Memorandum to:                     The Director of Birds Australia

 

 

From:                                       Birds Australia Rarities Committee (BARC)

 

 

Date:                                        8th February 2007

 

 

Voting Members:                     Jamie Matthew              Glenn Holmes

Rohan Clarke                 Danny Rogers

                                                John Hatch                    Tony Palliser

                                                Andrew Silcocks            Mike Carter

 

cc:                                            Ron Johnstone

 

 

Submission No 486: Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis; Christmas Island 5th – 7th May 2006.  Submitted by: Richard Baxter, Lorand Szucs & Terry Gould.

 

 

Verdict: Accepted 

 

 

This submission concerns the sighting of a Common Kingfisher located on a small freshwater creek close to the ‘now abandoned’ Casino on Christmas Island between the 5th and 7th May 2006.

 

Although seen daily, views were brief and resulted in a comparatively sparse description. However the small size, shape and overall colour quickly eliminated the more familiar ‘Halcyon’ species. The bird was bright pale-blue above with a buff underbody and uniform black bill, and a buff ear patch. The black bill combined with the lack of any dark blue areas to the plumage helped to eliminate Variable Dwarf Kingfisher Ceyx lepidus and Blue-eared Kingfisher A, meninting.  One of the observers heard the bird call (with which he is familiar from experience in Europe) and this helped to confirm the identity.

 

Seven of the eight voting members agreed with the observers analysis and voted in favour of acceptance with the one dissenting member expressing concern over the brevity of the sighting and the lack of any solid corroborating evidence such as a photograph.

 

This record is the second for Christmas Island, and the second to be accepted by BARC and again is most likely the migratory race bengalensis which winters south to the Greater Sundas and Wallacea (Fry & Fry 1992).

 

 

References & Bibliography:

 

·         Beaman, M. & Madge, S. (1998). The Handbook of Bird Identification of Europe and the Western Palaearctic, Princeton University Press, Princeton.

·         Coates, B.J. & Bishop, K.D. (1997), A Guide to the Birds of Wallacea, Dove Publications, Brisbane.

·         Fry, C.H. & Fry, K. (1992), Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Rollers: A Handbook, Christopher Helm, London.

·         MacKinnon, J. & Phillips, K. (1994), A Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Bali, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

·         Robson, C. (2000), A Guide to the Birds of Southeast Asia, Princeton University Press, Princeton.

 

 

 

 

Tony Palliser

Chairman Birds Australia Rarities Committee (BARC)