10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 28, 2014

Dark blackish swamphens occur from eastern Indonesia across Australia, Melanesia, southern Micronesia, and Polynesia as far east as American Samoa, having reached some of these islands only in the last few hundred years and, in the case of New Zealand at least, recolonizing islands previously settled by their cousins.

Papua New Guinea 192

Papua New Guinea Philippines New Zealand Florida 192

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 23, 2015

One new Pacific island form is the Mariana Kingfisher ( Todiramphus albicilla ) from the Mariana Islands in Micronesia. Saipan, Micronesia. Subspecies pealei , National Park of American Samoa. Top Flickr user Sjahanmi (Creative Commons, Attribution, Non-commercial). Mariana Kingfisher. Torrresian Kingfisher. Bryan Harry, USNPS.

United Arab Emirates 176

United Arab Emirates Micronesia Tonga Vanuatu 176

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2011

The Collared Kingfisher isn’t the most widespread kingfisher in the world (a distinction that would probably go to the Common Kingfisher or the Pied Kingfisher ), but it is close, ranging from the African coast of the Red Sea through to Tonga and American Samoa. Subspecies albicilla , Saipan, Micronesia. Bryan Harry, USNPS.

Samoa 168

Samoa Vanuatu United Arab Emirates Tonga 168