Has the Moluccan Boobok been splited? (1 Viewer)

Hello,

For quite sometime now I have heard rumours about the fact that the Moluccan Boobok has been splited (about time!) into three seperate species.`

Halmahera Boobok Ninox hypogramma, Nino squamipila (is hantu a synonym then?) and Tanimbar Boobok Ninox forbesi.

But I cant seems to find any reference of papper treating this so is this just speculations so far or is it just eager birdwatchers that have choosen to split these populations on their own?

It sure is good if someone finally would put down sometime and working with the taxanomy of East Indonesian birds.

Hehe, a friend of mine is desperate to get to Seram now.

Any info at all is very much wanted (including observations).

Thanks in advance
PB

Papuan -

See Birding Asia 7, Rheindt & Hutchinson 'A photoshot odyssy through the confused avian taxonomy of Seram and Buru' propose this obvious split. hantu is kept with Ninox squamipila, due to vocalisations being similar. English name proposed is Hantu Boobook.

The same authors produced a paper backing up many of these splits in the latest Forktail. Some obvious splits include the mountain-pigeons, Wakolo Myzomela, Chestnut-backed Bush-Warbler, Island Leaf-Warbler, Spectacled Imperial-Pigeon, Buru Green-Pigeon, swiftlets etc.

During their trek of Seram and Buru they encountered all of the Buru endemics except for Buru Green-Pigeon (they did little birding in the lowlands), Blue-fronted Lorikeet and Black-lored Parrot. On Seram they dipped Seram Thrush.

One of the authors is currently on Tanimbar so expect more future splits..... a good one would be the Mistletoebird subsp restricted to Tanimbar and Kai.

James Eaton said:

Papuan -

See Birding Asia 7, Rheindt & Hutchinson 'A photoshot odyssy through the confused avian taxonomy of Seram and Buru' propose this obvious split. hantu is kept with Ninox squamipila, due to vocalisations being similar. English name proposed is Hantu Boobook.

The same authors produced a paper backing up many of these splits in the latest Forktail. Some obvious splits include the mountain-pigeons, Wakolo Myzomela, Chestnut-backed Bush-Warbler, Island Leaf-Warbler, Spectacled Imperial-Pigeon, Buru Green-Pigeon, swiftlets etc.

During their trek of Seram and Buru they encountered all of the Buru endemics except for Buru Green-Pigeon (they did little birding in the lowlands), Blue-fronted Lorikeet and Black-lored Parrot. On Seram they dipped Seram Thrush.

One of the authors is currently on Tanimbar so expect more future splits..... a good one would be the Mistletoebird subsp restricted to Tanimbar and Kai.

Click to expand...

Hello James,

Thanks, I really appreciate your help. Sounds like a very intresting article, and I defenitely agree, very obvious. I have seen Ninox owls throughout the Moluccas and have always thought that a split would be needed. The vocalistations is very different throughout these Islands. The Bacan birds is very different from the Halmahera birds and may represent a undescribed subspecies.

I have heard rumours of a Ninox owl being present on Gebe Island (between Halmahera and Vogelkop Peninsula).

Excellent to see that some people are visiting such poorly explored regions and take time to sort up all the mess. Well needed and will hopefully attract more visitors. That Tanimbar visit should be rewarding, seems to be plenty of intresting species there as well.

The Seram Thrush is very difficult, I only saw it once during the period I live on this Island.

I wish I could start subscribing to some of these intresting publications but unfortunely not possibly due to were I live at the moment.

Thanks once again,
PB