The Birds of the Lord Howe Island Group: A Review of Records

Abstract

This paper is an inventory of all known bird records from the Lord Howe Island Group of the central Tasman Sea. One hundred and eighty-two species are listed for the Group, of which 20 are resident landbirds, 14 are breeding seabirds, 17 are regular visitors and 120 are vagrants. Of the original avifauna 10 species are now apparently either completely or locally extinct. Extinctions of the White Gallinule Porphrio albus, White-throated Pigeon Columba vitiensis godmanae and Red-crowned Parakeet Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae subflavenscens were probably because of hunting by man. Those of the Grey Fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa cervina, Robust White-eye Zosterops strenuus, Island Thrush Turdus poliocephalus vinitinctus and Tasman Starling Aplonis fusca hulliana were caused by the accidental release of Black Rats Rattus rattus on the main island in 1918. The extinctions of the Southern Boobook Ninox novaeseelandiae and Lord Howe Island Gerygone Gerygone insularis occured later and the causes are not known. Pycroft's Petrel Pterodroma pycrofti and the White-faced Storm-Petrel Pelagodroma marina are known from subfossil deposits but are not known to breed on the Lord Howe Island group today. The cause of their apparent extinction is also not known. Two species (Masked Owl Tyto Novaehollandiae and Magpie-lark Grallina cyanoleuca) deliberately introduced during the 1920s are still found on the Group. However, several species have colonised the islands since the arrival of humans, some of which have had adverse effects on the endemic avifauna. Management issues are discussed where relevant to the species concerned. Additional background information to some previously reported records is also given.