Although there is substantial evidence that Northern Hemisphere species have responded to climatic change over the last few decades, there is little documented evidence that Southern Hemisphere species have responded in the same way. Here, we report that Australian migratory birds have undergone changes in the first arrival date (FAD) and last date of departure (LDD) of a similar magnitude as species from the Northern Hemisphere. We compiled data on arrival and departure of migratory birds in southeast Australia since 1960 from the published literature, Bird Observer Reports, and personal observations from bird watchers. Data on the FAD for 24 species and the LDD for 12 species were analyzed. Sixteen species were short-to middle-distance species arriving at their breeding grounds, seven were long-distance migrants arriving at their nonbreeding grounds, and one was a middle-distance migrant also arriving at its nonbreeding ground. For 12 species, we gathered data from more than one location, enabling us to assess the consistency of intraspecific trends at different locations. Regressions of climate variables against year show that across south-east Australia average annual maximum and minimum temperatures have increased by 0.17 1C and 0.13 1C decade À1 since 1960, respectively. Over this period there has been an average advance in arrival of 3.5 days decade À1 ; 16 of the 45 time-series (representing 12 of the 24 species studied) showed a significant trend toward earlier arrival, while only one timeseries showed a significant delay. Conversely, there has been an average delay in departure of 5.1 days decade À1 ; four of the 21 departure time-series (four species) showed a significant trend toward later departure, while one species showed a significant trend toward earlier departure. However, differences emerge between the arrival and departure of short-to middle-distance species visiting south-east Australia to breed compared with long-distance species that spend their nonbreeding period here. On average, short-to middle-distance migrants have arrived at their breeding grounds 3.1 days decade À1 earlier and delayed departure by 8.1 days decade À1 , thus extending the time spent in their breeding grounds by $ 11 days decade À1 . The average advance in arrival at the nonbreeding grounds of long-distance migrants is 6.8 days decade À1 . These species, however, have also advanced departure by an average of 6.9 days decade À1 . Hence, the length of stay has not changed but rather, the timing of events has advanced. The patterns of change in FAD and LDD of Australian migratory birds are of a similar magnitude to changes undergone by Northern Hemisphere species, and add further evidence that the modest warming experienced over the past few decades has already had significant biological impacts on a global scale.

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Ancient DNA has revolutionized the way in which evolutionary biologists research both extinct and extant taxa, from the inference of evolutionary history to the resolution of taxonomy. Here, we present, to our knowledge, the first study to report the rediscovery of an ‘extinct’ avian taxon, the Tasman booby ( Sula tasmani ), using classical palaeontological data combined with ancient and modern DNA data. Contrary to earlier work, we show an overlap in size between fossil and modern birds in the North Tasman Sea (classified currently as S. tasmani and Sula dactylatra fullagari , respectively). In addition, we show that Holocene fossil birds have mitochondrial control region sequences that are identical to those found in modern birds. These results indicate that the Tasman booby is not an extinct taxon: S. dactylatra fullagari O'Brien & Davies, 1990 is therefore a junior synonym of Sula tasmani van Tets, Meredith, Fullagar & Davidson, 1988 and all North Tasman Sea boobies should be known as S. d. tasmani . In addition to reporting the rediscovery of an extinct avian taxon, our study highlights the need for researchers to be cognizant of multidisciplinary approaches to understanding taxonomy and past biodiversity.

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abstract. In the years 1879-1882 the Curator of the Australian Museum, Edward P. Ramsay, named 15 bird taxa largely based upon specimens collected in the Solomon Islands by James F. Cockerell in 1878. Investigations based upon the original correspondence and examination of the specimens determined that the specimens used by Ramsay to describe these taxa were dispersed to at least six museums. The number of types collected by Cockerell is larger than previously thought, with only 40 of the 93 known extant type specimens being held by the Australian Museum. The dates of publication of these taxa, the journals of original publication and related nomenclatorial issues are discussed.