Ardea
Official journal of the Netherlands Ornithologists' Union

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Hoogerwerf A. (1966) The occurrence of Nycticorax caledonicus in Java. ARDEA 54 (1-2): 81-87
The occurrence of Nycticorax caledonicus in the island of Java, Indonesia, is discussed. It was first found in 1933 nesting in a large breeding colony of N. nycticorax in East Java. Evidence is brought forward in view of hybridization of these two species of Night Heron in West Java (Pulau Dua) where, however, also a supposedly 'pure' specimen of N. caledonicus in breeding condition was collected on 7 March 1956. A study is made of the geographical variation of N. caledonicus based on material in the Bogor Museum (Java). The possibilities of a more extensive hybridization zone of N. c. hilli and N. c. manillensis in eastern Indonesia and of hybridization of N. caledonicus and N. nycticorax in Celebes are discussed. Uncertainty remains about the status of N. caledonicus on Java, where this species is very rare. The representatives of this species observed in East Java and the collected bird in West Java did not make the impression of being the products of hybridization.


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