KUKILA (E-Journal)

van Balen, Bas

167 1997 Kalimantan Bird Report 
ecology of the White shouldered Ibis in East Kalimantan. Kukila 9: 126 140. 
Wilkinson, R., G. Dutson, B. Sheldon, Darjono & Yus Rusila Noor. 1991. The avifauna of the Barito 
Ulu region. Central Kalimantan. Kukila 5(2): 99 116. 
Witt, C.C. & F.H. Sheldon. 1994. The status ofAbbott's Babbler in Borneo. Kukila 7(1): 47 53. 
Witt. C.C. & F.H. Sheldon. 1994. A review of the status and distribution of the Bornean Bristlehead. 
Kukila 7(1): 54 67. 
SHORT COMMUNICATIONS 
RED COLLARED DOVE ON JAVA 
by 
Bas (S.) van Balen 
(Received 28 December 1995) 
On 3 November 1995, on the Pulau Dua nature reserve in West Java (6°01'S, 106°12'E), a 
group of four to five Island Collared Doves Streptopelia bitorquata was observed in the Diaspora 
maritima woodland about 50m from the north coast of the island. Among these was a smaller, more 
stocky dove that, seen from behind, had a uniform grey head above a black collar, rufous brown wings 
and an entirely grey upper tail (when closed). It flew off with the other doves afrer about 20 seconds. 
The combination of small size, stocky body, shorter tail, and grey and rufous brown plumage 
are diagnostic of the male Red Collared Dove Streptopelia tranquebarica (King et al. 1975). More 
birds, e.g. females, may have been present, but overlooked as their appearance would have been similar 
to the locally common Island Turtle Doves with their dull brown plumage. 
The Red Collared Dove occurs in India, China and the Philippines, and is common in SE Asia 
(King et al. 1975), where it often joins feeding flocks of other species of collared dove (Roberts 1991). 
The only other known locality in Indonesia for this species is Central Sulawesi, where a feral 
population survives (Escott & Holmes 1980,Andrew & Holmes 1990). However the population of this 
species has grown rapidly in Singapore recently (Ollington & Loh 1996), apparently benefitting from 
developments that are creating more open country (Strange & Jeyarajasingam 1993), but it is unclear 
whether the first birds in Peninsular Malaysia (since 1933) were wild visitors or cage escapees 
(Medway & Wells 1976). 
The most likely explanation for the occurrence of this species on Java would be an escapee. The 
168 Kalimantan Bird Report KUKILA 9 
species is listed as commercially traded in Indonesia (Nash 1993) and there are many imported species 
on the local bird markets from countries such as Thailand and China. However this species is seen only 
very rarely in cages in Java. On the other hand, the Red Collared Dove is known to be migratory in the 
northern parts of its range (Goodwin 1983), e.g. India (Roberts 1991) and Hong Kong (King et al. 
1975), and capable of flying large distances, and the possibility of a naturally occurring straggler 
cannot be ruled out. Its occurrence on Java and ecological relationship with the Island Collared Dove 
requires monitoring. 
Acknowledgements 
The author is grateful to the organizers of the Birding and Bird Photography visit to Pulau Dua 
(Ria Saryanthi and Hendra, Symbiose Birdwatchers Club, Jakarta), and to the PHPA guard of the 
reserve, Bapak Madsahi. 
References 
Andrew, P. & D.A. Holmes. 1990. Sulawesi Bird Report. Kukila 5: 4 26.
 
Escott, C. & D.A. Holmes. 1980. The avifauna of Sulawesi, Indonesia: faunistic notes and additions.
 
Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 100:189 194. 
Goodwin, D. 1983. Pigeons and Doves of the World. Third Ed. Comell University Press. 
King, B., M. Woodcock & E.C. Dickinson. 1975. A field guide to the birds of South East Asia. 
Collins, London. Meday, Lord & D.R. Wells. 1976. The birds of the Malay Peninsula. Volumes: 
Conclusion, and survey of every species. Witherby, London & Penerbit Universiti Malaya, 
KUKILA 8: 170 - 185 
Kuala Lumpur. 
Nash, S. 1993. Sold for a song. The trade in Southeast Asian non CITES species. Traffic International, 
Cambridge, UK. 
Ollington, R.F. & E. Loh. 1996. A few comments on the recent colonisation of Singapore by the Koel 
and the Red Turtle Dove. Singapore Birdline Monthly Newsletter No. 48 forAugust 1996. 
Roberts, T.J. 1991. The birds of Pakistan. Vol. 1: Non passeriformes. Oxford University Press. 
Strange, M. & A. Jeyarajasingam. 1993. Birds. A photographic guide to the birds of Peninsular 
Malaysia and Singapore. Sun Tree, Singapore. 
Address 
c/o BirdLife International Indonesia Programme, P.O. Box 310, Bogor 16003. 
PURPLE HERON CONSUMES LARGE PREY 
by 
D. A. Holmes 
On 5 January 1996 at 13.00, I observed a Purple Heron Ardea purpurea consume a large snake 
like prey. The incident occurred on the sandy reef flats with their sea grass beds on the SE shores of 
Pulau Serangan ("Turtle Island") in Benoa Bay, Ball When first observed, the heron already held the 
writhing prey in its bill, apparently head first. With the heron standing upright, the exposed portion of 
the prey was at least as long as the height of the heron, and substantially thicker than the bird's neck. 
The entire operation took about 20 30 minutes from the moment I first observed it. Although 
the heron was clearly struggling as the prey wriggled and writhed, it did not give the impression of 
being concerned about possible danger. Eventually, my attention was distracted by other bird activity, 
and when I next viewed the heron, it was standing at the same location but no longer holding any prey. 
Apparently it had succeeded in severing the prey in half, as it next picked up the now lifeless remaining 
half from the water and swallowed it in a single gulp. The bird's neck visibly bulged as the prey passed 
down its gullet. A few seconds later, the heron almly flew off to another section of the reef, apparently 
not weighed down by the contents of its stomach. 
At the time, the prey, which was banded cream and black, was assumed to be a sea snake. 
However my boatman assured me that the prey is non poisonous, and it is more likely that it was a 
Banded Moray Gymnothory enigmaticus, which occurs on the coast ofBali and lives at shallow depth. 
Acknowledgement 
I wish to thank Bas van Balen for advising on the likely identity of the prey. 


English

Red-collared Dove on Java

Holmes, Derek A

KUKILA 8: 170 - 185 
Kuala Lumpur. 
Nash, S. 1993. Sold for a song. The trade in Southeast Asian non CITES species. Traffic International, 
Cambridge, UK. 
Ollington, R.F. & E. Loh. 1996. A few comments on the recent colonisation of Singapore by the Koel 
and the Red Turtle Dove. Singapore Birdline Monthly Newsletter No. 48 forAugust 1996. 
Roberts, T.J. 1991. The birds of Pakistan. Vol. 1: Non passeriformes. Oxford University Press. 
Strange, M. & A. Jeyarajasingam. 1993. Birds. A photographic guide to the birds of Peninsular 
Malaysia and Singapore. Sun Tree, Singapore. 
Address 
c/o BirdLife International Indonesia Programme, P.O. Box 310, Bogor 16003. 
PURPLE HERON CONSUMES LARGE PREY 
by 
D. A. Holmes 
On 5 January 1996 at 13.00, I observed a Purple Heron Ardea purpurea consume a large snake 
like prey. The incident occurred on the sandy reef flats with their sea grass beds on the SE shores of 
Pulau Serangan ("Turtle Island") in Benoa Bay, Ball When first observed, the heron already held the 
writhing prey in its bill, apparently head first. With the heron standing upright, the exposed portion of 
the prey was at least as long as the height of the heron, and substantially thicker than the bird's neck. 
The entire operation took about 20 30 minutes from the moment I first observed it. Although 
the heron was clearly struggling as the prey wriggled and writhed, it did not give the impression of 
being concerned about possible danger. Eventually, my attention was distracted by other bird activity, 
and when I next viewed the heron, it was standing at the same location but no longer holding any prey. 
Apparently it had succeeded in severing the prey in half, as it next picked up the now lifeless remaining 
half from the water and swallowed it in a single gulp. The bird's neck visibly bulged as the prey passed 
down its gullet. A few seconds later, the heron almly flew off to another section of the reef, apparently 
not weighed down by the contents of its stomach. 
At the time, the prey, which was banded cream and black, was assumed to be a sea snake. 
However my boatman assured me that the prey is non poisonous, and it is more likely that it was a 
Banded Moray Gymnothory enigmaticus, which occurs on the coast ofBali and lives at shallow depth. 
Acknowledgement 
I wish to thank Bas van Balen for advising on the likely identity of the prey. 


Purple Heron consumes large prey

Indrawan, M

Collins, P

Goulding, D

Rudyanto, .

171 1997 Shorts Communications 
CALL OF THE GREY IMPERIAL PIGEON 
by 
David S. Melville 
(Received 28 May 1996) 
The Grey Imperial Pigeon Ducula pickeringii is a little known species inhabiting small 
wooded islands off the north and north east coast of Borneo, islands in the Sulu Sea, Sulu Archipelago, 
Talaut Islands, east and west Bolod Islands, Loran Island and Palmas Island (Goodwin 1967). The call 
of this species apparently is unrecorded (Goodwin 1967, MacKinnon & Phiffipps 1993). 
I observed several Grey Imperial Pigeons on Manukan Island in the Tunku Abdul Rahman 
Park, off Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, on 23 and 24 August 1995. Also present on the island were several 
other pigeons including Green Imperial Pigeon D. aenea. Orange breasted Green pigeon Treron 
bicincta and Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica. 
The distinctive call of the Grey Imperial Pigeon was noted as a regular 'woo woo woo woo woo 
woo woo'. The call usually consisted of seven 'woo' notes but at times was shorter, being occasionally 
only four notes. The 'woo' sound was similar to that made by an object being swung, in an irregular 
manner, at the end of a piece of string. 
References 
Goodwin, D. 1967. Pigeons and doves of the world. British Museum Natural History, London. 
MacKinnon, J. & K. Phillipps. 1993. A field guide to the birds of Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Ball. 
Oxford University Press, Oxford. 
Address: WWF Hong Kong, GPO Box 12721, Hong Kong. 
RECORDS OF BLACK CAPPED KINGFISHER IN JAVA 
by
1 3 2M. Indrawan , P. Collins, D. Goulding and Rudyanto . 
(Received 28 May 1996) 
Recent sight records of the Black capped Kingfisher Halcyon pileata were made on the 
peninsula of Alas Purwo national park in East Java at 8°42'S, 114°28'E, and at the Bogor Botanical 
Gardens in West Java at 6°36'S, 106''45'E. In both cases, the identification was based on plumage: black 
172 Shorts Communications KUKILA 9 
cap, white nape, throat and cheek, rufous washed breast, deep blue back, and a red bill, all of which 
preclude other kingfishers in Java (cf. Try et al. 1992, MacKinnon & Phillips 1993). 
In Alas Purwo, the bird was seen in the patch of semi deciduous limestone forest on the coast 
between 'Triangulasi' and 'Sadengan' at 09.53 hours on 30 October 1993. As local people on a path 
through the forest flushed a group of three drongos noisily from their perch, a kingfisher in reaction to 
this moved to a new perch in front of the observer (MI), who was standing still. The bird was observed 
at a distance ofca 7 metres, at a height of 4 metres. Although it appeared tame, it flew off when 
binoculars were raised. The bird was silent throughout. 
In the Bogor Botanical Garden, this species was observed repeatedly on 2, 4 and 5 February 
1994 (PC and DG, later joined by Rudyanto), involving apparently a single individual using a 
particular hunting perch on the pond, near the main gates. On the first occasion, the generally quiet bird 
was seen twice diving to catch small fish. 
Additionally, a possible sighting was made on Rawa Danau Nature Reserve in West Java at 
6°11'S, 105°59'E, an inland swamp forest, on 10 November 1993. A single bird thought to be this 
species was seen on a shoreline vegetated by sedges, grasses and Phragmites karka, on a river 5 6 
metres in width, but no detailed description was taken at the time (Scott Frazier pers. comm.). 
The Black capped Kingfisher migrates south as far as Sumatra and Kalimantan during the 
northern winter, but is a very rare migrant on Java; it has never been recorded on Bali (MacKinnon & 
Phillipps 1993). There are at least five previous records from Java, consisting of four from Dampar in 
Central Java (Kooiman 1940) and one from Cilacap in West Java (museum type at MZB, reported by 
Hoogerwerf 1948).All these records were made before the 1950s. 
Acknowledgement 
We thank Bas van Balen for drawing our attention to the older records in the literature. 
References 
Fry, C H., K. Fry & A. Harris. 1992. Kingfishers, Bee eaters and Rollers of the World. Christopher 
Helm, London. 
Hoogerwerf,A. 1948. Nog eens Halcyon pileata (Bodd) op Java. Limosa 21 (2 3): 103. 
Kooiman, J.G. 1940. Mededelingen over het voorkomen in Oost Java van enkele voor dit gewest nog 
niet in de literatuur genoemde vogels. Ardea 29:98 108. 
MacKinnon, J. & K. Phillipps. 1993. A field guide to the birds of Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Bali. 
Oxford University Press, Oxford. 
Addresses: 
1. M. Indrawan, IFABS Yayasan Bina Sains Hayati Indonesia, P.O. Box 103, Depok 16401. 
2. Rudyanto, BirdLife International Indonesia Programme, P.O. Box 310, Bogor 16003. 


Records of Black-capped Kingfisher in Java

Kukila, Editor

Kukila 1985 2(2). 
ERRATA 
j be made in the Annotated checklist of the birds of 
Jre Reserve by Paul Andrew which appeared in our 
a ferrugeniea read Muscicapa ferruginea. 
ad caeruleus. 
A. Long. 
ld read Aerodramus vulcanoruml brevirostris/ lowi. 
read Pnoepyga. 
talus should commence a new paragraph. and o n 
as read Crocias. 
:les read leucogastroides. 
t free to subscribers to Voice of Nature . a momhly 
;cription to Voice of Nature is Rp. 18,000. payable 
~ng Negara , Hotel Borobudur branch . Jakarta . 
who do not subscribe to Voice of Nature . the 
;ues (surface mail), or $14 (airmail) . Bank drafts 
' C 1.1.01035 (Voice of Nature acco unt) at Bank 
.dur branch , Jakarta. $2 .50 should be added for 
1e editors if you have difficulty in making payment. 
mce should be addressed to: 
a Hijau (Green Indonesia Foundatio n) and the Or-
ia. 
Kukila 1985 2(2) . 
EDITORIAL 
It is fitting that our first two issues deal with two reserves in West Java, one montane 
and one coastal. These lie in one of the most densely populated areas of Indonesia 
and can be visited readily. After this we hope to turn our attention to the less well 
known other islands, not that we can afford to be complacent about Java. In the 
future we hope to see checklists of other reserves in Java such as Ujung Kulon , 
Halimun, Meru Betiri and Baluran. 
Elsewhere in this issue there is an announcement of four new ICBP technical 
publications. Three of these report on presentations at the XVIII ICBP World Con-
ference and cover the conservation of sea birds, islands and tropical forests, all 
habitat groups that are very relevant to Indonesia . The fourth publication is Part 1 of 
the third edition of the ICBP / IUCN Bird Red Data Book and covers the African 
continent. We look forward to seeing the volume that deals with oriental birds, but 
sadly our knowledge is still insufficient to be able to recommend which Indonesian 
birds should be included on the threatened list. Indeed, this is one of the inherent 
objectives of Kukila. We are almost certain that our Javanese endemic lapwing 
Vane/Ius macropterus is now extinct; how many of our small island endemics that 
are dependent upon forest habitat are seriously endangered if not already extinct? 
We need to know where the thrust of our conservation strategy should be applied , 
now that lowland forests are being logged , or cleared wholesale for agricultural set-
tlement, at an alarming rate. We do not wish to see our Kukila checklists being of 
historical interest only, in the near future. This may already be the fate of a list 
published ten years ago for Kutai reserve in Kalimantan , the victim of the 1983 
forest fires. 
In our firs t issue the subscription rate was given as $20 per year. This rate is conced-
ed as being excessive, and has now been reduced to $2 .50 per issue (minimum 
subscription $10). Details are given inside the front cover. In fact our circulation list 
is inevitably small and we do not expect to cover our costs at either rate. In order to 
publish Kukila so easily, we are indebted to the generous· sponsorship of the Green 
Indonesia Foundation and their magazine Voice of Nature . 
ANNOUNCEMENT 
Kalimantan Bird Records Required. In a future edition of Kukila we propose to 
publish all bird records from Kalimantan subsequent to the works of B. E. Smythies 
(his 1957 checklist in the Sarawak Museum Journal, and the three editions of his 
Birds of Borneo, the last of which was published in 1981 by the Sabah Society with 
the Malayan Nature Society). lt is our belief that there has been only very limited or-
nithological activity in the Indonesian portion of Borneo during this period , and we 
are anxious to record in print all recent observations which, together with Smythies' 
work , will form a data base for future studies. Anyone having observations is re-
quested to submit them as soon as possible to the editors , with dates and locations. 
lt is important that the common species are included. Full acknowledgements will 
be given. 
31 


Editorial

Grantham, M J

Kemp, Neville

First record of Grey-tailed Tatler in Sumatra

Noor, Yus Rusila

Hasudunpin, Ferry

128 Short Communications KUKILA 11 
OBSERVATIONS OF BLACK HEADED IBIS BREEDING AGAIN ON PULAU DUA,

BANTEN BAY, WEST JAVA

by 
Yus Rusila Noor and Feffy Hasudunpn 
(Received 4 June 2000) 
As part of a four year research programme on waterbirds at the Pulau Dua Nature Reserve, 
Banten Bay, we have made an observation of Black headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus 
returning to breed at the site. 
During the second week of May 1998, six Black headed This alighted on the top canopy of the 
mangrove for about an hour, and then flew away. They were not seen again until 1 June, when a total of 
50 individuals was observed collecting nest materials on the top canopy of Rhizopora apiculata and 
Avicennia marina mangroves. It was noticed that the ibises were more sensitive to disturbance than the 
other breeding waterbird species at the reserve. Perhaps as a result of this, on 4 June there were no ibises 
present and the newly built nests were empty. 
However, on 11 June, it was seen that more than 50 ibises had returned to these nests and were 
sitting. On 29 June, the research team was carefully climbing nearby trees to measure the nest 
characteristics of egret species, and closer observations could be made of the ibises. Totals of 11 and 26 
nests were counted on Rhizopora and Avicennia trees respectively. Those nests that could be exan dried 
held either one or two eggs. During the second week of August, several immatures were seen at the 
nests, but no estimate could be made of breeding success and total number of young birds raised. 
Although between 10 and 20 ibises were observed during 1999, and up to May 2000, no 
breeding could be confirmed. 
The Black headed Ibis is recorded as resident in Java and probably Sumatra, and has vagrant 
status in Sulawesi and Northern Borneo (Silvius 1989). In the first half of this century, the species 
occurred widely in Java, where numerous colonies were reported (Hoogerwerf 1935, 1936, in Silvius 
1989). On Pulau Dua, the species used to roost commonly on the mangroves. They formerly bred on the 
island (Hoogerwerf 1948, 1953; Harvey 1976, in Milton & Marhadi 1989), but were not observed to 
breed after 1975 (Wind 1978; Milton & Marhadi 1985; Rusila Noor et.al. 1996). It is difficult to explain 
the disappearance of both the ibis as well as Milky Stork Mycteria cinerea and Oriental Darter Anhinga 
melanogaster as breeding species, as they still occur regularly on the island. However, disturbance may 
have been an important factor as the last reports of breeding were when overland access to the island 
first become possible (Wind 1976 in Milton & Marhadi 1985). 
2000	 Short Communications 129 
References 
Milton, R.G. & Agus Marhadi. 1995. The bird life of Nature Reserve Pulau Dua. Kukila 2 (2): 32 41. 
Rusila Noor, Y. & Noviana Andalusi. 1996. Waterbird counting at Pulau Dua and Pulau Pamujan 
Besar, Banten Bay, West Java. PHPA/Wetlands International Indonesia Programme, Bogor. 
Silvius, M.J. & W.J.M. Verheught. 1989. The status of storks, ibises and spoonbills in Indonesia. 
Kukila 4 (3 4): t 19 132. 
Acknowledgment 
The observations were financially supported by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific 
Research (NOW) through the Netherlands Foundation for Tropical Research (WOTRO) and doe 
Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), under the umbrella of the Indonesia Netherlands 
cooperation on Teluk Banten Research. 
Address: Teluk Banten Programme Waterbird Research, c/o Wetlands International Indonesia 
Programme. 
LESSER ADJUTANT BREEDING IN ALAS PURWO NATIONAL PARK, EASTJAVA 
by

M.J. Gratham

(Final draft received 25 March 2000)

Ringkasan 
Antara bulan Mei sampai bulan September 1999, sembilan sarang Bangau Tongtong 
Leptoptilos javanicus ditemukan di pinggir padang penggembalaan Sadengan di Taman National Alas 
Purwo, Jaws Timur. Sarang ini berhasil 13 anak, termasuk tiga anak dari satu sarang. 
The Lesser Adjutant Leptotilos javanicus is found from India through SE Asia to China and the 
Greater Sundas and is listed as Vulnerable by Collar et al. (1994). Its range in Indonesia is discussed by 
Silvius & Verheugt (1989). There have been rather few breeding records in Indonesia, summarized as 
follows: 
�	 Hoogerwerf (1948, 1949, 1969) reports breeding in West Java during March to October. 
�	 Hoogerwerf & Siccama (1938): six pars breeding in two adjacent trees in the Jakarta region, 
with young offered for sale in the coastal region in late June early July. 
�	 Hellebrekers & Hoogerwerf (1967): nine clutches of one egg each in the Bartels collection 
from Langgen Gadung, near Sedari, West Java (the comment is made that the eggs seemed 
larger than normal, and the consistent single egg clutch size is also unusual). 
�	 Sody (1930) mentions breeding in February March for East Java. 


Observations of Black-headed Ibis breeding again on Pulau Dua, Banten Bay, West Java

Myers, E T

A record of Black-headed Gull in Bali

Hedges, Simon

2000 Short Communications 145 
FIRST SIGHTING OF ORIENTAL PLOVER ON MAINLAND KALIM.ANTAN. 
by 
S. (Bas) van Balen & Simon Hedges 
(First draft received 8 April 2000) 
On 30 October 1998, after having returned from a two month assignment in the upper Malinau 
arm we visited the air strip of Malinau (Bulungan district, Kalimantan Timur province. On a piece of 
bare waste land behind an office building, a single Oriental Plover Charadrius veredus was observed 
for about ten minutes around 9.00 am. The plover was rather tame, and approachable to 10 15 m. No 
other plover was seen in the immediate surroundings, but other Charadriiformes seen elsewhere along 
the air strip in the hours before were Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos and six Oriental 
Pratincoles Glareola maldivarum. During the observations of the plover, there was a light drizrJy rain. 
Description 
The underparts of the plover were uniform off white to very pale sandy brown. with an only 
faintly demarcated darker breast. Neck and breast dirty greyish brown; lores, throat and supercilium 
white, the latter extended to beyond eyes; darkish car coverts. Crown dirty grayish brown, faintly 
mottled, darkish car coverts, contrasted against the white supercilium. Blackish brown flight feathers; 
upperpart feathers dirty grey brown, with rusty fringes which, together with the darkish car coverts and 
unmottled breast suggested an adult bird. Bill was smudged with reddish brown mud and colour 
unknown; legs yellowish. 
Occurrenoce on Borneo 
Apparently (almost) always occurring singly within Borneo, where it is occasional on or near 
the coast (Smythies 1981). The island is certainly not along the main flyway of this species. Previous 
records come from along the entire northwest coast of Borneo (Smythies 1957): in Sarawak it is the 
only plover regularly visiting the Kelabit uplands (cod. Loke/Harrison: two specimens taken in March 
and May in Barito. In Sabah it is an occasional visitor to the coast on passage (Gore 1968); specimens 
from Labuan 1 (Everett 1889). Kuala Baram (coll. Hose); Bintulu (coll. Banks: "not too often seen"), 
Kuching, incl Tengah nearby river (coll. Loke/Harrioson Srnythies 1957). In Brunei one was seen with 
Golden Plover after October 1975 at Seria (Smith 1977), a single at Muara in October 1975, (Kidd 
1978) and one in October 1980 at Berakas (Cameron 1983). 
The only documented record within Indonesian territories is that of a female from Bunguran 1 
(=Natuna Besar 1) collected by one of C. Hose's brothers between July and October 1894 (Hartert 
1895). Although politically belonging to the Sumatra province of Riau (Sandy 1986), geographically 
this and the southern Natuna Is are accommodated within the Kalimantan region (Andrew 1992). The 
present record is the first for mainland Kalimantan. 
146 Short Communications KUKILA 11 
Acknowledgments 
The survey was made possible by the Bogor based Indonesia programs of the Wildlife 
Conservation Society and Center for International Forest Research. 
References 
Andrew, P. 1992. The birds of Indonesia. A checklist (Peters' Sequence). Indonesian Orn i tho log ica l  
Society. [Kukila Checklist No. I I 
Carneron, E.D. 1983. Comments on the birds of Brunei (Borneo). Brunei Mus. J. 26 (47): 195 204. 
Everett, A.H. 1889. A list of the birds of the Bornean group of islands. Journ. Str. Br. Roy. Asiat. Soc. 20: 
91 212. [article not seen by the authors]. 
Gore, M.E.J. 1968. A checklist of the birds of Sabah, Borneo. Ibis 110: 165 196. 
Hartert, E. 1895. list of a second collection of birds from the Natuna Islands. Novitates Zoologicae 
2:466 478. 
Kidd, E. 1978. Some notes on the birds of Brunei. Brunei Mus. J. 4 (2): 115 164. 
thSandy, I M. 1986. Atlas Indonesia (6  edition). Dhasawarna & Jurusan Geografii FMIPA, Universitas 
Indonesia, Jakarta. 
Smith, A.P. 1977. Observations of birds in Brunei. Sarawak Mus. J. 25: 235 269. 
Smythies, B.E. 1957. An annotated checklist of the birds of Borneo. Sarawak Mus. J. 7: 523 818. 
Smythies, B.E. 1981. The birds of Borneo. Third Edition. The Sabah Society with The Malayan Nature 
Society. 
Addresses: 
S. van Balen, Wageningen University, Tropical Nature Conservation and Vertebrate Ecology Group, 
Bornsesteeg 69, 6708 PD Wageningen, the Netherlands. 
Simon Hedges, Division of Biodiversity & Ecology, School Biol. Sciences, University of 
Southampton, Bassett Crescent East, Southampton, SO 16 7PX England. 
A RECORD OF LONG TAILED BROADBILL FROM KALIMLANTAN 
by 
S. (Bas) van Balen 
(Received 23 March 2000) 
An analysis was made of bird sound recordings on audiocassettes, taken by WWF staff in the Kayan 
Mentarang National Park, East Kalimantan. On a set of five 90 niinute cassettes, all recorded on Mt 
Lunjut in the south eastern part of the park, a soundtrack made on 5 March 1998 had a distant, though 
clear series of calls unmistakably produced by one or mom Long tailed Broadbills Psarisomus 
dalhousiae. 


First sighting of Oriental Plover on mainland Kalimantan

Argeloo, Marc

Fitzsimons, James

Kukila 15 2011 115
Predation of a small passerine by the Purple-winged
Roller Coracias temminckii, an endemic species of
Sulawesi
MARC ARGELOO1 AND JAMES FITZSIMONS2,3
1
planG, Panamakade 36, 1019 AX, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Email: marcargeloo@plang.nl
2 School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood
VIC 3125, Australia. Email: james.fitzsimons@deakin.edu.au
3 The Nature Conservancy, Suite 3-04, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton VIC 3053, Australia
Ringkasan. Makanan burung Tionglampu Sulawesi Coracias temminckii, spesies burung
endemik Sulawesi, diduga kebanyakan berupa invertebrata besar dan reptil berukuran
kecil. Di suatu area yang ada galian untuk menanam bibit, sekitar batas Taman Nasional
Bogani Nani Wartabone, Sulawesi Utara, penulis pertama mengamati seekor burung
dewasa menyerang burung Gereja Passer montanus dewasa di tanah kemudian
membunuh dan memakannya. Meskipun burung dikenal sering dimangsa oleh spesies
tionglangpu lain, namun biasanya dilakukan pada sata burung masih sangat muda atau
sangat kecapaian setelah melakukan migrasi panjang.
The Purple-winged Roller (Coracias temminckii) is endemic to Sulawesi and
nearby islands where it is considered widespread and moderately common
(Coates & Bishop 1997). It is found in open country, forest edges and wooded
areas (Holmes & Phillipps 1996; Coates & Bishop 1997). Like other Coracias
rollers, the Purple-winged Roller forages using a ‘sit and watch’ strategy from a
prominent perch, dropping to the ground to catch small prey. Vorderman (1898:
40) reports “large grasshoppers and small insects” as stomach contents for this
roller species, and Heinrich (in Stresemann 1940) fed his two captive birds with
large quantities of grasshoppers. Surprisingly, in a review of the Coraciidae, Fry
et al. (1992: 292) suggested the diet of this species was “unknown” but that it
was “probably like that of the Indian Roller, but the very deep, powerful hooked
bill suggests that it eats larger prey than does that species”. Subsequent authors
have described the diet of the Purple-winged Roller as consisting of
‘grasshoppers, locusts, beetles and small lizards’ (Coates & Bishop 1997, Fry
2001) and ‘large invertebrates and small reptiles’ (Strange 2001).
On 17 April 1991, in the late afternoon, MA observed an adult Purple-
winged Roller perched on a small dead tree near the school complex of
Mokintop, North Sulawesi (Plate 1). This (former) school is situated in
agricultural fields at the foothills of the degraded forest of the Bogani Nani
Wartabone National Park (035’54” N, 12407’26” E). MA continued observing
the perched bird, as two adults and two juvenile rollers had been seen here three
days prior. The roller stayed at a distance of less than 100 m and was observed
with Zeiss 10x40B binoculars.
Kukila 15 2011 116
©
M
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A
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Plate 1. Purple-winged Roller at
Mokintop, North Sulawesi.
After a few minutes the bird flew down
on the newly ploughed land. It was clear it
had caught a prey item, presumed to be a
large insect, as the bird hopped up and down
and kept on pecking with its bill while the
prey was still on the ground. The roller was
then approached to within approximately 50
m. At this distance, and with the roller now
standing on a slightly higher part of the
ploughed land, it was clear that it had
caught a Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer
montanus. The roller stood on the live
sparrow with both of its feet, hammering its
prey with its bill until (after just a few
seconds) no further movement from the
sparrow was observed. Several young
Eurasian Tree Sparrows had been observed
in the vicinity around that time, most of
them still with a yellow gape. The sparrow that the roller had caught looked very
much like an adult bird; clearly observed with white cheeks with a black spot and
chocolate brown on the head; no yellow on the bill, nor any fluffy juvenile
feathers. The roller started consuming the sparrow on the ground. No notes of
what happened after this were made and whether the bird flew away with the
sparrow was not recorded.
Birds do not appear to have been previously recorded in the diet of Purple-
winged Roller in the published literature. Birds have been occasionally recorded
in the diet of the related European Roller Coracias garrulus but they are
“generally taken when very young”, although “small exhausted migrants have
occasionally been captured after making landfall on Mediterranean islands” (Fry
2001: 354). The Eurasian Tree Sparrow killed by the Purple-winged Roller in
this observation was an adult bird and sparrows are probably sedentary, not
migratory, at this site. The Eurasian Tree Sparrow was first introduced to North
Sulawesi in 1979 (Escott & Holmes 1980; Coates & Bishop 1997) and is now
common in most areas of human habitation in the north of the island (Fitzsimons
et al. (2011). The Eurasian Tree Sparrow would be one of the few small bird
species relatively common and relatively tame around human settlement and
disturbed areas, thus potentially making them more susceptible than other bird
species to predation by Purple-winged Rollers. This is particularly so as rollers in
general tend to select prey based on size and availability (Fry 2001).
The authors thank Richard Noske, Bas van Balen and the anonymous referees for
comments on the earliest version of this note.
Kukila 15 2011 117
References
Coates, B.J. & K.D. Bishop. 1997. A Guide to the Birds of Wallacea: Sulawesi, the
Moluccas and Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia. Dove Publications, Alderley,
Queensland.
Escott, C.J. & D.A. Holmes. 1980. The avifauna of Sulawesi, Indonesia: faunistic notes
and additions. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 100: 189-194.
Fitzsimons, J.A., J.L. Thomas & M. Argeloo. 2011. Occurrence and distribution of
established and new introduced bird species in north Sulawesi, Indonesia. Forktail
27: (in press).
Fry, C. 2001. Family Coraciidae (Rollers). Pp 342–369 in J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, & J.
Sargatal (eds), Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 6, Mousebirds to
Hornbills. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
Fry, C.H., K. Fry & A. Harris. 1992. Kingfishers, Bee-eaters & Rollers: A Handbook.
Christopher Helm, London.
Holmes, D. & K. Phillipps. 1996. The Birds of Sulawesi. Oxford University Press, Kuala
Lumpur.
Strange, M. 2001. A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Indonesia. Periplus Editions,
Singapore.
Stresemann, E. 1940. Die Vögel von Celebes. Teil III Systematik und Biologie
(Fortsetzung). Journal für Ornithologie 88: 389-487.
Vorderman, A.G. 1898. Celebes-vogels. Natuurkundig Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch
Indië 58: 26-121.
------


Predation of a small passerine by the Purple-winged Roller Coracias temminckii, an endemic species of Sulawesi

Bowler, John

Taylor, John

AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR DISPLAYED BY

THE GREY-NECKED FRIARBIRD.

By John Bowler & John Taytor

(Received 31 January 1989)

On 18 August 1987 at an attitude of 550m on the north face of Gunung

Kobipoto in the Manusela National Park, Seram, a pair of Red Lories Eos

bornaa was attacked by a Grey-necked Friarbird Philemon subcomiculatus

whilst inspecting a nest hole.

The Red Lories were watched for a period of 135 minutes, and one of the pair

was observed to enter a nest hole, 25m up a mature forest tree on five

occasions, while the second bird remained perched just outside the hole. On

three separate occasions a Grey-necked Friarbird, which had been calling

from an adjacent tree,, mobbed the perched Lory. The mobbing consisted of a

vigorous downward flight swooping at the Lory causing it to visibly duck

its head. On the third occasion the mobbing was persistent and vigorous,

the Lory being physically struck from behind four times and pushed along

the perching branch away from the nest hole. The Lory became increasingly

agitated, emitting a "meati, meep" alarm call, before finally leaving the

site, closely followed by the second bird which flew out of the hole.

The area was revisited the next day when the Lories were again noted to be

present at the nest hole. However, the Friarbird was calling some distance

away from the site and no further interactions between the two species were

observed.

Such vigorous interspecific interactions are rarely recorded, and usually

involve small birds mobbing larger birds which might be perceived as

possible predators. The Grey-necked Friarbird is distinctly larger than

the Red Lory and the observed attacks may possibly represent a form of

territorial defence.

Address:

c/o. The Orchard, South Road, Englefield Green, Egham, Surrey, UK. 

RINGKASAN

Dipertelakan interaksi antara Philemon subcomiculatus dan sepasang Eos

bornea di Taman Nasional Manueela, Seram.

149

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