Lost and poorly known birds: targets for birders in Asia: 2SOUTH ASIA
Nicobar Sparrowhawk Accipter butleri Vulnerable. This species is endemic to the Nicobar Islands, India, where it is only known with certainty from Car Nicobar and Katchall, with no confirmed records since 1901. Specimens from Great Nicobar and Camorta have proved to refer to Besra A. virgatus, throwing into doubt recent sight records from those islands and from Bompoka, Teressa, Pilu Milu and Little Nicobar. Searches should primarily be focused in forest on Car Nicobar and Katchall, although the species should also be looked for on other islands. Great care is clearly required in distinguishing this species from Besra. Manipur Bush Quail Perdicula manipurensis Vulnerable. This species is endemic to northern West Bengal, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur and Meghalaya, north-east India; previously its range apparently extended into Chittagong, Chittagong Hill Tracts and Sylhet districts, Bangladesh. It was historically described as local, but not very rare, although even by the 1930s it was documented as declining in Manipur owing to pressures on its damp grassland habitat. The last confirmed records were of specimens taken in the Manipur valley prior to 1932, although there were unconfirmed reports of five at Nanga in the 1990s (BirdLife International 2001) and of a pair reported by a guide in Dibru-Saikhowa Wildlife Sanctuary, India, in March 1998 (Allen 1998a) - and in the past five years in Deobali Jalah, central Assam (Patar et al. 2004). Searches are needed in grasslands in northeast India and Bangladesh, in particular following up reports by local people at Thoubal and Loktak, Manipur, in November–December 2000 (Kaul et al. 2001). Surveys should be conducted in April-May, when grasslands are burnt, or in October– November, when paddyfields are harvested, as birds are likely to be most visible during these periods (Kaul et al. 2001). Himalayan Quail Ophrysia superciliosa Critically Endangered. This species is known only from the western Himalayas in Uttaranchal, northwest India, where about a dozen specimens were collected near Mussooree and Naini Tal up to 1876. Field observations during the midnineteenth century suggest that it may have been relatively common, but within two decades it was certainly rare, potentially indicating a population decline owing to hunting and habitat degradation. The last record was of two at 2, 100 m on the eastern slopes of Sherkadanda, Naini Tal, in December 1876. A number of searches since then have failed to produce any records (including an OBC-funded team led by Rajiv Kalsi in Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh in 2002–2003), but the species may be difficult to detect (favouring dense grass and being reluctant to fly). There were unconfirmed reports of five sightings in November– December 2003 near Naini Tal ("Y. Arafat" in litt. 2004). Searches are needed in montane grasslands and forest, in particular around Naini Tal and in the Binog Sanctuary - Bhadraj - Jharipani area. Nicobar Scops Owl Otus alius Data Deficient. This species is known from two specimens collected in 1966 and 1977 at Campbell Bay on Great Nicobar, the largest of the Nicobar Islands, India. A bird was also netted and photographed by Bandana Aul and S. P. Vijayakumar in March 2003 on Teressa Island (P. C. Rasmussen in litt. 2005). The paratype was found in coastal forest (presumably at sea-level) c. 1 km from the shore. Virtually nothing is known of the species's ecology or possible threats, and further fieldwork is needed. MAINLAND SOUTH-EAST ASIA White-eyed River-Martin Eurochelidon sirintarae Critically Endangered. The extraordinary discovery of this species, followed by its perplexing and almost immediate disappearance, represents one of the most remarkable episodes in Asian ornithology. It was discovered in 1968, at or near Bung Boraphet lake, near the town of Nakhon Sawan in central Thailand. It is known from 12 specimens collected amongst roosts of wintering hirundines (with rumours of many more sold in local markets), one field observation at Bung Boraphet in 1978 (the last confirmed record), and two unconfirmed reports, the last of which was in 1986. The lack of reliable records for over 25 years suggests that it may have undergone a decline, perhaps as a result of habitat degradation and destruction at the (unknown) breeding areas and on wintering grounds, exacerbated by hunting and trapping at roost-sites. Searches are needed in riverine habitats (presumed from its taxonomic affinities) in Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and southern China. White-eyed River-martin has to take the prize as the most desirable Asian bird to rediscover!
INDONESIA Sharpe's Rail Gallirallus sharpei Data Deficient. This is perhaps the most mysterious Asian species. It is known only from the typespecimen described by Büttikofer in 1893 and no details of its origin are known, but it is speculated that it may have come from the Greater Sundas, Indonesia. Birders throughout the region should be on the look-out for this species, which is similar in size and morphology to Buff-banded Rail G. philippensis, but can be distinguished by its predominantly brownish-black plumage, grey head, chin and throat, white-spotted mantle, scapulars, upperwing-coverts, undertail-coverts and tail, white-barred remiges, and probably red or orange legs and bill (Taylor & van Perlo 1998). Javanese Lapwing Vanellus macropterus Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct). This species is known with certainty only from Java, Indonesia, where it inhabited marshes and river deltas in the west (on the north coast) and the east (on the south coast). A specimen and two eggs collected in the nineteenth century may have derived from Sumatra, and there is an claim that it occurred on Timor (at least three specimens). It was described as local and uncommon, apparently only ever encountered in scattered pairs, and presumably responded badly to extensive habitat degradation and destruction, perhaps compounded by hunting. The last record was of two eggs collected in June 1940 at the Citarum delta near Jakarta. The fact that it was reputedly impossible to overlook suggests very strongly that it is no longer present at any site studied in recent decades by ornithologists, and indeed that it is unlikely to survive at all. However, there were unconfirmed reports from Tanjung Air (near Muara Gembong) in February and April 2004, and good habitat still remains here (Rudyanto in litt. 2004). This site needs surveying urgently, and other coastal wetlands and grasslands should be searched on Java and elsewhere in the Greater Sundas. Silvery Pigeon Columba argentina Critically Endangered. This species is a smallisland specialist, known from islands off Sumatra, Indonesia (e.g. Simeulue, Mentawi Islands, Riau and Lingga archipelagos), and off the west coast of Sarawak, Malaysia and Kalimantan, Indonesia (e.g. the Karimata and Natuna Islands, including Burong). There is one confirmed record each from mainland Sumatra and Kalimantan. Formerly locally common, it may have declined through the impacts of introduced mammals, logging and hunting. The last confirmed record was in 1931 at Pulau Gurungan Besar, Karimata Islands, west Borneo. There are recent unconfirmed records from Padang-Sugihan Wildlife Reserve, South Sumatra, in 1984 and 1985 (Nash & Nash 1985), Sembilang River, South Sumatra, where "large numbers" were seen in March 1989 (Verheugt et al. 1993), Padang-Sugihan Wildlife Reserve, South Sumatra, in November 1999 (Iqbal in press), and Pulau Talang Besar, west Borneo, in September 2001 (Wilson 2004). However, none of these records completely eliminates the possibility of confusion with the very similar Pied Imperial Pigeon Ducula bicolor. Searches at these sites to confirm the identity of the birds involved are a high priority, as are surveys of the West Sumatran islands and the Riau and Lingga archipelagos. Lesser Masked Owl Tyto sororcula Data Deficient. This owl is known from the island of Buru (and probably Seram) in South Maluku, and Yamdena and Larat in the Tanimbar group, Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Most records are of specimens collected in the late nineteenth or early twentieth centuries, and recent observations comprise one photographed individual (probably of this species) on Seram, and one observed on Yamdena. It is probably often overlooked and consequently almost certainly more widespread and numerous than available records suggest. Nevertheless, it occurs in primary and selectively logged lowland evergreen forest, a habitat that is being rapidly cleared from islands within its range by loggers and shifting cultivators. One collector was brought two live birds caught in holes in limestone cliffs on Buru, and this habitat type should be revisited and searched for the species. Information on the current status, distribution and habitat requirements is needed. Siau Scops Owl Otus siaoensis Critically Endangered. This species is only known from the holotype collected on the island of Siau, north of Sulawesi, Indonesia, in 1866, having languished in obscurity until resurrected as a full species in 1998 (Lambert & Rasmussen 1998). Just 50 ha of forest remain on Siau, all above 800 m on Gunung Tamata. Since its description, searches for the owl have apparently only been carried out for a few nights in August and October 1998. The bird may conceivably also survive elsewhere on the island in plantations and scrub, as congeners such as Sangihe Scops Owl O. collari tolerate such habitats. Encouragingly, villagers are reportedly familiar with at least two species of owl (Brown Hawk Owl Ninox scutulata also occurs). A WCS/PALS project has been planned for some time (J. C. Wardill in litt. 2003), and searches should concentrate on the montane forest on Siau, followed by other habitats on the island, and smaller islands in the group. Black-browed Babbler Malacocincla perspicillata Vulnerable. This species has been unrecorded for longer than any other bird in Asia. It is known by a single specimen dating from between 1843 and 1848. The locality is uncertain, but it is most likely to be around Martapura (or, slightly less likely, Banjarmasin) from South Kalimantan, Indonesia. The taxon was previously considered a race of Horsfield's Babbler M. (Trichastoma) sepiarium or conspecific with the recently discredited Vanderbilt's Babbler M. (Trichastoma) vanderbilti, but it is now considered a valid species (Hoogerwerf 1966, Mees 1995). Searches are required in any remaining areas of lowland forest in South Kalimantan, starting with Pleihari Tanah Laut, where some suitable habitat may remain, even though most has been severely degraded. Rueck's Blue Flycatcher Cyornis ruckii Critically Endangered. This enigmatic flycatcher is known from two specimens collected in April 1917 and February 1918, at Tuntungan and Delitua in the lowlands of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Two further specimens are purportedly from Malaysia, but their provenance has been questioned. The species must have always been very rare or local, given the failure of all but one collector to obtain specimens. No forest remains in the vicinity of the two known collecting localities, so it may have declined severely as a result of habitat destruction. The specimens were collected in "exploited forest", hinting at a tolerance to some degree of habitat degradation. Searches are needed in lowland forest in northern Sumatra (e.g. the Besitang region of Leuser and in Aceh); they should be timed in January–April as the specimens may have represented non-breeding migrants from an unknown breeding population further north. Blue-wattled Bulbul Pycnonotus nieuwenhuisii | Lost birds:
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