AUCKLETS THROUGH BUNTINGS -- SoAo Kauai Is., (M.) Maui Is., (Mi.) Midway Atoll, The Parakeet Auklet first and last occurred in Passerinesfrom the n. are very rare in (O.) Oahu Is., and (F.F.S.} French Frigate a "wreck" during the winter of 1962-63. This Hawaii, and interestinglyenough the only Shoals. season three individuals were found dead on records are from the Northwest Is., where the beach at Midway Feb. 5-6 & 15 (GG,HR, habitat is scarce and the birds more obvi- CONTRIBUTORS -- Phil Bruner, Vernon TP). The regular occurrenceof Short-eared ous. This season,a Snow Bunting turned Byrd, George Campbell, Peter Connally, Owls in the n.w. islands during winter, such up at Tern I., FFS, Nov. 9-15 (VB,TT, Peter Donaldson, Gilbert Grant, Charles as the four + Feb. 11 & 21 at Midway (GG), RS,SS), for probably the fourth state Harrison, Hawaii Audubon Society lends credence to the thought that the gene record. Many such immigrations must (H.A.S.), Eric Knudtson (EKn), Eugene pool of the native race (the Pueo) may well be have occurred in the past, some being suc- Kridler (EKr), Jyrki & Outi Muona, Maura continually diluted by Asiatic and North cessful. It is amazing that more did no! Naughton, Mike Ord, Ted Petit, Hermann American migrants. A Belted Kingfisher, the take hold, as our native passefine avi- Rahn, Carol P. Ralph, Robert Schulmeister, first record for Maui I., was seen offshore fauna is apparently the result of relatively Susan Schulmeister, J. Schrader, Dan Snider, fishing in the waters of Hana Bay Feb. 3 few successful colonizations, probably Bernice Tannenbaum, Tom Telfer, and Karl (BT,CH). The Warbling Silverbill apparently fewer than five. Weber.--C. JOHN RALPH, U.S. Forest continues its spread on the island of Hawaii Service, Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, as one was seen at Bird Park in Hawaii I151 Punchbowl St., Honolulu, H! 96813 Volcanoes Nat'l P., Dec. 15 (KW). ISLAND ABBREVIATIONS -- (K.) and ROBERT L. PYLE, 741 N. Kalaheo Ave., Kailua, HI 96734.

IDISTlIBUTION. I DENI'I FICAiF

The Greenland Wheatear {Oenanthe oenanthe leucorrhoa) in North America Bertel Bruun

HILETAKING A CASUALstroll kindly suppliedme, refer to this behav- for the female, whereas the Greenland through my bay-side garden in ior: "First recorded 4 Nov. 1962 at Mal- Wheatear measures 99-110 mm (male) Westhampton, New York, before the in- pals,Cura•cao when a solitaryand rather and 96-105.5 mm (female) (Svensson evitable departure for New York City on tame bird carefully avoided being cap- 1975). The Greenland Wheatear is also Sunday, October 16, 1977, I came upon tured and ringed by repeatedly perching relatively long-legged, the tarsus mea- a Wheatear. During the next hour I had on top of a mist net rather than flying in- suring 27-33 mm, whereas that of the ample opportunity to watch it closely to the net (P. A. van der Wer0. Another nominate race measures 25-27 mm and photograph it, both as it sought bird was seenand photographed18 Dec. (Witherby 1943). food on the rough lawn and flew about 1975 on a horizontal branch of a Wabi Because of the brown rather than avoiding my approaches. The bird was tree (Acacia tortuosa) at Amboina Plan- black lores and ear coverts and the not observed during the week, but was tation, Bonaire, N.W.I. (Brother Can- creamy-white rather than white eye- present again on the following weekend, didus)." stripe, the Westhampton bird could be October 22 and 23. It was not seenagain In the hand, wing measurementspro- identified as either a female or an imma- after the latter date. vide the best guide to the subspecies.The ture. As the inside of the mandible, Being familiar with both the Green- measurements for the nominate race are which is yellow in the immature, black in land Wheatear (Oenanthe oenantheleu- 92-100 mm for the male and 90-96 mm the adult (Svensson1975) was not seen, corrhoa) from Iceland, and the nomi- nate race (0. o. oenanthe) from Europe, it was clear that the Westhampton bird belongedto the former subspecies.It ap- peared quite large, the breast was rather deeply colored, and the stancewas more upright than that of the continental race. Furthermore, it had the habit of fre- quently perching on houses, fences and bushes as well as on other rather tall structures in the area. The nominate race only rarely exhibits this peculiarity and prefers to perch closer to or on the ground. The Greenland Wheatear ap- parently showsthis behavioronly during migration (Witherby 1945). Interestingly enough, both the records from the Car- Map 1. Breedingdistribution of GreenlandWheatear (P.L leucorrhoa)after Godfrey1966 and ibbean, with which Dr. K. H. Voous Salomonsen 1974.

310 AmericanBirds, May 1980 •t was not possibleto determine the age Table 1. Records of Greenland Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe leucorrhoa) in the New World of the bird. south of the breedinggrounds, by month. My chance observation led to further study of the occurrenceof the subspecies Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec m the New World. Canada (SE) 2 2 3 3

U.S. (East 1 1 1 1 14 7 HEBREEDING DISTRIBUTION of the excl. N.Y.) Greenland Wheatear encompasses Iceland, Greenland and northeastern New York 1 1 8 1 I 1 Canada (Godfrey 1966, Salomonsen Bermuda 7 5 1971) where it is numerous. It has been gradually spreadingnorthward sincethe Caribbean 1 1 1 2 early part of this century (Salomonsen islands 1951). It arrives in Greenland in the first Totals 3 3 2 1 1 2 33 17 4 3 half of May. Departure from the breed- mg grounds starts in the middle of Au- terprets this as indicatinga tendencyby gust and continues into the latter part of the Greenland birds to follow a more FhasTHE theINDIVIDUAL largest numberstates Newof recordsYork September.Occasional birds may linger southerly fall route, which takes advan- (13 plus two with inadequatedates for on well into October and even Novem- tage of the westerly winds prevailing analysis) (Bull 1964, 1974). This h•gh ber (Salomonsen 1951). They pass south of a low-pressure area situated number is readily explainedby the large through the British Isles from late south of Iceland, and a more northerly size of the state, combined with its con- August into October and early Novem- spring route taking advantage of the centration of active birdwatchers. Most easterly winds prevailing north of the records from the area are from Sep- samelow-pressure area (Map 2) (Salom- tember, corresponding well with the onsen 1967). Such a more northerly time of departure from the breeding springroute could also help explain why grounds (Table 1). Spring records are spring recordsin the United Statesare so rare, and it is not possibleto determine few, as comparedto fall records. whether these birds have wintered in the By searchingout all the recordspub- New World or have crossed the Atlantm lished in Audubon Field Notes and the same springwhen observed. American Birds as well as the appropri- In trying to determine whether obser- ate reference books (Bond 1974, Bull vations have becomemore frequent m 1964, -1964, 1974, Forbush 1929, God- recent years I compared the records frey 1966and Lowery 1960)I havebeen from the recentfive-year periods (Table able to collect 53 records from the 2). Although there has beena steadym- eastern United States and southeastern creasein observations,this appearsnot Canada. David Wingate kindly supplied to reflect a true changein the statusof me with records from Bermuda and the bird's occurrence, but rather an in- JamesBond and K. H. Voous equally creasein the number of competent ob- kindly with those from the Caribbean. servers. Map 2. Recoveries of Greenland Wheatear banded in Greenland (open circles).Dots in- There are no records from South The occurrenceof the speciesin Ber- dtcate fall recoveries, triangles spring America. Although most records are muda correspondswell with the condi- recoveries. Arrows indicate the probable sightingsand therefore undeterminedon tions on the East Coast. There are seven routesfollowed in spring and fall. "L" in- the subspecific level, it must be noted records from September, five from Oc- dlcates low-pressurearea south of Iceland. tober and two from March. These latter Modified from Salomonsen1967. that all specimensobtained in the area have been of the Greenland race. I are at suchan early seasonin relation to ber en route to western Africa where therefore find it reasonable to assume the usual time of spring migration that they winter (Witherby 1943). Banding that only the former subspecieshas oc- one might stronglysuspect local w•nter- records from Greenland (Salomonsen curred in the area. 1967) (no recoveriesof banded Canadi- an or Icelandic birds have occurred out- side the breedingareas) togetherwith observationsat sea(Snow 1953)have led Salomonsento postulate two different Table2. Recordsof GreenlandWheatear in the NewWorld south of thebreeding grounds, by areas of crossing of the Atlantic in five-year periods. spring and fall. The fall recoveriesare before 1951 1951-55 1956-60 1961.65 1966-'/0 19'/1-75 19'/6- five from southwestern France--four from October and one from September U.S. & Canada 11 4 3 8 10 14 3

--as well as one from northernPortugal Bermuda 1 2 1 1 4 3 2 in October. The spring recoveriesare three from southernEngland and Wales Caribbean 1 1 1 I 1 and one from Belgium, all made in the islands month of May (Map 2). Salomonsenin- Totals 13 7 4 10 15 18 5

Volume 34, Number 3 311 ing. In his letter on the occurrenceof the of a number of other caged birds, nota- Acknowledgements Wheatear in Bermuda, Wingate adds an bly goldfinches, about 1885. Strangely, I want to express my gratitude to interestingnote on the nominate race: there were no further records between James Bond, Erik Hansen, Finn Salom- "According to A. H. Verrill (1901) 1901 and the publication of the checklist onsen, K. H. Voous and David Wingate "The Wheatear... has been intro- in 193! and breeding was never confirm- for help in collecting material for this duced within the last 3 years near St. ed at any time. However, there is a paper. George'sand is apparentlydoing well. A remote possibility that a small popu- Literature Cited small flock was often seen on the barren lation did establish and survive until at BOND J. 1974ß Birds of the West Indies. Col- hillsidesof Coney Island. Another flock least 1940 becauseHughes-Hallett (who lins, Londonß 256 pp. of about the same number of individuals knew the birds well from England) ob- BULL J. 1964. Birds of the New York Areaß was observedon the neighboringshores tained two very unseasonablerecords on Harper & Row, New Yorkß 540 pp. ß 1974ß Birds of New York Stateß Dou- 5 April and 3 August 1939, one of which of St. George's Island."" bleday, Garden City, NßY. 655 pp. was very near the point of original intro- FORBUSH E.H. 1925-29ß Birds of Massa- duction." chusetts and other New England States, "Although the Greenland subspecies Massß Deptß of Agric., Norwood, Mass. 3 volsß of the Wheatear has been recorded as a GODFREY W.D. 1966ß The Birds of Can- frequent but scarce fall vagrant from ada. The Queen's Printerß Ottawaß 428 pp. mid-September and mid-October and LOWERY G.H. 1960. Louisiana Birds. again on two occasionsin March, the L.S.U. PressßNew Orleansß556 pp. likelihood of its occurrence in Bermuda SALOMONSENF. 1951ßGqbnlands Fugle. Copenhagenß in April and August of the same year ß 1967.Fuglene p• Grinland.Copen- seems almost infinitesimal." hagen, Although "contamination" of the ß 1974ß Fuglene i MenneskenesLand. continental records by this population Julianehõb. Greenland Wheatear (O. o. leucorrhoa), may have occurred, there is no evidence SNOW D.W. 1953. The Migration of the Westhampton,L.L, NY, Oct. 16, 1977. The Greenland Wheatearß Ibis 95:376-378ß lengthsof thetarsus can be extrapolated from of this. In summary, the Greenland SVENSSON L. 1975. Identification Guide to the •" board on which the bird is sitting. Wheatear must still be characterized as a European Passetines. Stockholm. Thusmeasured it isfound to be 78 mm long rare, but probably annual fall vagrant in WITHERBY H.F., F.C.R. JOURDAIN, (seetext). Photo/Bertel Bruun. the easternpart of the United Statesand N.F. TICEHURST and B.W. TUCKER. 1943ß The Handbook of British Birds. an extremely rare and irregular spring "This report was corroboratedby A. Witherby, Ltdß London. 5 vols. E. Verrill in 1902 except that he under- and evenrarer winter vagrant there. The stood that the birds originated from a same statement is true for Bermuda and --52 East 73 Street, New York, N.Y. wreckedvessel that resultedin the escape the Caribbean islands. 10021.

Distributional notes on Ecuadorian birds of birds known from Limoncocha(Tall- Charles F. Leck man eta!., 1977), thus this is an addi- tional record. Greater Yellow-headed Vulture (Ca- URINGJUNE-JULY 1974 and Febru- are required). The Puna Ibis (P!egadis thatres melambrotus). Neither de Schau- ary-April 1978 I had the oppor- ridgwayt) of the Andes from central ensee(1966, 1970) nor Blake (1977) in- tunity to travel through much of the Re- Peru south has occurred rarely on the cluded Ecuador in the range of this spe- public of Ecuador, occupiedin research Peruvian coast (Pearson and Plenge des. In fact it is widespread and quite and assistingornithological tours. Of the 1974), but it is rather larger. commonin the orienteregion (Napo and more than five hundred speciesof birds Masked Duck (Oxyura dominica). PastazaProvinces). I found it near Puyo identified, a few provide interestingnew Two birdsin femaleor • plumageon the at the foothills of the Cordillera Oriental distributional data. I have had consider- lake at Limoncocha, (near Rio Jivino), (975 m) during July 1974 (with direct able previousfield experiencewith most Napo Province, were seen by me and comparisonto Cathartes aura), and at of the birds included here, furthermore, other members of a birdwatching tour the Rio Napo from Coca to Limoncocha most are readily identified. includingBetsy Thomas April 13, 1978. (about 300 m) during April 1978. Ridge- P!egadisibis (P!egadissp.). A small Both birds were shy but seenwell, in- ly (pers. comm.) also saw at least one ibis of this genuswas seen well in the rice cluding their white wing patches. The along the Rio Naugaritza, north of Pa- paddymarshes north of Guayaquil(near range of this speciesin Ecuador is de- quisha, Zamora-Chinchipe, in July Daule), Guayas July 5, 1974. Either scribed as only west of the Andes (de 1978, and it was not uncommon east of P!egadischihi or P. falcine!!uswould be Schauensee1970, Blake 1977), although Macas, Norona-Santiago, in August a new speciesfor Ecuador; recent Col- a map in the Blake referencecorrectly 1979. Pearson (1972) apparently pub- ombian and Venezuelan records suggest includes eastern Ecuador as well. The lished the first records of this bird in that the latter is more likely (specimens specieshad alreadybeen added to the list Ecuador, from Limoncocha, where he

312 American Birds, May ! 980