TROISIÈME COMPLÉMENT À LA LISTE DES OISEAUX DE NOUVELLE-CALÉDONIE

Over the last 3 years, eleven species of birds not previously known on the island have been observed, increasing the previous number (204) of species/subspecies recorded in New Caledonia to 214 taxa (the introduced Anas aucklandica has disappeared in the wild and is removed from the list). Most of the new records are marine birds: Light-mantled Albatross Phoebetria palpebrata, Buller's Albatross Thalassarche bulleri, Buller's Shearwater Puffinus bulleri, White-faced Storm-Petrel Pelagodroma marina, Black-bellied Storm Petrel Fregetta tropica, Brown Skua Stercorarius antarcticus. Two coastal the White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus, the Pied Heron Egretta picata and three terrestrial new visitors the Black Kite Milvus migrans, the Dusky Woodswallow Artamus cyanopterus and the Polynesian Triller Lalage maculosa have been recorded. One species, the Little Black Cormorant Phalacrocorax sulcirostris, previously classified as an Australian regular migrant became a local breeder. Among native birds, the 2008 and 2009 IUCN revisions modified the status of seven threatened species, 2 being downgraded and 5 upgraded. The situation of the Crow Honeyeater Gymonyza aubryana now classified critically endangered (CR) is of particular concern.