116 Short note

Forsters left no other record of the shore plover at Gmelin, J.F.1788-1793. Systema naturae .... 13th ed. 3 vol. (9 Queen Charlotte Sound, despite visiting the area 3 pts.) Vol.1(1), 1788; vol. 1(2), 1789, Lipsiae. times during Cook’s 2nd voyage (Forster 1772-1775; Hoare, M.E. (ed). 1982. The Resolution journal of Johann Kahn 1968; Hoare 1982). Reinhold Forster 1772-1775. 4 vol. London, The Hakluyt Society. In summary, the only specimen of the shore Kahn, R.L. (ed.). 1968. Georg Forsters Werke. Samtliche plover known to have been examined by the Schriften, Tagebucher, Briefe. A Voyage Round the World, Forsters, and the basis for their description (Johann vol. 1. Berlin, Akademie-Verlag. Reinhold) and painting (George) of Charadrius Latham, J. 1781-1801. A general synopsis of . 3 vol. in 6 torquatula, was obtained at Dusky Sound. That pts (1781- 1785) 2 suppl. (1787, 1801). London. specimen, as depicted in George Forster’s folio 121, Lichtenstein, H. (ed.). 1844. Descriptiones animalium quae again was the only source for Latham’s description in itinere ad maris australis terras per annos 1772 1773 of the “New Zealand Plover”, on which Gmelin et 1774 suscepto collegit observavit et delineavit Joannes based his description of Charadrius novaeseelandiae. Reinoldus Forster .… Berlin. Lysaght, A. 1959. Some eighteenth century paintings Therefore, Dusky Sound must be the correct type in the Library of Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820). Bulletin locality for the shore plover Thinornis novaeseelandiae of the British Museum (Natural History), historical series (Gmelin, 1789). 1 (6): 251-371. Marchant, S.; Higgins, P.J. (ed.). 1993. Handbook of LITERATURE CITED Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic birds. vol. 2. Raptors Beaglehole, J. C. (ed.). 1961. The journals of Captain James Cook to lapwings. Melbourne, Oxford University Press. on his voyages of discovery. The voyage of the Resolution Mathews, G. M. 1927-1928. Systema Avium Australasianarum. and Adventure 1772-1775. London, Cambridge A systematic list of the birds of the Australasian region. 2 University Press, for the Hakluyt Society. vol. London, British Ornithologists’ Union. Begg, A.C.; Begg, N.C. 1966. Dusky Bay. Christchurch, Turbott, E.G. (Convenor). 1990. Checklist of the birds of New Whitcombe & Tombs. Zealand and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica. 3rd ed. Forster, J.R. 1772-1775. Descriptiones Animalium quae in Auckland, Random Century & Ornithological Society Itinere ad maris Australis terras suscepto collegit, descripsit of New Zealand. & delineavit Joannes Reinoldus Forster ... 4 ms vol. (Ms Lat quart 133-136) in Staatsbibliothek Preussischer Keywords shore plover; Thinornis novaeseelandiae; type Kulturbesitz, Berlin. locality

Notornis, 2007, Vol. 54: 116-117 0029-4470 © The Ornithological Society of New Zealand, Inc.

SHORT NOTE

Possible tool use by an (Gymnorhina tibicen)

JENNIE McCORMICK Auckland Stardome Observatory, P.O. Box 24187, Royal Oak, Auckland, New Zealand [email protected]

Members of the parvorder Corvida, including to manipulate objects in behaviour such as play the Australian magpie Gymnorhina tibicen, have (Pellis 1981ab; Kaplan 2004) they have not been a relatively high level of innovative behaviour reported to use tools. Here, I report a possible case amongst birds (Timmermans et al. 2000; Lefebvre et of tool use by an adult magpie. al. 2004). An example of this behaviour is tool use From 2004 to 2006, I observed a resident group in spp. (Hunt 1996; Caffrey 2000). Although of magpies around the Stardome Observatory in Australian magpies (magpies hereafter) are known One Tree Hill Domain, Auckland, New Zealand. The Observatory is located on the southwestern slope of the 48 ha park that surrounds the extinct Received 19 July; accepted 31 August 2006 volcanic cone of Maungakiekie, or One Tree Hill. The Short note 117 vegetation consists of mostly grazed pasture amongst There are rare observations of tool in other native and introduced trees. Public can access the corvoids. For example, the 1st reported instance of park by either roads or walking tracks. Members of tool use by American crows Corvus brachyrhynchos the magpie family are not banded, but the behaviour was in a single individual (Caffrey 2000). Therefore, of the birds that I have observed for 2 years suggests the lack of past evidence for tool use in magpies that they consist of the same breeding pair and their does not exclude this explanation for the behaviour offspring. For example, the adult pair is somewhat that I observed. Indeed, that magpies, like many habituated to human presence and forage around corvoids, manipulate objects in their bills when not the office window sills of the observatory, sometimes nest building might facilitate the development of even flying onto them. Breeding pairs of magpie tool use by some individuals. I therefore interpret are generally sedentary and live on permanent the behaviour described here as potentially the 1st territories (Kaplan 2004), which is consistent with observation of tool use in the Australian magpie. my observations. The resident pair produced 2 successful broods between 2004 and 2006. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In late Jan 2006 at c.1230h, I observed an adult I thank Gavin Hunt for assisting me in the preparation of magpie and its recently fledged juvenile 15 m away, this manuscript. at the base of a large Japanese cedar Cryptomeria LITERATURE CITED japonica behind the observatory building. I saw the Caffrey, C. 2000. Tool modification and use by an American adult pick a slender stick off the ground with its bill crow. Wilson bulletin 112: 283-284. and poke it into the trunk of the cedar. The stick was Heinrich, B.; Smolker, R. 1998. Play in common ravens held straight in its bill for several seconds before (Corvus corax). pp. 27-44 In: Bekoff, M.; Byers, J.A. ed( .) being dropped. After dropping the stick, the adult play: evolutionary, comparative, and ecological appeared to inspect or move it with its bill briefly, perspectives. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. but I could not see what it was doing. This was the Hunt, G.R. 1996. Manufacture and use of hook-tools by only time that I have seen a magpie probe anything New Caledonian crows. Nature 379: 249-251. with a stick. There was no interaction between the Kaplan, G. 2004. The Australian magpie: biology and behaviour parent and juvenile from the time that the parent of an unusual song bird. Melbourne, CSIRO Publishing. picked up the stick until it finished poking at it with Kilham, L. 1989. The and the . its beak on the ground. The weather during the College Station, Texas A & M University Press. period of observations was fine and warm. Lefebvre, L.; Reader, S.M.; Sol, D. 2004. Brains, innovations Interaction between the adult and juvenile and evolution in birds and primates. Brain, behavior magpies often included what has been described and evolution 63: 233-246. as “play” in that species (Pellis 1981a,b). This Pellis, S.M. 1981a. Exploration and play in the behavioural sometimes involved an adult and juvenile chasing development of the Australian magpie, Gymnorhina each other around a tree trunk, or the use of objects tibicen. Bird behaviour 3: 37-49. Pellis, S.M. 1981b. A description of social play by the like sticks, leaves, and paper. Object exploration and Australian magpie, Gymnorhina tibicen, based on play is common in young magpies and species of Eshkol-Wachman notation. Bird behaviour 3: 61-79. Corvus and may be a process by which these birds Pettifor, R.A. 1984. Play behaviour in adult European develop their foraging skills (Pellis 1981a; Kilham kestrels, Falco tinnunculus. Bird behaviour 5: 130-132. 1989; Heinrich & Smolker 1998). Pellis (1981a) found Timmermans, S.; Lefebvre, L.; Boire, D.; Basu, P. 2000. that exploration and “play” with objects by young Relative size of the hyperstriatum ventrale is the best magpies was associated with foraging activities. predictor of feeding innovation rate in birds. Brain, All “play” that I observed in the family was social, behavior and evolution 56: 196-203. involving 2 or more family members, but juvenile Watson, D.M. 1992. Object play in a laughing kookaburra magpies can play alone with objects (Kaplan 2004). Dacelo novaeguineae. Emu 92: 106-108. Object-play in other bird species has been reported by adults when no juveniles were present (Pettifor Keywords Australian magpie; Gymnorhina tibicen; tool 1984; Watson 1992). use; Corvida; object play