Records of Interesting Distribution Central Australian Birds
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THE' S.A. ORNITHOLOGIST 59 NEW AND INTERESTING DISTRIBUTION RECORDS OF CENTRAL AUSTRALIAN BIRDS By SHANE PARKER Animal Industries Branch, Northern Territory Administration, Alice Springs, N.T. This paper is an attempt to bring together south-western corner of the Territory, from recent distribution records of Central Aus Curtin Springs west to the Petermann tralian birds which appear interesting in the Ranges, then north to the Kintore and light of Storr's List of Northern Territory Ehrenburg Ranges. Most of their speci Birds, 1967. In the past few years a wealth mens are now at the British Museum (Na of information, mostly unpublished, has tural History), London, though their series accumulated on bird distribution in the of Amytornis and several other specimens Centre. The bird collection housed in the were kindly presented to the Northern Terri Northern Territory Museum (Biology Sec tory Museum (NTM). In August and Sep tion, Animal Industry and Agriculture tember, 1967, Mr. Dean Fisher of Michigan Branch), Alice Springs, started by Mr. University formed a small collection of birds Warren Hitchcock in 1954-55, has been in the Banka Banka-Tennant Creek area. added to by other AI.B. Wildlife Officers (Reports on these last two collections are in since that date, and includes specimens preparation) . taken during faunal surveys of the Jervois The sources of reliable sight records from and Sandover Stock Routes, Tanami Sanc which I have drawn are even more nu tuary, Palm Valley Sanctuary, the Petermann merous, and include the notes of Mr. B. L. Ranges and other seldom-visited areas. In Bolton (BLB) and Mr. David Howe (DH) August, 1960, Mr. Ken Buller of the Western of the Biology Section, AI.B., Alice Springs; Australian Museum (WAM) formed a small Mr. David Stewart (DS) and Mr. Lindsay collection of birds from several localities in Clack (LC), patrol officers in the Depart the Territory. In April and May, 1962, a ment of Welfare; Mr. Andrew Shipway, Mr. party from the South Australian Museum Peter Hanisch and Mr. Harry Wakefield of (SAM) collected birds at various points from the C.S.I.R.O. Dingo Section (CSIRODS); the Alice Springs district north to Darwin Mr. Anthony Nicholls (AN), Botanist, and the upper South Alligator River. In AI.B., to whom with his colleague Mr. John April, 1965, a joint team from the Australian Maconochie I am indebted for the identifi Museum and AI.B., Alice Springs, collected cation of plant material; Mr. Desmond Nel birds from Hermannsburg and Alice Springs, son (DN), Botany Section, AI.B.; Mr. Tom east to Numery and north to Yuendumu Hare (TH) of the Northern Territory Re and Tanami Sanctuary; these specimens, in serves Board; Mr. John Elliott (JE), De cluding two skins of Acanthiza apicalis partment of Transport; Max and Mary Bo tanami Mathews (Condon, Disney and rella (M & MB), two local ornithologists of Slater, 1966) are now at the Australian considerable experience; Mr. R. K. (Sam) Museum (AM). The Northern Territory Carruthers (RKC), Mount Isa; Mrs. Billie Bustard Expedition of 1966, with Mr. Allan Gill (BG), Innisfail; the published observa McEvey of the National Museum of Victoria tions of Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Watson (Watson (NMV) as ornithologist, formed from 14th 1966, 1967a, 1967b), and the many ornitho February to 3rd March a small bird collec logical references amongst the files of the tion and made many interesting observations Biology Section, A.I.B. I thank also Dr. in the vicinity of Attack Creek, Brunchilly Glen M. Storr for his valuable comments Station (McEvey, 1967). In March and on the draft of this paper. Lastly there April, 1967, the British Joint Services Expe are my own observations (SP), made from dition carried out a faunal survey of the April to December, 1967, over 8,500 bird watching miles throughout the Territory. The northern boundary of Central Aus The nomenclature used in this paper is that of G. M. Storr's, List of Northern Territory Birds. tralia as here treated runs from the Tanami Spec. Publ. W. Aust. Mus. 4 : 1-90 (1967). eastwards to Banka Banka then south-east 60 THE S.A. ORNITHOLOGIST along the southern flank of the Barkly late April-early May, 1967 (Austin, 1968 Tableland, though where the range of a bird 2) . of mainly central distribution has been ex tended north of this line (e.g. Eremiornis BLACK SWAN (Cygnus atra.tus). carteri, Barnardius zonarius), then the more The only previous record seems to be northerly localities are given. from Whitlock (1924 : 256) who noted one The evaluation of these fresh data would bird at Finke Gap. Three pairs nested on have been a laborious' task without the ex a dam at Mt. Ebenezer during August and cellent compilation of Storr's, mentioned September 1966; in 1967, following the good above. Species are listed in Storr's 1967 rains of 1966-67, other birds were noted: order; as this is not a taxonomic paper, bino two adults and four cygnets on large swamp mials only are used, except in such cases as one mile west of Old Andado Hstd., 31st the Tanami Tit and the White-backed May (AN); on swamp 120 miles south of Magpie. where trinomials are given. Alice Springs, on Finke road, two nests, one with 4 eggs, one with 5 eggs (one of HOARY-HEADED GREBE (Podiceps which had just hatched), 21st July (LC); poliocephalus). pair nesting on large lagoon near Palmer Storr (1967 : 11) lists three localities: the Valley Hstd., March, 1967 (C. Lovegrove); Lander (220 2' 1" S.), Brunette Downs and 6 birds on waterhole near Deep Well Hstd., Banka Banka. Additional records indicate early December, 1967 (anon.); one bird that this species is not uncommon on shallow . on Libby Hole, Shakespeare Creek, Avon waters (dams, swamps, claypans): Curtin Downs (no date, RKC). Springs, one bird, end-October, 1960, brought in to A.LB., Alice Springs but died FRECKLED DUCK (Stictonetta naevosa). en route; claypan at 2009'S., 1300 15' E., The only previous record is of a specimen Tanami Sanctuary, 5th April, 1965 (2 spe collected on the South Alligator River on cimens in AM); Brunchilly, nine birds on a 10th October, 1902 by J. Tunney (Hartert, bore waterhole (McEvey, 1967 : 19); Alice 1905 : 206). A great number of ducks was Springs sewage beds, three birds during present along Brunette Creek and Corella February, 1967 (M & MB), and others in Creek, Brunette Downs, during October, late July (DS) and late September (SP) of 1966; of two hundred and eighty shot, one same year; dam near Temple Bar Creek, hundred and sixty were Freckled Ducks. south-west of Alice Springs, 25th June, 1967 This species is present during most winters (NTM 3667); commonly' sighted on dams on waterholes on Brunette Downs, though on Alcoota, Yamba and Hamilton Downs usually in much smaller numbers; in March, stations during first half of 1967 (CSIR 1960, a few were also recorded from Austral ODS); dam 12 miles north of Mt, Riddock Downs (RKC). [One record from Alice Hstd., three birds in July, 1967 (DS); Springs, 1958 (Frith, 1967 : 117.)] swamp near Warrabri Settlement, south east of Wauchope, one bird, October, 1967 WOOD DUCK (Chenonetta jubata). (DS). Listed as uncommon by Storr (1967 : 16), In contradistinction to the shallow-water along the Finke and its major tributaries. preference of Podiceps poliocephalus, that of Recent records are: one bird on Alice Springs the Little Grebe, P. nouaehollandiae, seems, sewage beds in late-October/early November, in Central Australia, to be the deeper, more ~ 1966 (Watson, 1967a : 3) and another in permanent water of rockholes and waterholes late July, 1967 (DS, SP); dams on Hamilton along the larger rivercourses. Downs, Yamba and Numery, common (par ties up to 12) during February-May, 1967 GLOSSY IBIS (Plegadis falcinellus). (CSIRODS); Old Andado Swamp, 12 A northern species. A pair was present birds, 1st May, 1967 (SP).i dam on Tempe at Alice Springs sewage beds from 9th Downs, 3 birds, 10th June, 1967 (SP); Mt. February to mid-April, 1967 (M & MB, Undoolya dam, 40-50 birds, September, 1967 SP, BLB, DH); a few miles south of Mt. (M & MB); Papunya, present during Allan, one bird observed in some shallow December, 1967 (LC); Brunette Downs and water, June, 1962 (BG); south of Mount the Georgina River system, N.T., very com Conner, a small group on residual water, mon most years (RKC). THE S.A. ORNITHOLOGIST 61 MOUNTAIN DUCK (Tadorna west of Alice Springs, June-July (M & MB); tadornoides) . one bird observed 74 miles north of Alice Listed by Storr (1967 : 16) as a rare Springs on Stuart Highway, 10th July vagrant along the Palmer and the Finke. (BLB); near Connellan's airstrip, Alice A northern record is from Avon Downs, one Springs, nesting pair, September (M & MB). bird shot, June, 1961 (RKC). 1967 was a good year for most of the hawks, following a build-up of prey populations PINK-EARED DUCK (Malacorhynchus after the heavy rains of 1966-67. membranaceus). [Storr, in litt., 23rd April, 1968: "This Listed by Storr (1967 : 17) as locally species [notatus] seems to be going through common after heavy rains but not often ob a cycle of abundance just now. In a trip served. This species was fairly numerous in last year [1967] through the Western Aus 1966-67: Attack Creek, Brunchilly, two birds tralian wheatbelt I saw more of these kites (McEvey 1967 : 19); Alice Springs sewage than Nankeen Kestrels. As for E. scriptus, beds, a pair (Watson, 1967a : 3); frequently I am inclined now to accept only the Barkly seen on dams on Alcoota (November, 1966) Tableland records"].