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
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.

Contents

Taxonomy and systematics

The Australian golden whistler was originally described in the genus Muscicapa by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1801. [4]

Subspecies

The taxonomy of the golden whistler complex is difficult, and remains a matter of dispute. [5] [6] [7] 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).

Presently, six remaining subspecies are recognized: [8]

Some authorities also consider the following related species as subspecies of the Australian golden whistler: [5]

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). [9] Historically even the New Caledonian, Tongan and Samoan whistler have been treated as subspecies of P. pectoralis. [9] Strong published evidence in favour of either treatment is limited, and further study is warranted to resolve the situation. [9]

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. [9]

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. [9]

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. [9] Most of the population is now restricted to the Norfolk Island National Park. [9] This has resulted in it being listed as vulnerable by the Australian Government. [10] Another island subspecies, the Lord Howe golden whistler (P. p. contempta) remains common, [9] but was listed as vulnerable by the Australian Government due to its small range. [11] It is not listed anymore. [12]

Meehan Range, Tasmania


Related Research Articles

<i>Pachycephala</i> Genus of birds

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.

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

The rufous whistler is a species of whistler found in New Caledonia and Australia. Predominantly a reddish-brown and grey bird, it makes up for its subdued plumage with its song-making ability. Like many other members of the Pachycephalidae, it has a variety of musical calls.

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

The Wallacean whistler is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae. It is native to the eastern Lesser Sunda Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.

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

The Melanesian whistler or Vanuatu whistler, is a species of passerine bird in the whistler family Pachycephalidae. It is found on the Loyalty Islands, Vanuatu, and Vanikoro in the far south-eastern Solomons.

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

The drab whistler is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae. It is found in the Maluku Islands. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

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

The white-breasted whistler is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae. It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.

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

The mangrove golden whistler or black-tailed whistler, is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae. It is found in mangrove forests and adjacent wet forests of Papua New Guinea and Australia.

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

The grey whistler or brown whistler, is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae. It is found in northern Australia and New Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical mangrove forest.

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

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

The Fiji whistler is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae, endemic to Fiji.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lord Howe golden whistler</span> Subspecies of bird

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norfolk robin</span> Species of songbird native to Norfolk Island

The Norfolk robin, also known as the Norfolk Island scarlet robin or Norfolk Island robin, is a small bird in the Australasian robin family Petroicidae. It is endemic to Norfolk Island, an Australian territory in the Tasman Sea, between Australia and New Zealand.

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

The oriole whistler, also known as the yellow-throated whistler, is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae, which is endemic to the Solomon Islands (archipelago).

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

The black-chinned whistler is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae, endemic to Halmahera and adjacent smaller islands in North Maluku in Indonesia.

<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 Temotu whistler is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae, which is endemic to the Santa Cruz Islands of the Solomon Islands group. It was classified as a separate species in 2016 by the IOC. Two of its subspecies belonged previously to the former white-throated whistler and the nominate subspecies was a subspecies of the Melanesian Whistler.

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

The Louisiade whistler is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae, which is endemic to the Louisiade Archipelago south-east of New Guinea. It was split from the Bismarck whistler by the IOC in 2015.

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.

The Baliem whistler or Balim whistler is a species of bird of the whistler family Pachycephalidae that is endemic to New Guinea.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2017). "Pachycephala pectoralis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T103693368A118692098. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T103693368A118692098.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Ken Simpson, K., & N. Day. (1994). Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. 2nd edition. Christopher Helm. ISBN   0-7136-3930-X.
  3. ↑ "Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive" . Retrieved Oct 19, 2016.
  4. ↑ Latham, John (1801). Supplementum indicis ornithologici sive systematis ornithologiae (in Latin). London: Leigh & Sotheby. p. li.
  5. 1 2 Clements, J. F. (2007). The Clements Checklist of the Birds of the World. 6th edition. ISBN   978-0-7136-8695-1.
  6. ↑ Gill, F & D Donsker (Eds). 2016. IOC World Bird List (v 6.3). doi : 10.14344/IOC.ML.6.3. Accessed 19 October 2016.
  7. ↑ Dickinson, E. C. Eds. (2003). The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. 3rd edition. Christopher Helm. ISBN   0-7136-6536-X.
  8. ↑ "IOC World Bird List 6.3". IOC World Bird List Datasets. doi:10.14344/ioc.ml.6.3.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Boles, W. E. (2007). Golden Whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis). Pp. 421–423 in: del Hoyo, J., A. Elliot, & D. Christie. Eds. (2007). Handbook of the Birds of the World . Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ISBN   978-84-96553-42-2
  10. ↑ Pachycephala pectoralis xanthoprocta — Golden Whistler (Norfolk Island). Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Accessed 10 February 2010.
  11. ↑ List of Extinct, Threatened and Near Threatened Australian birds. Archived October 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2000. Accessed 10 February 2010.
  12. ↑ EPBC Act: List of Threatened Fauna. DEWHA. Accessed 10 February 2010.
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