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The sexual dimorphism of Snares Cape pigeons (Daption capense australe)

Notornis, 33 (4), 259-263

P.M. Sagar (1986)

Article Type: Paper

The males of Snares Cape pigeons (Daption capense australe) breeding at the Snares Islands are larger than females, especially in head plus bill length, mid-toe plus claw, bill length, bill depth, tarsus, and weight. By using the measurements head plus bill length and mid-toe plus claw, one can reliably sex about 82% of the Snares Islands birds. The amount of sexual dimorphism is similar in both races of cape pigeon. The importance of having a wide range of calls during breeding is favoured as the reason for dimorphism having developed in fulmarine petrels.

Birds of the Solander Islands

Notornis, 33 (2), 77-89

W.J. Cooper; C.M. Miskelly; K. Morrison, K.; R.J. Peacock (1986)

Article Type: Paper

Birds observed on the Solander Islands 25-27 July 1985 are discussed in relation to previous records from the islands. Black shag, banded rail, song thrush and greenfinch have not been reported previously. Solander Island had a major colony of Buller’s mollymawk, with an estimated 4000-5000 pairs. A further 300 pairs bred on Little Solander Island, which also had a large colony of common diving petrels. On Little Solander, New Zealand’s southernmost gannet colony, were 20-10 Australasian gannets. Red-crowned parakeets seem to have displaced yellow-crowned parakeets on the Solander Islands since 1948. The faunal relationships of the Solander Islands are discussed, as is the apparent effect of predation by introduced weka on Solander Island.

An early account of some birds from Mauke, Cook Islands, and the origin of the “mysterious starling” Aplonis mavornata Buller

Notornis, 33 (4), 197-208

S.L. Olson (1986)

Article Type: Paper

Overlooked manuscript notes made by Andrew Bloxam during the voyage of HMS Blonde detail his observations of birds on the island of Mauke, southern Cook group, on 9 August 1825, nearly 150 years before birds were again collected on the island. These notes establish that the unique type of the “mysterious starling” Aplonis mavornara Buller, a valid species previously of unknown origin and now extinct, was one of the three specimens collected on Mauke by Bloxam. The other two, which have not yet been located, if they still exist, were the kingfisher Halcyon tuta mauke and the fruit dove Ptilinopus rarotongensis cf. goodwini, the latter otherwise unknown on Mauke and probably now extinct there.

The orange-fronted parakeet (Cyanoramphus malherbi) is a colour morph of the yellow-crowned parakeet (C. auriceps)

Notornis, 33 (1), 17-22

R.H. Taylor; E.G. Heatherbell; E.M. Heatherbell (1986)

Article Type: Paper

Cyanoramphus malherbi (Souance 1857) is relegated to synonymy with C. auriceps (Kuhl 1820) after cross-breeding in captivity showed that both are colour morphs of one species. The resulting parent-offspring data can be most simply explained by the Mendelian theory of dominant/recessive inheritance at a single locus, the factor for yellow-crowned being dominant.
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