The birds of Christmas Island, Indian Ocean: A review

Dear Birders, I agree with Rohan that this volume is a great addition to Australian ornithological literature. One observation of particular interest is the suggestion that the birds that have been seen on CI and identified as Oriental Cuckoo C. saturatus (sensu lato) is in fact Himalayan Cuckoo C. saturatus (sensu stricto) following the split of the traditional species into three following Payne (2005) and King (2005). This opinion is based on an analysis of the known migration patterns of the various species. The authors say (p. s118) “We consider the Christmas Island records likely to be saturatus that have overshot their wintering destination in Sumatra based on the location of the Island south of Sumatra and the late timing of their appearance”. Regards Peter Marsh