An ornithological survey of Fergusson Island, D'Entrecasteaux Archipelago, Papua New Guinea: new island records and noteworthy natural history observations
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Fergusson Island lies off the southeastern end of New Guinea and is the largest landmass in the D’Entrecasteaux and Trobriand Island Endemic Bird Area. We conducted audiovisual and camera trapping surveys in eastern Fergusson in September 2022 and recorded 97 bird species, documenting breeding and vocalizations for several of the EBA’s endemic taxa. Notably, we provide the first confirmed documentation of the “lost” insularis subspecies of Pheasant Pigeon Otidiphaps nobilis (often recognized as a distinct species, Black-naped Pheasant-pigeon), in 126 years, observations of eight bird species not previously recorded from Fergusson, and nesting of Goldie’s Bird-of-Paradise Paradisea decora and the endemic crookshanki taxon of Capped White-eye Zosterops fuscicapilla (or Oya Tabu White-eye). Our new distributional records were mostly either migratory species or species found in open habitats, highlighting the value of surveying across seasons and habitats. We summarise our results and provide comments on distributional records, breeding behaviour, and vocalizations.
Language: English
Topic: Avian ecology and behavior
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4408218857