Aplonis

Abstract: The Pacific island of Rota is part of the Mariana archipelago, and is located approximately 60 km north of the island of Guam Two Rota endemics, the Mariana Crow (Corvus kubaryi) and the Rota Bridled White-eye (Zosterops rotensis), have declined dramatically in the last 20 years We examined trends in abundance of eight terrestrial bird species (six native, two exotic) on Rota between 1982 and 2004, and found that seven of them declined significantly, with five species showing declines >50% Only Micronesian Starlings (Aplonis opaca) increased in abundance Declines occurred in species abundant in both forested and open habitats, suggesting that the declines were unlikely to be simply the result of deforestation While the introduction of the brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) on Guam caused the collapse of that island's avifauna, we do not believe that Rota's declines are due to the establishment of a snake population Other, as yet unidentified, agents are likely to be responsible We sugges

Abstract: Summary Aim Our knowledge of landbirds on tropical Pacific islands is often comprised of brief, one-time surveys. We know little of species’ habitat preferences, and this information is critical for understanding the resource requirements or population status of native species and the impacts of human activity on island birds. LocationTutuila Island, American Samoa. Methods The spatial patterns in forest birds were investigated. This island harbours large tracts of native forest, a variety of disturbed and non-native forests, and some relatively healthy bird populations. The distribution of birds was correlated with forest types using habitat data collected at fifty-seven sites and avian census data collected monthly for 1–4 years at these sites. ResultsDifferences in location and in vegetation structure and composition between native and non-native habitats are important influences on the distribution of birds on Tutuila. Among native species, for example, the purple-capped fruit-dove (Ptilinopus porphyraceus Temminck) is dependent upon native habitat, the Samoan starling (Aplonis atrifusca Peale) occurs in all habitats, and the cardinal honeyeater (Myzomela cardinalis Gmelin) is more abundant in low elevation, non-native habitat. ConclusionsThis research reinforces the importance of quantitative assessment of habitat relationships in the study and conservation of Pacific birds.

Abstract: Summary. 1 Field notes on the birds of Guadalcanal, San Cristobal, Ugi and Ulawa, based on the work of the Oxford University (Dept. of Zoology) Expedition to the eastern Solomons, are given. These include the first account of the behaviour and nesting habits of Aplonis brunneocapillus. 2 New records for the Solomons are Pelecanus conspicillatus (Guadalcanal), Egretta intermedia (San Cristobal, based on a specimen in the British Museum, Natural History), and Cichlornis whitneyi (Guadalcanal). 3 New records for islands in the Solomons (in addition to the above) are:— Guadalcanal: Cacomantis pyrrhophanus, Coracina caledonica, Turdus poliocephalus, Zoothera margaretae, Petroica multicolor. San Cristobal: Collocalia spodiopygia, C. vanikorensis. Ugi: Collocalia spodiopygia, Hirundo tahitica (others based as yet only on native reports are given for further investigation). 4 A revised list for Ugi, with rejection of some previous records, is given, also a short list of the birds of Ulawa (not investigated before) and a list of species from the Three Sisters, taken from specimens in the British Museum (Natural History).

Abstract: Based on fieldwork in 1995 and 1996, I assess the distribution, relative abundance, and habitat requirements of indigenous species of land birds on 13 islands in the Ha'apai Group, Kingdom of Tonga. Among the islands visited, primary forest still exists only on the large (46.6 km 2), high (558 m) volcanic island of Tofua. Vegetation on the 12 smaller (0.15-13.3 km 2), lower (6-45 m) islands is dominated by a mosaic of active and abandoned agricultural plots, nearly all with an over story of coconut trees. Because of cultivation practices, very little of this vegetation is reverting to secondary forest. Of the 15 resident species of land birds that survive on these islands, nine are widespread and at least locally common within Ha'apai, although only four (Gallirallus philippensis, Ptilinopus porphyraceus, Halcyon chloris, Aplonis tabuensis) certainly or probably occur nowadays on all 13 islands. Three species (Gallicolumba stairii, Ptilinopus perousii, Clytorhynchus vitiensis) are extirpated or extremely rare on all islands surveyed except Tofua. Overall species richness and abundance of land birds are much greater on Tofua than on the other islands. This difference may be due more to the presence of primary forest on Tofua than to Tofua's greater area and elevation. This PAPER DESCRIBES the current status of native land birds on 13 islands in the Ha'apai Group, Kingdom of Tonga. The field research was conducted to fulfill two goals: first, to describe long-term (prehistoric versus modem) changes in the distribution of each species; and Originally published in Pacific Science (1998), vol. 52, no. 1: 14-34 © Text and images reproduced by kind permission of David W. Steadman secondly, to assess the relative abundance and habitat relationships of each species to provide information for conservation programs. The first goal includes studying bird bones from archaeological sites and is the focus of another publication. Here I emphasize the second goal. Tonga is part of the West Polynesian avifaunal region that comprises Niue, Samoa, Wallis and Futuna, Fiji, and Rotuma (Watling 1982, Steadman 1993, 1997b). The extant, indigenous land birds of Tonga represent 17 genera (none endemic) and 18 species (two endemic). The birds of Ha'apai are not well known. They are treated in a general way in regional books, such as duPont (1976), Watling (1982), and Pratt et al. (1987). In spite of accounts of selected species on certain islands (Gill 1988, Rinke et al. 1992), meaningful lists of species (sensu Remsen 1994) were not available for any individual island in Ha'apai before this study, nor had relative abundances been estimated.