The results of our 2022 expedition to Fergusson Island, Papua New Guinea have been officially published in the Bulletin of the British Ornithologists Club as Boersma et al., 2025 ‘An ornithological survey of Fergusson Island, D'Entrecasteaux Archipelago, Papua New Guinea: new island records and noteworthy natural history observations.’
Fergusson Island, part of Papua New Guinea's D'Entrecasteaux Archipelago, is renowned for its unique avifauna and is designated an Endemic Bird Area (EBA) by BirdLife International. Despite the ornithological value of the D’Entrecasteaux and Trobriand Islands, research on the local avifauna remains extremely poor, with a peak of research at the turn of the 20th century.
Documenting 97 bird species over a period of a month the expedition team used a combination of audiovisual surveys and camera-trap surveys of the eastern massif of the island, facing piracy and earthquakes in the process. Documenting the Black-naped Pheasant-Pigeon (Otidiphaps insularis) for the first time in 126 years since Albert S Meek in 1896, the team also observed 6 bird species on the island for the first time, and provided the first photographic evidence of the nesting of the spectacular Goldie’s Bird of Paradise (Paradisea decora) and the Oya Tabu White Eye (Zosterops crookshanki) both endemic to the isolated islands of the D’Entrecasteaux Archipelago, and facing severe threats from habitat degradation and illegal logging.
Our expedition underscores the importance of ongoing monitoring and targeted conservation strategies to protect Fergusson Island's unique birdlife. By establishing a comprehensive avian inventory and highlighting critical conservation issues, this research contributes valuable information to the preservation of the island's biodiversity. We are grateful to the National Museum of Port Moresby and the communities of Basima and Porotona Village particularly for their support.
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