Twenty species of birds are recorded from Kapingamarangi Atoll, southern Micronesia, 14 sea- and shorebirds and six land birds. Eleven are documented or probable breeders or former breeders. The Micronesian starling (Aplonis opaca) is the only native, resident land bird, and it is common and widespread, averaging 5.7 birds ha-1 atoll-wide among the 31 islands. A kingfisher is reported from Kapingamarangi for the first time, and a recently collected specimen of shining cuckoo (Chrysococcyx lucidus) is the first record for Micronesia and first report of the nominate (New Zealand) subspecies north of the Bismark Archipelago.
The diet of New Zealand king shags (Leucocarbo carunculatus) in Pelorus Sound, South Island, New Zealand, was deduced from diagnostic prey remains in 22 complete regurgitated pellets collected as two samples taken six months apart. Pellets represented a total of ahour 683 prey items with an estimated wet mass of 14.9 kg. Witch (Arnoglossus scapha), a lefteyed flatfish (Bothidae), dominated the diet and accounted for about 90% of prey items and 95% of wet mass in both samples, but there was a change in the average size taken. The average total wet weight per pellet matched the theoretical estimate for daily energy expenditure for the shags. Prey species of interest to commercial or recreational fishers accounted for only 1.3% of the diet. These results are applicable only to the 25% of the species total population that forages in Pelorus Sound. An investigation of the diet elsewhere in Marlborough Sounds is recommended in order to determine if the small population size and restricted distribution of king shags are related to the availability of food.
The archaeological and fossil avifauna of Niue Island in the southwest Pacific is described from ten sites. Fourteen species of birds, including an extinct species each of Gallirallus and Nycticorax, and an extirpated megapode (Megapodius pritchardii) were found. This increases the number of taxa known for the Niue fauna to 15 resident species, but faunas from surrounding islands indicate this is almost certainly an under-estimate of original diversity.
Wrybill (Anarhynchus frontalis) and banded dotterel (Charadrius bicinctus) are territorial birds which breed on braided riverbeds in Canterbury, New Zealand. Home ranges of wrybill pairs were bigger than those of banded dotterel pairs on the Rakaia and Ashley Rivers. For wrybill there were no significant differences in home range size between years and rivers, but home ranges of banded dotterel pairs were larger on the Rakaia R. than on the Ashley R. Wrybill home range size on the Rakaia R. was related to the presence of preferred minor channel feeding habitats; small home ranges contained mostly minor channels and large home ranges contained mostly major channels. The larger home ranges for banded dotterel on the Rakaia R. is thought to be related to greater habitat instability compared to the Ashley R. If large scale diversion of water occurs from these rivers then flows need to be managed so that the characteristics of the natural flow regime are maintained.
Natal philopatry of 859 southern Buller’s mollymawks (Diomedea bulleri bulleri) banded as chicks on North East Island, The Snares (48°02’S, 166°36’E), during August 1972 was investigated during 1977 to 1998. Eighty-six birds were recaptured as breeders; 57 of these were recorded within 100 m of their natal nest area and 29 dispersed over distances ranging from 100 m to 2430 m. The gender of 32 birds was determined by measurements of minimum bill depth and tarsus width, or by their behaviour. Of 17 males, 15 were found breeding within 100 m of their natal site and the remaining two birds dispersed 100 – 200 m. Of the 15 females, five were breeding within 100 m of their natal site and the remainder had dispersed 100 – 1640 m.
Caspian terns (Sterna caspia) from an isolated colony in southern New Zealand were studied for 30 years. Aims of the study were to identify the birds’ wintering grounds and to discover the whereabouts of birds during immaturity, by tracing movements of known-aged birds. Adults moved to several wintering grounds up to 1150 km to the northeast. Some birds were locally nomadic in winter, but little distance nomadism was identified in adults. In some families, one parent left the colony up to three weeks before the rest of the family. Juveniles left their natal colony when aged 7–9 weeks, and each was accompanied by one parent until aged 8–9 months. Typically, parents took turns at accompanying a juvenile, in stints of ca. 1-3 days, but two siblings wintered 360 km apart, each accompanied by a parent. Birds on outward passage moved in stages in flocks of 2–4 birds. Families lingered at staging areas for 2-26 days. A 49–54 day old juvenile moved 195 km in five days. Mortality was high in juveniles which moved further than ca. 900 km. Seventy seven percent of juveniles remained sedentary at their wintering ground to age 9 months, and 30% stayed on at the same location through their second winter. Immature birds remained sedentary, were locally nomadic or wandered far inland. Some returned to the colony and stayed briefly, but those which had wandered tended to remain at one site for weeks or months before moving on. Juveniles begged only from their parents. Flight skills and some feeding behaviour of known-aged juveniles are described, as are some behaviours at staging areas.
Aerial surveys for flying seabirds were directed up to 18.3 km offshore from Banks Peninsula during February and July-August 1996. The abundance of Hutton’s/fluttering shearwaters (Puffinus huttoni/P. gavia) increased offshore, consistent with possible offshore increases in pelagic versus benthic productivity The decrease in abundance offshore of spotted/pied shags (Stictocarbo punctatus/Phalacrocorax varius), black-backed gulls (Larus dominicanus), white-fronted terns (Sterna striata), and red-billed/ black-billed gulls (L. novaehollandiae/L. bulleri) probably reflects their commuting to and from breeding and roosting sites. Hutton’s/fluttering shearwaters and white-fronted terns were most common around the area east of Banks Peninsula. The distribution of other species around Banks Peninsula probably reflects breeding site distribution (spotted shags), and feeding opportunities on land (black-backed gulls). Convergent fronts were distributed around Banks Peninsula, and decreased in number offshore. Internal waves were most common toward the eastern end of Banks Peninsula, and were evenly distributed offshore. While the onshore-offshore distribution of the non- procellariiform species matched that of convergent fronts, seabirds and individual convergent fronts did not significantly co-occur.