The avifauna of Biak Island, Papua, Indonesia with comments on status, conservation, natural history and taxonomy
Author
Bishop, K. David
text
Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club
2023
2023-03-06
143
1
3
62
journal article
298463
10.25226/bboc.v143i1.2023.a2
6028cf6b-e944-40d1-b774-7caa1c970409
2513-9894
11642130
805136AB-F3FE-4C77-85AC-E37423156B6D
GURNEY’S EAGLE
Aquila gurneyi
Near Threatened
Local name
Man Munsob (Sansundi).
Range
Biak, Supiori, Yapen.
Status
Resident. First recorded by
Melville (1980)
in
March 1976
. Although scarce on mainland New
Guinea (Beehler & Pratt 2016)
, it was observed regularly by us and by most visitors to the southern two-thirds of Biak. In
August 2015
KDB saw an adult on Supiori hunting at canopy height at the edge of a mangrove with a small group of houses. In our experience this is characteristic behaviour of the species on Biak, where it is often seen singly or in pairs, hunting low over coastal villages. We have never observed it soaring high on Biak. Compared to elsewhere in its range (KDB & SvB) the species is seen fairly frequently on Biak, where its status may be related to the virtual absence of White-bellied Sea Eagle
Haliaeetus leucogaster
.