GREENE CO., MO. — As I reported in a recent post, I tentatively identified the Aplonis starlings I saw on Wuvulu as A. feadensis — Atoll Starlings.

I said I was going to email BirdLife International to ask about the range of A. feadensis. I did so, but I did not receive a reply. I had almost forgotten about it, thinking I never would hear back.

But I got an email today, and it didn’t say things I wanted to hear:

“Thank you for your email. Guy Dutson, who is an expert on birds of the Pacific Region, has been in the office today so I have asked his advice on your query. He has recommended Coates (1990), The Birds of Papua New Guinea Vol II, which although it is not a new reference is very good and here in the range of Aplonis feadensis it states that there is a doubtful record of the species from Wuvulu Island. It describes the iris of A. feadensis as ’straw yellow to yellow-orange’.

“However, the very similar A. cantoroides, which is described as having a ‘bright red or orange-red iris’ is definitely known from Wuvulu island.”

Disappointed as I would be to remove the species from my list, it appears that something larger than my personal satisfaction is at stake here. I saw birds with orange-yellow eyes. I saw A. cantoroides (Singing Starlings) in Madang, and those birds had bright red eyes. I know I did not imagine the difference in eye color. The question, I suppose, is whether sufficient variation exists within A. cantoroides to explain what I saw on Wuvulu.

Other questions arise. I find it hard to believe that A. feadensis would be a breeding resident on the Hermits and the Ninigos but not on Wuvulu. On the other hand, I’m sure there are stranger flukes of distribution in the bird world. What is the status of A. cantoroides on the Hermits and Ninigos? And why did I not observe any streaked immature birds on Wuvulu? I did see some birds that lacked the green sheen. Are immature Atoll Starlings streaked? Or are they black and dull? I sure wish I had a field guide that described the species. Is the breeding season on Wuvulu different from that on mainland New Guinea? And why, if I really did see dozens of Atoll Starlings on Wuvulu, does literature widely accepted as authoritative mention only one dubious record?

I’m kicking myself for not thoroughly documenting the birds with photographs and audio recordings. I thought it would be easy enough to check field guides and distribution data once I got home. I simply had no way of knowing what I was up against. And because I had no idea I’d be sent to Wuvulu until I’d already been in PNG for a couple of weeks, I could not do any research in advance. Such excuses sound pretty hollow right now, even to me. Especially to me. I think I’ve learned a lesson. Unfortunately, it was the hard way.

As I said in my reply to BirdLife, I’m not being defensive. I don’t have enough data to be defensive. But I have some big questions, and I hope someone can help me answer them.

Trackback This Post | Subscribe to the comments through RSS Feed