Publications Archive

Fossil counterparts of giant penguins from the North Pacific, by Storrs L. Olson & Yoshikazu Hasegawa. 1979. Science 206, 9 November.

Subfossil remains of a large flightless coot were first discovered on Chatham Island (Fulica chathamensis), and subsequently in the South Island by (Fulica prisca). Further discoveries have considerably enlarged the geographic range on the New Zealand mainland. However, general agreement on the number of forms admitted and their generic and specific status has yet to be reached.

This paper examines the field identification, distribution, and taxonomy of the six species of Pachyptila. Particular attention is given to the identification of storm-cast material. The data include observations of prions at sea, on their breeding grounds, and 10,086 specimens examined over a 21-year period from 1958 to 1979. The validity of the six recognised species of Pachyptila is reaffirmed, and one subspecies each of the fairy prion (Pachyptila turtur) and the fulmar prion (Pachyptila crassirostris) is retained. The need for further ecological data, better food analyses, and carefully defined behavioural studies is stressed. The value of biochemical genetics for elucidating the speciation mechanisms of Pachyptila emphasises the preliminary nature of the present findings.

The history of ornithological activity in the Hunua Ranges, south-east of Auckland, is outlined. An account is given of both native and introduced birds from 1888 to 1978.

Pellet casting was studied in a population of South Island robins (Petroica australis australis) at Kowhai Bush, Kaikoura from April 1977 to July 1978. Pellet regurgitation is described. Casting has a diurnal rhythm. Monthly regurgitation rates reflected the diet of the robins, with the highest rates occurring in the summer months when the main food is berries and invertebrates with their indigestible seeds and exoskeletons. It was calculated that, during February 1978, the month of highest mean egestion rate, a Robin would egest six pellets per day. The effect of age and sex on the frequency of castings is discussed.

Dr Pat Vickers Rich. Bulletin 184. Bureau of Natural Resources, Geology and Geophysics. Canberra 1979.