The breeding of banded dotterels (Charadrius bicinctus) was studied in 1977-1987 at Cass River Delta, Lake Tekapo. Most birds first nested as 1-year-olds, but 1-year-olds arrived later on the breeding grounds than experienced adults. Nest site fidelity between years was high for experienced males but less for experienced females. Natal site fidelity was lower in females, which nested up to 31 km from the natal site. The birds were monogamous and usually retained the same mate for repeat clutches within a season, but most changed mates between years. Family members parted at about the time the young could fly. Sight recoveries of juveniles indicated that those which had fledged early or midway through the season subsequently migrated to Australia but late-fledging juveniles were non-migratory.
A new species of extinct starling, Aplonis diluvialis, is described from the Fa’ahia Archaeological Site on Huahine, Society Islands, French Polynesia. A. diluvialis was larger than any Indo-Pacific congeners except A. atrifusca of Samoa. The only other eastern Polynesian islands where starlings have been recorded with certainty are Rarotonga (A. cinerascens) and Mauke (A. mavornata). In pre-human times, however, species of Aplonis may have occurred through much of eastern Polynesia.
Discriminant function analysis was used to calculate classification formulae for predicting the sex of 98 adult grey-faced petrels (Pterodroma macroptera gouldi) at the start of incubation. Body weight, bill length, bill width, and bill depth all showed statistically significant sexual dimorphism. A classification formula based solely on bill measurements is impractical for sexing grey-faced petrels because of 37% error. The combination of body weight and bill depth in the formula proved useful, correctly classifying 92% of birds. This method provides a simple and reliable way of sexing grey-faced petrels in the field just after laying. Cloacal examination also allows definitive sexing at this time.
A re-examination of the moa genus Megalapteryx reveals that the two currently accepted species, M. didinus (Owen) and M. benhami Archey, do not differ in the shape of the bones. They represent small and large specimens in an unbroken size continuum. Specimens from northwest Nelson have a larger mean size than those in a sample from Takahe Valley, Fiordland. A series of 14C dates indicates that the largest ‘M. benhami‘ are all of Otiran derivation, whereas M. didinus bones are from Otiran and Holocene deposits. Therefore M. benhami is synonymised with the upland moa, M. didinus (Owen).
A colony of breeding snow petrels (Pagodroma nivea) in the Muhlig-Hofmann Mountains, Queen Maud Land, on the Antarctic continent was visited in January-February 1985. The birds were nesting under large boulders on the north-faced, ice-free hillside at Svarthamaren (71°53′ S, 5°10′ E), about 200 km from the open sea. The colony was roughly estimated to contain 500 pairs (Mehlum et al. 1985). Hatching took place in mid-January. The snow petrels at Svarthamaren were on average significantly smaller than those breeding elsewhere in the Antarctic. The irregular geographical distribution of breeding birds of varying size does not immediately provide any support for a sub-specific division of the species into one large and one small form, leaving the systematic and evolutionary status of the species unclear. It remains to be established whether inland breeding selects for relatively small birds.