;; ,.;: J", ,'!" " ,1: f t.- " r BIRDS OF CENTRAL NEW GUINEA I BULl.ETL'{ A~lER. :'I [lis. i\-AT. HIST. VOL. 103, PLATE 13 I r • ,; , _ ...-._--~--_... -- --- --- -- ----_._.~.. _-- BIRDS OF CENTRAL NEW GUINEA ! :- ~ • ~; j:" , " RESULTS OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF \" L .., , ! 'i; NATURAL HISTORY EXPEDITIONS TO " ,. NEW GUINEA IN 1950 AND 1952 , i:, ERNST MAYR AND E. THOMAS GILLIARD f I r I f I I , f L I 1 i j BULLETIN OF THE 1 AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY VOLUME 103 : ARTICLE 4 NEW YORK : 1954 BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Volume 103, article 4, pages 311-374, text figure 1, plates 13-34, tables 1-8 Issued April1Z, 1954 Price: $2.00 a cop:! ;;L:~difDilii'_;;;;;?;;::<;;';;ZM;;;;r;;;;;'·;::":;;:'::<:;;:;;f.;;;;;;;;.;::':;;::=":::::;:;;' __'::'::'"'::'''''::'''''')''--*'''''''.'''''''''''''''5''_'''''j! ..."""..,.,.,...,----...,....,.-...,.--:;?(;'"~""i_;-".~,'::..;"::i,-c I- ; . I' ' i 'I I ~.'i , ! CONTENTS I, INTRODUCTION • . 317 Summary of Results 318 I Itinerary ..... 320 I 321 f Ecological, Geographical, and Anthropological Notes Conservation and Paradise Plume Collecting Today 324 I Types of Habitat and Birds Typical of Each 326 I Effect of Man Upon the Altitudinal Distribution of Some New Guinea Birds 327 Zoogeographical Affinities of Wahgi Region Birds . .. 328 I ANNOTATED LIST OF BIRDS OF THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS 331 f REFERENCEs . 373 I . I f I ( I 1 I I 1 315 i¥!_Mn::: ..~""",,....-;'~.....'--~ ~._;"_n:-.:;o'; ;;;; ;;":;0:;0':'=::::::::::=======::::=""'..,""'..,-------------------""Sri;'"": . RiW' iiii. !;~~ ;,i~ I., i." 1: , ! 11 , ii i! I :' , I I' I, INTRODUCTION CONTINUING THE ORNITHOLOGICAL EXPLORA- Guinea Expedition, was under the leadership I, I TION of New Guinea in which this institution of Armand Denis, noted film producer. It was has been actively engaged for two decades, managed by the junior author. This venture' the Department of Birds sent parties to the was greatly aided by the National Geographic I, interior of that island in 1950 and 1952. Society, which provided much of the photo- Dr. Leonard C. Sanford sponsored the 1950 graphic equipment. The mission of 1952 was expedition, which was the first to make a similar to that of 1950, and the area covered I, was much the same. However, primary em- I thorough survey of the birds in the recently ,I discovered Wahgi region of the Mandated phasis was placed on observing, photograph. Territory. ing, and sound-recording highland birds, par- I I This heavily populated region was dis- ticularly birds of paradise and bower birds. , ' I covered by Michael Leahy in 1933 (see Of first importance to the leader was the I, r Leahy, 1936). Owing to various incidents in making of a color film showing primitive man subsequent years, the area was closed in 1935 in his native surroundings. This operation was i and remained closed until World War II centered in the Kubor Mountains (between I I when it was needed for emergency aircraft 5000 and 9300 feet), but Mt. Hagen was also I surveyed by the 1952 party. On that occasion ( landings. Thus it was not until after World i War IIthat the colonizer, the prospector, the it was approached by way of the northern i missionary, and the naturalist got their first watershed, while in 1950 the ascent had been I ~ solid foothold. from the south. , The first to collect birds was Capt. N. B. In addition to the leader and the manager, I Blood,veteran patrol officer, who sent his col- the 1952 party consisted of Michaela Denis, actress and photographer; Margaret Gilliard, ( lection to Tom Iredale in Australia. From it Iredale described (1948, p. 162) two valid new artist; Robert Carmet, film photographer; Henry Kaltenthaler, bird collector; and, once I races of birds (Parotia lawesi exhibita and Cnemophilus macgregorii sanguineus). Earlier, again, Robert Doyle. f~thers of the spectacular Ribbon-tailed Papua-New Guinea authorities, among Bird of Paradise had been collected by Fred them the then Administrator, Mr. J. K. Shaw Mayer and described and named in his Murray, and the present Administrator, Mr. honor (Astrapia mayeri) by C. R. Stonor D. M. Cleland, graciously permitted the I (1939). Despite this pioneering, it remained American Museum parties to work in the f for the junior author to make the first com- newly accessible terrain. Sir Edward J. L. prehensiea ornithological survey of the Hallstrom, Australian naturalist and phi- i region. lanthropist, and his son, Mr. John Hallstrom, The 1950 expedition consisted of the junior were most generous in their support. author, as leader; Robert Doyle, a planter of Our warm thanks go to Captain and Mrs. Bougainville Island; William Lamont, a resi- N. B. Blood, not only for the valuable infor- r dent of Lae; and several trained natives. mation and bird specimens with which they Doyle joined the party after it had been in favored us, but for their hospitality. Also, we I the field for about a month. Lamont joined are much indebted to Mr. Fred Shaw Mayer for advice, assistance, and gifts of valuable for the M t, Hagen phase of, the operation. The area covered comprised the mountains specimens. 1 We are indebted to Mr. W. T. Lake for i (5000 to 14,000 feet) of the Wahgi Divide, Mt. Wilhelm in the Bismarck Mountains, valuable gifts of bird eggs and a study skin Mt. Hagen, and Mt. Kubcr, also lowland coltected by him on Mt. Hagen in 1952. We also express our thanks to Mr. James Green- a~eas in the vicinity of N ondugl, Kup, Hagen way for the loan of comparative material. A,rfi.eld,and along the borders of the central We wish to thank Father Michael Bodnar; PortIOns of the Wahgi River. our gracious benefactor at Kup, Father John. The 1952 expedition, known officially as Nilles, Father William Trapper, Mr. William the American Museum-Armand Denis New 317 318 BULLETIN AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY ¥OL. IOJ MacGregor, Mr. James Patterson, and preparation of this paper. especially OUf hosts in Port Moresby, Mr. and Finally. the junior author would like to Mrs. William Berlin, for their generous help. acknowledge his deep debt to the Australian We are much indebted to Dr. Dean Ama- members of the expeditions, Messrs. William don for valuable suggestions during the Lamont and Robert Doyle. SUMMARY OF RESULTS A total of 182 species and subspecies of LIST OF BIRD SPECIMENS PRESERVEDIN birds, including 23 which are new to science SPIRITS, INCLUDING SPBCIIlBNS FROll (see list following), were coUected, comprising THE WARGI, JIM! RIVER, ANDLAE some 1500 scientific study skins. Of these, REGIONS, TAKEN AJ.>RILTO many are geographical and/or altitudinal ex- AUGUST, 1950, AND APRIL tensions of range, and some have proved of TO AUGUST, 19521 importance in clarifying the relationship of Anas supet'ooosa pelewensis X birds to the east and west. Saivadorina waigiuensis Aviceda suberistata megala X Hieraaatus morphnoides weiskei X NEW BIRDS OBTAINED IN THE WAUGI REGION Ieracidea berigora novaeguineae X BY THE 1950 AND 1952 EXPEDITIONS AND Ae.pypodius arfakianus X DESCRIBED BY MAYR AND GILLIARD SynDicus ypsilophorus lamonti Elanus caeruleus wahgiensis (this paper) Excalfacloria chinensis notlaeguineae Synoicus YPsilophoruslamonti (1951) Rallus pectoralis captus RaUus pectoralis captus (1951) Rallus philippensis wahgiensis Rallus philippensis wahgiensis (1951) Porllana tabuensis ta,buensis Psif!acella piela excelsa (1951) Rallicula forbesi steini Pnt~acella modesta haYstromi (1951) Porphyrio porphyria melanopterus X Sancala caprata wahgiensis (1951) Ptilinopus superbus superbus Ttlf'dus POliocePhalus erebus (1951, 1952b) Ptilinopus iozonus finschi X Megaluf'US #moriensis montanus (1951) Ducula pinon jobiensis X Megalurus timoriensis wahgiensis (1951) Gymnophaps aJbertisii albertisii Tregellada leucops wahgienns (1952b) Ma&ropygia. ambDinensis cinereiceps Peneothello sigiUatus hagenensis (1952b) Macropygia nigril'ostris nigrirostris Epimachus meyeri bloodi (1951) Geopelia striata pa,pua X Paradisaea rudclphi margaritae (1951) Gallicolumba beecarii beecat'" PteridoPlwra alberli hallstromi (1951) Gallicolumba jobiensis jobiensis Cnemophilus macgregorii kuboriensis (this paper) Otidiphaps nobilis cerrneaUs . Arc1sboldia papuensis sanfordi (1950) Trichoglossus kaematodus intermed~us Daphoenositta miranda kuborienns (1952b) Psitteuteles goldiei Melidectes Princeps (1951) Lorius hypoinockrous devittatus X Zosterops nOt/(Jeguineaewahgiensis (1951) Charmosyna papa" goliatkina Zosterops nOflaeguineae sha'iNnayeri (1951) OreopsiUacus arfaki grandis Lotu;hura sPet;tabilis wahgiensis (1952b) Neopsitta&us pullicauda pullicauda Oreoslruthusjuliginosus hagenensis (this paper) NeopsiUacus musschenbroekii major Opopsitta diopkthaJma, diopkthalma NEW GUINEA Bums DESCRIBED BY MAYR Geoffroyus geolfroyi minot' AND GILUARD FROM OUTSIDE THE WABGI Geolfroyus simplex burgersi X REGION, FROH STUDIES OF SKINS OB- PsittaceUa piela excelsa TAINED BY THE 1950 AND 1952 Cacomantis fJY"ophanus excitus EXPEDITIONS Cemropus pkasianinus jJt'opinquus X RaUIU P~ilipPensis randi (1951) Tyto alba meeki X Melampitta .lugubris longkauda (1952b) Tyto tenebricosa arfaki Melf1nochans striatitlentris albicauda (1952b) Podargus papuensis Epim(Jcht~ mey~ megarhynchus (1951) P4t'amythla monnum brefficauda (this paper) 1The species marked with an X are not represented by study skins. 1954 MAYR AND GILLIARD: BIRDS OF CENTRAL NEW GUINEA 319 Aegolheles cUbertis" salva¢orii Oreornis subjf'enatus salf1adorii Aegolheles insignis insigni$ Ptiloprora guisei umbrosa Cha~:uranovaeguineae bilrgersl X Ptiloprora perslnato, lorentz;' CoUocaliaesculenla