Moluccan Cuckoo

[Daniel Philippe]

In the last BirdingAsia (n°10 - December 2008), there is an article by Graham Tebb, Pete Morris & Peter Los on “New and interesting bird records from Sulawesi and Halmahera” with a special mention to the Moluccan Cuckoo.
This bird was once known as Cacomantis heinrichi Streseman, 1931 until Payne (2005) said it should be subdumed in C. variolosus infaustus. Payne recognized only one species C. variolosus with 10 subspecies divided into two groups, the northern sepulcralis and the southern variolosus.

The authors of this article do not want “to call Payne’s thorough morphometric and genetic analysis into question, but they feel that the extended C. variolosus is likely to represent an oversimplification.”
They observed that "the vocalisations of "heinrichi" differed significantly from those of other races of C. variolosus, except for aeruginosus and they concluded that their observations would be consistent with the treatment of Moluccan Cuckoo and C. sepulcralis aeruginosus as a taxonomically distinct form or forms and their belief is that they may be one and the same. The latter name has precedence (Salvadori 1878), so perhaps Moluccan Cuckoo should be renamed C. aeruginosus?”

[Papuan birder]

In the last BirdingAsia (n°10 - December 2008), there is an article by Graham Tebb, Pete Morris & Peter Los on “New and interesting bird records from Sulawesi and Halmahera” with a special mention to the Moluccan Cuckoo.
This bird was once known as Cacomantis heinrichi Streseman, 1931 until Payne (2005) said it should be subdumed in C. variolosus infaustus. Payne recognized only one species C. variolosus with 10 subspecies divided into two groups, the northern sepulcralis and the southern variolosus.

The authors of this article do not want “to call Payne’s thorough morphometric and genetic analysis into question, but they feel that the extended C. variolosus is likely to represent an oversimplification.”
They observed that "the vocalisations of "heinrichi" differed significantly from those of other races of C. variolosus, except for aeruginosus and they concluded that their observations would be consistent with the treatment of Moluccan Cuckoo and C. sepulcralis aeruginosus as a taxonomically distinct form or forms and their belief is that they may be one and the same. The latter name has precedence (Salvadori 1878), so perhaps Moluccan Cuckoo should be renamed C. aeruginosus?”

So there has been recent records of the Moluccan Cuckoo? thats quite interesting to hear as I believe there has not been any confirmed records for a couple of decades.

The article, “New and interesting bird records from Sulawesi and Halmahera”, sounds very interesting. Apart from the occasional birdwatchers there is not much news regarding the birds of Halmahera being published.

So I would really appreiceiate it if someone would be so kind and summarize the new and interesting birds records, especially from Halmahera.

[Daniel Philippe]

So I would really appreiceiate it if someone would be so kind and summarize the new and interesting birds records, especially from Halmahera.

Red-footed Booby Sula sula
On 18 September 2004, an immature was resting on a fishing platform near Tobelo, Halmahera.

Christmas Island Frigatebird Fregata andrewsi
On 22 September 2006, an adult male was among a flock of Lesser Frigatebirds F. ariel off the coast of the Tangkoko National Park in North Sulawesi.

Javan Plover Charadrius javanicus
On 21 September 2005 five were on a dry area by the fishponds in Ujung Pandang (Makassar), South Sulawesi. On 4 October 2006 three birds were at the same site. In September 2007 26 individuals were observed at the site.

Asiatic Dowitcher Limnodromus semipalmatus
On 11 September 2007 a moulting individual was photographed at the Ujung Pandang fishponds.

Aleutian Tern Sterna aleutica
On 25 September 1999, 18 September 2004, 25 September 2005, 8 October 2006 and 15 & 25 September 2007 several birds were observed off Sulawesi and Halmahera.

Sombre Pigeon Cryptophaps poecilorrhoa
On 23 September 2007 PM observed and tape-recorded a bird that was displaying at Gunung Ambang Nature Reserve in North Sulawesi.

Sulawesi Hawk Cuckoo Cuculus crassirostris
On 10 October 2006 a bird was observed clambering around in the mid-storey of tall trees at Toraut in Dumoga-Bone National Park, North Sulawesi.

Moluccan Cuckoo Cacomantis (variolosus) aeruginosus/heinrichi
On 15 September PM observed, photographed and tape-recorded an individual at Foli, Halmahera which was tentatively identified as C. heinrichi (the sonograms of Brush Cuckoo C. v. infaustus and of this bird are very different indeed).

Eastern Grass Owl Tyto longirostris
On 6 September 2007 a single bird was seen hunting over rice paddies at Wausu, near Lore Lindu National park in Central Sulawesi.

Cinnabar Hawk Owl Ninox ios
On 1 October 2006 a bird was heard and recorded at 1700m elevation along the main road in Lore Lindu National Park, close to the trail leading to Danau Tambling. In September 2007 the bird was found to be not uncommon at middle elevation in the park.

Asian Palm Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis
On 22 September 1999 PM observed a single bird over the forest patch at Tambun, in Dumoga-Bone National Park. The species has subsequently been recorded on most visits to the site.

Elegant Pitta Pitta elegans
On 13 October 2006 a bird was located in Tangkoko National Park.

“Sulawesi Flycatcher” Muscicapa sp.
On 9 September 2004, 15 September 2005 and 5 September 2007 PM observed and photographed this species in Southern Sulawesi, at Karaenta Forest, near Ujung Pandang.