Santo starling survives!
A RECENT EXPEDITION to Vanuatu has confirmed the existence of the Santo mountain starling Aplonis santovestris. Endemic to the island of Santo, the species has only ever been recorded on Vutimele and Tabwemasana mountains, in forest above 1,000 metres. Three specimens were taken in the 1930s, but the only subsequent observations were in the mid-1970s with several other searches failing to find the species. The six-person team, which included New Zealand ornithologist Peter Montgomery as well as ornithologists from Australia and Vanuatu, visited Peak Santo in late 1991. The team made a number of confirmed sightings and although not able to put a figure on the number of starlings on Peak Santo, they estimate that a reasonable population exists. The bird’s preference for forest over 1,000 metres means that it will never be widespread, but its habitat is, for the moment, reasonably intact.
Source: International Council for Bird Preservation
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/FORBI19920201.2.9.2
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Forest and Bird, Volume 23, Issue 1, 1 February 1992, Page 6
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152Santo starling survives! Forest and Bird, Volume 23, Issue 1, 1 February 1992, Page 6
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