AUSTRALIAN 218 BIRD WATCHER

AUSTRALIAN BIRD WATCHER 1994, IS, 218-224 The Status and Distribution of the Trumpet Manucode Manucodia keraudrenii (Paradisaeidae) in Australia by CLIFFORD B. FRITH, 'Prionodura', P.O. Box 581, Malanda, Queensland 4885

Summary Early and recent Australian records of the Trumpet Manucode Manucodia keraudrenii south of Coen, on Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia, are reviewed and their validity assessed. No evidence was found that the species is migratory between Papua New Guinea and Australia or that southward vagrant movements occur within Australia, notwithstanding several suggestions to the contrary. The species should be presently treated as a sedentary one, in Australia confined to Cape York Peninsula and several adjacent islands north of Rocky River, Mcllwraith Range, and on Boigu and Saibai Islands adjacent to the Papua New Guinea coast, within Australian territory. Introduction The Trumpet Manucode Manucodia keraudrenii is a large (28 em), crow-like, glossy metallic blue-black bird of paradise which is sexually monomorphic and breeds monogamously. It occurs widely throughout the mountains of mainland New Guinea between 200 and 2000 metres above sea level (Beehler eta!. 1986) , in some lowland areas, on some northernmost islands of the Torres Strait adjacent to Papua New Guinea and on the Aru Islands (Coates 1990). In Australia the species is considered by most authorities to be confined to northern Cape York Peninsula, north of Coen, including adjacent Albany and Mai Islands, and on Boigu and Saibai Islands adjacent to the Papua New Guinea coast (Gilliard 1969, Cooper & Forshaw 1fJ77, Pizzey 1980, Storr 1984, Blakers et a!. 1984, Schodde & Tidemann 1988, Wieneke 1992). Some early ornithological works recorded the odd individual Trumpet Manucode well south of its now widely accepted Australian range of northern Cape York Peninsula, north of Coen, but these have long been considered erroneous and have often been ignored. During the last decade, however, several reports of the Trumpet Manucode well south of Coen have again appeared in the literature and some of their authors have, regrettably, cited earlier reports as if they were confirmed records. This contribution seeks to review all Australian records of the Trumpet Manucode south of Coen in order to assess the validity of each and to define the authenticated status and distribution of the species in Australia. Supposed trans-Torres Strait migration In preparing this review the unfolding of the 'manucode migration myth' made it necessary to seek the origin of this in order to understand how it became part of subsequent authors', and observers', thinking. The first reference to trans-Torres Strait migration found is that of John Gould (1855) who wrote of New Guinea Trumpet Manucodes: 'It would be interesting to know if a migration of such forms as the present annually takes place between the two countries. With many other birds having greater wing-power, such a migration would be performed with ease, and doubtless such a change of locality occurs with many of them', and 'There are doubtless many fine birds in the mountain districts of that country [New Guinea] which never quit their own forests, while others, of a more wandering disposition, will from time to time be captured on the Cape York Peninsula and other northern promontories of Australia'. To this sentence Gould subsequently (1865) added the words 'and this is probably one of them.' It would seem that Gould was under the impression that the species was so sparse on Cape York Peninsula that those birds present must have represented a population of vagrants, not residents. VOL. 15 (5) MARCH 1994 Status & Distribution of Trumpet Manucode in Australia 219

North (1901) corrected this impression by quoting Robert Jardine, resident of Somerset, Cape York Peninsula, who wrote of the Trumpet Manucode: 'Gould's Manucode is generally found in the margins of scrubs, and is resident here throughout the year.' Jardine went on to describe the bird as 'very restless, and extremely local in habits'. Macgillivray (1914), however, presented field observations by his collector W. M'Lennan who claimed that Trumpet Manucodes of Cape York Peninsula seemed 'to arrive early in August, and take their departure at the end of March, or early in April, when they gather together in flocks.' This observation has not been subsequently cited and it is therefore imagined that other ornithologists suspect, as does this author, that it in fact refers to the Metallic Starling Aplonis metallica as the reference to flocking would strongly imply. Large loose flocks of Spangled Drongos Dicrurus hottentottus do also cross Torres Strait, however (S. Garnett in !itt.). Cayley (1931), in his widely and long-used (still in print) book, wrote that 'The species is believed to be partially migratory; it may move between Cape York Peninsula and New Guinea.' Unfortunately these, apparently unfounded, suggestions that the Trumpet Manucode is a regular, if partial, migrant between New Guinea and Australia and records indicative of migration or vagrancy within the Australian population, have been alluded to by some later authors. Bell (1967, 1982) suggested that some Trumpet Manucodes of the New Guinea subspecies M. k. jamesii in the Fly River estuary area migrate to Australia to breed whilst the M. k. purpureo-violaceus population in the Port Moresby area is resident and non-migratory, but presented no evidence. Forshaw (in Cooper & Forshaw 1977) stated that the species is 'generally considered to be a partial migrant between Cape York Peninsula and southern New Guinea'. It is possible Bell was led to this conclusion by the erroneous but frequently quoted records of Manucodes south of Coen by Banfield (1908), Cayley (1931) and others (see below). Stokes (1983) documented an August 1975 record of a Trumpet Manucode on Booby Island (10 °36 'S, 141°55 'E) during a 1975/1976 survey of bird casualities on that island by resident lighthouse keepers. Draffan (in !itt. to Stokes)- suspected that this was a misidentification of either a Metallic Starling or Spangled Drongo. A specimen of the bird in question was in fact preserved (Queensland Museum No. 016350) and it is a Metallic Starling (Ingram et a!. 1986). In a review of the birds of Torres Strait, Draffan eta!. (1983) point out that Trumpet Manucodes have been reported on Albany and Mai islands (M. k. gouldi) immediately off Cape York, and on the Australian Boigu and Saibai Islands (M. k. jamesii) adjacent to Papua New Guinea, but that they seriously doubted migration between the two large land masses via the entire Torres Strait. In his fine and thorough review of the birds of Papua New Guinea, Coates (1990) makes no mention of migration or any other kinds of movements by any Trumpet Manucode population. Garnett (1991) cited the M'Lennan report of supposed Manucode flocks (Macgillivray 1914) and mistakenly attributed to W.T. Cooper an observation of 'flocks ofmanucodes' at Iron Range in September, which possibly caused him to state that the Trumpet Manucode is the sedentary species most likely to cross the Torres Strait. Garnett subsequently pointed out, however, that 'the complete absence of all birds of paradise from New Britain appears to indicate that the Paradisaeidae are one of the families with an aversion to crossing any but the shortest stretches of water'. The Cape York Peninsula Manucode population constitutes an endemic Australian subspecies M. k. gouldi, quite distinct from the New Guinea subspecies (Gilliard 1969, AUSTRALIAN 220 FRITH BIRD WATCHER >

Cooper & Forshaw lfJ77, Storr 1984). No individual of a New Guinea subspecies has been collected in Australia, south of Boigu and Saibai Islands. If, even infrequent, trans-Torres Strait migration or vagrancy by M. k. jamesii and/or M. k. purpureo­ violaceus were occurring and involving these New Guinea birds breeding in Australia where and when M. k. gouldii is, it would be difficult to understand the maintenance of distinct subspecies either side of the Torres Strait.

The early records south of Coen In his famous book The Confessions of a Beachcomber, E. J. Banfield (1908) recorded the Trumpet Manucode as a regular spring visitor to Dunk Island (17 °57 'S, 146°09'E), off Mission Beach. Banfield's record has long been ignored by ornithologists, it having been widely accepted that Banfield misidentified adult male Common Koels Eudynamis scolopacea for Manucodes (Porter 1983a: 74, b: 126). Jackson (1909: 249) reported a Manucode at 'Tinaroo scrubs' (Atherton Tableland) on 31 October 1908, and his diaries apparently contain reference to a second sighting in that area (Chisholm 1958:106). The present author agrees with Chisholm that, given Jackson's long-established status as a professional collector and his sure knowledge that such a sighting represented a truly remarkable and novel event, his casual mention of it without further remark, let alone his failure to document an attempt to collect a specimen, is inexplicable. I can comment no further, but would note that considerable correspondence by renowned entomologist Francis Dodd of Kuranda, now in the archives of the Queensland Museum, repeatedly expresses the view that much of Jackson's field data were inaccurate and unreliable. White (1913 : 177) quoted E. D. Frizelle, an egg collector he employed, as seeing 'only one Manucode (Phonygama gouldi, Gray) [in September] all the time [May to September] but often hear[ing] them. They are shy birds' at Clump Point (17 °5l'S, 146 006 'E) at the northern end of Rockingham Bay. That Frizelle recorded that he 'often hear[d) them' and that 'They are shy' is clearly indicative of the fact that he wrote of a number of birds that did much calling. As it would be unlikely that several vagrant Trumpet Manucodes would simultaneously arrive, and call much, at a single location as far south as Clump Point, it would seem that Frizelle misidentified another species for manucodes. Notwithstanding Chisholm's subsequent (1961: 195) acceptance of Jackson's manucode record together with those of Banfield and White (above), which he overlooked in his 1958 article, these early supposed sightings have not been subsequently accepted by other authors (but see Werren & Barwell 1987, opposite).

Four recent records south of Coen 1. Resident Cairns birdwatcher, John Crowhurst (1983) was told by a VISitmg birdwatching couple of a bird seen in the Cairns Botanical Gardens (16 °54 'S) on 27 May 1983 and thought by them to be a manucode. He saw a bird there on 29 May which he identified as a Trumpet Manucode and writes, 'It didn't have the fish tail of the Drongo but had a broad rounded tail and long neck feathers; it was also far too large for a Metallic Starling, which besides had a pointed tail and the neck feathers on the Starling are not so pronounced. I have also seen the Manucode before up at Iron Range last year and you cannot mistake it for anything else.' 2. Tess Brickhill, a resident of Mackay, Queensland, is reported to have identified a Trumpet Manucode at Kuranda, near Cairns, on 22 September 1985 without further comment (Anon. 1986). VOL. 15 (5) MARCH 1994 Status & Distribution of Trumpet Manucode in Australia 221

3. Werren (in Werren & Barwell 1987) reported a sighting of a Trumpet Manucode on Mt Lewis (16 °34'S, 145 "16'E), Carbine Tableland, at approximately 1100 metres above sea level and 13 kilometres west of Mossman on 10 December 1986. He stated that an unseen bird was first heard to give 'a distinctive brassy squawk' and that a bird was subsequently seen flying over a forestry road by himself and, briefly, by M. Trenerry. The present author has been informed by M. Trenerry (pers. comm.) that at the time he could not identify with any confidence the black bird seen flying briefly from road-side canopy to road-side canopy. Werren writes that J. McLaughlin also identified a Trumpet Manucode a few kilometres from his own sighting a few hours previously on the same day. Werren cites the previous records of southern manucode sightings by Banfield (1908), Jackson (1909), Frizelle (in Chisholm 1961), Crowhurst (1983) and Brickhill (Anon. 1986) and suggests the former three were overlooked by Cooper & Forshaw (1977), Storr (1984) and Blakers et a!. (1984). I have no doubt, however, that these early records were considered by the latter authors and were rejected as unacceptable. 4. The Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union newsletter publication Wingspan (Anon. 1993) reported that 'Rumours of a Trumpet Manucode came from Julatten on 3 January' 1993 without further details.

The present status and distribution of Trumpet Manucodes in Australia What is to be made of the above recently reported sightings of the Trumpet Manucode so far south of Coen, given that none of them has been submitted to any ornithological association or records appraisal committee for formal assessment? Is it possible that observers have been encouraged to consider the possibility that an unfamiliar large black passerine-like bird seen in rainforest might be a Manucode because the species has previously been considered an irregular migrant or vagrant species? Werren & Barwell (1987) point out that the altitude of their own record at 1100 m and of that of Jackson (1909) at c. 700 m is higher than previously recorded for the Australian population of Trumpet Manucode. In fact there exists no evidence to suggest that Trumpet Manucodes ever leave their northern, predominantly lowland, Cape York Peninsula habitat, let alone leave Australia. Clench (1978) suggested that the modification of an elongated trachea for low and far-carrying voice production in the male Trumpet Manucode has developed because the species is sedentary and non-migratory. A trachea elongation to the extent of that found in male Trumpet Manucodes would represent a significant physiological handicap to a true migrant that may experience pulmonary stress (M.H. Clench in !itt.). Pratt (in Beehler 1985) obtained evidence to suggest that pair-bonded Trumpet Manucodes in New Guinea may remain together in their home range for more than one year, which presumably indicates the adult birds are sedentary. Forty-seven sight records of the Trumpet Manucode made in Australia during the 1977 to 1981 fieldwork for The Atlas ofAustralian Birds (Blakers et al. 1984) involved all months of the year and were exclusively from northern Cape York Peninsula from 10 °45 'S, 142 °35 'E in the north to 13 °45 'S, 143 "25 'E in the south. The southernmost sighting was near Double Hill on the Mcllwraith Range, approximately 33 kilometres north-east of Coen. Since then the species has been recorded as common, and nesting, on the Rocky River approximately 10 kilometres further south (C. Frith unpubl. data). Recent reports 2, 3 and 4 above are, in the opinion of the present author, grossly inadequate and cannot stand as documented evidence of sightings of the Trumpet Manucode so far south of its established distribution on northern Cape York Peninsula. AUSTRALIAN 222 FRITH BIRD WATCHER

These reports (a) do not present detailed descriptions of the bird seen, (b) do not adequately (if at all) negate the possibility of the bird seen being a different species which could easily be confused with the Manucode (i.e. adult male Common Koel, Spangled Drongo, Satin Bowerbird Ptilonorhynchus violaceus, Victoria's Riflebird Ptiloris victoriae or adult-plumaged Metallic Starling or Black Butcherbird Cracticus quoyi) and (c) do not indicate the observers' experience with (i) the general avifauna of the area, (ii) possibly confusing species in particular and (iii) the Trumpet Manucode specifically. The Werren and McLaughlin Mt Lewis sightings were for the same day and 'a few kilometres apart' . That two people would see the same, extremely rare, individual vagrant Trumpet Manucode in dense upland rainforest kilometres apart on the same day seems unlikely. To suggest the sightings involved two individual vagrant birds would be to admit a remarkable coincidence. The 'distinctive brassy squawk' ofWerren could have been any of a number of things in the Mt Lewis rainforest. One sound that, to my ear, sounds quite like the distant call note of a Manucode is the 'deep resonant wahk' (Frith & Frith 1991) or 'deep resonant warrrk' note (Nix & Switzer 1991) of the Northern Barred Frog Mixophyes schevilli. This note can also be described as a deep brassy grongg rendered with the quality of a metal Jew's harp. With respect to reports 2, 3 and 4 the observers were apparently new to, and unfamiliar with, Australia's tropical rainforest avifauna in general and with Trumpet Manucodes in particular. For the above reasons I believe records 2, 3 and 4 should be rejected. Report 1 is the only one deserving of consideration, given that the author was familiar with the local avifauna, indicated that he at least considered two possibly confusing species and that he had previously seen the Trumpet Manucode within its usual range. It should be noted, however, that judging the size of a lone bird relative to that of other, absent and potentially confusing, species is notoriously difficult and unreliable. The present author is familiar with the avifauna of both the Wet Tropics and the Cape York Peninsula rainforests, and with the Trumpet Manucode in both Australia and New Guinea. Nevertheless, I recall once spending many minutes with Dawn Frith watching a bird perched on an emergent bare branch clear ofthe forest canopy against a pale sky at Paluma in order to confirm that it was not a Manucode. It proved to be a Spangled Drongo in tail moult (and so lacked its 'fish tail') that was erecting its conspicuously obvious 'ear tufts' and elongate crown and nape feathers. Unfortunately most Australian bird guides fail to mention this infrequently seen but notable field character (Pizzey 1980, Slater et a!. 1989, Simpson & Day 1993), although it has now been recently noted and well illustrated (Cooper in Breeden 1992: 190); see Figure 1. Thus, the Trumpet Manucode can indeed be mistaken for another species (contra Crowhurst 1983), particularly so if the other species should be unfamiliar to the eye of the beholder. There is no evidence for any kind of movement by Trumpet Manucodes to and from, or within, Australia. Report 1 must now be re-assessed in this light. The Australian population of the Trumpet Manucode is, as Garnett (1991) concluded, a sedentary rainforest bird isolated in Australia by Torres Strait. Is it likely that an individual of a sedentary, far northern Cape York Peninsula rainforest-dwelling and fruit-eating specialist (Beehler 1985), large passerine bird would traverse the some 290 kilometres of largely inhospitable habitat between the southern Mcllwraith Range and the northernmost Wet Tropics rainforests (Mt Amos area, south of Cooktown), only to then fly onwards 150 kilometres more to Cairns? VOL. 15 (5) MARCH 1994 Status & Distribution of Trumpet Manucode in Australia 223

Figure 1. Spangled Drongo Dicrurus hottentottus with outer tail feathers moulted (dotted lines) and 'ear tufts' erect. Drawing: W.T. Cooper

Given the unlikeliness of this, that Crowhurst did not consider all potentially confusing species (including the slight possibility of a potentially confusing escaped captive species), Crowhurst's record can at best be considered to have probably been a misidentification. At worst it must be considered an inadequately documented, uncorroborated sighting that should not be cited in future literature. It is possible that Manucodes (more likely juvenile or immature ones) might be shown to perform movements, or that a vagrant may be confirmed as seen south of the Mcllwraith Range at some future time, but this has not been established to date. At the present time the acknowledged Australian distribution of the Trumpet Manucode can only be the rainforests of northern Cape York Peninsula north of Rocky River, Mcllwraith Range on the east coast; and north of Weipa on the west coast. The southernmost authenticated and acceptable record is at the Rocky River area (Blakers et al. 1984 and Frith pers. obs.). It is likely that the species extends to the southern tip of the Mcllwraith Range in the area of the headwaters of Breakfast Creek, to the south-south-east of Coen. Although the publication of inadequately documented reports of unusual or rare bird sightings does nothing to improve understanding of any species concerned, it may tend to encourage an expectation of possibly seeing a species outside its normal range. Editors should perhaps be reluctant to accept and publish casual reports or rumours of geographically exceptional species sightings, before submitting them to an appraisal panel, for this reason alone.

Acknowledgements Grateful thanks toW. T. Cooper for his fine drawing. G. B. Monteith pointed out, and provided access to, Francis Dodd's correspondence. Bill and Wendy Cooper, Francis Crome, Brian Coates, Dawn Frith, Stephen Garnett, John McLaughlin, Danny Rogers, Mike Trenerry, Jo Wieneke and a referee read a draft of this contribution and provided some helpful comment. Glen Ingram most kindly transcribed John Gould's text for me. The Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union kindly provided distributional data. AUSTRALIAN 224 FRITH BIRD WATCHER

References Anon. (1986), 'Unusual sighting reports series 55', Bird Observer 648-649, 2-3. Anon. (1993), Twitcher's Corner, Wingspan 9, 7. Banfield, E. J. (1908), The Confessions of a Beachcomber, Fisher Unwin, London. Beehler, B. (1985) , 'Adaptive significance of monogamy in the Trumpet Manucode Manucodia keraudrenii (Aves: Paradisaeidae)', in Gowarty, P.A. & Mock, D.W. (Eds), Avian Monogamy, American Ornithologists Union Ornithological Monographs 37, 83-99. --, Pratt, T. K. & Zimmerman, D. A. (1986), Birds ofNew Guinea, Princeton University Press, Princeton. Bell , H. L. (1967) , 'Bird life of the Ba1imo sub-district, Papua', Emu 67, 57-79. --(1982), 'A bird community oflowland rainforest in New Guinea. I. Composition and density of the avifauna', Emu 82, 24-41. Blakers, M., Davies, S.J.J.F., Reilly, P.N. (1984), The Atlas ofAustralian Birds, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne. Breeden, S. (1992), Visions of a Rainforest, Simon & Schuster, Sydney. Cayley, N. W. (1931) , What Bird is That?, Angus & Robertson, Sydney. Chisholm, A. H. (1958), 'The diaries of S. W. Jackson', Emu 58, 101-123. -- (1961), 'Range of the Manucode', Emu 61, 195. Clench, M. H. (1978), 'Tracheal elongation in birds-of-paradise', Condor 80, 423-430. Coates, B. J. (1990), The Birds of Papua New Guinea, vol. 2, Dove, Brisbane. Cooper, W. T. & Forshaw, J. M. (1977), The Birds of Paradise and Bower Birds, Collins, Sydney. Crowhurst, J. (1983) , 'Joys of Julatten', Bird Observer 616, 41. Draffan, R. D. W. , Garnett, S. T. & Malone, G. J. (1983), 'Birds of the Torres Strait: an annotated list and biogeographical analysis', Emu 83, 207-234. Frith, C.B. & Frith, D.W. (1991), Australian i'ropical Reptiles & Frogs, Frith & Frith, Malanda. Garnett, S. T. (1991) , 'Torres Strait as a barrier to rainforest bird movement', Chapter 16: 251-255 in The Rainforest Legacy, vol. 2 (Eds Werren, G. & Kershaw, P.), Australian Heritage Commision, Canberra. Gilliard, E. T. (1969), Birds of Paradise and Bower Birds, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London. Gould, J. (1855), The Birds of Australia, Supplement, part 2, Author, London. -- (1865), Handbook to the Birds of Australia, Author, London. Ingram, G. J., Longmore, N. W. & Vernon, D.P. (1986). 'Birds from Booby Island', Sunbird 16, 12-24. Jackson, S. W. (1909), 'In the Barron River Valley, North Queensland', Emu 8, 233-283. Macgillivray, W. (1914), 'Notes on some North Queensland birds', Emu 13, 132-186. Nix , H.A. & Switzer, M.A. (1991), 'Rainforest animals: atlas of vertebrates endemic to Australia's Wet Tropics' , Kowari 1, 1-112. North, A. J. (1901), Nests and Eggs of Birds Found Breeding in Australia and Tasmania, The Australian Museum, Sydney. Pizzey, G. (1980), A Field Guide to the Birds of Australia, Collins, Sydney. Porter, J. G. (l983a), Discovering the Family Islands, Kullari, Tully. -- (1993b), Beachcomber's Paradise, Angus & Robertson, Sydney. Schodde, R. & Tidemann, S.C. (Eds) (1988), Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds, 2nd edn, Reader's Digest, Sydney. Simpson, K. & Day, N. (1993), Field Guide to the Birds of Australia, 4th edn, Viking O'Neill, Melboune. Slater, P. , Slater, P. & Slater, R. (1989), The Slater Guide to Australian Birds, revised edn, Weldon, Sydney. Stokes, T. (1983), 'Bird casualties in 1975-76 at the Booby Island lightstation, Torres Strait', Sunbird 13, 53-58. Storr, G. M. (1984), ' Revised list of Queensland birds', Records of the Western Austalian Museum 19, 1-189. Werren, G. L. & Barwell, G. C. (1987), 'Records of the Trumpet Manucode and the rare Blue-faced Finch in a bird list from the Carbine Tableland, far north-east Queensland', Sunbird 17, 99-103. White, H. L. (1913), 'Notes on the Cassowary', Emu 12, 172-178. Wieneke, J. (1992), Where to Find Birds in North East Queensland, Author, Townsville. Received 3 August 1993 •