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Ornithology, Evolution, and Philosophy 123

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4<br />

Ornithologist <strong>and</strong> Zoogeographer<br />

Birds of Oceania<br />

At the AMNH, Mayr studied primarily the bird fauna of Oceania (Fig. 4.1), the<br />

isl<strong>and</strong> area bordered by <strong>and</strong> including New Guinea, Palau <strong>and</strong> Marianas Isl<strong>and</strong>s on<br />

the west <strong>and</strong> the Tuamotus <strong>and</strong> Marquesas Isl<strong>and</strong>s in the east. Based on anthropological<br />

research, Oceania is usually subdivided geographically into three regions:<br />

Melanesia (New Guinea eastward to Fiji <strong>and</strong> New Caledonia), Micronesia (Marianas,<br />

Caroline, Marshall <strong>and</strong> Gilbert Isl<strong>and</strong>s), <strong>and</strong> Polynesia (a triangle of many<br />

isl<strong>and</strong>s, including Hawaii, New Zeal<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Easter Isl<strong>and</strong>). Mayr’s main interest<br />

was in the problems of geographic speciation, but he had never before encountered<br />

material documenting this process quite so graphically as these isl<strong>and</strong> birds.<br />

There was no widespread species that did not contain clear-cut cases of geographic<br />

speciation. Mayr followed a three-pronged research program in systematic <strong>and</strong><br />

regional ornithology mainly founded on the collections of the Whitney South Sea<br />

Expedition:<br />

(1) Revision<strong>and</strong>monographictreatmentofthebirdsofPolynesia<strong>and</strong>Micronesia;<br />

(2) Study <strong>and</strong> revision of the birds of Melanesia in preparation of a book on the<br />

birds of the Solomon Isl<strong>and</strong>s;<br />

(3) Study <strong>and</strong> revision of all species <strong>and</strong> genera of New Guinea birds <strong>and</strong> preparation<br />

of a book on the avifauna of this isl<strong>and</strong>.<br />

He was eminently successful in carrying out these programs (Figs. 4.2, 4.3). A continuous<br />

stream of research articles appeared from 1931 onward punctuated by the<br />

publication of book-length contributions like the “Birds of the 1933–1934 Archbold<br />

Papuan Expedition” (1937c, with A. L. R<strong>and</strong>; 248 p.), his List of New Guinea<br />

Birds (1941f, 260 p.), the field guides, BirdsoftheSouthwestPacific(1945n, 316<br />

p.), BirdsofthePhilippines(1946k, with J. Delacour, 309 p.) <strong>and</strong> the h<strong>and</strong>book,<br />

Birds of Northern Melanesia. Speciation, Ecology, <strong>and</strong> Biogeography (2001g, with<br />

J. Diamond as coauthor, 492 pp). The total of his taxonomic <strong>and</strong> regional ornithological<br />

work comprises about 3,500 printed pages (which includes publications on<br />

Australian <strong>and</strong> southeast Asian birds to be mentioned later). Of this total he wrote<br />

about half as a single author <strong>and</strong> the other half with one or more coauthors. Among<br />

these were A. R<strong>and</strong>, S. Camras, D. Serventy, <strong>and</strong> R. Meyer de Schauensee during<br />

the 1930s, D. Ripley, D. Amadon, J.K. Stanford, M. Moynihan, J. Bond, C. Vaurie<br />

<strong>and</strong> J. Delacour during the 1940s, <strong>and</strong> T. Gilliard as well as a few others during the<br />

1950s.

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