Aplonis magna (Schlegel, 1871)

Bishop, K. David, 2023, The avifauna of Biak Island, Papua, Indonesia with comments on status, conservation, natural history and taxonomy, Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 143 (1), pp. 3-62 : 52-53

LONG-TAILED STARLING Aplonis magna # RR

Local names Man Pudwar (Sansundi), Manpisasio (Kuneff?).

Range A. m. magna Biak, Supiori, Owi ; A. m. brevicauda Numfor.

Status Biak endemic subspecies; Teluk Cenderawasih endemic species. Obtained by all early collectors and recorded by nearly all visitors. One of the most common and widespread species. Its loud tuneful calls are a characteristic sound of forest and edge. In July 1982 recorded virtually continuously from sea level to c. 500 m on Supiori and commonly on Biak (KDB). Ripley recorded it to 670 m on Supiori ( Mayr & Meyer de Schauensee 1939). Apparently adapts to extensive degradation of forest habitat; during the 1980s and 1990s it was occasionally seen on lawns of village houses, as well as in native gardens, thickets, scrub, second growth and dense undisturbed rainforest. Unlike A. metallica it rarely forms flocks, remaining largely in pairs. Occasionally seen in multiples of two totalling no more than eight feeding at fruiting trees. Above KDB’s 1982 Supiori camp at c. 300 m the species was very active at fruiting trees, darting in to take fruit as soon as fruit doves departed. 13 January 1994: six on Owi (P. Gregory in litt. 2000), where also recorded by Gibbs (1993).

Breeding 5 July 1982: an active nest attended by two adults in an isolated tree in low scrub, 2 km from Biak town beside a road. The nest was c. 12 m up and was a large barrel-shaped construction c. 25 cm high and 45 cm across, of moderately thin twigs. The entrance was a hole in the side facing out along the branch. Several other apparently inactive nests were noted in similar habitat and in second growth on Biak and Supiori. One nest was in a tall, dead, emergent mangrove Rhizophora sp. ( KDB) .