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Full Article NOTORNIS Journal of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand Volume 27 Part 3 September 1980 OFFICERS 1980 - 81 President - Mr R. B. SIBSON, 26 Entrican Avenue, Auckland 5 Vice-president -Mr. M. L. FALCONER, 188 Mirorniro Road, Normandale, Lower Hutt Editor - Mr. B. D. HEATHER, 10 Jocelyn Crescent, Silverstream Treasurer - Mr. H. W. M. HOGG, P.O. Box 3011, Dunedin Secretary - Mr R. S. SLACK, 31 Wyndham Road, Silverstream Council Members: Dr. BEN D. BELL, 45 Gurney Road, Belmont, Lower Hutt Mrs. B. BROWN, 39 Red Hill Road, Papakura Dr. P. C. BULL, 131A Waterloo Road, Lower Hutt Mr D. E. CROCKETT, 21 McMillan Avenue, Kamo, Whangarei Mrs. S. M. REED, 4 Mamaku Street, Auckland 5 Mr P. M. SAGAR, 38A Yardley Street, Christchurch 4 Mr. R. R. SUTTON, Lorneville, No. 4 R.D., Invercargill Conveners and Organisers: Rare Birds Committee (Acting) : Mr. B. D. BELL Wildlife Service, Dept. of Internal Affairs, Private Bag, Wellington Beach Patrol: Mr. C. R. VEITCH, Wildlife Service, Dept. of Internal Affairs, P.O. Box 2220, Auckland Card Committee: Mr. R. N. THOMAS, 25 Ravenswood Drive, Forest Hill, Auckland 10 Field Investigation Committee: Mr. B. D. BELL Librarian: Miss A. J. GOODWIN, R.D. 1, Clevedon Nest Records: Mr. D. E. CROCKETT Recording (including material for Classified Summarised Noter) : Mr. R. B. SIBSON, 26 Entrican Avenue, Remuera, Auckland Assistant Editor: Mr A. BLACKBURN, 10 Score Road, Gisborne Reviews Editor: Mr D. H.BRATHWAITE, P.O. Box 31022 Ilam, Christchurch 4 Editor of OSNZ News: Mr P. SAGAR, 38A Yardley St., Christchurch 4 SUBSCRIPTIONS AND MEMBERSHIP Annual Subscription: Ordinary member $12; Husband & wife mem- bers $18; Junior member (under 20) $9; Life member $240; Family member (one Notornis per household) bein other family of a member in the same household as a member f6; Institution $24; Overseas member and overseas institution $4.00 extra (postage). Subscriptions are for the calendar year of first joining and are renewed by invoice each January. Please pay promptly to ensure receiving Notornis and OSNZ News. Applications for membership, changes of address and resignations should be sent to the Treasurer. Exchanges and library subscriptions should be sent to the Treasurer. Editorial matters ONLY should be sent to the Editor. [Registered with the GPO Gisborne as a publication] ISSN 0029 - 4470 CONTENTS JENKINS, J. A. F. Seabird records from Tonga - An account based on the literature and recent observations ...... ...... 205 HARPER, P. C. The field identification and distributiop of the prions (genus Pachyptila) with particular reference to the identification of storm-cast material ... .. ...... 235 CRAIG, J. L.; McARDLE, B. H.; WETTIN, P. D. Sex determin- ation of the Pukeko or Purple Swamphen ...... ...... ...... 287 Short Notes CHESHIRE, N. Northward migration of Short-tailed Shearwater in the Tasman Sea ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... 234 WATTERS, W. A. Paradise Shelducks standing on lips of waterfalls ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... 286 McKENZIE, H. R. Some Red-capped Dotterel records ...... ...... 291 GRANT-MACKIE, J. A. Acquisition of a specimen of the New Caledonian Kagu ...... ...... .. .. ... .. .. ...... 292 BOURNE, W. R. P. The prions collected by R. H. Beck off the Antipodes Islands and the breeding season of the Little Shearwater ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... 297 TUNNICLIFFE, G. A. Communal roosting in the Fantail ...... 298 HABRAKEN, A. A Dunlin at Karaka shellbanks ...... ...... 300 TENKINS, J. Black Swan ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... 302 BECKON, W. N. Gizzard structure of the Pacific Pigeon Ducula pacifica ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... 302 Plates IV. Chatham Island Tit, S.E: Island, September 1976 ...... ...... 294 V. Spur-winged Plover, Cass River, November 1977 ...... ...... 295 VI. Royal Spoonbills at Manawatu Estuary ...... ...... ...., 296 Reviews BRATHWAITE, D. H.; WARHAM, J. The new guide to the Birds of New Zealand (R. A. Falla et al.) ...... ...... ...... 304 BRATHWAITE, D. H. Birds of a feather (ed. A. Anderson) ...... 307 HEATHER, B. D. Catalogue of birds in the Genoa Museum (G. Arbocco et d.) ...... ...... .. .. .. .. .. ...... ...... 308 Letter WARHAM, J. White Nellies ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... 308 Printed by TE RAU PRESS LTD., Pael Street, Gisbor~ 1 REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES FAR NORTH: D. E. Crockett, 21 McMillan Ave., Karno, Whangarei. NORTHLAND: ( Ph. 50954. AUCKLAND: Mrs S. Reed, 4 Mamaku St., Auckland 5. Ph. 547784. SOUTH AUCKLAND: Mrs Beth Brown, 39 Red Hill Rd., Papakura. Ph. 2988157. ) WAIKATO: Mrs B. Seddon, 11 Grey Street, Cambridge. Ph. 7761. BAY OF PLENTY: R. M. Weston, 250 River Road, Kawerau. Ph. 8357. VOLCANIC PLATEAU: R. W. Jackson, 9 Kenrick Road, Rotorua. Ph. 86907. GISBORNE/WAIROA: J. C. Henley, 9 Mason St., Gisborne. Ph. 81581. TARANAKI: R. E. Lambert, Taranaki.Museum..Box.3 15,.New Plymouth. MANAWATU: Dr L. J. ~aiies,DSIR, private Bag, palmerston North. Ph. 87680. HAWKES BAY: N. B. Mackenzie, 10 Burness Road, Greenmeadows. Phone 447426. WAIRARAPA: C. Scadden, 15 Madden Place, Masterton. Ph. 86423. WANGANUI: L. C. Edlin, 5 Poutini St., Wanganui East. Phone 32452. WELLINGTON: A. H. Gollop, 6 Dawn Grove, Akatarawa, Upper Hutt. Phone 268749. NELSON: Mrs J. Hawkins, 772 Atawhai Drive, Nelson. Ph. 520151. MARLBOROUGH: Mrs P. Jenkins, 30 Maxwell Road, Blenheim. Phone 83775. CANTERBURY: P. M. Sagar, 38A Yardley Street, Christchurch 4. Phone 429720. WEST COAST: C. S. Lauder, 9 Winnie Street, Greymouth. Ph. 6349. OTAGO: Dr R. F. Smith, 8 Butler Street, Maori Hill, Dunedin. Phone 740672. SOUTHLAND: R. R. Sutton, Lorneville, No. 4 R.D., Invercargill. Ph. 358230. LITERATURE AVAILABLE From all bookshops: A field guide to the birds of New Zealand, by R. A. Falla, R. B. Sibson and E. G. Turbott, new ed. $13.95 From B. D. Heather, 10 Jocelyn Crescent, Silverstream: A biology of birds, by B. D. Heather. $1.50 From Mrs H. Hagen, 53 Minnehaha Street, Titirangi, Auckland 7: Back numbers of 'Notomis': Parts of Vol. 1, 50c each; Vols. 2-13, $1.00 per part; Vols. 14-21, $1.50 per part; Vols. 22-25, $2.00 per part; Vols. 26-, $3.00 per part; all plus postage (10% in NZ) . Reports and bulletins (1939-1942) OSNZ Library catalqgue (1976 ed) 17 pp. g::: Bandin reports, Nos 8-14, 55c each. ~erma8kExpedition, 1964, by A. T. Edgar. $0.50 Guide to Identification of Shearwaters and Petrels in New Zealand waters (Auckland Museum), J. P. Croxall $0.55 From P. C. Harper, Dept of Extension Studies, University of Canterbury, Christchurch: Southern albatrosses and petrels: an identification guide, by P. C. Harper & F. C. Kinsky, 1978 edition $5.00 From P.O. Box 12397, Wellingfon North: Bird distribution in N.Z. A provisional atlas. $6.00 From B. D. Bell, 9 Ferry Road, Seatoun, Wellington: OSNZ tie (mid-grey with Notornis motifs). $6.00 NOTORNIS is the journal of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand (lnc.) Editor: B. D. Heather, 10 Jocelyn Crescent, SILVERSTREAM VOLUME 27 PART 3 SEPTEMBER, 1980 SEABIRD RECORDS FROM TONGA - AN ACCOUNT BASED ON THE LITERATURE AND RECENT OBSERVATIONS By J. A F. JENKINS ABSTRACT The previous sparse literature on Tongan seabirds is re- viewed and is expanded by records made on 60 voyages through the area here described as Tongan waters. Of the 37 species thought to occur, 5 are passage migrants; breeding has been confirmed in 8 species and could occur in a further 8; 8 species are thought to be visitant; and the status of another 8 requires confirmation. INTRODUCTION Few places in the world can have had as little systematic bird study as Tonga, and this is especially true of the seabirds. The scattered literature that exists is difficult to find and when traced often contains little of interest. This paper reviews such literature as could be found and incorporates it with recent observations made on 60 voyages through Tongan waters. In this paper Tongan waters are defined as that sea area bounded by 15" and 24" South latitude, and 172" and 176" West longitude. This area abuts the sea area defined as Fijian waters by Clunie et al. (1978). The Pacific Islands Pilot (1969) contains a full description of the islands of Tonga and the meteorology of the area . Since 1973 I have made 60 voyages through Tongan waters, three to seven in each month of the year. The 18 voyages made before 206 JENKINS 1980 SEABIRD RECORDS FROM TONGA 207 1973 were partly summarised in a previous paper (Jenkins 1973). The more recent 60 voyages have usually consisted of a transect through the north of the area when the ship was going from Fiji to Samoa, followed by a further transect from Samoa to Tonga, and a final transect from Tonga to New Zealand. Five voyages have been made from Fiji to Tonga and then north to Samoa before returning to Tonga and New Zealand. To avoid endless repetition of latitudes and longitudes, positions are recorded using the "square" system adopted by the Australasian Seabird Group. That is, the basic degrees only are used. Throughout the paper positions are given as, say, 20/175W, which means that the sighting occurred in 20"s latitude and 175"W longitude. Since all latitudes used in this paper are south, the indicator S has been omitted. The area defined as Tongan waters includes 45 squares, of which 26 have been visited, most of them regularly. My observations are mostly those made since 1973. Before 1973 different tracks were followed, and only two voyages were made to the south of Tongatapu. However, where relevant, important records made before 1973 have been included. Since all records from the south of Tongatapu have been made on voyages coming from north to south, they are more likely to show the true northerly limits of the southern ship-following species than are northbound voyages. For nomenclature of the albatrosses and petrels I have followed Harper & Kinsky (1978). HISTORY The literature on Tongan birds can conveniently be divided into three phases; the records of the early explorers starting with Cook's voyages; the largely German research of the late 19th century; and the modern studies starting with the work of the Whitney South Sea Expedition.
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