DOCSLIB.ORG

Type Specimens of Birds in the American Museum of Natural History Part 9

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Type Specimens of Birds in the American Museum of Natural History Part 9 LeCroy Scientific Publications of the American Museum of Natural History American Museum Novitates TyPe SPeCIMeNS oF BIrDS IN THe Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History : T y Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History P AMERICAN MUSeUM oF NATUrAL HISTORY e SP Publications Committee e CIM Robert S. Voss, Chair PArT 9. PASS ERIFORMeS: e Board of Editors NS ZoSTEROPIDAe AND MeLIPHAGIDAe o Jin Meng, Paleontology F BI Lorenzo Prendini, Invertebrate Zoology r DS: 9. PASS 9. DS: Robert S. Voss, Vertebrate Zoology M Ary L eCroy Peter M. Whiteley, Anthropology Managing Editor ER Mary Knight IF OR M Submission procedures can be found at http://research.amnh.org/scipubs e S Complete lists of all issues of Novitates and Bulletin are available on the web (http:// digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace). Inquire about ordering printed copies via e-mail from [email protected] or via standard mail from: American Museum of Natural History—Scientific Publications, Central Park West at 79th St., New York, NY 10024. This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (permanence of paper). AMNH BULL e On the cover: Type specimens of Bishop’s ’O’o, Acrulocer- TIN 348 cus bishopi Rothschild, 1893, from a lithograph by J.G. Keule- mans (plate 74 in Rothschild’s Avifauna of Laysan and the neighbouring islands). The species, now in the genus Moho, was first collected by Henry Palmer on Molokai Island, Ha- waii, and named by Rothschild for C.R. Bishop, founder of the Bernice P. Bishop Museum in Honolulu. Bishop’s ’O’o, last seen 2011 on Molokai in 1904, is now considered extinct. BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY TYPE SPECIMENS OF BIRDS IN THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY PART 9. PASSERIFORMES: ZOSTEROPIDAE AND MELIPHAGIDAE MARY LeCROY Division of Vertebrate Zoology (Ornithology) American Museum of Natural History BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Number 348, 193 pp. Issued April 29, 2011 Copyright E American Museum of Natural History 2011 ISSN 0003-0090 ABSTRACT This ninth part of ‘‘Type Specimens of Birds in the American Museum of Natural History’’ includes taxa in the families Zosteropidae and Meliphagidae in Volume 12 of the Check-list of birds of the world, by James L. Peters and subsequent authors. The original description of each taxon has been consulted unless otherwise noted, modern names and coordinates are given for type localities when possible, currently accepted names for the taxa are included, and comments on taxonomic history are provided. In Part 9, 445 names are treated; types of 22 of these are not in AMNH or were not found. This part of the type list, as well as all previous parts, are searchable and available for download from the AMNH Library website: http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/. INTRODUCTION indicated. In the text for each taxon, the name of the type locality is updated when This ninth part of ‘‘Type Specimens of necessary and coordinates are given when Birds in the American Museum of Natural found. Where there have been changes in History’’ (AMNH) deals with taxa in the place names, the older name is placed in families Zosteropidae and Meliphagidae in parentheses. Degrees and minutes of latitude Volume 12 of Peters’ Check-list of birds of the and longitude are separated by a period, as is world (Paynter, 1967). The other families done in the Times atlas of the world (Times of treated in that volume are covered in Part 8 London, 1967), from which many of them are (LeCroy, 2010). As did earlier parts (Green- taken. Other atlases and gazetteers have been way, 1973, 1978, 1987; LeCroy and Sloss, used as well and are cited in the text. 2000; and LeCroy, 2003, 2005, 2008, and The currently recognized name of each 2010), this part follows the order of species in taxon is given and reference is made to its the Check-list series, which is the basis for the usage in recent publications, preferably re- arrangement of the AMNH avian collection. gional works or works treating the family as More recent classifications are still subject to a whole. Once again, I have referred to frequent modification, and their use might Dickinson’s (2003) treatment of each taxon lead to errors or omissions, particularly covered in Part 9 but have not always cited it. because many family relationships among Complete taxonomic and nomenclatural his- birds are currently undergoing active reas- tory is not given for each of the forms, but sessment by molecular studies. salient points are added when they might The format for Part 9 follows that for the prove useful. Occasionally, the AMNH previous parts. Brackets enclosing a taxon catalog number of a specimen is followed name indicate that, although its type might by ‘‘bis.’’ This indicates that a specimen has be expected to be in AMNH, the type either been entered into the catalog between two was not found or was discovered in another numbers, as when an uncataloged specimen is collection. Paratypes of taxa for which the found and is added to the catalog adjacent to primary type or types are not in AMNH another specimen of the same form from the usually are not listed, but for primary types same collection. shown to have been destroyed in museums I have referred to Rothschild specimens, that were damaged in World War II (e.g., said in the older literature to be in the ‘‘Tring Morioka et al., 2005, Eck and Quaisser, Museum,’’ as in the ‘‘Rothschild Collection,’’ 2004), it is informative to list their paratypes now in AMNH. The Rothschild Collection in found to be in AMNH. These are also AMNH is not to be confused with the bird enclosed in brackets. collection of the Natural History Museum For primary types (holotypes, syntypes, (formerly the British Museum (Natural and lectotypes) in AMNH, the citation of the History), London), now housed at Tring on name and of the type locality is first given the former Rothschild estate. exactly as it appeared in the original descrip- Many of the collectors from whom Roth- tion, which has been seen unless otherwise schild purchased specimens put broad local- 2 2011 LECROY: AMNH TYPE SPECIMENS ZOSTEROPIDAE AND MELIPHAGIDAE 3 ities and inclusive dates on specimens and type list have been especially troublesome. In also sold specimens widely through dealers; that year, Mathews published a flurry of new Rothschild himself frequently only selected names in his journal, The Austral Avian part of the specimens offered to him by a Record, so that they would be available for collector. Unless the type is said to be his large work, The Birds of Australia,and elsewhere, Rothschild’s and/or Hartert’s not be preempted by prior publication of types were in the Rothschild Collection, other authors. Mathews was not consistent in often the entire type series coming to AMNH remembering to add his 1923 names to the with the collection. Hartert tied Rothschild larger work and was increasingly careless type labels on these specimens and published about type designation. lists of the types in order to ‘‘fix’’ them. But It has not been possible to establish exactly because the Rothschild specimens were never when the Mathews Collection went to Roth- cataloged before they came to AMNH, the schild. Some brief notes in AMNH indicate lists are sometimes ambiguous and the type that perhaps some of it went to Rothschild as label is not sufficient, in and of itself, to early as 1919 and the rest was sent as later identify the type (ICZN, 1999: 77, Art. volumes of The Birds of Australia were 72.4.7). Following the practice in all previous completed. If this is correct, then Mathews parts of the AMNH type list, I have accepted may not have had his collection close at hand Hartert’s (1918, 1919a, 1920, and 1928) when the descriptions published in 1923 were nomination of ‘‘types’’ in the Rothschild written. However, he did have access to his Collection as designations of lectotypes in collection in the Rothschild Collection until cases where original descriptions implied that collection came to AMNH in 1932 syntypes. For a fuller discussion, see LeCroy (Mathews, 1942: 54–55). Often the 1923 (2005: 2–3, 2008: 2–3, and 2010: 3–4). In this names appeared to be based on statements part, see discussion under Zosterops super- made by others in their own publications, or ciliaris. Because it is important to remove all were based on fieldnotes sent to Mathews by ambiguity surrounding a type specimen, I his correspondents and quoted in the text of have accepted the presence of a Rothschild The Birds of Australia. Therefore it is type label as an indication that the specimen sometimes impossible to select a type; each bearing it is the intended type and have in of these cases is discussed in the following some cases designated it the lectotype when accounts. For further information on the all of the data match those cited in the Mathews Collection, see LeCroy (2005: 72, original description. In this part of the type 2008: 5–6, 2010: 4). list, I have designated lectotypes for the Where no clues were found for identifying following Rothschild and/or Hartert names: a Mathews primary type, all specimens of Tephra ruki, Chlorocharis squamiceps, Zos- that form in Mathews’ collection at the time terops superciliaris, and Prosthemadera no- of description are considered syntypes. How- vaeseelandiae chathamensis. ever, the presence of his type label or the The Mathews Collection, purchased by word ‘‘Type’’ in Mathews’ characteristic Rothschild, contains numerous types of hand on a specimen in such series is accepted names that are in many cases now considered as an indication that this was his intended synonyms.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Kashmir Flycatcher Pale Rock Sparrow Ernst Schäfer
    VOL. 7 NO. 6 Kashmir Flycatcher | Vol. 7 No. 6 | Vol. Pale Rock Sparrow RDS I B Ernst Schäfer Indian CONTENTS Indian BIRDS 153 The female/first winter Kashmir Flycatcher Ficedula www.indianbirds.in VOL. 7 NOS. 6 subrubra: an identification conundrum Prasad Ganpule DATE OF PUBLICATION: 1 JUNE 2012 ISSN 0973-1407 159 Pale Rock Sparrow Carpospiza brachydactyla in Gopalpura EDITOR EMERITUS: Zafar Futehally Hills, Tal Chhapar (Churu district, Rajasthan): a new species for the Indian Subcontinent EDITOR: Aasheesh Pittie Surat Singh Poonia, Manoj Sharma & Harkirat Singh [email protected] Sangha ASSOCIATE EDITORS: V. Santharam, Praveen J. 160 Ernst Schäfer’s comprehensive historical bird collection from EDITORIAL BOARD Sikkim and Tibet at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin Maan Barua, Anwaruddin Choudhury S. Frahnert, P. Eckhoff & J. Fiebig Bill Harvey, Farah Ishtiaq, Rajah Jayapal Madhusudan Katti, R. Suresh Kumar 162 Spotted Crake Porzana porzana sightings in Saurashtra, Taej Mundkur, Rishad Naoroji, Suhel Quader Gujarat, India Harkirat Singh Sangha, C. Sashikumar Ashok Mashru & Bhavesh Trivedi S. Subramanya, K. S. Gopi Sundar CONTRIBUTING EDITORS 163 Status of Oriental White Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus in Ragupathy Kannan, Lavkumar Khachar Assam with notable recent records Anwaruddin Choudhury CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Clement Francis, Ramki Sreenivasan 164 Photographic record of Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus from Singalila National Park, West Bengal LAYOUT & COVER DESIGN: K. Jayaram Sanjeeb Pradhan, Pemba Tshering Bhutia & Rajarshi OffICE: P. Rambabu Chakraborty NEW ORNIS FOUNDATION 165 Circumorbital skin- and eye-colour of young Indian Grey Hornbills Ocyceros birostris Registration No. 314/2004 Raju Kasambe, Pravin Charde, J. L. Tarar & Anil Pimplapure TRUSTEES Zafar Futehally, Aasheesh Pittie 166 Sighting of Green Imperial Pigeon Ducula aenea in V.
    [Show full text]
  • Port Hedland AREA PLANNING STUDY
    Port Hedland AREA PLANNING STUDY Published by the Western Australian Planning Commission Final September 2003 Disclaimer This document has been published by the Western Australian Planning Commission. Any representation, statement, opinion or advice expressed or implied in this publication is made in good faith and on the basis that the Government, its employees and agents are not liable for any damage or loss whatsoever which may occur as a result of action taken or not taken (as the case may be) in respect of any representation, statement, opinion or advice referred to herein. Professional advice should be obtained before applying the information contained in this document to particular circumstances. © State of Western Australia Published by the Western Australian Planning Commission Albert Facey House 469 Wellington Street Perth, Western Australia 6000 Published September 2003 ISBN 0 7309 9330 2 Internet: http://www.wapc.wa.gov.au e-mail: [email protected] Phone: (08) 9264 7777 Fax: (08) 9264 7566 TTY: (08) 9264 7535 Infoline: 1800 626 477 Copies of this document are available in alternative formats on application to the Disability Services Co-ordinator. Western Australian Planning Commission owns all photography in this document unless otherwise stated. Port Hedland AREA PLANNING STUDY Foreword Port Hedland is one of the Pilbara’s most historic and colourful towns. The townsite as we know it was established by European settlers in 1896 as a service centre for the pastoral, goldmining and pearling industries, although the area has been home to Aboriginal people for many thousands of years. In the 1960s Port Hedland experienced a major growth period, as a direct result of the emerging iron ore industry.
    [Show full text]
  • EPBC Act Referral
    Submission #1996 - Marble Bar Road (M030) Coongan Gorge Realignment Title of Proposal - Marble Bar Road (M030) Coongan Gorge Realignment Section 1 - Summary of your proposed action Provide a summary of your proposed action, including any consultations undertaken. 1.1 Project Industry Type Transport - Land 1.2 Provide a detailed description of the proposed action, including all proposed activities. Main Roads Western Australia (Main Roads) is proposing to upgrade a section of Marble Bar Road at Coongan Gorge from 318.4 to 323.5 Straight Line Kilometre (SLK). The purpose of the proposed works is to improve safety on this section of Marble Bar Road, connecting Port Hedland to Marble Bar. The proposed project works will include: - Realignment and reconstruction of approximately 5 km of Marble Bar Road between 318.4-323.5 SLK. Road formation width will vary significantly due to varying batter slope distances (at the narrowest road formation will be 10 metres (m) wide, and in isolated areas road formation will be up to 170 m wide) - Associated works including significant road batter construction, minor floodways, culverts and off road drainage - Development and use of a side track to divert traffic during stages of construction - Extraction of basecourse material from M030 material pit if excess cut material is not suitable for road base. M030 material pit is located on the Marble Bar road at 356 SLK, The Project is being referred to the Department of the Environment and Energy (DotEE) as it may result in the loss of known and potential habitat
    [Show full text]
  • A 'Slow Pace of Life' in Australian Old-Endemic Passerine Birds Is Not Accompanied by Low Basal Metabolic Rates
    University of Wollongong Research Online Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health 1-1-2016 A 'slow pace of life' in Australian old-endemic passerine birds is not accompanied by low basal metabolic rates Claus Bech University of Wollongong Mark A. Chappell University of Wollongong, [email protected] Lee B. Astheimer University of Wollongong, [email protected] Gustavo A. Londoño Universidad Icesi William A. Buttemer University of Wollongong, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/smhpapers Part of the Medicine and Health Sciences Commons, and the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Bech, Claus; Chappell, Mark A.; Astheimer, Lee B.; Londoño, Gustavo A.; and Buttemer, William A., "A 'slow pace of life' in Australian old-endemic passerine birds is not accompanied by low basal metabolic rates" (2016). Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A. 3841. https://ro.uow.edu.au/smhpapers/3841 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] A 'slow pace of life' in Australian old-endemic passerine birds is not accompanied by low basal metabolic rates Abstract Life history theory suggests that species experiencing high extrinsic mortality rates allocate more resources toward reproduction relative to self-maintenance and reach maturity earlier ('fast pace of life') than those having greater life expectancy and reproducing at a lower rate ('slow pace of life'). Among birds, many studies have shown that tropical species have a slower pace of life than temperate-breeding species.
    [Show full text]
  • Indonesia Lesser Sundas Report
    INDONESIA LESSER SUNDAS REPORT 5th July to 23rd July 2013 TOUR HIGHLIGHTS Either for rarity value, excellent views or simply a group favourite. • Spotted Harrier • Elegant Pitta • Flores Hawk-Eagle • Flores Minivet • Orange-footed Scrubfowl • Timor Figbird • Green Junglefowl • Chestnut-capped Thrush • Beach Thick-knee • Orange-sided Thrush • Australian Pratincole • Russet-capped Tesia • Mees’s Nightjar • Timor Stubtail • Black-backed Fruit-Dove • Buff-banded Thicketbird • Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove • Flores Monarch • Marigold Lorikeet • Arafura Fantail • Flores Lorikeet • Bare-throated Whistler • Yellow-crested Cockatoo • Black-winged Myna • Wallace’s Scops-Owl • Bali Myna • Sumba Boobook • Helmeted Friarbird • White-rumped Kingfisher • Black-chested Myzomela Cinnamon-banded Kingfisher Apricot-breasted Sunbird • • • Cerulean Kingfisher • Tricoloured Parrotfinch • Sumba Hornbill • Java Sparrow SUMMARY: This was the first ZOOTHERA tour to the endemic-rich, tropical paradise that is collectively known as The Lesser Sundas. We visited Timor, Sumba, Flores and Komodo in search of Indonesia’s rarest and least known species, ending up on Bali in search of the famous starlings. These islands are relatively undeveloped, thinly populated and seldom visited by birders but they gave us access to some of the rarest birds on the planet. Starting on the largest island, Timor with its dry grassland, acacia scrub and montane forest, it is home to the greatest number of endemics. We had to split our time here in two due to a last-minute rescheduling of our internal flights and this did affect our success here a little but we still managed to see most of what the island has to offer. Then we flew across to the arid island of Sumba which is the most isolated and least often visited.
    [Show full text]
  • POLICE MOTU 41 3.1 Introduction 41 3 .2 the Mission Frontier 41 3.3 the Unofficial 'Visitors' Frontier 47 3.4 the Government Frontier 56
    re . I /VA �I (its story) by Tom Dutton The University of Papua New Guinea Press 1985 Published by the University of Papua New Guinea Press Copyright T. E. Dutton 1985 © All right reserved CONTENTS First published 1985 FOREWORD Vll ISBN 9980-84-007-2 PREFACE Vlll Printed in Hong Kong by Colocraft Ltd. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS xii A NOTE ON TERMINOLOGY X-lV Cover design by Takus David ABBREVIATIONS, SYMBOLS and OTHER CONVENTIONS xv GLOSSARY XVI Produced within the framework of the Languages for Intercultural Australian Academy of the THE LANGUAGE TODAY Communication in the Pacific Area Project of the 1. Humanities and under the academic auspices of the Union Academique 1.1 Introduction Internationale as publication No. 3 under the Project. 1.2 Distribution and Varieties No royalties are paid on this book. 1.3 General Overview of the Structure of Hiri (formerly Police) Motu 4 1.4 Pidgin Features of Hiri Motu 7 1.4.1 Sounds 7 1.4.2 Grammar 8 1.4.3 Vocabulary 16 2. IN THE BEGINNING: THE PRE-EUROPEAN SETTING 20 2.1 Introduction 20 2.2 The HTL(E) 22 2.3 The HTL(K) 29 2.4 Simplified Motu 36 3. INVASION AND THE NEW FRONTIER: SIMPLIFIED MOTU TO POLICE MOTU 41 3.1 Introduction 41 3 .2 The Mission Frontier 41 3.3 The Unofficial 'Visitors' Frontier 47 3.4 The Government Frontier 56 4. LAW AND ORDER: THE SPREAD OF POLICE MOTU 59 To Corinne, Brett and Anna 4.1 Introduction 59 4.2 MacGregor's Armed Native Constabulary 62 4.3 The Village Constable System 71 4.4 The Prison System 74 4.5 Conclusion 78 ECONOMIC AND OTHER DEVELOPMENT: 5.
    [Show full text]
  • Report on Biodiversity and Tropical Forests in Indonesia
    Report on Biodiversity and Tropical Forests in Indonesia Submitted in accordance with Foreign Assistance Act Sections 118/119 February 20, 2004 Prepared for USAID/Indonesia Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan No. 3-5 Jakarta 10110 Indonesia Prepared by Steve Rhee, M.E.Sc. Darrell Kitchener, Ph.D. Tim Brown, Ph.D. Reed Merrill, M.Sc. Russ Dilts, Ph.D. Stacey Tighe, Ph.D. Table of Contents Table of Contents............................................................................................................................. i List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. v List of Figures............................................................................................................................... vii Acronyms....................................................................................................................................... ix Executive Summary.................................................................................................................... xvii 1. Introduction............................................................................................................................1- 1 2. Legislative and Institutional Structure Affecting Biological Resources...............................2 - 1 2.1 Government of Indonesia................................................................................................2 - 2 2.1.1 Legislative Basis for Protection and Management of Biodiversity and
    [Show full text]
  • National Recovery Plan for the Regent Honeyeater (Anthochaera Phrygia)
    National Recovery Plan for the Regent Honeyeater (Anthochaera phrygia) April 2016 1 The Species Profile and Threats Database pages linked to this recovery plan is obtainable from: http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/sprat.pl © Copyright Commonwealth of Australia, 2016. The National Recovery Plan for the Regent Honeyeater (Anthochaera phrygia) is licensed by the Commonwealth of Australia for use under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence with the exception of the Coat of Arms of the Commonwealth of Australia, the logo of the agency responsible for publishing the report, content supplied by third parties, and any images depicting people. For licence conditions see: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. This report should be attributed as ‘National Recovery Plan for the Regent Honeyeater (Anthochaera phrygia), Commonwealth of Australia 2016’. The Commonwealth of Australia has made all reasonable efforts to identify content supplied by third parties using the following format ‘© Copyright, [name of third party] ’. Disclaimer While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that the contents of this publication are factually correct, the Commonwealth does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the contents, and shall not be liable for any loss or damage that may be occasioned directly or indirectly through the use of, or reliance on, the contents of this publication. Image credits Front Cover: Regent honeyeaters in the Capertee Valley, NSW. (© Copyright, Dean Ingwersen). 2
    [Show full text]
  • Mr Dale Bell Senior Planning Officer Department of Natural Resources
    WWF-Australia Level 1, 17 Burnett Lane Brisbane QLD 4000 Postal: same as above Tel: +61 7 3003 1480 Fax: +61 7 3229 4431 [email protected] @ WWF_Australia wwf.org.au ABN 57 001 594 074 Mr Dale Bell Senior Planning Officer Department of Natural Resources and Mines South Region Centenary Square Building 52-64 Currie Street, PO Box 573 NAMBOUR QLD 4560 Email: [email protected] Cc: James Purtill Director-General Department of Natural Resources and Mines Email: [email protected] Date: 11th December 2015 Re: MSF application to lease Unallocated State Land (USL) at Churchill and Granville in the Wide Bay Burnett region Dear Sir, WWF-Australia welcomes this opportunity to provide the following comments regarding the assessment of the Most Appropriate Use (MAU) that DNRM is conducting under section of the Lands Act 1994 for parcels of Unallocated State Land (USL) at Churchill and Granville in the Wide Bay Burnett region, which MSF’s is seeking to lease to grow sugarcane for ethanol production. Summary of key issues: Key issues associated with the proposed use of the USL at Churchill and Granville include: • Significantly increasing sediment, nitrogen and pesticide loads, which will cause further degradation of marine water quality thereby breaching Governments commitments to reduce water quality impacts under Reef Plan and the Reef 2050 Long Term Sustainability Plan. • Causing significant impacts to threatened species through the removal of essential habitat. • Altering catchment hydrology, which will cause significant adverse impacts to groundwater dependent ecosystems, wetlands and the Great Sandy Straits Marine Park.
    [Show full text]
  • The Relationships of the Starlings (Sturnidae: Sturnini) and the Mockingbirds (Sturnidae: Mimini)
    THE RELATIONSHIPS OF THE STARLINGS (STURNIDAE: STURNINI) AND THE MOCKINGBIRDS (STURNIDAE: MIMINI) CHARLESG. SIBLEYAND JON E. AHLQUIST Departmentof Biologyand PeabodyMuseum of Natural History,Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511 USA ABSTRACT.--OldWorld starlingshave been thought to be related to crowsand their allies, to weaverbirds, or to New World troupials. New World mockingbirdsand thrashershave usually been placed near the thrushesand/or wrens. DNA-DNA hybridization data indi- cated that starlingsand mockingbirdsare more closelyrelated to each other than either is to any other living taxon. Some avian systematistsdoubted this conclusion.Therefore, a more extensiveDNA hybridizationstudy was conducted,and a successfulsearch was made for other evidence of the relationshipbetween starlingsand mockingbirds.The resultssup- port our original conclusionthat the two groupsdiverged from a commonancestor in the late Oligoceneor early Miocene, about 23-28 million yearsago, and that their relationship may be expressedin our passerineclassification, based on DNA comparisons,by placing them as sistertribes in the Family Sturnidae,Superfamily Turdoidea, Parvorder Muscicapae, Suborder Passeres.Their next nearest relatives are the members of the Turdidae, including the typical thrushes,erithacine chats,and muscicapineflycatchers. Received 15 March 1983, acceptedI November1983. STARLINGS are confined to the Old World, dine thrushesinclude Turdus,Catharus, Hylocich- mockingbirdsand thrashersto the New World. la, Zootheraand Myadestes.d) Cinclusis
    [Show full text]
  • Southwest Pacific Islands: Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu & New Caledonia Trip Report 11Th to 31St July 2015
    Southwest Pacific Islands: Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu & New Caledonia Trip Report 11th to 31st July 2015 Orange Fruit Dove by K. David Bishop Trip Report - RBT Southwest Pacific Islands 2015 2 Tour Leaders: K. David Bishop and David Hoddinott Trip Report compiled by Tour Leader: K. David Bishop Tour Summary Rockjumper’s inaugural tour of the islands of the Southwest Pacific kicked off in style with dinner at the Stamford Airport Hotel in Sydney, Australia. The following morning we were soon winging our way north and eastwards to the ancient Gondwanaland of New Caledonia. Upon arrival we then drove south along a road more reminiscent of Europe, passing through lush farmlands seemingly devoid of indigenous birds. Happily this was soon rectified; after settling into our Noumea hotel and a delicious luncheon, we set off to explore a small nature reserve established around an important patch of scrub and mangroves. Here we quickly cottoned on to our first endemic, the rather underwhelming Grey-eared Honeyeater, together with Nankeen Night Herons, a migrant Sacred Kingfisher, White-bellied Woodswallow, Fantailed Gerygone and the resident form of Rufous Whistler. As we were to discover throughout this tour, in areas of less than pristine habitat we encountered several Grey-eared Honeyeater by David Hoddinott introduced species including Common Waxbill. And so began a series of early starts which were to typify this tour, though today everyone was up with added alacrity as we were heading to the globally important Rivierre Bleu Reserve and the haunt of the incomparable Kagu. We drove 1.3 hours to the reserve, passing through a stark landscape before arriving at the appointed time to meet my friend Jean-Marc, the reserve’s ornithologist and senior ranger.
    [Show full text]
  • The Biography Behind the Bird: Gibberbird Ashbyia Lovensis
    VOL. 17 (6) JUNE 1998 297 AUSTRALIAN BIRD WATCHER 1998 , 17 , 297-300 The Biography Behind the Bird: Gibberbird Ashbyia lovensis by TESS KLOOT, 8/114 Shannon Street, Box Hill North, Victoria, 3129 Introduction Almost one hundred species of Australian birds carry names commemorating contributions by various individuals to ornithology. This mainly applies to specific names; for example, Menura alberti (Albert's Lyrebird) was named after Prince Albert (1819-1861), Prince Consort of Queen Victoria, and Acanthiza ewingii (Tasmanian Thornhill) commemorates Rev. T.J. Ewing (1813?-1882), a Tasmanian naturalist and friend of John Gould. Sometimes this applies to the generic name; for example, Barnardius zonarius (Australian Ringneck), which honours Edward Barnard (1786-1861), an ornithologist and member of the Linnean Society, London, and Lathamus discolor (Swift Parrot), which was named after Dr John Latham (1740-1837), an ornithologist who, in 1801, published the first important work on Australian birds. A third instance, which rarely occurs, is when a person's name forms both the generic and specific names of the bird. For example, Geoffroyus geoffroyi (Red-cheeked Parrot) was named in honour of Etienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1771-1844), a French naturalist, and Ashbyia lovensis (Gibberbird) commemorates Edwin Ashby (1861-1941), an ornithologist of Blackwood, South Australia, and the Rev. James Robert Beattie Love (1889-1947) (RAOU 1926) . Tracing the origin of these names provides fascinating research in addition to making us aware of the dedicated people who pioneered research in the enchanting world of birds. Over the years some names have been discarded; a list of the presently accepted scientific names, authors and dates of description is included in Christidis & Boles (1994) and forms the basis for this article.
    [Show full text]