Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 0 19. 1984 Revised List ofQueensland Birds G.M.Storr ,~ , , ' > " Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement No. 19 I $ I,, 1 > Revised List oflQueensland Birds G. M. Storr ,: i, Perth 1984 'j t ,~. i, .', World List Abbreviation: . Rec. West. Aust. Mus. Suppl. no. 19 Cover Palm Cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus), drawn by Jill Hollis. © Western Australian Museum 1984 I ISBN 0 7244 8765 4 Printed and Published by the Western Australian Museum, j Francis Street, Perth 6000, Western Australia. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Introduction. ...................................... 5 List of birds. ...................................... 7 Gazetteer ....................................... .. 179 3 INTRODUCTION In 1967 I began to search the literature for information on Queensland birds ­ their distribution, ecological status, relative abundance, habitat preferences, breeding season, movements and taxonomy. In addition much unpublished information was received from Mrs H.B. Gill, Messrs J.R. Ford, S.A. Parker, R.L. Pink, R.K. Carruthers, L. Neilsen, D. Howe, C.A.C. Cameron, Bro. Matthew Heron, Dr D.L. Serventy and the late W.E. Alexander. These data formed the basis of the List of Queensland birds (Stort 1973, Spec. Pubis West. Aust. Mus. No. 5). During the last decade the increase in our knowledge of Queensland birds has been such as to warrant a re-writing of the List. Much of this progress has been due to three things: (1) survey work by J.R. Ford, A. Gieensmith and N.C.H. Reid in central Queensland and southern Cape York Peninsula (Ford et al. 1981, Sunbird 11: 58-70), (2) research into the higher categories ofclassification, especially C.G. Sibley's work on passerines, and (3) the increasing attention paid by naturalists to littoral and marine birds. The scope ofthis work is substantially the same as its precursor's. Range is usually given first in broad terms, like 'north-eastern humid zone' or 'southern interior', and then with sufficient detail for the reader to draw a distribution map or to check whether an observation is beyond the known range for that taxon. Breeding and wintering ranges, when different from total range, are outlined under Status etc. Status refers primarily to the bird's ecological status, Le. whether it is a resident or a breeding or non-breeding visitor; sedentary, nomadic or migratory; and very common, common, moderately common, uncommon, scarce or rare. Habitat preferences, breeding season (defined by the months in which eggs are laid) and migrations are summarized. The only innovation is data on clutch size; they are mostly given, for example, in the form cn (5), where I have five records of two­ egg clutches. Taxonomic references cited in previous regional works (Spec. Pubis West. Aust. Mus. Nos 4, 5, 7 and 11) are not repeated here. For the preparation of this edition Messrs J.R. Ford and G.J. Roberts kindly loaned me their field diaries. I am also grateful to Mr D.P. Vernon for the loan of many of the bird skins formerly in his charge at the Queensland Museum, to Mr L. Joseph for records from central and western Queensland, to Mr S.A. Parker for information on specimens in the South Australian Museum, and to Mr J.R. Ford for criticism of the manuscript. 5 LIST OF BIRDS CASUARIIDAE Dromaius novaehollandiae novaehollandiae (Latham) Emu Range. Greater part of State but not humid north-eastern lowlands and adjacent mountains and plateaux (from Cooktown south to Ingham and inland to the Atherton and Evelyn Tablelands) or sandy deserts of far western interior (west of the Mulligan and lower Eyre Creek); also Bribie 1. Status etc. Formerly moderately common throughout lightly or moderately wooded plains and gently hilly country in arid and semi-arid zones and on south-east coastal sandplains, becoming locally common towards end of last century with the decline of its principal predators (Aborigines and dingoes) and the spread of prickly pear (Opuntia spp.), but now greatly reduced in the more densely inhabited parts of its range. Apparently always scarce or absent in the rougher or more heavily wooded parts of eastern Queensland (east of Coen, the upper Normanby, upper Mitchell, upper Herbert, upper Burdekin, Mingela, the upper Isaac, lower Dawson, upper Burnett and Darling Downs). Breeding from April to August; C/6 (5), 7 (8), 9 (3), 11 (2), 12 (3), 13 (2). Casuarius casuarius subsp. Southern Cassowary Range. Humid mid-east coast of Cape York Peninsula from the Pascoe south to Massy Creek. Status etc. Uncommon. Lowland rainforest. Breeding from June to August (Thomson); C/3 (1). Taxonomy. It is still unknown whether this population is subspecifically distinct. For type locality of C. australis Wall (not Shaw) see Somerville (1950, Emu 49: 214). Casuarius casuarius johnsonii Mueller Range. Humid north-east from Mt Amos south to Paluma and inland to the Herberton Range; also Hinchinbrook 1. Status etc. Formerly common in lowland and foothill rainforest and closed gallery forest, but most of habitat now destroyed; uncommon in highland rainforest up to 1000 m. Breeding from mid-April to late October; C/2 (5), 3 (11), 4 (6), .5 (4). For observations on its biology see Crome (1976, Emu 76: 8). SPHENISCIDAE Eudyptula minor novaehollandiae (Stephens) Little Penguin Range etc. Rare visitor (mostly May) to south-eastern seas and beaches north to 0 Mooloolaba (26 40 I S). Taxonomy. See Kinsky and Falla (1976, Nat. Mus. N. Zeal. Rec. 1: 105). 7 PODICIPEDIDAE Podiceps novaehollandiae novaehollandiae Stephens Black-throated Grebe Range. Throughout the State including large islands in south-west Torres Strait (Badu, Horn, Prince of Wales) and off east coast (Turtle Head, Fraser, North Stradbroke). Status etc. Common except in far north, i.e. scarce north ofthe Archer and Princess Charlotte Bay. Open fresh waters including reservoirs and farm dams. Breeding from July to April; cn (2), 3 (2), 4 (5), 6 (1), 7 (1). Podiceps poJiocephalus Jardine and Selby Hoary-headed Grebe Range. North to Mt Isa and Rockhampton. Status etc. Uncommon to moderately common visitor to far western interior, in flocks (up to 200), occasionally breeding in south-west; scarce and usually single in central and eastern zones. Open fresh waters including reservoirs. Breeding recorded in Thargomindah district (Dynevor Downs) c. January 1963 and in December 1974. Podiceps cristatus austraJis Gould Great Crested Grebe Range. Greater part of State north to Mt Isa, the Atherton Tableland and Townsville. Status etc. Formerly a rare vagrant; now uncommon in coastal lowlands and moderately common in interior, in ones, twos or small flocks (up to 70). Deep open fresh waters including reservoirs and large dams. Breeding from August to November and in late summer. Before 1952 there were only two records: one shot at Coomooboolaroo c. 1890, and one observed at Sandgate Lagoon in October 1923. Since November 1952, when one was seen on Broadwater Lagoon, observations have been continuous. Breeding was first reported in 1956. DIOMEDEIDAE Diomedea exulans Linnaeus Wandering Albatross Range. Eastern seas north to 19°43' S. Status. Uncommon visitor (April-January) to south-eastern seas, but seldom observed. north of 24°S or after October. Diomedea melanophris melanophris Temminck Black-browed Albatross Range etc. Uncommon visitor (April-October) to south-eastern seas north to 24°07'S. Diomedea 'cauta cauta Gould Shy Albatross Range etc. Scarce visitor (April-January) to south-eastern seas north to 25°31 'S, but seldom observed north of 27°S or after October. 8 Diomedea chlororhynchos Gmelin Yellow-nosed Albatross Range etc. Scarce visitor (May-August) to south-e~stern seas north to 24°24'S. Taxonomy. See Brooke et al. (1980, Durban Mus. Novit. 12: 171). Diomedea chrysostoma Forster Grey-headed Albatross Range etc. Scarce visitor (April-October) to south-eastern seas north to 24°45' S. Phoebetria spp. Status. One or both species ofsooty albatross C¥e rare winter visitors to mid-eastern and south-eastern seas. Two beach derelicts have been identified as P. jusca (Hilsenberg): one was found on One Tree 1. in July 1974 (Chilyers 1975, Sunbird 6:.48), the other on North Stradbroke 1. in July 1973 (Roberts 1977; Sunbird 8: 69). Another two derelicts found on North Stradbroke I. in July and September 1959 have been identified as P. palpebrata (Forster) (Roberts, ibid.). PROCELLARIIDAE Macronectes giganteus (Gmelin) Southern Giant Petrel Range. Eastern seas north to 20 0 S. Status etc. Moderately common visitor (May-November) to south-eastern seas, but seldom observed north of 26°S or after September. Among the recoveries were birds banded as nestlings on Macquarie I., Bellinghausen Station (South Shetlands), Signy 1. (South Orkneys) and Possession 1. (Crozets). Macronectes halli Mathews Northern Giant Petrel Range etc. Rare visitor (August) to south-eastern seas north to 23°15'S. Fulmarus glacialoides (Smith) Southern Fulmar Status. One record from south-eastern seas: a beach derelict on Moreton 1. in October 1972 (Vernon and Martin 1974, Sunbird 5: 68). Daption capense (Linnaeus) Cape Petrel Range. Eastern seas north to 20°35' S. Status. Ordinarily a rare visitor (June-January) to south-eastern seas, but in some winters (e.g. 1954) moderately common and ranging well north of Tropic. Pterodroma macroptera gouldi (Hutton) Great-winged Pet~e1 Range etc. Uncommon visitor (most months but mainly January-June) to south­ eastern seas north to 24°45'S. 9 Pterodroma lessonil (Garnot) White-headed Petrel Status. One record from south-eastern seas: a beach derelict on North Stradbroke I. in May 1974 (Roberts 1974, Sunbird 8: 71). Pterodroma rostrata rostrata (Peale) Tahiti Petrel Range etc. Scarce visitor (March-October) to eastern seas north to 19°32'S. Taxonomy. See Murphy (1928, Am. Mus. Novit. No. 322: 1). [Pterodroma neglecta (Schlegel) Kermadec Petrel Status.