KUKILA (E-Journal)

Noske, Richard A

Kukila 14 2009 Obituary 98
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Obituary
In Memory of Kris Tindige (1966-2007)
SAMKRIS TINDIGE was born on 4th February 1966 at
Desa Tabang on Karakelong Island, one of the Talaud
Islands between Mindanao in the southern Philippines,
and the north coast of Sulawesi. He grew up in the
small city of Girian (Bitung) at the entrance to the
well-known Tangkoko-Duasudara Nature Reserve on
the northern tip of North Sulawesi.
During the Suharto regime, Kris’s father had been
imprisoned for many years as a suspected communist
sympathizer. The inspiration for his son’s name
derived from this ‘period of crisis’, which translates to ‘saman kris’. As a
younger man, Kris’s father had realized that an ability to speak English provided
opportunity for increased earnings, so he resolved to provide the facilities for his
son and daughter to embrace the English language. Whilst at school, Kris took
many menial jobs including heavy quarry labouring to contribute to the payment
of his school fees, but when this burden became too great for the family, an
English clergyman continued to tutor him, and he was finally accepted as a
student at the Foreign Languages Academy in Manado, North Sulawesi.
Kris graduated from the Foreign Languages Academy in 1990 with a
diploma thesis on the subject of tourism in Bitung. A year later, he moved to
Papua (formerly Irian Jaya or West New Guinea) to follow his dream of
observing Birds of Paradise in the wild. He settled in Sorong on the western tip
of Papua with a Biak tribe family who adopted him as their own child, and
worked as the supervisor at PT Irian Beach Hotel while grappling with a totally
unfamiliar avifauna.
From 1993 Kris conducted bird tours and led ornithological expeditions
throughout Papua, Sulawesi, Maluku and Komodo Island. He also organised
cultural tours to villages of the Korowai, Kombai and Asmat ‘tree house’ tribes
of southern Papua, as well as those of the Dani and Lani tribes of the Baliem
Valley. His knowledge of the Papuan avifauna finally earned him a contract with
the BBC Natural History Unit in 1995, when BBC produced today’s most
acclaimed documentary on the Birds of Paradise, ‘Attenborough in Paradise’,
with arguably the world’s best known natural historian Sir David Attenborough,
who acknowledged Kris’s vital role on screen and in the related publication.
Kris’s experience with BBC opened the door for work with other international
television companies such as TFT1 (France), NHK (Japan), Discovery Channel
and PBS (USA), West Deutsche Rundfunk (Germany), and Zebra Films,
Partridge Films and Tigress Production (UK). In his home country, Kris became
a consultant and researcher for several Indonesian television stations in the
Kukila 14 2009 Obituary 99
production of wildlife documentaries, and worked with the well-known
Indonesian film director Garin Nugroho, who produced the first natural history
TV series for children.
In 1996 Kris founded the Papua Bird Club (PBC), the first ever bird club for
the region. One of the principal objectives of the club was the active promotion
of the study and conservation of birds through an educational programme in
schools and village communities entitled ‘Wild Bird Conservation Awareness’.
This involved talks, slide shows and field trips. PBC also provided scholarships
for motivated students in remote villages to attend high school and even
university. As a Yayasan (non-profit NGO), PBC receives financial support from
donors, though many of its activities have been funded by the income generated
from Kris’s natural history tours.
In 1999 Kris co-founded the Netherlands-based Papua and Maluku Wildlife
Eco-guide Fund (WILCON), and in the following two years made essential
contributions to the expeditions that led to the rediscovery of the rare Waigeo
Brush Turkey Aepypodius bruijnii, which he was the first to photograph.
Sponsored by WILCON, Kris travelled to Europe in 2002 as a member of the
International Museum Organisation, giving guest lectures and receiving further
training in wildlife education and animal welfare at Blijdorp Zoo in Rotterdam.
Kris also wrote articles for several journals, including the Oriental Bird Club
Bulletin, Geo and Kukila. His growing reputation earned his election to the
Advisory Board of the US-based Project Bird Watch and to the Indonesian Parrot
Project. Kris was also appointed as a Board Member of the Indonesian
Ornithologists’ Union (IdOU) soon after its formation in 2004, in recognition of
his important contributions to Papuan ornithology.
After suffering increasing pain during the final months of 2004, Kris was
encouraged to seek a medical examination in January 2005. Immediately upon
learning of the tentative diagnosis of cancer, the ‘Help Kris Campaign’ was
established in Holland, and together with organisations such as WILCON,
‘Friends of Kris Tindige in Australia’ and the Indonesian Parrot Project, and
more than a hundred individuals from 15 countries, raised the necessary funds to
cover the considerable costs of Kris’s travel to Australia for further tests and
treatment. Kris first flew to Darwin, where he presented a well-received talk on
Papuan ecotourism at Charles Darwin University while awaiting the test results
that confirmed our worst fears. He was then flown to Brisbane, where he
sustained a rigorous, six-month programme of chemo- and radio-therapy at the
Mater Hospital, Brisbane, an ordeal that would have been unbearable without the
tireless support of his loving partner Shita Prativi, and the enduring hospitality
and compassion of Sue and Lloyd Akeroyd, who welcomed Kris and Shita into
their home as part of their family. As we had come to expect, Kris’s condition
did not stop him from birding and giving talks to the Queensland Ornithological
Society and church communities around Brisbane.
On completion of his medical treatment, Kris returned with Shita to Papua
to resume bird tours and to continue PBC’s invaluable community work.
Kukila 14 2009 Obituary 100
Tragically, Kris enjoyed only a brief remission from his cancer, and he was
forced to return to Brisbane for tests on 1 January 2007, once again guests of the
Akeroyd family. After a further five months of painful treatment, Kris decided to
return to Papua to see out his remaining days in the land that he had grown to
love.
Kris passed away on 20th August 2007 at his home in Manokwari, West
Papua. With his passing, Papua has lost one of its only champions, and
Indonesia, one of its most passionate and active conservationists.
Our sincere thanks go to all those who so generously donated medical
expertise, money, time, compassion and friendship. In particular we owe a debt
of gratitude to Sue and Loyd Akeroyd for their unswerving devotion to Kris, as
well as to Rob McKay (who worked unstintingly to organise Kris’s travel
documents and medical tests), Ian Tillotson (who wrote regular update bulletins
for Kris’s supporters), Johan van den Berg (who coordinated the collection of
funds for Kris’s treatments) and Stewart Metz (Indonesian Parrot Project). The
author also thanks Kees Heij for his valuable contributions towards this tribute.
Our greatest gratitude, however, must go to Kris – a very special person
whose determination and courage will continue to inspire us all.
Richard Noske
Darwin, Australia
POST-SCRIPT
The work of the Papua Bird Club (http://www.papuabirdclub.com) continues under the dedicated
direction of Shita Prativi, and with the support of its donors. IdOU supports this work, and we hope
that the Club gains strength for the long battle to save one of the world’s last remaining tropical
rainforest wildernesses.
Kukila 14 2009 Obituary 101
Plate 1. Kris and Shita with PBC’s
renowned bird guide, Zeth Wonggor in
the Arfak Mountains (Photo: Richard A.
Noske)
Plate 2. The epitaph on Kris’s grave in
Manokwari, West Papua, showing his
favourite, the Wilson’s Bird of
Paradise (Photo: Richard A. Noske)
Plate 3. Kris and Shita with Arfak
Mountain as background
(Photo: Anonymous)


English

Kris Tindige

Sukmantoro, Wishnu

Supriatna, Adam A

Suparman, Usep

Kukila 14 2009 Short Communication 30
First Record of Black Kite Milvus migrans for Java
WISHNU SUKMANTORO, ADAM A. SUPRIATNA AND USEP SUPARMAN
Indonesian Raptor Research & Conservation Network (Raptor Indonesia - RAIN)
c/o Kompleks Gd. PHKA 55, Jalan Ir. H. Djuanda No. 15, Bogor, Jawa Barat
Email: wishnubio@yahoo.com
Ringkasan. Pada tanggal 2-4 Nopember 2006 diadakan pengamatan raptor migran
sebagai upaya pemantauan setiap tahun yang biasanya diadakan oleh anggota Jaringan
Penelitian dan Konservasi Raptor Indonesia (Raptor Indonesia-RAIN). Pengamatan
diadakan di lokasi Paralayang, Puncak, Bogor, Jawa Barat. Pada pengamatan selama
waktu tersebut teramati seekor Elang Paria, Milvus migrans dan bisa di foto sehingga bisa
didapatkan ciri khas untuk identifikasi di lapangan. Hasil pengamatan ini merupakan
konfirmasi pertama keberadaan M. migrans dengan bukti foto di pulau Jawa.
Since 2001 raptors have been counted annually during their autumn (southward)
migration at Puncak (06o42’07” S; 106o59’04” E; 1,280 m asl), just north of
Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park, West Java, by members of Raptor
Indonesia. During the three days of monitoring at Puncak between 2 and 4
November 2006, we noticed an unusual raptor flying over our observation point.
The species was confidently identified as a Black Kite Milvus migrans. The bird
was carefully observed and photographed (Plate 1) at 09:54 hrs on 3 November
as it flew northeast, along with other migrating raptors, over our observation
point at Puncak.
The Black Kite has previously been recorded in all parts of Indonesia except
Java and Bali, and only as a vagrant in Kalimantan and Sumatra (Andrew 1992;
MacKinnon & Phillipps 1993; Ferguson-Lees & Christie 2001). Our record is the
first Javan record confirmed by photographs although there is an earlier
unpublished sight record of two Black Kites near Puncak Pass in 2004 (Nick
Brickle, pers. comm.). It is also the first record of this species in the six years of
annual monitoring by Raptor Indonesia at several sites in West Java (Sukmantoro
et al. 2005). The bird we saw showed the characteristic shallow-forked tail,
generally dark brown colouring apart from a somewhat paler head and some
rufous-brown below. The weather was cloudy with light west to northwesterly
winds. The bird was observed some 200-500 m away from the observers as it
flew overhead and beyond.
We are grateful to Iwan Setiawan and Rifky (PILI – NGO Movement), Nick Brickle, Lim
Kim Chye, M. Iqbal and our friends at the Indonesian Ornithologists’ Union and Raptor
Indonesia for their valuable help and information in preparing this note. We also thank
Richard Noske for substantially improving the manuscript.
Kukila 14 2009 Short Communication 31
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References
Andrew, P. 1992. The Birds of Indonesia: A Checklist (Peters’ Sequence). Kukila
Checklist no. 1. Indonesian Ornithological Society, Jakarta.
Ferguson-Lees, J. & D.A. Christie. Raptors of the World (Helm identification guides).
Christopher Helm, London.
MacKinnon, J. & K. Phillipps. 1993. A Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo, Sumatra,
Java and Bali. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Sukmantoro, W. U. Suparman & L.W. Sin. 2005. A Study on Migratory Raptors in Java,
Bali, Kalimantan and Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia: 2001 – 2004. Proceedings of the
4th Symposium on Asian Raptors 2005 (Towards conservation of Asian raptors
through science and action). Committee for 4th Symposium on Asian Raptors
2005, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Plate 1. Black kite, Milvus
migrans taken at Puncak, West
Java on 3 November 2006.


First Record of Black Kite Milvus migrans for Java

Trainor, Colin R

Bauer, Mikael

Schellekens, Mark

Bos, Bart

Marijnissen, Timo

Kukila 14 2009 Short Communication 70
First Records of Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles for
Timor and Flores, Lesser Sundas
COLIN R. TRAINOR1, MIKAEL BAUER2, MARK SCHELLEKENS3, BART BOS4
AND TIMO MARIJNISSEN5
1School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Charles Darwin University,
Northern Territory, Australia. Email: colin.trainor@cdu.edu.au
2Nygatan 3, 222 29, Lund, Sweden.
3Ende – Kelimutu, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara 86372, Indonesia
(alternative address, c/o Goirkestraat 146, 5046 GP Tilburg, The Netherlands)
4Johannes Bosboomstraat 14, 1741 JX Schagen, The Netherlands.
5Lagedijk 6, 1705 GE Heerhugowaard, The Netherlands.
Ringkasan. Disajikan laporan mengenai penyebaran burung pantai Trulek Topeng
Vanellus miles di Indonesia. Penyebaran utamanya ada di Australia dan Papua, dengan
catatan sporadis di Wallacea bagian timur. Dalam laporan ini disajikan lima catatan
pertama di Timor Leste (2-4 ekor, tahun 2005), dua di Timor Barat (3-13 ekor, tahun
2005) dan tiga di Pulau Flores (4-7 ekor, tahun 2007).
The Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles is essentially an Australian and New
Guinea (including Aru islands) shorebird with populations now established in
New Zealand, with occasional records from eastern Wallacea (Ambon, Banda,
Kai, Leti, Babar and Tanimbar: Coates & Bishop 1997) as well as the Solomon
islands, Christmas Island, Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island (Marchant &
Higgins 1993). The species has been considered both as a “probably regular
visitor” (Marchant & Higgins 1993) and an irregular visitor (Coates & Bishop
1997) to the Moluccas and Lesser Sundas, where records fall between May and
September-November. Surprisingly, the only published records for Wallacea are
“a good series from Toeal [Kai Kecil island, undated, but bird specimens were
sent back in April, June, August, September, November]” (Hartert 1901), an
undated specimen from Larat, Tanimbar (Sclater 1883), and two voice records at
Saumlaki, Yamdena (Tanimbar archipelago) Island, on 1 May 1993 (Johnstone
1994) and 3 May 1993 (Bishop & Brickle 1999), yet there have apparently been
no recent direct field observations from Wallacea. There is but a single record of
Masked Lapwing on Ashmore Reef (145 km south of Roti Island) in August
1997 (Milton 2005).
We here document the first records of Masked Lapwing for Timor (five
records in East Timor, and two in West Timor; all during 2005) and Flores (three
records in 2007). Records of ten species of waterbirds and shorebirds new to
Timor Island were recently documented (Trainor 2005), but the Masked Lapwing
was observed only after that article was published. The species was included in
Trainor et al. (2007) but without comment. Further details of the Timor sites
Kukila 14 2009 Short Communication 71
mentioned, including habitat type and coordinates, can be found in Trainor
(2005).
East Timor
Four birds were observed feeding on irrigated rice-fields at Manatuto (60
km east of Dili) on 6 June 2005. Subsequently four birds (presumably the same
individuals) were seen at “Manatuto, 5 km west” on 14 June, and back at the
rice-fields on 15 October, suggesting that this group occupied a small area of
wetlands during the entire dry season. These birds were videotaped and
photographed to verify identification. Two birds were seen at the Loes River
estuary (60 km west of Dili) on 10 September 2005 at the edge of freshwater
lagoons, and a further two birds were seen at the edge of the inland freshwater
wetland Lake Iralalaro (330 m asl) on 4 October (200 km east of Dili).
West Timor
At Bipolo (c. 40 km northwest of Kupang), about 800 m from the forest
patch, six birds were observed on wet rice-fields on 2 August 2005 (BB & TM),
whereas three and 13 birds were observed (MB) on rather dry rice-fields on 13
and 17 August, respectively.
Flores
Three records, possibly all involving the same individuals, around Maumere,
in northeast Flores: seven birds on 24 September 2007 at Maumere (Wai Oti)
airport in dry grassland; five birds on 20 November 2007 feeding on exposed
coral reef at Waigete (12 km east of Maumere on Larantuka road); and, four
birds at Maumere airport on 21 December 2007 (MS).
Our records follow the same seasonal trend as previous records for
southeast Wallacea (though specimen records were undated) suggesting that the
Masked Lapwing is a sporadic dry season visitor to the region. We are unable to
link the occurrence of birds in Wallacea to particular weather patterns, but
Masked Lapwings in Australia tend to disperse after rain, and retreat to coastal
areas in autumn after inland wetlands become dry over summer (Marchant &
Higgins 1993). It is possible that small numbers regularly overshoot the
Australian coast and visit Wallacea. We have reported the first December record
for the region. Birds probably disperse, or return to Australia once the wet
season begins in December-January. Our records are apparently the first field
observations of Masked Lapwing in Southeast Asia since the ‘collecting era’ up
to about 1910. We suspect that our 2005 records for Timor represent an influx,
involving a minimum of 23 birds, but conceivably, many more birds at unvisited
locations.
Kukila 14 2009 Short Communication 72
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Plate 1. Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles in Darwin,
Australia.
References
Bishop, D. & N.W. Brickle. 1999. An annotated checklist of the birds of the Tanimbar
Islands. Kukila 10: 115-150.
Coates, B.J. & K.D. Bishop. 1997. A Guide to the Birds of Wallacea. Dove Publications,
Alderley, Queensland.
Hartert, E. 1901. On the birds of Key and South-East Islands, and of Ceram Laut.
Novitates Zoologicae 8: 1-5, 93-101.
Johnstone, R.E. 1994. Observation of seabirds and shorebirds in Nusa Tenggara (Lesser
Sundas) and Moluccas, Indonesia. Western Australian Naturalist 19: 339-350.
Marchant, S. & P.J. Higgins (eds) 1993. Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and
Antarctic Birds. Volume 2: Raptors to Lapwings. Oxford University Press,
Melbourne.
Milton, D. 2005. Birds of Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve: an assessment of its
importance for native seabirds and waders. The Beagle, Records of the Museum and
Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, Supplement 1: 133-141.
Sclater, P.L. 1883. On birds collected in the Timor-Laut or Tenimber group of islands by
Mr. Henry O. Forbes. Proceedings of the Zoological Society London: 48-58 + pl.
XI-XIV.
Trainor, C.R. 2005. Waterbirds and coastal seabirds of Timor-Leste (East Timor): status
and distribution from surveys in August 2002-December 2004. Forktail 21: 61-78.
Trainor, C.R., B. Coates & K.D. Bishop 2007. The Birds of Timor-Leste. BirdLife
International and Dove Publications, Jakarta.


First Records of Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles for Timor and Flores, Lesser Sundas

van Balen, Bas

Around the Archipelago

Mulyawati, Dwi

Hua, Fangyuan

Zetra, Belry

Kukila 14 2009 Short Communication 51
First Indonesian Record of Probable Brood
Parasitism of Chestnut-winged Babbler Stachyris
erythroptera by Asian Drongo-cuckoo Surniculus
lugubris
DWI MULYAWATI1, FANGYUAN HUA2 AND BERLY ZETRA3
1 Jl. Palapa 8/9 Pasar Minggu Jakarta Selatan 12520, Indonesia.
E-mail: dwi.mulyawati@yahoo.com
2 School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida, U.S.A.
3Burung Indonesia. Jl Dadali No. 32 Bogor 16161. PO Box. 310 Boo, Bogor 16003, Indonesia.
Ringkasan. Tepus Merbah-sampah Stachyris erythroptera diketahui sebagai salah satu
inang (induk host) dari Kedasi Hitam Surniculus lugubris di daratan Asia Tenggara,
kedua jenis berbagi tipe pakan dan persebarannya yang saling tumpang tindih. Kedasi
hitam pernah tercatat sebagai parasit Tepus merbah-sampah di Semenanjung Malaysia
dan satu catatan yang meragukan di Sarawak, namun tulisan ini mendokumentasikan
kemungkinan hubungan parasitisme pertama bagi kedua jenis di Indonesia. Kami
mengamati satu ekor anak Kedasi Hitam yang sedang diberi pakan oleh seekor Tepus
Merbah-sampah dewasa di Sumatera Selatan, temuan ini menyimpulkan bahwa kedua
jenis memiliki periode bertelur pada pertengahan Juni.
Among avian brood parasites, the cuckoos are the most successful: they have the
largest number of species, the largest number of host species that rear their
young, and worldwide distribution. The Asian Drongo-cuckoo Surniculus
lugubris has a wide distribution from India and China, through the Malay
Peninsula and the Greater Sundas to Sulawesi, Halmahera, and the Philippines. In
the Greater Sundas, the resident S. l. brachyurus is an uncommon race found up
to 1300 m asl (Mann 2008). The hosts of the Asian Drongo-cuckoo are mainly
babblers, forktails, bulbuls, shrikes, and warblers (Payne 1997, 2005).
On 29 July 2007 we witnessed the feeding of a juvenile Asian Drongo-
cuckoo by an adult Chestnut-winged Babbler Stachyris erythroptera in logged
secondary lowland forest at Harapan Rainforest along the banks of the Kapas
River (2º 14’56” S; 103º 14’28”E; 64 m asl), Musi Banyuasin District, South
Sumatra. The cuckoo gave loud begging calls from a horizontal perch c. 1 m
above the ground, where the babbler fed it three times over a period of five
minutes. It was distinguished by the diagnostic and obvious white spots on the
head, breast and wings, and a short tail (see Payne 1997; MacKinnon et al. 1998).
Although the forest understorey is an atypical niche for the cuckoo (Payne 2005),
it is the main feeding stratum of the Chestnut-winged Babbler (Collar & Robson
2007). We were unable to identify the food items brought to the cuckoo. No other
species were seen in the near vicinity during the observation period.
The Chestnut-winged Babbler is known as one of the host species of the
Asian Drongo-cuckoo in mainland southeast Asia (Payne 1997; 2005; Wells
Kukila 14 2009 Short Communication 52
1999, 2007; Collar & Robson 2007), and there is a tentative record for Sarawak
(Cranbrook & Wells 1980), but there appear to be no records of this relationship
for Indonesia. Payne (1997) cautioned that observations of fledged cuckoos being
fed by an adult bird are not always reliable evidence that the feeder represents a
biological host species, as cuckoo fledglings have loud and persistent begging
calls, which sometimes attract adults of non-host species, as well as their own
foster parents. We believe that the Chestnut-winged Babbler was the biological
host of the Asian Drongo-cuckoo in our observation because of the lack of other
species in the cuckoo’s vicinity and the atypical niche for the latter.
Although the incubation and nestling periods of the Asian Drongo-cuckoo
are unknown (Becking 1981; Payne 1997, 2005), two other similarly-sized Old
World cuckoos, the Brush Cuckoo Cacomantis variolosus and African Emerald
Cuckoo Chrysococcyx cupreus, have incubation periods of 13 days, and nestling
periods of 18 (±1) and 19 (± 1) days, respectively (Payne 1997), giving a total
nest cycle of 31-32 days for both species. Assuming that the incubation and
nestling periods of the Asian Drongo-cuckoo are similar to those of the above
species and that the juvenile in the above observation was no older than two
weeks (post-fledging), we may extrapolate the time of egg-laying for the mother
of the cuckoo fledgling, and presumably its hosts, as mid-June.
There are no Sumatran breeding records for either the Chestnut-winged
Babbler or the Asian Drongo-cuckoo. In Peninsular Malaysia, fledglings of the
Drongo-cuckoo have been found from early May to early July, and an egg in mid
July (Wells 1999, 2007; Payne 2005). In Java it appears to lay in at least nine
months of the year, with 54% of female specimens with eggs in their oviducts
during April-May (n = 24), and in Borneo, females with eggs or enlarged
oviducts were collected in April and May (Smythies & Davison 1999; Sheldon et
al. 2001). The breeding season of the Chestnut-winged Babbler in Southeast Asia
is said to be December to September, in Malaysia, January-July and September,
and in Borneo, February-July and October-November (Collar & Robson 2007;
Wells 2007; Mann 2008). Thus our tentatative record of laying by both species
during June in Sumatra fits well within their breeding seasons in the region.
The authors are grateful to Harapan Rainforest and Burung Indonesia staff for providing
facilities during the field trip, and David Lee for his revision. We are also very thankful
to Richard Noske and Bas van Balen for assistance with improving the manuscript and
finding relevant literature, and to Clive Mann for his valuable comments.
References
Becking, J.H. 1981. Notes on the breeding of Indian Cuckoos. Journal of the Bombay
Natural History 78: 201-231.
Cranbrook, Earl of & D.R. Wells. 1980. Observations of fledgling cuckoos and their
fosterers in Gunung Mulu National Park. Sarawak Museum Journal 29: 147-149.
Kukila 14 2009 Short Communication 53
Collar, N. and C. Robson. 2007. Family Timaliidae (Babblers). Pp 70-291 in J. del Hoyo,
A. Elliot & Sargatal (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 12. Picathartes
to Tits and Chickadees. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
MacKinnon, J., K. Phillips & B. van Balen. 1998. Burung-burung di Sumatera, Jawa,
Bali dan Kalimantan. Puslitbang Biologi LIPI and BirdLife International Indonesia
Programme, Jakarta. [In Indonesian]
Mann, C.F. 2008. The Birds of Borneo. An Annotated Checklist. British Ornithologists’
Union/British Ornithologists’ Club, Peterborough. (B.O.U. Checklist No. 23).
Payne, R.B. 1997. Family Cuculidae (Cuckoos). Pp 508-545 & 569 in J. del Hoyo, A.
Elliot & Sargatal (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of theWworld. Vol. 4. Sandgrouse to
Cuckoos. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
Payne, R.B. 2005. The Cuckoos. Oxford Univ. Press, New York.
Sheldon, F.H., R.G. Moyle & J. Kennard. 2001. Ornithology of Sabah: History,
Gazetteer, Annotated Checklist, and Bibliography. American Ornithologists’ Union,
Washington D.C. (Ornithological Monographs 52).
Smythies, B.E. & G.W.H. Davison. 1999. The Birds of Borneo. 4th edition. Natural
History Publications (Borneo) & The Sabah Society, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah,
Malaysia.
van Marle, J. G. & K. H. Voous. 1988. The Birds of Sumatra. An Annotated Check-list.
British Ornithologists’ Union, London. (B.O.U. Check-list 10).
Wells, D.R. 1999. The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Vol. 1. Non-passerines.
Academic Press, London.
Wells, D.R. 2007. The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Vol. 2. Passerines. Christopher
Helm, London.
----


First Indonesian Record of Probable Brood Parasitism of Chestnut-winged Babbler Stachyris erythroptera by Asian Drongo-cuckoo Surniculus lugubris

Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 11: Old World Flycatchers to Old World Warblers. del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott &amp; D. Christie (eds). Lynx Edicions Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott &amp; D.A. Christie (eds). Lynx Edicion

Lambert, Frank

Reviews of new publications

Rombang, William Marthy

Kukila 14 2009 Short Communication 28
First Photographic Evidence and a Breeding Record
of a Frogmouth on Siberut, Mentawai Islands, West
Sumatra
WILLIAM MARTHY ROMBANG
Jalan Dadali No. 32, Bogor-West Java, Indonesia,
Email: serambirds@yahoo.com
Ringkasan. Tulisan ini menginformasikan dan menyajikan bukti pertama catatan tentang
Paruh-kodok di Pulau Siberut, Kepulauan Mentawai, Sumatera Barat, Indonesia. Catatan
ini disertai satu foto Paruh kodok yang dipelihara penduduk lokal. Catatan ringkas
mengenai masa berbiak burung ini dijelaskan juga dalam tulisan ini.
Siberut is the largest island in the Mentawai Archipelago, lying c. 145 km from
the south coast of mainland West Sumatra. The Mentawai Islands are well
known for their endemic mammals, but they also support an endemic owl and 12
endemic subspecies of birds. Kemp (2000) conducted bird surveys over 2.5 years
on Siberut, adding many species to the island’s known avifauna, and noting the
absence of 17 bird families that were present on mainland Sumatra, including the
frogmouths (Podargidae). Nevertheless, he included unconfirmed auditory
records of the Javan (or Horsfield’s) Frogmouth Batrachostomus javensis,
accompanied by a description of the bird from an informant, and cited Mitchell’s
(1982) unconfirmed record of the Gould’s Frogmouth B. stellatus. He overlooked
a record of an unidentified frogmouth in McNeely et al. (1980), which was
probably based on a sighted dead specimen (A. Whitten, in litt.).
On 7 April 2006, whilst conducting a vegetation survey in the secondary
lowland forest near Tiniti, a coastal village in the northwestern part of Siberut
Island (0°58’N, 98°45’E; 20 m asl), a local guide (Bernadus) found a nestling
bird, which he took to keep as a pet. Upon being showed the bird, I immediately
recognized it as a frogmouth, but as I could not readily identify the species, I
photographed it (Plate 1). Later I consulted with experts who suggested that this
bird was probably a Gould’s Frogmouth based on the colour of the chick of that
species, and its altitudinal range (Bas van Balen, pers. comm.; Nigel Cleere, pers.
comm.). In addition, an adult frogmouth was sighted at the Peleonan forest,
approximately 12 km west of the location of the nestling (Hidayat, pers. comm.).
Mainland Sumatra has five frogmouth species: the Gould’s Frogmouth (25
cm in length), Javan Frogmouth (25 cm), Sunda Frogmouth B. cornutus (28 cm),
and Large Frogmouth B. auritus (40 cm), all occurring in lowland forest; and the
Short-tailed Frogmouth B. poliolophus (30 cm) in submontane forest (van Marle
& Vous 1988; MacKinnon & Phillipps 1993). The above nestling is unlikely to
represent the last two species, based on its plumage and altitude. Data on the
breeding seasons of the remaining three species are sparse, but range from
Kukila 14 2009 Short Communication 29
February to June (Holyoak 1999). Assuming that the nestling was at least 10 days
old (based on the amount of down), and that the incubation period is
approximately 30 days (Holyoak 1999), its mother probably laid its egg(s) in late
February.
Considering the levels of endemism on Siberut, there is a possibility that the
bird(s) in question represent a new taxon (Bas van Balen pers. comm.; Nigel
Cleere pers. comm.). Further observations are required to confirm the identity of
frogmouths on the island.
I am deeply thankful to Richard Noske for improving this manuscript, Bas van Balen and
Nigel Cleere for their advice on frogmouth identification, Philippe Verbelen and Tony
Whitten for notes on previous frogmouth records on Siberut, and to Bernadus, who
brought my attention to the frogmouth.
Editors' note: Since the original version of this manuscript was received, several older,
unpublished records of frogmouths on Siberut Island have come to light. In 2005 a
juvenile of a small (unidentified) frogmouth was captured and photographed, and an adult
secured (M. Waltert in litt.). Additional frogmouths were photographed in 2009 by B.
Demeulemeester and many sound recordings made by F. Verbelen (in litt.). The birds in
2005 and 2009 were tentatively identified as Sunda and Javan Frogmouths, respectively,
but alternatively, as suggested above (and by the observers), may include an undescribed
taxon.
References
Holyoak, D.T. 1999. Family Podargidae (Frogmouths). Pp. 266-287 in J. del Hoyo, A.
Elliott, J. Sargatal, eds. Handbook of the Birds of the World, vol. 5, New World
Vultures to Guineafowl. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
Kemp, N. 2000. The birds of Siberut, Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra. Kukila 11: 73-96.
MacKinnon, J. & K. Phillipps. 1993. A Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo, Sumatra,
Java and Bali. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
McNeely, J., A. Whitten, J. Whitten & A. House. 1980. Saving Siberut: A Conservation
Masterplan. World Wildlife Fund, Bogor.
Mitchell, A.H. 1982. Siberut Nature Conservation Area Management Plan (1983-1988).
WWF Report, Bogor.
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Plate 1. Unidentified frogmouth
chick from northwest Siberut
Island.


First Photographic Evidence and a Breeding Record of a Frogmouth on Siberut, Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra

Kukila 14 2009 Short Communication 44
Nest and Eggs of the Plain Gerygone Gerygone
inornata, a Lesser Sundas-endemic Bird Species
RICHARD A. NOSKE
School of Environmental and Life Sciences,
Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT 0909, Australia
Email: richard.noske@cdu.edu.au
Ringkasan. Tidak ada publikasi mengenai pengamatan biologi kembang-biak Remetuk
Timor Gerygone inornata yang endemik di Nusa Tenggara sejak dikoleksi sebuah sarang
beserta anaknya dari Roti pada bulan Maret 1969 (Verheijen 1976). Selama Desember
2006 dua sarang remetuk ini saya temukan dekat Soe, Timor Barat. Sarang satu masih
sedang dibangun, sedangkan yang lain berisi dua butir telur yang mirip dengan telur dari
spesies semarga. Berbeda dengan kebanyakan sarang jenis remetuk, sarang ini tidak ada
bagian “ekor” lagipula lubang masuk mengarah ke dalam tajuk pohon, bukan ke luar.
Pengamatan ini juga membuktikan masa berbiaknya pada awal musim hujan (yaitu
austral summer) seperti sudah diramal Noske (2003).
Introduction
In terms of breeding biology, the birds of eastern Indonesia are probably among
the least known in the world. Whilst the nests and eggs have been described for
most species on Java and Sumatra (Voous 1950; Hellebrekers & Hoogerwerf
1967), those of Wallacea are still largely unknown (Coates & Bishop 1997).
Breeding seasons of birds within the Lesser Sundas appear to vary
geographically, much moreso than within the Greater Sundas (Voous 1950).
Verheijen (1964) showed that in western Flores, breeding is concentrated in the
early dry season months of April to June. Yet in neighbouring Timor, the largest
island in Nusa Tenggara, recent and historic records suggest that many species
breed during the late dry season and early wet season (November-January)
(Noske 2003).
Of the eleven species of gerygones or fairy-warblers occurring in Indonesia,
eight are confined to Irian Jaya (Papua), and all of these are shared with Papua-
New Guinea, and in many cases, Australia. Of the remaining three species, two
are endemic to Wallacea (Plain Gerygone G. inornata and Rufous-sided
Gerygone G. dorsalis), while the other occurs widely, from Flores to the Malay
Peninsula (Golden-bellied Gerygone or Flyeater G. sulphurea). While visiting
the Soe area (09°47’S, 124°15’E), West Timor, during December 2006, I made
opportunistic observations of the breeding behaviour of G. inornata, a species
endemic to Timor and the neighbouring islands of Sawu, Roti, Atauro and Wetar
(Coates & Bishop 1997; Trainor & Soares 2004). This paper describes the eggs
of this species for the first time, and provides more detailed information than
hitherto available on the composition and site characteristics of its nest, as well as
confirming breeding in the early wet season. I also compare what is known of the
Kukila 14 2009 Short Communication 45
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breeding biology of the species with that of its close relatives in Flores and
northern Australia.
The first nest of the species was described from the small island of Roti,
only 11 km from Timor's western tip. During a six-week collecting expedition to
the island in 1969, Verheijen (1976) received a nest with two “full-fledged
nestlings” on 24 March. He described the nest as purse-like, consisting of “very
fine fibres fastened by cobwebs, with a small penthouse above the entrance high
in the side wall”, but lacking an “appendix”, and measuring 14.5 x 10 x 5 cm. It
was “hung up pre-terminally at a horizontal twig with two leaves in front of it”.
Methods and results
During early December 2006 I located two nests of G. inornata at Balai Diklat
Kehutanan (Forestry Camp) near Buat, c. 8 km north of Soe, West Timor. One
inaccessible nest was found on 11 December after observing a gerygone carrying
plant down to a site partly hidden by foliage c. 9 m from the ground in a 15 m-
high gum tree Eucalyptus alba. The bird made three visits in 10 min, suggesting
that the nest was still under construction. The nest tree was isolated from other
gum trees by c. 40 m, in a large weed-infested clearing just outside the camp
compound. I had no opportunity to re-visit this nest.
The other nest, discovered on 6 December, contained two eggs. This nest
had been built only 1.6 m from the ground in a young unidentified tree (c. 4 m
high), situated in a weed-infested garden, c. 25 m from a small building in one
direction and 30 m from a tall concrete wall in another. It was suspended from
the base of the fork of three leafy twigs, c. 15 cm from the terminal leaves. The
nest was composed mainly of dead grass stalks and bark strips, with many grass
seeds, and decorated liberally on the outside with small clumps of green moss
and caterpillar frass (faecal castings), the latter mainly near the top. It appeared
untidy with many grass stalks and bark strips projecting or dangling from the
sides and bottom of the nest for up to 150 cm (Plate 1). The nest dimensions were
as follows: c. 14 cm long (from the apex to the bottom); 10 cm wide from the
Plate 1. Nest of Gerygone inornata at
Buat, near Soe, West Timor.
Plate 2. Egg of Gerygone inornata
from nest in Plate 1.
Kukila 14 2009 Short Communication 46
side (at the level of the nest chamber), including the hood (3 cm); and 5 cm wide
from the front. The entrance faced the trunk of the tree.
The eggs were dull white, with light red-brown irregularly shaped markings
and dots scattered fairly uniformly over most of the surface, but coalescing to
form a distinct dark red-brown patch or ring at the larger end (Plate 2). The
dimensions of one egg measured were 16.4 x 12.0 mm.
Discussion
In Australia, gerygones build very characteristic globular-shaped domed nests,
which feature a hooded entrance near the top of the nest chamber and a tapering
‘tail’, mainly consisting of bark strips of varying lengths, suspended from the
bottom. Although some material projected from the bottom of the above nest of
G. inornata, it did not form a proper ‘tail’ and projected from the side rather than
from below the centre. This is consistent with Verheijen’s (1976) description of
the Roti nest, assuming his ‘appendix’ is synonymous with a ‘tailpiece’.
However, a photograph of an active nest from Wetar Island (C. Trainor, unpubl.
data) clearly shows a ‘tail’ of some 30 mm, typical in relative length and shape to
that on nests of Australian gerygones. This nest was also smaller than the one
described above (10 x 8 cm and 14 x 10 cm, respectively).
Although the nest under construction was very high, nests closer to the
ground may be more typical. Colin Trainor (unpubl. data) found a nest being
built in Timor-Leste, and another on Wetar (see above) in which a bird was
regularly seen to enter, at 3.5 m and 3 m from the ground, respectively. The sites
of these nests differed from those described above in that one was built in a
mangrove on the edge of a saline lake, and the other 7 m from the edge of a
spring. Both the nest with eggs at Soe and the photographed nest in Wetar
differed from all nests of four species of gerygones I have observed in Australia
in having the entrance facing the centre of the tree, rather than towards the outer
edge of the foliage. However, on the Soe nest, there was no evidence of a
‘penthouse’ to which Verheijen (1976) refers, and indeed, such a feature has
never been reported for nests of gerygones in Australia.
The eggs described here resemble those of Australian species of gerygones
in colour, size and shape, particularly those of the Green-backed Gerygone G.
chloronotus (R. Noske and Y. Mulyani, unpubl. data). The two Plain Gerygone
nestlings collected by Verheijen from Roti were described as having peculiar
white downy feathers sticking out from the brown plumage on the sides of the
head, nape, and above the base of the tail (Mees 1975). This is also consistent
with the nestling plumage of at least three species of gerygones in Australia (R.
Noske and Y. Mulyani, unpubl. data).
Kukila 14 2009 Short Communication 47
Figure 1. Extrapolated egg laying dates for Gerygone inornata, based on data
presented in Noske (2003), with additional records of active nests from Soe (see text),
Roti (Verheijen 1976) and Wetar (C Trainor, unpubl. data). As the clutch in Soe may
have been laid in November or December, each month scored 0.5. Monthly rainfall
data are for Kupang and Soe (averaged), derived from RePPProT (1989).
Noske (2003) extrapolated the breeding season of the Plain Gerygone from
dates of collection or observations of juveniles in West Timor, as well as
Verheijen’s (1976) nest. These data indicated that, as with many other passerine
species in Timor, the Plain Gerygone lays eggs from November (or possibly
earlier) to May, with possible peaks at the start and end of this period (Fig. 1).
The above observations confirm that the breeding season includes the early part
of the wet season, with the clutch at Soe having been laid during late November
or early December, and another potentially being laid during late December. A
nest under construction on 6 April 2003 at Lake Maubara, 30 km W of Dili,
Timor-Leste (C Trainor, unpubl. data) is consistent with the above breeding
season, while the nest on Wetar Island had eggs or young nestlings on 18
October 2008, suggesting that laying may begin even earlier in some parts of the
species range.
In western Flores, the peak of breeding activity for most species is the early
dry season (April to June), with few species nesting during the early wet season
(Verheijen 1964). However, Verheijen (1964) noted that the Golden-bellied
Gerygone on Flores had a double peak in its breeding season, and indeed his
tabulated data show that 54% of clutches (n = 86) were found during May-June,
and another 26% during September-October (but see Mees 2006: 22). Moreover,
in northwestern Australia, two other species of gerygones show a bimodal
Kukila 14 2009 Short Communication 48
breeding season (Noske & Franklin 1999; Noske 2001; Mulyani 2004),
suggesting that this unusual breeding pattern may be characteristic of gerygone
species in the seasonal tropics. Nevertheless, as little survey work has been
carried out in West Timor between late August and November (Noske 2003), it is
feasible that G. inornata breeds throughout the year. Further work is needed to
determine whether this, and other, species in Timor avoid breeding during the
late dry season.
I thank Colin Trainor for his unpublished breeding records from Timor-Leste and Wetar,
and acknowledge Columbidae Conservation for supporting his work on Wetar.
References
Coates, B.J. & K.D. Bishop. 1997. A Guide to the Birds of Wallacea. Dove Publications,
Alderley, Queensland.
Hellebrekers, W.P.J. & A. Hoogerwerf. 1967. A further contribution to our oological
knowledge of the island of Java (Indonesia). Zoologische Verhandelingen 88: 1-
164.
Hoogerwerf, A. 1949. Bijdrage tot de oölogievan Java. Limosa 22: 1-279.
Mees, G.F. 1975. A list of the birds known from Roti and adjacent islets (Lesser Sunda
Islands). Zoologische Mededelingen Leiden 49: 115-140.
Mees, G.F. 2006.The avifauna of Flores (Lesser Sunda Islands). Zoologische
Mededelingen Leiden 80: 1-261.
Mulyani, Y.A. 2004. Reproductive Ecology of Tropical Mangrove-dwelling Warblers:
The Roles of Nest Predation, Brood Parasitism and Food Limitation. PhD thesis,
Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia.
Noske, R.A. 2001. The nesting biology of the Mangrove Gerygone Gerygone laevigaster
in the Darwin region, with notes on brood parasitism by the Little Bronze-Cuckoo
Chrysococcyx minutillus. Emu 101: 129-135.
Noske, R.A. 2003. The breeding seasons of birds on Timor. Kukila 12: 27-38.
Noske, R.A. & D. Franklin. 1999. Breeding seasons of land birds in the Australian
monsoon tropics: diverse responses to a highly seasonal environment. Australian
Biologist 12: 72-90.
RePPProT. 1989. Review of Phase 1 Results: Maluku and Nusa Tenggara. Vol I. Main
Report. Regional Physical Planning Program for Transmigration. Department of
Transmigration, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Trainor, C. R. & T. Soares. 2004. Birds of Atauro Island, Timor Leste (East Timor).
Forktail 20: 41-48.
Verheijen, J.A.J. 1964. Breeding seasons on the island of Flores, Indonesia. Ardea 52:
194-201.
Verheijen, J.A.J. 1976. Some data on the avifauna of the island of Roti, Lesser Sunda
Islands, Indonesia. Zoologische Mededelingen Leiden 50: 1-21.
Voous, K.H. 1950. The breeding season of birds in Indonesia. Ibis 92: 279-287.
----


Nest and Eggs of the Plain Gerygone Gerygone inornata, a Lesser Sundas Endemic Bird Species

Kukila, Editors

Editorial Kukila 14 2009 i
Editorial
Increasing the Capacity of Indonesian Ornithologists:
The Atlas of Indonesian Birds
This year (2010) is the United Nations International Year of Biodiversity.
Indonesia is a mega-biodiversity country, owing to its turbulent geological past
and comparatively very recent political history, which has resulted in its
inclusion of two entirely different biogeographic provinces (Sundaland and
Australia-New Guinea), as well as the distinctive ‘Wallacean’ fauna between
them. This, plus its tropical position and high mountains has conferred it with
more endemic bird species than any other nation on Earth. But it also has an
unenviable reputation as the country with the most bird species in danger of
extinction. The main threat to Indonesia’s birds and other wildlife is
deforestation. In the last two decades, rainforests in Sumatra and Kalimantan (in
the Sundaland biodiversity hotspot) were logged and cleared at a faster rate than
in any other of the World’s 25 hotspots (see Holmes, D. 2000, Kukila 11: 1-2).
Another serious threat for many bird species is their capture for the illegal, yet
still thriving, domestic pet trade. This puts additional pressure on some species
that are struggling to survive in the remaining areas of protected forest. Finally
global warming, caused by humans, may drive many cool-adapted montane
endemic species towards extinction as the area of suitable habitat shrinks
upwards.
Our knowledge of Indonesia’s birds lags well behind that of birds in most
other parts of the world. This is largely because Indonesia is a developing nation,
with a large proportion of its people still living in poverty. Although Indonesia
has produced some outstanding professional ornithologists, they are few in
number and there are relatively few trained amateur ornithologists. The lack of
good field guides until relatively recently has also hampered amateur
participation in ornithology by Indonesian nationals. The first guides to the birds
of all of the Greater Sundas (Sumatra, Borneo, Java and Bali) and Wallacea
(Sulawesi, NT and Maluku) were published in 1993 and 1997, respectively, but
the first Bahasa Indonesia versions of these books did not arrive until 1998 and
1999.
The most fundamental information we can obtain on a plant or animal
species anywhere in the world is its geographical range. Without data on where a
species is found, we cannot estimate its population size or determine its habitat
requirements. For many continents and countries, such distribution information
has been gathered through atlas projects. The aim of bird atlases is to accurately
depict the distribution of all species living in a given country or region by
systematically sampling as many parts of the region as possible. To achieve this,
Editorial Kukila 14 2009 ii
the country or region of concern is divided into equal-sized cells on a
geographical grid, usually based on latitude and longitude.
The first national bird atlas in Australia was initiated by the Royal
Australian Ornithologists Union (now Birds Australia) in 1978, and after five
years, the results were published in ‘The Atlas of Australian Birds’, in which
distribution maps were produced for more than 650 Australian bird species. This
book was a hallmark for Australian ornithology, and the database on which the
maps were based was used widely by both government agencies and private
industry. Its true significance was realized 30 years later, when Birds Australia
completed its second atlas (‘The New Atlas of Australian Birds’), which
highlighted how the distribution of birds had changed over the intervening
period. The data were collected over four years (1998-2002) by over 7,000
amateur birdwatchers, who submitted 270,000 bird lists and nearly five million
bird records.
The concept of a bird atlas in Indonesia is not new. An attempt was made
almost 20 years ago (see Kukila 5[1]: 1-2) to initiate a national bird atlas, but
with little success. However the times have changed, and the number of
Indonesian birdwatchers has grown enormously since that first attempt. Indeed
small-scale bird atlases have already been, or are being, conducted, such as those
in Bandung, Yogyakarta, Semarang, and Baluran National Park. However these
are largely of local interest, and except for the last two, i.e.
www.bio.undip.ac.id/sbw and www.balurannationalpark.web.id, unpublished.
It is time for a national atlas of Indonesian birds. None of the Indonesian
field guides or other regional references (e.g. ‘Important Bird Areas in Asia’,
‘Saving Asia’s Threatened Birds’) includes distribution maps of individual
species, which would allow an instant appreciation of their geographical ranges.
The data used in selecting Important Bird Areas are strongly biased towards well
known, accessible and usually productive sites, such as national parks and Cagar
Alam, which have been visited repeatedly and for which bird lists are readily
available. Thus they ignore up to 90% of the area of all islands.
Why should Indonesia embark on a national bird atlas? There are two main
reasons. Firstly we need accurate and comprehensive distributional data to
determine areas of conservation value for birds and other wildlife. There is
always a bias to survey the species-rich primary lowland rainforests, yet
ironically areas containing this habitat are among the best surveyed. Yet studies
of the biota in cities gave birth to a whole field of biology called urban ecology
(e.g. Bonier et al. 2007, Biology Letters 3[6]: 670-673). Similarly, recent studies
have shown that rehabilitated logged forests have a surprising number of birds,
and hence, considerable conservation value (Edwards et al. 2009, Conservation
Biology 23: 1628-1633).
How can we find enough birdwatchers to cover the vast area of Indonesia?
This leads directly to the second, arguable equally, important reason for
conducting a national Atlas. Indonesian ornithology has to date been dominated
by westerners. The AIB will mobilise Indonesian birdwatchers. The Australian
Editorial Kukila 14 2009 iii
atlases provide a good example. The RAOU probably had less than a thousand
members before it instigated the first Australian bird atlas, but by the end of its
five-year run, over 3,000 people were involved. By the end of the second atlas,
this number had grown to over 7,000. The atlases gave birdwatchers an incentive
to find out what birds lived around their home, and subsequently, a reason to visit
places further and further afield. For many it developed into a regular recreation
activity, with teams of people competing to find as many species as possible in
their local cells.
The AIB should appeal to a broad cross-section of Indonesian people, from
professional biologists and amateur birdwatchers to keen aviculturalists,
photographers and hikers. The number of participants will grow as experienced
ornithologists and birdwatchers train others with little or no bird-watching skills
or knowledge. Apart from Burung Indonesia and IdOU there are probably 30 or
more local bird clubs in Indonesia. The AIB will enhance the potential for such
clubs to attract new members as it provides an incentive for birdwatching and a
unified framework for collecting and collating data. It will also encourage
networking between local clubs, fostering stronger partnerships and enhancing
regional knowledge through information sharing.
How will it work? Like the Australian atlases, the AIB would be
implemented in several stages, over at least 6 years. A pilot program could be
initiated in the latter half of 2010 in Central Java to test field and administration
procedures. The ability to cover all of the cells in a grid is determined by their
size and accessibility. Using a 1-degree latlong cell, Java encompasses no fewer
than 23 cells, while all but the extreme southwestern tip of Lombok fits within a
single cell. Thus, Lombok could be surveyed at a finer scale (e.g. 10’ x 10’ cells).
Of course, Java is densely populated, allowing access to most parts of the island.
Kalimantan, Borneo and Papua, on the other hand, are not, so clearly some
islands will be surveyed more comprehensively than others. Although some cells
will be accessible by road, coverage of remote mountain ranges or islands will
require expeditions by boat or even helicopter, the costs of which might be borne
partly by funding agents and partly by participants.
The AIB would also provide an important role for the recently established
Indonesian Bird Banding Scheme (IBBS), as banding programs invariably find
many cryptic species that are not detected by standard bird surveys. Bird banding
is the primary method for studies of bird populations, providing valuable
information on the movements, lifespan and biology of recaptured individuals.
Banding studies often generate a large amount of biological data on aspects such
as morphometrics, ageing and sexing criteria, moult, breeding condition and
health of birds, which provide the basis for many publications.
The Atlas represents a watershed project, with the potential to significantly
increase public awareness of the uniqueness of Indonesia’s birds and their dire
future without greater protection. It will also greatly enhance the capacity of
young Indonesian ornithologists to participate in international research, as more
and more information is gathered about each bird species. With an increased
Editorial Kukila 14 2009 iv
number of contributions from Indonesian ornithologists, Kukila should become
an annual journal. With additional funding from increased subscriptions and
other sources, Kukila should also become entirely bilingual, making it more
accessible to Indonesian ornithologists and birdwatchers who have difficulty in
reading English.
Surveying birds over the myriad islands of the Indonesian archipelago
sounds daunting. The AIB represents an enormous challenge, but one that can be
overcome with sufficient enthusiastic people and financial support over the next
6 or so years.
Finally, I sincerely apologise to all contributors to this volume of Kukila for
the delay in publication, and thank them for their infinite patience and
understanding.
Richard Noske
Chief Editor


Editorial

Rheindt, Frank E

Kukila 14 2009 Short Communication 59
First Nest and Egg Description of the New Guinea
Bronzewing Henicophaps albifrons and Its
Phylogenetic Significance
FRANK E. RHEINDT
Harvard University, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, 26 Oxford St.,
Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A. Email: frankrheindt@yahoo.com.au
Ringkasan. Marga Henicophaps merupakan anggota dasar dari kelompok burung
merpati tanah di Australasia yang tersebar secara radial dan dalam bahasa Inggris diberi
nama Bronzewing. Terkait dengan kelompok burung ini, tulisan tentang sarang dan telur
Delimukan Tembaga H. albifrons ini akan memberikan informasi kunci dan deskripsi
penting mengenai evolusi persarangan di dalam kelompok Bronzewing. Sarang panggung
yang berbentuk mangkuk dari Henicophaps menambah dukungan kepada dugaan bahwa
susunan sarang yang ditemukan pada beberapa jenis Bronzewing Australia di habitat
terbuka barangkali tidak mencirikan cikal bakal dan karakteristik seperti kelompok
burung Bronzewing.
The genus Henicophaps is the most basal member of an Australasian radiation of
ground-dwelling doves that is generally known as the bronzewing assemblage.
This bronzewing clade includes at least four other groups: (1) the Gallicolumba
ground-doves and bleeding-hearts from Wallacea, Papua, Oceania and the
Philippines; (2) a close-knit group from the Australian arid zone that comprises
the Petrophassa rock-pigeons, and bronzewings of the genera Phaps and
Geophaps; (3) the Wonga Pigeon Leucosarcia melanoleuca of eastern Australia;
and (4) the Australasian zebra doves and allies of the genus Geopelia (Pereira et
al. 2007). While groups 2 and 4 (i.e. Petrophassa, Phaps, Geophaps and
Geopelia) live in open habitats, the three phylogenetically most basal bronzewing
genera (Henicophaps, Gallicolumba and Leucosarcia) inhabit rainforests.
Another such forest-inhabiting genus, Chalcophaps (emerald doves), has long
been thought to be sister to Henicophaps (Baptista et al. 1997) but is unrelated to
the bronzewing assemblage (Pereira et al. 2007). In contrast, the Crested Pigeon
Ocyphaps lophotes from Australian arid and semi-arid habitats is probably a
member of the bronzewing assemblage, but was not sampled by Pereira et al.
(2007).
The genus Henicophaps comprises only two species which have often been
united into a superspecies (Baptista et al. 1997; Mayr & Diamond 2001): (1) the
New Guinea Bronzewing H. albifrons from New Guinea and neighbouring
islands, (2) and the New Britain Bronzewing H. foersteri from New Britain.
Little is known about breeding behaviour and phenology in either species. With
respect to H. albifrons, Baptista et al. (1997) state that the nesting behaviour is
Kukila 14 2009 Short Communication 60
undescribed, but that breeding apparently takes place in the dry season and the
early wet season based on the observation of juveniles and anatomical evidence.
The only information available on H. foersteri is a number of local accounts
suggesting that the nest is placed low in a shrub or a tree, and that two eggs are
laid (Baptista et al. 1997).
In contrast to Henicophaps, nests and eggs are described for all other genera
of the bronzewing assemblage. Indeed, in most genera (Leucosarcia,
Petrophassa, Geophaps, Ocyphaps and Phaps), nests and eggs have been
described for every constituent species (Baptista et al. 1997). In the remaining
two genera, nesting information is only lacking for a number of obscure or rare
island-inhabiting Gallicolumba species and for the Barred Dove Geopelia
maugei from the Lesser Sunda Islands, which has been considered conspecific
with other members of the genus and presumably resembles them in breeding
behaviour (Baptista et al. 1997).
As a rule, members of the bronzewing assemblage build scant to substantial
platforms made out of twigs and other plant material, and placed on branches,
roots, forks and stumps up to 5 m above the ground – rarely higher – or on the
ground. However, in some species of open habitat, such as Petrophassa rock-
pigeons, Geophaps bronzewings and the Flock Bronzewing Phaps histrionica,
nests are reduced to hollows or scrapes on the ground, often lined with grasses.
Most members of the bronzewing assemblage lay two white (sometimes cream-
coloured) eggs, but clutches with one egg have been reported in five out of ten
Gallicolumba species for which this information is available (Baptista et al.
1997). In view of their basal phylogenetic position within the bronzewing
assemblage, breeding information on the genus Henicophaps offers potential to
shed light on the evolution of nesting biology within the assemblage.
Nest and egg of H. albifrons
The following observation took place on 3 September 2008 during ornithological
fieldwork around the village of Woos (02° 50-59’S, 132° 40-49’E; 20-30 m asl)
in alluvial swamp forest along the road from Fakfak to Bomberai on the Fakfak
Peninsula in Papua Barat (West Papua, Indonesia). At about 11:00 hrs, as I was
jumping across a slow stream, I noticed a peculiar bare branch reaching almost
all the way across the water. On the branch, at about 1.5 m above the water level,
I discerned a nest with a large pigeon sitting on top of it. The pigeon was
instantly recognizable as a New Guinea Bronzewing H. albifrons on account of
its large size, unusually long dark bill, contrasting white forehead and general
sooty purple colouration. Upon crossing the stream, I slowly walked towards the
nest site, but accidentally approached it too closely, thereby flushing the bird,
which flew about 10-20 m to the other side of the stream, landed on the forest
floor and walked off into the dense vegetation.
The nest was a cupped platform made out of twigs and small branches
(Plate 1). Its diameter was c. 30 cm, while its average height was c. 5-10 cm. It
Kukila 14 2009 Short Communication 61
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contained a single bright white egg of an estimated length of 4 cm. After taking a
photograph of the nest, I immediately left the area to avoid further disturbance.
Since the nest was only 400 m away from the village, I briefly visited it again the
next morning, but found it unattended, with the single white egg still positioned
the same way as on the previous day.
Evolutionary history of nesting biology in bronzewings
This report constitutes the first full description of a nest belonging to a member
of the genus Henicophaps. The record falls within the local dry season (fide
villagers), although local seasonality is becoming confused according to the
villagers’ statements that the dry seasons of the past four years have been equally
humid as wet seasons. The nest is typical for members of the bronzewing
assemblage in that it comprised a cupped platform made of twigs and was placed
on a branch in the low stratum. Although a number of more recently evolved
bronzewing genera of open habitats (e.g. Petrophassa, Phaps and Geophaps) are
characterized by reduced nest structures placed on the ground, the Henicophaps
nest underscores that platforms made of twigs and placed in trees or bushes are
probably an ancestral trait of the bronzewing assemblage.
In terms of clutch size, the current finding is somewhat surprising. With the
exception of a number of Gallicolumba species that lay a single egg, all members
of the bronzewing assemblage invariably lay two eggs. Even in the congeneric H.
foersteri from New Britain, anecdotal evidence suggests a clutch size of two
(Baptista et al. 1997). Field observations of one egg such as documented above
can be equivocal in that they may occur at a time when the hen has only laid the
first of two eggs. Indeed, this may have been the case in the documentation of
single-egg clutches in some of the Gallicolumba species, such as the Mindanao
Bleeding-heart G. criniger, where the observation of a clutch size of one was also
Plate 1. Nest and egg of
New Guinea Bronzewing
Henicophaps albifrons,
FakFak Peninsula, West
Papua.
Kukila 14 2009 Short Communication 62
based on a freshly laid egg (Baptista et al. 1997). On the other hand, the
combination of single-egg and double-egg clutches is known only from the two
most basal genera of the bronzewing assemblage (forest-inhabiting Henicophaps
and Gallicolumba). This variation may suggest that the strict adherence to
double-egg clutches in some of the more derived genera of open habitats is not an
ancestral condition, but may have been favoured by conditions in arid
environments.
I would like to thank Pak Yoel of Woos Village for accommodating me during my stay.
Warm thanks also go to Pak Dominggus of Woos Village for accompanying me along the
forest trails. Bruce Beehler, Richard Noske and Jared Diamond deserve warm thanks for
helpful comments on the manuscript.
References
Baptista, L.F., P.W. Trail & H.M. Horblit. 1997. Family Columbidae (Pigeons and
Doves). Pp. 60-245 in del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. (eds.) Handbook of the
Birds of the World, Vol. 4. Sandgrouse to Cuckoos. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
Mayr, E. & J. Diamond. 2001. The Birds of Northern Melanesia: Speciation, Ecology,
and Biogeography. Oxford University Press, New York.
Pereira, S.L., K.P. Johnson, D.H. Clayton & A.J. Baker. 2007. Mitochondrial and nuclear
DNA sequences support a Cretaceous origin of Columbiformes and a dispersal-
driven radiation in the Paleogene. Systematic Biology 56: 656-672.
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