TONGA RECORDS 93 
DISCUSSION 
The single White-faced Heron seen on Tongatapu is a new species for the Tongan 
list. This heron is widespread in Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia, and 
there are single records of single birds in Fiji (Clunie et a/. 1978) and Niue (Child 1982). 
The sighting of two European Starlings on Foa, appears to be a new record for 
the Ha’apai group. Once established this potentially damaging species could quickly 
spread to neighbouring islands. 
The Blue-crowned Lorikeet has died out on many of the inhabited southern 
Tongan islands during this century (Rinke 1986b), so it was pleasing to find them in 
quite good numbers on Lofanga. The Whitney South Seas expedition collected this 
species on six Ha’apai islands (Amadon 1942), but not Lofanga. The most recent 
report confirms the lorikeet’s presence on only three Ha’apai islands: "Uiha, Tungua 
and Ha’afeva (Carlson MS 1974 cited by Rinke 1986b). 
I was surprised not to see any White-rumped Swiftlets on the Ha’apai islands 
visited, but apparently they are absent from islands that lack caves (Pratt et al. 1987). 
I particularly looked for trillers on Lofanga — they were not seen or heard. My failure 
to record honeyeaters on Foa was probably an oversight. 
The identity of the large skink on Tongatapu and Foa is a mystery. It is probably 
a species of Emoia, because this genus predominates in the region, and it is probably 
the same large skink that I saw on ’Eua in 1986 (Gill 1987). I do not know of any 
records of large Emoia from Tonga other than E. cyanogaster and E. nigra from 
Vava’u (R.I. Crombie, pers. comm.). Descriptions of neither of these seem to fit the 
animals I saw. 
I did not see any Banded Iguanas (Fokai) Brachylophus fasciatus despite much 
searching, especially on Foa and Lofanga. However, several locals described chance 
encounters with very large green lizards with long tails on Lofanga and its offshore 
islet Hakauata. 
Acknowledgements. | thank Anthony Wright for collaborating in the expedition to Tonga, 
Paul and Eryll Fabian for making available their bird records, Posesi Fanua and family for 
hospitality in Nuku’alofa and Timote Lutui and family for hospitality on Lofanga. 
