chris Filardi, Clem Fisher (Liverpool Museum), James Fitzsimons, David Gibbs, Phil Gregory, Don Hadden, Jon Hornbuckle, Mary LeCroy, Yves Létocart, Ian McAllan, Tony Palliser, Robert Prys-Jones (Natural History Museum), Paul Sweet (American Museum of Natural History), Mike Tarburton, Joe Tobias, Stephen Totterman (VanBirds), Colin Trainor, Dick Watling (Environment Consultants Fiji) and H. Price Webb. In particular, I acknowledge the meticulous advice of Jared Diamond and Ian McAllan. The artists, Richard Allen, Adam Bowley, John Cox and Tony Disley, have produced some exceptional artwork, often based on poor reference material, and have cheerfully updated their paintings as better references have appeared. The editors, Nigel Collar and Nigel Redman, have greatly improved the text, and the designer, Marc Dando, has expertly crafted the plates and text into a beautiful book. Finally, it should be noted that all of this work is based on the efforts and results of previous visitors, as reviewed in Mayr & Diamond (2001). The pioneering efforts of the early collectors, especially those on the Whitney South Seas Expeditions, and the analysis of their specimens, notably by Ernst Mayr, remain the basis for our knowledge of Melanesian ornithology. This book is also dedicated to their work. 000 BO8Mel prelimsintro.indd 8 4/7/11 17:05:55