Pechora Pipitanthus Gustavi in Australia

Pechora Pipitanthus Gustavi in Australia

59 AUSTRALIAN FIELD ORNITHOLOGY 2003, 20, 59-65 Pechora PipitAnthus gustavi in Australia MIKE CARTER 30 Canadian Bay Road, Mount Eliza, Victoria 3930 (Email: [email protected]) Summary A Pechora Pipit Anthus gustavi was present on West Island, Ashmore Reef, off the northern coast of Western Australia on 4 and 5 November 2001. This paper documents the occurrence, the first record for Australia. lntrQduction During the morning of 4 November 2001, twelve observers (Allan Benson, Rob Benson, Peter Crabtree, Penny Drake-Brockman, Phil Joy, Chris Lester, Jann Mullholland, Ross Mullholland, Stuart Pell, Fred Smith, George Swann and the author) carried out a census of the birds of West Island, Ashmore Reef (12°14'S, 122°58'E). This is about 600 km north of Broome in Western Australia. Apart from the resident Buff-banded Rails Gallirallus philippensis, the only land­ birds discovered were passage migrants: 4 Oriental Cuckoos Cuculus saturatus, 1 Little Bronze-Cuckoo Chrysococcyx minutillus, 4 Sacred Kingfishers Todiramphus sanctus, 3 Rainbow Bee-eaters Merops omatus, 3 Magpie-larks Grallina cyanoleuca, 4 Yellow Wagtails Motacilla flava and 2 Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica. In the late morning a small, short-tailed passerine was flushed but not identified. In the afternoon, a small ground-bird was seen walking into a clump ofArgusia argentia. This large sprawling shrub growing to about 5 m tall, with a dome-like canopy embraced by creeping vines, is confined almost completely to the fringes of the island where it is the dominant vegetation. In spite of a prolonged attempt, we were unable to identify the bird before nightfall, but the views obtained were sufficient to suggest that our quarry was a pipit Anthus sp. At first light next morning, we found the bird in the same clump of bushes and confirmed our suspicions. It was indeed a pipit. Personal experience of the Red­ throated Pipit A. cervinus at Broome in 1992 (Carter 1997) meant that Swann and I were aware of the characters necessary to identify a pipit, especially the significance of wing structure. Once we had established that the primaries projected well beyond the tertials, we were confident that we were watching a Pechora Pipit A. gustavi. After three hours of study, we had a good description and some photographs. Behaviour The bird was extremely skulking and cryptic, staying within the deep shade of the bushes. However, it was not shy or nervous of motionless observers secreted within the cover of the bushes. On the first day, and for most of the second, it stayed on the ground, foraging and feeding among the leaf-litter and detritus of nesting Eastern Reef Egrets Egretta sacra. On the second day, it also foraged above the ground, reaching to the crest of the canopy, clambering about in the AUSTRALIAN 60 CARTER FIELD ORNITHOLOGY dense branches and searching elevated disused Egret nests. It hovered whilst gleaning insects from living foliage and suspended dead leaves, but otherwise it was not seen in open flight. At least on the second day it was very active, continuously moving during the three hours that it was under observation. The bird was not seen in the open for more than a few seconds, nor was it heard to call. Conditions and photographic record On both days the weather was fine with a light southerly breeze. It was late afternoon when the bird was found, and the hazy sunshine provided little illumination at ground level within the bushes. Thus it was extremely difficult to see any features of the bird. The following morning was clearer with some patchy cloud. As the sun rose higher, it penetrated the foliage, producing areas of bright dappled light. Some photographs were obtained using a 300 mm telephoto lens on a tripod-mounted camera, but because within the bush it was dim and the bird was continuously moving, the results were only just acceptable. Enlarged prints produced by the interneg process, of the four that best show the diagnostic characters, are reproduced here (Plates 11-12). Description Structure and size The bird was a typical pipit resembling the Australian Richard's PipitAnthus novaeseelandiae australis but smaller, with slightly shorter legs and ·a short, rounded tail. The longest tertial in the folded wing reached to the base of the tail. The primaries projected beyond the tip of this tertial by an estimated 5 to 10 mm. George Swann observed that the tips of at least three primaries were visible and Plate 12 (upper) confirms this. No passerines were available for direct size comparison, but it was judged to be two-thirds the length of a Yellow Wagtail seen earlier that day. Colouration of bare parts The bill was mainly pink, but a ridge along the culmen and a patch near the tip were dark. The legs and feet were wholly bright pink and the eyes were. dark. Plumage The facial pattern comprised a white supercilium that was very broad and prominent from the base of the bill to above the eye but less obvious behind the eye; a short, narrow, black line through the eye which did not extend to the bill; a broad white semi-orbital ring below the eye; mottled brown ear-coverts; white lower cheek, chin and throat, with a black malar stripe and patch. This stripe was short and thin but expanded into a very large triangular patch on the side of the neck. The forehead and crown were gingery brown with fine black streaking. The sides of the neck, nape, mantle, back, and lesser and median wing-coverts were similar in colour but with bolder streaking. On each side of the mantle and back were bold, parallel, snipe-like stripes sometimes known as 'tramlines' or 'braces'. These were composed of three colours of equal width: the centre of each stripe was black, bordered internally by pale buff and externally by brown-buff. They VOL. 20 (2) JUNE2003 Pechora Pipit in Australia 61 Pechora Pipit, Ashmore Reef, November 2001 Above: Latero-ventral view showing facial pattern, breast and flank streaking. Below: Lateral view (blurred by movement), showing the head, bill, 'tramlines', wing-bars and tertials. Plate 11 Photos: Mike Carter AUSTRALIAN 62 CARTER FIELD ORNITHOLOGY commenced at the shoulder and on the inner edge extended to the tip of the innermost greater covert. Creamy-white tips to the median and greater coverts formed prominent double wing-bars. The greater coverts were strongly patterned. In addition to the pale tips, they were very dark or black at their centre and had buff sides. Most of the flight-feathers and rump were obscured by three large tertials that shaded from black to dark brown and had buff edges. The projecting primary tips appeared blackish. The tail was dark brown with no white visible on the outer edges. • The underparts were white throughout, boldly streaked with black on the breast and along the flanks. The streaking commenced abruptly immediately below the throat and ceased on the mid-line of the lower breast, but continued along the sides and flanks to the vent where the streaks joined to form two distinct continuous black lines. The chin, throat, lower breast, belly and vent were unmarked. Identification and discussion The description and photographs clearly identify the bird as a Pechora Pipit. The Pechora Pipit is unique in that it is the only pipit in which the tips of at least three primaries extend beyond the longest tertial. In all other members of this genus the primaries are completely cloaked by the tertials, no portion being exposed (Alstrom & Mild 1989). Primary projection apart, in winter plumage the species most likely to be confused with the Pechora Pipit is the Red-throated Pipit. Separation of these by bare-part colouration and plumage alone requires care and scrutiny. Generally, the Pechora is more boldly marked on both the upperparts and underparts. Distinguishing features in the Ashmore bird included the strong contrast and prominence of the longitudinal stripes or 'tramlines' on the scapulars, very conspicuous wing-bars, uniformity and deep tone of ground colour from forehead to lower back (no paler area on the nape), the very bold streaking on the underparts, the bicoloured bill which was pink not yellow on the lower mandible, and the lack of obvious white in the outer tail (King 1981, Heard & Walbridge 1988, Alstrom & Mild 1989, Lewington et al. 1991, Galley 1993, Coates et al. 1997, Beaman & Madge 1998). Additional photographs that illustrate some of these features can be found in Kanouchi et al. (1998) and Iozawa et al. (2000). Comparing Plates 11 (lower) and 12 with photographs in this literature shows that the 'tramlines' or 'braces' in the Ashmore bird were longer than typical, reaching to the tips of the greater coverts. This may indicate that the bird was in very fresh plumage and therefore possibly a juvenile. It differed from the Broome Red-throated Pipit (Carter 1997) in that the breast streaking commenced on a straight alignment at the crease of the neck immediately below the throat, rather than on a scooped alignment below an imaginary arced bib. Although this distinction is indicated in the excellent plate in Alstrom & Mild (1989), it is not defined as a distinguishing character either in that paper or in any other text. However, a study of the few photographs available implies that this character may be a diagnostic aid. Alstrom & Mild (1989) stressed the importance of the presence of a dark !oral stripe in the Pechora Pipit and its absence in the Red-throated Pipit. The painting of the Pechora Pipit in that paper shows a short, black eye-stripe anterior to the eye which does not extend to the base of the bill as might be expected by VOL.

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