A male Nice-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus was seen in October 2024 (observer’s title unknown) within the port metropolis of Busan. Based mostly on a document in eBird, this chook was then re-found in roughly the identical space in early March.
Based on Birds of the World, the Nice-tailed Grackle is a largely resident species of the Americas, which has elevated its vary enormously previously century, however stays at finest, “a short-distance, partial migrant on the northern limits of the breeding vary” (Johnson and Peer 2022).
The Nice-tailed Grackle may be very tolerant of degraded habitats and of individuals, nevertheless, and there are a selection of extralimital information of this species. It’s because, based on an article on the Birds Guides web site (posted on August 22nd 2024), “the species frequently takes benefit of ships to journey round, with a number of information from the Caribbean, South America and Hawaii” even reaching the Western Palearctic six occasions as much as 2024. eBird lists 5 of those Western Palearctic information; and exhibits no information in any respect in Asia.
Unique chook collections are nonetheless uncommon within the ROK; and the chook in Busan was discovered solely 5km from an enormous port in maybe a few of the “finest” habitat for the species within the metropolis, comprising an odd mixture of small wetlands and agricultural land set in amongst housing and retailers. As well as, there’s maybe one earlier document of a grackle from the Nakdong Estuary in Busan (this based mostly on a single picture, maybe of a Frequent Grackle Quiscalus quiscula, seen within the early 2000s, which the photographer claimed was taken on Eulsuk island), and several other information of Frequent Myna Acridotheres tristis.
Completely different checklists and completely different birders deal with information of ship-assisted chook species in a different way. Some, just like the American Fowl Affiliation, state that, “A species noticed removed from its regular vary could also be counted if, within the observer’s finest judgment and information, it arrived there unassisted by man. A wild chook following or driving a ship at sea, with out being captured, is taken into account touring unassisted by man”. Others, just like the British Ornithologist Union Rarities Committee, solely record these species which, “could be anticipated to reach … naturally and with out ship help given beneficial circumstances (i.e. the species is migratory and its migratory route matches that of different species believed to happen naturally).”
The Birds Korea Guidelines comprises 5 main classes, with Classes One and Two containing all naturally-occurring, adequately-documented species. Class 5D has been created for information of largely sedentary species, which seemingly arrived within the ROK in a wild state on a ship.
Due to this fact, until a captive origin might be traced for this specific chook, Nice-tailed Grackle will be part of e.g., Frequent Myna Acridotheres tristis and Home Crow Corvus splendens on Class 5D in our subsequent replace of the Birds Korea Guidelines as belonging to a bunch of “Pioneering, largely non-migratory species…extending their fragmented world vary via transport … which have occurred within the ROK with out establishing free-flying populations but.”
References
British Ornithologists’ Union Information Committee: thirty first Report. 2004. Printed on-line in October 2004.
Johnson, Okay. and B. D. Peer. 2022. Nice-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus), model 2.0. In Birds of the World (P. G. Rodewald and B. Okay. Keeney, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.grtgra.02
