Birds, Babuyan Islands, province of Cagayan, Northern Philippines: New island distribution records

We present new bird distribution records from the Babuyan Islands in northern Philippines, gathered during recent biotic survey efforts i n the area. T his information represents a sign ificant step towards a detailed unde rstanding of the biodiversity of t he region. We report three subspecies not previously recorded from the country: Ceyx erithaca erithaca, Turdus chrysolaus orii, and Motacilla alba leucopsis, providing new information about migratory patterns in the region. We also p rovide the first published records from the islets o f Mabag and Barit, based on specimens in the collections of th e U.S. Nation al Museum of Natural Histo ry. With these reco rds, the resident av ifauna o f th is island group is relatively well-known, which will provide a firm foundation for planned studies of systematics and taxonomy of the bird fauna of the region. Introduction The Philippines have been the subject of intensive biodiversity studies, particularly i n th e middle twentieth century (Taylor 1934; Inger 1954; Rand and Rabor 1957) and again in recent y ears (Heaney et al. 1991; Rickart et al. 1 993; Brown et al. 1996; Heaney et al . 1999; Brown et al. 2000; Balete et al. 2006 ; Brown et al. 200 7). Nonetheless, several key areas of the country rem ain little-studied, with only historical or cursory recent attention to their biota, as i s evidenced by recent paper s documenting new island records (Redman 1993; Allen 20 06; Allen et al. 200 6; Peterson 2007) and even new species (Kennedy et al. 1997; Kenned y et al. 2 001; Allen et al. 2004). This contribution continue s the serie s, presenting new records and natural history notes from several visits to the Babuyan Islands nort h of Luzon, as well as fro m unpublished speci mens i n the U.S. National Museu m of Natural History (USNM) from collections in 198 9-1990. T he goal is to continue t o b uild a soli d, evidence-based picture of bird distributions in the Philippines. Methods This contribution summari zes r ecords f rom four principal sources, all ba sed on collecting and inventory efforts in the Babuyan Islands north of the main bod y of t he Phil ippine island s. In 9-1 1 March 2006, a team of f our bi ologists visited Camiguin Norte, working at Barangay Balatubat (18°54'29" N, 21°51' 54" E) and Limandok in Barangay Balatubat, establishing a fiel d cam p at 270 m (18°55' 44" N, 21°53' 56" E; 5-9 March); Asked, on Babu yan Claro (1 9°30'47" N, 121°11'31" E ; on 1214 March); and Calay an in the lowlands at Macarra (19°17'38" N, 121°24'32" E; 16-19 March) and uplands at 320 m (Longog in Barangay M agsidel, 19°1 9'52" N, 121 °26'20" E; 19-21 March). In Septem ber 2006, CO visited Dalupiri, working at Nipa Creek (1 9°6'7" N, 121°13'23" E; 12-1 3 Septem ber) and Manolon g Creek (19°5'6" N, 21°14'28" E; 15-17 September). In Februar y 2007, CO an d a larger te am visited Camiguin Norte, working again at Barangay Balatubat (6 February) and in a distinct part of the island (Kauringan in Barangay Balatubat, 18°54'7" N, 21°54'32" E; 6-17 February). Voucher specimens were collected un der gratuitous perm its issued by the Departm ent of Environment and Natural Resources – Protected Areas and W ildlife Burea u (DENR-PA WB). We also include incidental o bservations from short trips made since 2004 by CO on Fuga on 1 9-21


Introduction
The Philippines have been the subject of intensive biodiversity studies, particularly i n th e middle twentieth century (Taylor 1934;Inger 1954;Rand and Rabor 1957) and again in recent y ears (Heaney et al. 19 91;Rickart et al. 1 993;Brown et al. 1996;Heaney et al . 1 999;Brown et al. 2000;Balete et al. 2006 ;Brown et al. 200 7).Nonetheless, several key areas of the country rem ain little-studied, with only historical or cursory recent attention to their biota, as i s evi denced by recent paper s documenting new island records (Redman 1993;Allen 20 06;Allen et al. 200 6;Peterson 2007) and even new species (Kennedy et al. 1997;Kenned y et al. 2 001;Allen et al. 2004).This contribution continue s the serie s, presenting new records and natural history notes from several visits to the Babuyan Islands nort h of Luzon, as well as fro m unpublished speci mens i n the U.S. National Museu m of Natural History (USNM) from collections in 198 9-1990.T he goal is to continue t o b uild a soli d, evidence-based picture of bird distributions in the Philippines.

Aythya fuligula
Known from Batan, Calayan (K).Ten individuals sighted b y CO and ATP on small lake on Pamoctan, a small islet of f the coast of Ca miguin Norte, on 11 March 2006.

Rallina eurizonoides
Endemic race R. e. alvarezi wa s desc ribed from specimens from Batan an d occurs on Sabtang as well (K).Birds from Fuga appear to belong to the nominate race (Kennedy and Ross 19 87), while records fro m Cam iguin Norte are of unknown race (A).A series of seven specimens collected on Camiguin Norte at Kauringan on 8-12 February 2007 (KUNHM 98986-91, 99377) was co mpared with two paraty pes of R. e. alvarezi (USNM 58210-1) and with a male specimen of the nom inate subspecies fro m northern Luzo n (USNM 54222).In general, we noted only variable differences between the reference material of R. e. eurizonoides and R. e. alvarezi.Our material from Camiguin N orte was clearly closest to the nominate subspecies, in th e lighter dark olive of the back and lighter cinna mon of the head and throat.Ca miguin Norte speci mens also coincided with the reference individual of R. e. eurizonoides in having broader white barring on the underparts, but we are concerned about the degree to which such a character is likely to be wear-dependent.635133-42, 63514 6, 6351 48-50, 63515 6-61, 635177-8, 635183-4, 63 5302-4, 6 35309, 6353 18-24, 6 35327-9, 635 336-41, 6353 54), an d on Barit on 5-6 March 1990 (USNM 635169, 635173).

Urosphena squameiceps One netted in secondary forest at
Limandok, Camiguin Norte, on 7 March 2006 (KUNHM 97265), onl y the second Philippi ne record of the species (Curio et al. 2001 recorded it on 9 October 1999 on Panay Island).

Discussion and conclusions
Most of the n ew and interesting records presented herein are of species that winter in the Philippines, and are thus more or less expected to b e found in the Babuy an Islands.A f ew vagrant sp ecies, namely Larus argentatus , Urosphena squameiceps, Muscicapa dauurica , and Ceyx erithaca , were also encountered.We report new island records for several resident taxa ( Ptilinopus leclancheri , Streptopelia bitorquata, Chalcophaps indica , Tyt o capensis , Halcyon chloris ).Howeve r, these recor ds do not appear to r epresent significant exte nsions of known distri butional areas, as all are alr eady known from farther north and south i n the region.Further survey s in this island group are probably unlikely to reveal new r esident taxa, unless they are quite cryptic.

Muscicapa dauurica
Netted in gallery forest along Manolon g Creek on Dalupiri on 16 Septe mber 2006 (KUNHM 98737), the first record of this migratory species in the Batanes-Babuyan region.

Motacilla alba
Nonetheless, although approaching well-known ornithologically, the Babu yan an d Batanes island groups rem ain as im portant areas of avian diversity.A n endem ic rail was discovered on Calayan recently (Allen et al. 2004), and 18 endemic subspecies are recognized there, although their distinctiveness is variable.However, preliminary surveys of phenotypic variation suggest that treating these form s as subspecies may understate rates and degrees of avian endemism in the region (Peterson 2006).A com prehensive review of resident avian taxa in the region taking ad vantage of new molecular tools and new specimen material is under development (CO, unpubl.data).
Known from Batan and Cala yan (K).One referable to M. a. lugens (base d on presence of black eyestripe; solid black patch on breast; black crown, nape and back) was sighted by CO and ATP along a small lake on Pamoctan on 11 March 2006.Su bspecies M. a. leucopsis (based on presence of solid black patch on bre ast; black crown, nape and back; and absence of black eyestripe) sighted and v ideo-documented along the shoreline at Poblacion, Calay an, on 12-2 0 October 2005, the first record of this race in the Philippines.
Scolopax sp.The recently described S. bukidn onensis wa s recently recorded on Babuy an Claro(April 2004;Allen et al. 2006).Wo odcocks were sighted and photographed on Calayan by R. Hutchinson and J. Eaton in Feb ruary 2005 ( pers.co mm.), and CO flushed two woodcocks on Cam iguin Norte in February 2007.The identity of these woodcocks needs further investigation.Larus argentatus Known in t he Philippi nes fro m only two old records on Luzon, in 1 896 and in 19 28 (K).An immature individual sighte d on 21 October 2005 along the coast at Tugod , Calay an, by CO and MJCV, and documented with video footage.Streptopelia bitorquata Known from Calay an an d Fuga (K), and fro m Dalupiri (A).Collected o n Mabag on 4 March 1990 (USNM 635307, 635313).Chalcophaps indica Known from Batan, Calay an, Cam iguin Norte, Ivojos, Fug a, and Sabtang (K), and fro m Pamoctan, Babuyan Claro, and Dalupir i (A).Collected on Mabag on 3 and 5 March 1990 (USNM 635143, 6 35305, 63 5162) and on Barit on 7 March 1990 (USNM 635186).
) and at Mam bit, Cam iguin Norte, on 19 May 1989 ( USNM 607324).These records repre sent a northward extensi on of the range of the resident race, previousl y known only on Luzo n an d ot her islands in t he central and southern Philippines.