Species fact sheet by Global Register of Migratory Species - www.groms.de

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Large numbers spend the austral winter in N Queensland and a few in SW Queensland, but main wintering grounds are in New Guinea. Emigrants moving N out of Australia concentrate at Torres Strait, where large flocks in Mar; huge numbers spread throughout open lowlands of New Guinea and its satellite islands, occurring at up to 2100m. Passage N in New Guinea strong in Apr, birds travelling in flocks by day and on moonlit nights; cross mountain passes at 4000 m, and may continue farther W and N to Lesser Sundas, Moluccas and Sulawesi. A few winter in Solomon Is, and vagrants have occurred in Palau Is, Caroline Is and Ryukyu Is. Return migration in Sept-Oct, and sometimes great morality in Torres Strait islands if birds encounter head winds.   (del Hoyo J, Elliott A, Sargatal J (eds), 2001)

• digitised by GROMS, after del Hoyo J A Elliott; J Sargatal (eds) (2001) - www.hbw.com,
• Copyright: GROMS/BfN - www.groms.de
  
  (A digitised version of this map is published in GIS shape format on the GROMS CD).