Birds of Macquarie Island

The Birds of Macquarie Island are, unsurprisingly for an isolated oceanic island, predominantly seabirds. By far the majority of the breeding species are penguins, petrels and albatrosses. However, the bird list includes many vagrants, including passerines, from New Zealand and Australia.

Four species of penguin breed on Macquarie Island. The endemic Royal Penguin has a population estimated at 850,000. There are also 100,000 breeding pairs of King Penguin, the third largest such colony in the world. Gentoo and Rockhopper Penguins also breed there. In the past the penguins, mainly the Royal and King Penguins, were exploited for their oil, a practice which ceased in 1919.

The four breeding species of albatross are all threatened by long-line fishing when feeding away from the island, including the most numerous, the Light-mantled Sooty Albatross with 2000 breeding pairs, and the Wandering Albatross, with fewer than ten pairs breeding each year.

Many species of petrel breed on Macquarie. However, they have been adversely affected by the introduction of Black Rats, House Mice, rabbits and cats, and the small Blue Petrel breeding population on the island is considered to be Critically Endangered. Wekas were introduced by sealers in the mid 19th century and flourished, adding to the predation threat. With the eradication of the cats and the Wekas, and an ongoing program to control the rabbits (which cause erosion), there are signs that the breeding petrel populations are beginning to recover. The long-term aim is to eradicate the rodents and rabbits as well.

The Macquarie Island Parakeet became extinct about 1891. The Macquarie Island Rail, an endemic subspecies of the Buff-banded Rail, disappeared about the same time.

List of birds

* Anatidae
** Grey Teal, "Anas gracilis" - vagrant
** Mallard, "Anas platyrhynchos" - vagrant, breeding recorded
** Pacific Black Duck, "Anas superciliosa" - breeding, hybridising with Mallard
* Spheniscidae
** Emperor Penguin, "Aptenodytes forsteri" - vagrant
** King Penguin, "Aptenodytes patagonicus" - breeding, Near Threatened
** Rockhopper Penguin, "Eudyptes chrysocome" - breeding, Vulnerable
** Snares Crested Penguin, "Eudyptes robustus" - vagrant
** Royal Penguin, "Eudyptes schlegeli" - endemic species, Vulnerable
** Erect-crested Penguin, "Eudyptes sclateri" - vagrant
** Adelie Penguin, "Pygoscelis adeliae" - vagrant
** Chinstrap Penguin, "Pygoscelis antarctica" - vagrant
** Gentoo Penguin, "Pygoscelis papua" – breeding, Vulnerable
* Procellariidae
** Cape Petrel, "Daption capense" - breeding
** Southern Fulmar, "Fulmarus glacialoides" - vagrant
** Blue Petrel, "Halobaena caerulea" - breeding, Critically Endangered
** Kerguelen Petrel, "Lugensa brevirostris" - vagrant
** Southern Giant-Petrel, "Macronectes giganteus" - breeding, Endangered
** Northern Giant-Petrel, "Macronectes halli" - breeding, Vulnerable
** Slender-billed Prion, "Pachyptila belcheri" - vagrant
** Antarctic Prion, "Pachyptila desolata" - breeding, Vulnerable
** Fairy Prion, "Pachyptila turtur" - breeding, Endangered
** Snow Petrel, "Pagodroma nivea" - vagrant
** Common Diving-Petrel, "Pelecanoides urinatrix" - breeding
** White-chinned Petrel, "Procellaria aequinoctialis" - vagrant
** Grey Petrel, "Procellaria cinerea" - breeding, Endangered
** Mottled Petrel, "Pterodroma inexpectata" - vagrant
** White-headed Petrel, "Pterodroma lessonii" - breeding, Vulnerable
** Great-winged Petrel, "Pterodroma macroptera" - vagrant
** Soft-plumaged Petrel, "Pterodroma mollis" - possibly breeding
** Little Shearwater, "Puffinus assimilis" - vagrant
** Sooty Shearwater, "Puffinus griseus" - breeding
** Short-tailed Shearwater, "Puffinus tenuirostris" - vagrant
** Antarctic Petrel, "Thalassoica antarctica" – vagrant
* Diomedeidae
** Shy Albatross, "Diomedea cauta" - vagrant
** Grey-headed Albatross, "Diomedea chrysostoma" - breeding, Endangered
** Royal Albatross, "Diomedea epomophora" - vagrant
** Wandering Albatross, "Diomedea exulans" - breeding, Critically Endangered
** Black-browed Albatross, "Diomedea melanophris" - breeding, Endangered
** Sooty Albatross, "Phoebetria fusca" - vagrant
** Light-mantled Sooty Albatross, "Phoebetria palpebrata" – breeding, Vulnerable
* Hydrobatidae
** Grey-backed Storm-Petrel, "Garrodia nereis" - possibly breeding, Endangered
** Wilson's Storm-Petrel, "Oceanites oceanicus" - possibly breeding, Vulnerable
* Phalacrocoracidae
** Great Cormorant, "Phalacrocorax carbo " - vagrant
** Macquarie Shag, "Phalacrocorax purpurascens" - endemic species, Vulnerable
* Sulidae
** Australasian Gannet, "Morus serrator" – vagrant
* Ardeidae
** Great Egret, "Ardea alba" - vagrant
** Cattle Egret, "Ardea ibis" - vagrant
** Little Egret, "Egretta garzetta " - vagrant
** White-faced Heron, "Egretta novaehollandiae" - vagrant
** Nankeen Night Heron, "Nycticorax caledonicus" – vagrant
* Threskiornithidae
** Glossy Ibis, "Plegadis falcinellus" – vagrant
* Accipitridae
** Swamp Harrier, "Circus approximans" – vagrant
* Rallidae
** Eurasian Coot, "Fulica atra" - vagrant
** Weka, "Gallirallus australis" - introduced, extinct
** Macquarie Island Rail, "Gallirallus philippensis macquariensis" - endemic subspecies, extinct
** Baillon's Crake, "Porzana pusilla" – vagrant
* Scolopacidae
** Ruddy Turnstone, "Arenaria interpres" - vagrant
** Red Knot, "Calidris canutus" - vagrant
** Red-necked Stint, "Calidris ruficollis" - vagrant
** Latham's Snipe, "Gallinago hardwickii" - vagrant
** Bar-tailed Godwit, "Limosa lapponica" - vagrant
** Red-necked Phalarope, "Phalaropus lobatus" - vagrant
** Common Greenshank, "Tringa nebularia" – vagrant
* Recurvirostridae
** Black-winged Stilt, "Himantopus himantopus" – vagrant
* Charadriidae
** Grey Plover, "Pluvialis squatarola" - vagrant
** Masked Lapwing, "Vanellus miles" – vagrant
* Laridae
** Great Skua, "Catharacta skua" - breeding
** Kelp Gull, "Larus dominicanus" - breeding
** Silver Gull, "Larus novaehollandiae" - vagrant
** Arctic Tern, "Sterna paradisaea" - vagrant
** Antarctic Tern, "Sterna vittata" – breeding, Endangered
* Psittacidae
** Macquarie Island Parakeet, "Cyanoramphus erythrotis" - endemic species, extinct
* Apodidae
** Fork-tailed Swift, "Apus pacificus" - vagrant
** White-throated Needletail, "Hirundapus caudacutus" – vagrant
* Fringillidae
** European Goldfinch, "Carduelis carduelis" - vagrant
** Common Redpoll, "Carduelis flammea" - breeding
** Common Chaffinch, "Fringilla coelebs" – vagrant
* Emberizidae
** Yellowhammer, "Emberiza citrinella" – vagrant
* Hirundinidae
** Welcome Swallow, "Hirundo neoxena" – vagrant
* Zosteropidae
** Silvereye, "Zosterops lateralis" – vagrant
* Muscicapidae
** Common Blackbird, "Turdus merula" - vagrant
** Song Thrush, "Turdus philomelos" – vagrant
* Sturnidae
** Common Starling, "Sturnus vulgaris" - breeding

References

* Barrett, Geoff; Silcocks, Andrew; Barry, Simon; Cunningham, Ross; & Poulter, Rory (2003). The New Atlas of Australian Birds. Melbourne: Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union. ISBN 1-875122-09-5
* [http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/birding-aus/ Birding-Aus Mailing List Archives]
* Christidis, Leslie; & Boles, Walter E. (1994). The Taxonomy and Species of Birds of Australia and its Territories. RAOU Monograph 2. RAOU: Melbourne. ISBN 1-875122-06-0
* Garnett, Stephen T.; & Crowley, Gabriel M. (2000). "The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2000". Environment Australia: Canberra. ISBN 0-642-54683-5
* Higgins, P.J. (Ed). (1999). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 4: Parrots to Dollarbird. Oxford University Press: Melbourne. ISBN 0-19-553071-3
* Marchant, S.; Higgins, P.J.; & Davies, J.N. (Eds). (1994). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 2: Raptors to Lapwings. Oxford University Press: Melbourne. ISBN 0-19-553069-1

External links

* [http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/macquarie/biology.html Tasmanian Parks & Wildlife Service - Macquarie Island World Heritage Area]