Black Tern Chlidonias niger at Moitaka Settling Ponds, Central Province - First record for the New Guinea region

Abstract

On 18 May 1985 the author was accompanied by Tim Murphy, Eric Shackleton and David Cormac and we called in at Moitaka at 16:00 hrs on the off-chance that something of interest might be there. Immediately on getting out of the vehicle BWF checked a party of terns feeding at the in-flow pipe of one of the new ponds. Amongst the Whiskered Terns Chlidonias hybrida, and Gull-billed Terns Sterna nilotica, was bird that was immediately recognised as a black Tern Chlidonias niger, and BWF drew attention to it . The bird was in complete immaculate breeding plumage.