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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 107(2)

Patterns of supra-canopy flight by pigeons and parrots at a hill-forest site in Papua New Guinea

Craig T. Symes A C and Stuart J. Marsden B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa.

B Department of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester, M1 5GD, England.

C Corresponding author. Email: craig.symes@zoology.up.ac.za

Emu 107(2) 115-125 https://doi.org/10.1071/MU06041
Submitted: 6 September 2006  Accepted: 5 April 2007   Published: 15 June 2007

Abstract

It is important that conservation strategies consider the needs of taxa that range over large areas or make significant daily or seasonal movements across areas or habitats, but data on movements in most tropical animal species is lacking. We examined frequency, direction, and temporal variation in supra-canopy flight activity (number of individuals recorded per hour of recording) of eight species of parrot and seven species of pigeon over 5 months in a New Guinean hill-forest. Papuan Mountain Pigeon (Gymnophaps albertisii) contributed 44% of all flights and Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) 17%; while 95% of 1800 flights were made by seven species. Directions of flights were non-random in nearly all species. There was a significant movement of Papuan Mountain Pigeon, and smaller movements of Dusky Lory (Pseudeos fuscata), Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus) and Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus), towards lower altitudes in the mornings and a varying return to higher altitudes in the afternoons. Most species made more supra-canopy flights in the mornings than the afternoons but the exact patterns of flight differed between species. Flight activity varied significantly between months in several species, and flight activity tended to be highest during periods of breeding in most frugivorous birds. Large-bodied species made more supra-canopy flights than did smaller species, but there was no relationship across species between ‘on-the-ground’ bird densities and flight-frequency. Breadth of frugivorous diet (determined by review of the literature) did not influence flight-frequency. The factors that underpin the highly variable patterns of movement were identified. How these patterns might be affected by changes in land-use is important for landscape-level conservation, especially for those species that make systematic long-distance movements.


Acknowledgements

The project was funded by the North of England Zoological Society and we thank Dr Roger Wilkinson for various help. The National Research Institute (NRI) and Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) of Papua New Guinea are thanked for facilitating our research, and the Research and Conservation Foundation of Papua New Guinea (RCF) and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS – Papua New Guinea Program) are thanked for their support throughout the study. We are particularly grateful to Andy Mack, Deb Wright and Ross Sinclair (WCS) for their invaluable help and kindness throughout the project. We thank the Pawaiian landowners of the area, and especially Ijenepe Houmole, Rocksy, and Sam and Tracy Young for assistance in the field. We are grateful to the anonymous referees whose comments improved this paper.


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