Memorandum to: The Director of Birds
Australia
From: Birds Australia Rarities
Committee (BARC)
Date: 8th February 2007
Voting Members: Tony Palliser Glenn Holmes
Jamie Matthew Danny Rogers
John
Hatch Andrew Silcocks
David
Bishop Niven McCrie
cc: Ron Johnstone, Walter Boles
Submission No 484: Lesser
Coucal Centropus bengalensis; Ashmore
Reef, 29th to 31st October 2005. Submitted by: Mike Carter, Rohan Clarke, Frank Pierce, Sean
Dooley, George Swann & Murray Grant..
Verdict: Accepted
This case concerns a Lesser Coucal Centropus
bengalensis discovered on West Island, Ashmore Reef, off northern Western
Australia, during an expedition there in October 2005. The bird was observed
briefly each day between the 29th and 31st October 2005.
The ensuing description and photographic
evidence provides little doubt that the bird was a ‘Coucal’. The bird was
described as medium to large with broad rounded wings, with a substantial tail,
somewhat dark plumage, heavily barred and streaked dark-brown and caramel, with
some rufous in the wing. The size of the bird was reminiscent of a Koel Eudynamys scolopacea. Careful analysis
by the observers established that the smaller size indicated Lesser Coucal
rather than Greater Coucal. It was estimated that it was only about half the
size (bulk) of the more familiar Pheasant Coucal C. phasianinus and with a proportionately much shorter tail.
Additionally, the observers were careful
to eliminate all other Centropus Sp.
including Short-toed Coucal C. rectunguis
(which was considered to be the other contender). The photographs although
blurred and rather rudimentary do assist to confirm:
·
The presence of rufous remiges
·
Dark tips to the primaries and some of the secondaries
·
An overall dark-grey body
·
Dark rectrices and underwing coverts
·
The presence of some pale mottling or streaking on the
dorsum
·
More pronounced mottling or streaking around the head
·
Long uppertail coverts extending almost to the tail tip
Members voted unanimously in favour of
acceptance, essentially agreeing that the small size, the presence of long
flimsy upper-tail coverts, pale bill and bright rufous patches to the upperwing
and extent of streaking – particularly around the head ruled out Short-toed
Coucal and all other likely contenders including the little known subspecies
‘mui’ of Pheasant-tailed Coucal from Timor.
The evidence suggests that this bird was a sub-adult. The nearest island
from which this species is reliably reported is Roti in eastern Wallacea,
Indonesia (Coates & Bishop 1997). This is the first record for Australia.
Selected
Bibliography:
·
Coates, B.J., Bishop, K.D. &
Gardner, D. (1997), A Guide to the Birds
of Wallacea, Dove, Alderley, Queensland.
·
del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. (eds.) (1997),
Handbook of the Birds of the World, Vol. 4. Sandgrouse to Cuckoos,
Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
·
Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C. & Inskipp, T. (1998), Birds of the Indian Subcontinent,
Christopher Helm, London.
·
Lekagul, B. & Round, P.D. (1991), A guide to the
Birds of Thailand, Saha Karn Bhaet, Bangkok.
·
Payne, R.B. (2005), The Cuckoos, Oxford University
Press, Oxford.
·
Robson, C. (2000), A Field Guide to the Birds of
South-East Asia, New Holland, London.
·
Strange, M. (2000), A Photographic Guide to the Birds of
Southeast Asia, Periplus Editions, Hong Kong.
·
Strange, M. (2001), A Photographic Guide to the Birds of
Indonesia, Periplus Editions, Hong Kong.
·
Viney, C. & Phillipps, K. (1989), Birds of Hong Kong,
Government Publications, Hong Kong.
·
Wells, D.R. (1999), The Birds of the Thai-Malay
Peninsula, Academic Press, London.
·
White, C.M.N. & Bruce, M.D. (1986), The Birds of
Wallacea (Sulawesi, The Moluccas and Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia).
Brit. Orn. Union Checklist 7: 1-524.
Tony Palliser
Chairman, Birds Australia Rarities Committee