Gerald McCormack, CINHT
This post is the second in a 2-part blog about The Long-tailed Cuckoo (Karavia, Urodynamis taitensis) which winters in tropical Polynesia and migrates to New Zealand in October and November to breed by duping other birds to incubate its eggs and raise its young. Part 2 explores the birds polynesian names and the possibility it was linked to early navigation. Continue reading →
Gerald McCormack, CINHT
Adults (right & top), Juvenile (bottom) – Cook Islands, Aitutaki – Gerald McCormack
Seagulls are such common seabirds in New Zealand, Australia and America, that it always comes as a surprise for visitors to find no seagulls in the Cook Islands, assuming they ignore the two plastic ones at the Deli in Foodland. Although seagulls seem like the most adaptable scavengers we can imagine, they have not managed to establish themselves on the islands of tropical Polynesia. The nearest island to have resident seagulls is New Caledonia.
It was therefore surprising when people reported a dull brown seagull at Avatiu and at Muri in April 1992. It stayed a few weeks and then disappeared. Since then a similar type of seagull has been reported during the early months of 1995, 1997 and 1998. These birds were all first-year Laughing Gulls (Leucophaeus atricilla). This means that on each occasion it was a different bird that was seen, and only on one occasion did two birds visit together.
Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) Left: Caterpillar Right: adult butterfly – Gerald McCormack
Gerald McCormack, CINHT
Our largest native butterfly is the Monarch Butterfly(Pepe Renga, Danaus plexippus) which is present on all the Southern Group islands. It is orange and black, with a wingspan to 10cm. It is usually seen near the Red Cottonweed(Tirika, Asclepias curassavica), a wayside weed. The adult sucks nectar from a variety of flowers, while the caterpillar requires a plant in the milkweed family, such as Red Cottonweed (aka Butterfly Weed, Bloodflower). The caterpillars grow to 5cm in length, and are covered with narrow yellow, black, and white bands. Continue reading →
Gerald McCormack, CINHT
The Long-tailed Cuckoo (Karavia, Urodynamis taitensis) winters in tropical Polynesia and migrates to New Zealand in October and November to breed by duping other birds to incubate its eggs and raise its young. This post explores its behaviour in the Cook Islands and New Zealand and the discovery that it is a migrant.
Long-tailed Cuckoo, adult on branch and in flight – Cook Islands, Ātiu – Gerald McCormack 2010-04
The Long-tailed Cuckoo is dark brown with pale brown spots topside and white with brown streaks below; its conspicuously long tail is dark brown with pale brown bars.
In the tropics the cuckoo is solitary, secretive and inconspicuous except for the occasional loud screeching “wrrrrisssSST” call from high in trees. They are sometimes seen in fast direct flight between trees or slinking along tree branches in search of insects and lizards.
On Ātiu, twice in March and once in November, I have seen gregarious behaviour of small groups with much chasing associated with a rattling “chi-chi-chi-chi-chi-chi” call. The significance of this behaviour is unknown.
Nesting birds in the Cook Islands, such as the Rarotonga Flycatcher (Kākerōri, Pomarea dimidiata) and the Rimatara Lorikeet (Kura, Vini kuhlii) react very strongly to the presence of a cuckoo and chase it away. In New Zealand the cuckoo is a well-known predator on the eggs and nestlings of other birds and presumably they do the same here when the chance arises. Continue reading →
Gerald McCormack, Natural Heritage Trust
First published (14 April 2021), short version CI News (14 April 2021)
Plover in breeding plumage ready for April departure.
The Pacific Golden Plover, or Tōrea, is our most common Alaskan migrant. It is conspicuous on larger grassy areas during the summer and most are now in their dramatic breeding plumage and ready to depart. Continue reading →
