[TonyDownunder]

I recently returned from a trip to the northern tip of Buka Island in Bougainville which is part of Papua New Guinea. Unfortunately it was not a photography trip but I did manage to get a few shots. There are two birds I could not ID despite looking through eBird, Macauley and a couple of other sites.

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

I did get an ID from my iPhone Photos App that has the little bird similar to a Black Ringed White Eye which is found in Indonesia. The black bird came up as a Chopi Blackbird, but these are found in South America, and the pictures are not a good likeness. Checking other pictures on the iPhone Photos App gave mixed results. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank.

 

[Lance B]

No Idea on the first bird, but maybe the second is an Ashy-bellied Whiteye?

 

[Syllog]

You may also find some help at https://www.facebook.com/groups/aubirdid . There are some very knowledgeable birders there that may be able to help with New Guinea. I have received exceptionally quick responses to queries there, just be sure to include the location in your post.

 

[TonyDownunder]

You may also find some help at https://www.facebook.com/groups/aubirdid . There are some very knowledgeable birders there that may be able to help with New Guinea. I have received exceptionally quick responses to queries there, just be sure to include the location in your post.

Thanks for the lead. Unfortunately it is a private group and I don’t do FB. Maybe I have to rethink that.

 

[Patrick M]

There’s also a free app called Merlin Birds that many here use.

Merlin Bird ID - Home

Bird ID Wizard—Step-by-step Answer three simple questions about a bird you are trying to identify and Merlin will give you a list of possible matches. Merlin offers quick identification help for all levels of bird watchers and outdoor enthusiasts to help you learn about the birds in any country i

merlin.allaboutbirds.org

 

[TonyDownunder]

There’s also a free app called Merlin Birds that many here use.

Merlin Bird ID - Home

Bird ID Wizard—Step-by-step Answer three simple questions about a bird you are trying to identify and Merlin will give you a list of possible matches. Merlin offers quick identification help for all levels of bird watchers and outdoor enthusiasts to help you learn about the birds in any country i

merlin.allaboutbirds.org

Thanks Patrick. I have tried that but Merlin doesn’t appear to have any packs that cover the region. Macauley’s found a couple of others when Merlin defaults to it. The iPhone iOS 16 photos app came up with something but it didn’t seem correct for the black bird.

 

[Lance B]

Looking at the Ashy-bellied Whiteye, it does look similar, but their distribution doesn't look ot be in Bougainville. So, that may rule that bird out of the equation.

https://ebird.org/species/asbwhe1

I am still looking on the web to see, but in the meantime there is this site which lists the birds of Papua New Guinea:

List of birds of Papua New Guinea - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The beauty of this list is that you can dismiss certain species and just click on the one's that may be close to the mark. Or use the name to look up photos of that particular bird.

I have been looking at various birds that might fit the bill (sorry about the pun) but have had no luck with the black bird, but the small bird looks to be a type of whiteye/silvereye but just need the correct version.

The black bird does seem to have a sort of Starling look about it but am not sure or could it be a juvenile type of Bird of Paradise missing the relevant breeding plumage? It does have the shape of head and body of the Blue-faced Honeyeater, but of course that bird has different colouring.

 

[Charles Loy]

You may also find some help at https://www.facebook.com/groups/aubirdid . There are some very knowledgeable birders there that may be able to help with New Guinea. I have received exceptionally quick responses to queries there, just be sure to include the location in your post.

I tried to join, but they replied only Australia residents may join

 

[TonyDownunder]

Looking at the Ashy-bellied Whiteye, it does look similar, but their distribution doesn't look ot be in Bougainville. So, that may rule that bird out of the equation.

https://ebird.org/species/asbwhe1

I am still looking on the web to see, but in the meantime there is this site which lists the birds of Papua New Guinea:

List of birds of Papua New Guinea - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The beauty of this list is that you can dismiss certain species and just click on the one's that may be close to the mark. Or use the name to look up photos of that particular bird.

I have been looking at various birds that might fit the bill (sorry about the pun) but have had no luck with the black bird, but the small bird looks to be a type of whiteye/silvereye but just need the correct version.

The black bird does seem to have a sort of Starling look about it but am not sure or could it be a juvenile type of Bird of Paradise missing the relevant breeding plumage? It does have the shape of head and body of the Blue-faced Honeyeater, but of course that bird has different colouring.

Thanks for the lead. Sorry for the late response. Yes it is a bit starling like, but cicadabird like and cuckooshrike like . It is hard to pick with some of the images. The black eye limits it a bit. My search continues. Thanks again.

 

[Lance B]

Thanks for the lead. Sorry for the late response. Yes it is a bit starling like, but cicadabird like and cuckooshrike like . It is hard to pick with some of the images. The black eye limits it a bit. My search continues. Thanks again.

All good. I'd love to know what they are also!

 

[TonyDownunder]

All good. I'd love to know what they are also!

Hi Lance, I have continued searching but no certainty. I have sent some images and defo our local museum in Brisbane. They have an ID service for a range of things including birds. Hopefully they will come back to me before Christmas. I’ll keep you posted.

 

[Lance B]

Hi Lance, I have continued searching but no certainty. I have sent some images and defo our local museum in Brisbane. They have an ID service for a range of things including birds. Hopefully they will come back to me before Christmas. I’ll keep you posted.

Excellent. Lets hope you get some ID's.

 

[Butlerkid]

Charles Bartley has just done an extensive trip to Papua New Guinea. Long shot, but check out his galleries...and maybe contact him.

 

[TonyDownunder]

Charles Bartley has just done an extensive trip to Papua New Guinea. Long shot, but check out his galleries...and maybe contact him.

Thanks. Who is he? A quick Google search gave me a deceased guy and some young guy on social media that likes photos of himself.

 

[TonyDownunder]

I have had a reply from the Brisbane museum. It has a link to eBird. The reply is as follows “
This looks like a Brown-winged Starling (Aplonis grandis). I can just make out the distinctive brown edge strip of primary flight feathers and the other features match (general size, tail shape, bill shape and colour, eye colour, neck feathers etc.).

I have popped a link here, in which you can see the features more clearly in some pictures.”
Not sure about the eye colour but it was backlit so maybe that accounts for the difference. Other than that I think it’s pretty good Thanks for your interest.

 

[Lance B]

I have had a reply from the Brisbane museum. It has a link to eBird. The reply is as follows “
This looks like a Brown-winged Starling (Aplonis grandis). I can just make out the distinctive brown edge strip of primary flight feathers and the other features match (general size, tail shape, bill shape and colour, eye colour, neck feathers etc.).

I have popped a link here, in which you can see the features more clearly in some pictures.”
Not sure about the eye colour but it was backlit so maybe that accounts for the difference. Other than that I think it’s pretty good Thanks for your interest.

Ah, I did have a hunch in post #7 that the black bird was possibly a Starling of some sort.

Thanks for the update, Tony.

 

[Bisonbison]

The way the neck and breast feathers fluff out looks very distinctive and does look like the brown-winged starling you linked. Plus the species is found all over the Solomon Islands according to eBird. I love a good mystery bird.