Rare Birds in French Guiana in 2005–07
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Cotinga 32 Rare birds in French Guiana in 2005–07 Alexandre Renaudier and Comité d’Homologation de Guyane Received 22 May 2009 Cotinga 32 (2010): OL 95–104 published online 16 March 2010 Le Comité d’Homologation de Guyane (CHG) a été créé en 2005, dans le but de collecter et valider les observations d’oiseaux rares et accidentels en Guyane. Le CHG est actuellement le seul comité d’homologation en Amérique du sud, avec Trinidad & Tobago. Ce premier rapport couvre les deux mois de démarrage du comité en novembre–décembre 2005, puis les années 2006 et 2007. Ce rapport inclut des données documentées pour plusieurs espèces nouvelles ou très rares à l’échelle continentale ou régionale : premier Traquet motteux Oenanthe oenanthe et seconde Sarcelle à ailes vertes Anas crecca carolinensis pour l’Amérique du Sud continentale, première Barge rousse Limosa lapponica, premiers Empidonax alnorum / traillii, Pioui de l’ouest Contopus sordidulus et Tangara écarlate Piranga olivacea pour le plateau des Guyanes. Au total, 143 fiches ont été examinées et 84% ont été acceptées. Une version française détaillée de ce rapport, avec d’avantage de photos, est téléchargeable à : http://pagesperso-orange.fr/gepog/CHG/. The aim of the Comité d’Homologation de Guyane (CHG), created in November 2005, is to adjudicate on observations of vagrant and rare birds in French Guiana, to guarantee their credibility4. The CHG is, until now, the only rarities committee on mainland South America, although there is one for Trinidad & Tobago. This first report covers the period November–December 2005 and the years 2006–07. Some 143 observations were submitted of which 84% were accepted. Documented records for several species new or very rare at a regional or continental scale are presented here: the first Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe and the second Green-winged Teal Anas crecca carolinensis for continental South America, and the first Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica, Empidonax sp. (alnorum / traillii), Western Wood Pewee Contopus Figure 1. Two male Green-winged Teals Anas crecca sordidulus and Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea carolinensis, Rémire-Montjoly, French Guiana, 26 November for the Guianan Shield. Eleven taxa have been 2006 (O. Tostain) added to the bird list of French Guiana. A French version of this report with additional photographs Green-winged Teal Anas crecca carolinensis can be downloaded at http://pagesperso-orange.fr/ Two males were at the salines of Rémire-Montjoly, gepog/CHG/. a suburb of Cayenne, on 26 November–3 December 2006 (AR, RP, OT; Fig. 1). This observation is the Systematic list of accepted records second for continental South America, following the first in northern Colombia15,20. American Wigeon Anas americana Two females were at the Lac du Bois Diable, Fasciated Tiger Heron Tigrisoma fasciatum Kourou, on 4–6 January 2006 (PS, JV, OT), and An adult was photographed at Saut Manivelle, with three males in eclipse plumage and two females, one at Saut Parasol, both rapids on the Sinnamary were at the same lake on 22–24 October 2007 (PS, River, on 27 December and 29 December 2005 JV, AV et al.). These observations are the third respectively (MA, TL, BV). These observations are and fourth for French Guiana. The first record the third and fourth for French Guiana, following was at the Lac du Bois Chaudat, Kourou, on 12 two individuals along the Mana River on 24 and 30 January 1994 (AD, PD) and the second at Larivot June 1995 (MC), and two along the Camopi River in Matoury, near Cayenne, on 3 November–4 in August 2002 (SP). The 2005 observations are the December 1999 (GEPOG). first documented records in French Guiana of this elusive species, which was only recently discovered 95 Cotinga32-100216.indd 95 2/16/2010 10:58:04 PM Cotinga 32 Rare birds in French Guiana in 2005–07 near the Raleigh Falls on the Suriname River in Surinam, in 200117. Little Egret Egretta garzetta One was photographed in rice fields near Mana on 30 September 2006 (AR). This observation is the fifth for French Guiana, following the first in 2005. These observations reflect the general increase in records for the Americas16. Nonetheless, Little Egret remains rare in South America, where it has been observed in just three other countries: there >50 records in Trinidad & Tobago10, but just single observations in Brazil2 and Surinam9 respectively. White Ibis Eudocimus albus Two were seen flying over the western part of the Piste Quesnel, near Macouria, on 30 November 2005 Figure 2. Adult female Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus, (NP). This is the first authenticated observation for off Awala-Yalimapo, French Guiana, 27 December 2007 (L. the Guiana Shield. The nearest populations are Ponge) found on Trinidad and in the llanos of Venezuela21, with just one observation for Surinam (J. H. Ribot Eurasian Kestrel Falco tinnunculus pers. comm.). An immature was photographed along the Piste de la Carapa at Kourou on 18 January 2006 (PS, Maguari Stork Ciconia maguari JV), a moulting female was photographed in the One was seen flying over the marshes of Matiti rice fields near Mana on 12 February and was along the D15 road to Dégrad Guatemala, on seen again there on 20–25 March 2006 (AR, MR 23 December 2005 (MG). This stork is rare in et al.; cf. Cotinga 26: 77), and an adult female was French Guiana, with on average c.1 observation photographed aboard a ship, 274 km off Awala- per annum. Yalimapo, on 26 December 2007–2 January 2008 (LP; Fig. 2). These observations are the third to White-tailed Kite Elanus leucurus fifth country records of this Eurasian species13. All An adult was at the wastewater treatment pond of the observations to date of Common Kestrel in at Awala-Yalimapo on 19 March 2006 (AR, MR) continental South America were in French Guiana, with one at Wayabo, near Kourou, on 29 November and all arrived between late December and early 2006 (MG). In French Guiana, this species is only March. regularly observed at the rice fields of Mana. Ocellated Crake Micropygia schomburgkii Bicoloured Hawk Accipiter bicolor Three singing individuals were tape-recorded in An adult of this elusive hawk was seen at the the Pripris de Yiyi near Sinnamary on 24 July Crique Passoura, near Kourou, on 5 November (AR) and one was seen in the Savane des Pères 2006 (PS, JV, AV), with an adult at the village of near Kourou on 4 October and 3 December 2007 Saül on 2 December 2007 (TD, OC). (AV). All observations of this little-known crake in French Guiana are from the coastal region, Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus although in Surinam the only available records are One was seen at Trésor Nature Reserve on from the vast Sipaliwini savanna in the south of 16–29 January 2006 (KP, OT et al.), an adult the country22. was photographed at Roche Tablon along the N2 road on 12 March 2006 (ND, TL), an adult was Yellow-breasted Crake Porzana flaviventer at Camp Patawa, on the Montagne de Kaw, on 9 Two were at the wastewater treatment pond at December 2006 (FE, BG, TL), and an adult was Awala-Yalimapo on 24 November 2005, with photographed at the Carrefour Eskol, also on the one on 27 November, three on 4 December, four Montagne de Kaw, on 10 December 2006 (TL, BV). photographed on 13 December and one on 18 Two were photographed at the village of Saül on 2 December 2005, respectively (AR, MR). At the December 2007 (TD, OC). Montagne de Kaw is a same site, one was seen on 18 November 2006 (AV) favoured wintering site in French Guiana. Only ten and one on 20 December 2006 (AR), with one in observations are known for Surinam, all from the the rice fields west of Mana on 10–11 September Brownsberg Nature Reserve in November–March. 2007 (AR). These observations confirm this crake’s presence in the region of the lower Mana River. All observations are from the dry season. 96 Cotinga32-100216.indd 96 2/16/2010 10:58:05 PM Cotinga 32 Rare birds in French Guiana in 2005–07 Paint-billed Crake Neocrex erythrops Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites subruficollis One was seen near the Lac du Bois Diable, Kourou, A flock of nine was seen in the rice fields west of on 2 July 2007 (AV). This crake remains uncommon Mana on 1 October 2006 (AR, MR), the largest-ever in French Guiana. flock seen in the Guiana Shield. This sandpiper is observed annually, always in small numbers, in the Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus rice fields around Mana. An adult was at the wastewater treatment pond in Awala-Yalimapo on 9–10 November 2005, with Ruff Philomachus pugnax two adults on 16 November, two on 27 November An immature male was seen in the rice fields west and a juvenile, which was photographed, on 4 of Mana on 9 September 2007 (AR). The species was December 2005 (DL, AR, MR). An adult was seen already known in French Guiana from five records in the centre of Roura on 9 May 2007 (SU). The in February, August and September, including one species’ status in French Guiana is poorly known. individual photographed. There are no records for It certainly is rare, which is surprising for this Surinam or Guyana. globally common species, which is also widespread in South America. Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii An adult was seen at the estuary of the Kourou Pied Lapwing Vanellus cayanus River on 21 March 2007 (JV). This pelagic tern Two adults were photographed at Loka near winters in small numbers off the coast of northern Papaïchton on 1–11 May 2007 (GF, AR, NP et al.).