Australian golden whistler

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Australian golden whistler
Pachycephala pectoralis youngi 2.jpg
Male
Pachycephala pectoralis female.jpg
Female, Queensland, Australia
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Pachycephalidae
Genus: Pachycephala
Species:
P. pectoralis
Binomial name
Pachycephala pectoralis
(Latham, 1801)
Subspecies

See text

Synonyms
  • Muscicapa pectoralis
  • Pachycephala gutturalis

The Australian golden whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis) or golden whistler, is a species of bird found in forest, woodland, mallee, mangrove and scrub in Australia (except the interior and most of the north). [2] Most populations are resident, but some in south-eastern Australia migrate north during the winter. Its taxonomy is highly complex and remains a matter of dispute, with some authorities including as many as 59 subspecies of the golden whistler (one of the highest numbers of subspecies in any bird), [3] while others treat several of these as separate species. This bird is also known as White-Throated Thickhead in older books. [4]

Contents

Taxonomy and systematics

The Australian golden whistler was originally described in the genus Muscicapa by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1801. [5]

Subspecies

The taxonomy of the golden whistler complex is difficult, and remains a matter of dispute. [6] [7] [8] Some authorities include a wide range of – often strikingly different – taxa from Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji as subspecies of P. pectoralis, in which case the combined species simply is known as the golden whistler (a common name sometimes also used exclusively for the Australian species).

Five remaining subspecies are recognized: [9]

Some authorities also consider the following related species as subspecies of the Australian golden whistler: [6]

Additionally, all except the nominate subspecies of the Melanesian whistler are sometimes included as subspecies of P. pectoralis (in which case P. caledonica is known as the New Caledonian whistler). [10] Historically even the New Caledonian, Tongan and Samoan whistler have been treated as subspecies of P. pectoralis. [10] Strong published evidence in favour of either treatment is limited, and further study is warranted to resolve the situation. [10]

Description

Male, Queensland, Australia Golden Whistler male kobble08.jpg
Male, Queensland, Australia
A juvenile Australian golden whistler Pachycephala pectoralis -Wollery, Denmark, Western Australia, Australia -juvenile-8.jpg
A juvenile Australian golden whistler
Male golden whistler singing, Mallacoota, Australia Golden Whistler singing.jpg
Male golden whistler singing, Mallacoota, Australia
Song of the Australian golden whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis) recorded October 22, 2018, in Mallacoota, Victoria, Australia

The male has a bright yellow underside and nape, olive-green back and wings, a black head and chest-band, and a white throat. A notable exception is the Norfolk golden whistler (P. p. xanthoprocta) where the plumage of the male is female-like. In Australia females are overall dull brownish-grey, though some have yellowish undertail coverts. Both sexes have a black bill, dark legs and red-brown eyes. [10]

Australian golden whistlers have a strong, musical voice. [2]

Distribution and habitat

The Australian golden whistler can be found in almost any wooded habitat, especially dense forests. It eats berries, insects, spiders, and other small arthropods. They usually feed alone and obtain food from the lower to middle tree level, or they may alternatively take part in mixed-species feeding flocks.

Behaviour

This species breeds between September and January. Male and female both work on the nest, which is a shallow bowl made of twigs, grass, and bark, and bound together with spider web. Only one brood is raised per season and both birds share incubation and care of young. Eggs hatch 15 days after they are laid and the young leave the nest after 12 days.

Status

The Australian golden whistler is considered to be of least concern, [1] and it is generally described as common to fairly common. [10]

The Norfolk golden whistler (P. p. xanthoprocta) declined for many years due to habitat loss and fragmentation and possibly also due to introduced predators such as the black rat. [10] Most of the population is now restricted to the Norfolk Island National Park. [10] This has resulted in it being listed as vulnerable by the Australian Government. [11] Another island subspecies, the Lord Howe golden whistler (P. p. contempta) remains common, [10] but was listed as vulnerable by the Australian Government due to its small range. [12] It is not listed anymore. [13]

Meehan Range, Tasmania


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Pachycephala is a genus of birds native to Oceania and Southeast Asia. They are commonly known as typical whistlers. Older guidebooks may refer to them as thickheads, a literal translation of the generic name, which is derived from the Ancient Greek terms pachys "thick" + kephale "head". This lineage originated in Australo-Papua and later colonized the Indonesian and Philippine archipelagos to the west and the Pacific archipelagos to the east.

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The Bismarck whistler is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae, which is endemic to the Bismarck Archipelago north-east of New Guinea.

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The Lord Howe golden whistler, also known as the Lord Howe whistler or Lord Howe Island golden whistler, and locally as the “robin” or “yellow robin”, is a small bird in the whistler family, Pachycephalidae. It is a subspecies of the Australian golden whistler that is endemic to Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea, part of New South Wales, Australia.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-chinned whistler</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rusty-breasted whistler</span> Species of bird

The rusty-breasted whistler, also known as the fulvous-tinted whistler, is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae. It is endemic to Indonesia, where it ranges from Java east to Alor and north to the Selayar Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-throated whistler</span> Species of bird

The yellow-throated whistler or Banda Sea whistler, is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae. It is endemic to central and south-eastern Wallacea, where it ranges from Timor east to the Tanimbars and north to Seram and Banggai. The oriole whistler is sometimes alternatively called the yellow-throated whistler, leading to confusion between both species.

The Vanikoro whistler is a passerine bird in the family Pachycephalidae, which is endemic to the southeast Santa Cruz Islands of the Solomon Islands group. The Nendo whistler and Utupua whistler were formerly treated as subspecies. Before the split the combined species were known by the English name "Temotu whistler".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western whistler</span> Species of bird

The western whistler is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae found in southwest Australia. Prior to 2015, the western whistler was considered as a subspecies of the Australian golden whistler until recognized as a separate species following molecular studies that suggested a closer relationship to the mangrove golden whistler species complex.

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The Rennell whistler is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae, which is endemic to the Rennell Island in the Solomon Islands. It was split from the Bismarck whistler by the IOC in 2016.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-throated Fiji whistler</span> Species of bird

The yellow-throated Fiji whistler is a species of passerine bird in the family Pachycephalidae, endemic to central Fiji. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the white-throated Fiji whistler. Before the split the combined species were known as the "Fiji whistler".

The Nendo whistler is a passerine bird in the family Pachycephalidae. It is endemic to Nendö, as well as the Reef and Duff islands in the Santa Cruz Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It was formerly treated as a subspecies of the Vanikoro whistler. Before the split the combined species were known by the English name "Temotu whistler".

The Utupua whistler is a passerine bird in the family Pachycephalidae that is endemic to the island of Utupua in the Santa Cruz Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It was formerly treated as a subspecies of the Vanikoro whistler. Prior to the split the combined species were known by the English name "Temotu whistler".

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International. (2024). "Pachycephala pectoralis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2024: e.T103693368A263821612. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  2. 1 2 Ken Simpson; K. Day; N. Day (1994). Field Guide to the Birds of Australia (2nd ed.). Christopher Helm. ISBN   0-7136-3930-X.
  3. ↑ "Golden whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis)". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive . Lynx Edicions. Retrieved Oct 19, 2016.
  4. ↑ Mathews, Gregory M. (1910–1927). The birds of Australia. Vol. 8. London: Witherby.
  5. ↑ Latham, John (1801). Supplementum indicis ornithologici sive systematis ornithologiae (in Latin). London: Leigh & Sotheby. p. li.
  6. 1 2 Clements, J. F. (2007). The Clements Checklist of the Birds of the World (6th ed.). Christopher Helm. ISBN   978-0-7136-8695-1.
  7. ↑ Gill, F; D Donsker, eds. (2016). "IOC World Bird List". v 6.3. doi:10.14344/IOC.ML.6.3 . Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  8. ↑ Dickinson, E. C., ed. (2003). The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World (3rd ed.). Christopher Helm. ISBN   0-7136-6536-X.
  9. ↑ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (August 2024). "Whiteheads, sittellas, Ploughbill, Australo-Papuan bellbirds, Shriketit, whistlers". IOC World Bird List Version 14.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Boles, W. E. (2007). del Hoyo, J.; A. Elliot; D. Christie (eds.). "Golden Whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis)". Birds of the World Online. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. pp. 421–423. ISBN   978-84-96553-42-2.
  11. ↑ "Pachycephala pectoralis xanthoprocta — Golden Whistler (Norfolk Island)". Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts . Retrieved 10 February 2010.
  12. ↑ "List of Extinct, Threatened and Near Threatened Australian birds" (PDF). The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 5, 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
  13. ↑ "List of Threatened Fauna". EPBC Act. DEWHA . Retrieved 10 February 2010.
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