Lemon-bellied flyrobin

Last updated

Lemon-bellied flyrobin
Lemon-bellied Flycatcher - Fogg Dam - Darwin S4E4152 (22319743512).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Petroicidae
Genus: Microeca
Species:
M. flavigaster
Binomial name
Microeca flavigaster
Gould, 1843
Synonyms
  • Microeca tormenti

The lemon-bellied flyrobin or lemon-bellied flycatcher (Microeca flavigaster) is a species of bird in the family Petroicidae. Found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea, its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.

Contents

Taxonomy

John Gould described the species in 1843 from a specimen from Port Essington in the Northern Territory. [2] The species name is from the Latin word flavus meaning 'yellow', and Ancient Greek gaster meaning 'belly'. [3] Four subspecies are recognised: the nominate flavigaster is found across the top of the Northern Territory, subspecies flavissima in Cape York and New Guinea, subspecies laetissima along the central-northern Queensland coast, and subspecies tormenti in the Kimberley of northwestern Australia. [4] The two Queensland subspecies are separated by the Atherton Tableland and Burdekin-Lynd Divide, and are possibly kept apart by a population of the jacky winter (Microeca fascinans) that replaces it in some areas. [5] Genetic analysis shows that the two Queensland subspecies are very closely related, but that there is quite a large separation from subspecies flavigaster. Subspecies tormenti was not sampled in that study. [6]

Subspecies tormenti, known as the Kimberley flyrobin, was considered a separate species for many years. It is unusual in that it lacks the yellow pigmentation of the other subspecies. [4] Les Christidis and Walter Boles reclassified it as a subspecies, since hybrids between subspecies tormenti and flavigaster have been found in the vicinity of Cambridge Gulf—between the ranges of the two subspecies. [7] [8]

As well as lemon-bellied flyrobin, the species is also commonly known as lemon-breasted flycatcher (from when belly was thought crude), yellow-bellied flycatcher, yellow-breasted flycatcher, or brown-tailed flycatcher (subspecies tormenti). [3]

Description

The adult lemon-bellied flyrobin is around 11.5 centimetres (4.5 in) long. [9] The sexes have similar plumage. The nominate subspecies flavigaster has lemon yellow underparts, a white throat, grey face with a white eyebrow stripe, and olive-brown upperparts. Subspecies tormenti has white underparts, more greyish upperparts, has a longer bill and tail and is larger overall. Subspecies flavissima resembles flavigaster but has a more obvious yellow tinge to the upperparts, throat, yellow eyebrow and a shorter tail, while laetissima more closely resembles flavigaster, but has a shorter tail and bill and is larger overall. [4]

Distribution and habitat

The species ranges from the Ord River in the west to coastal Queensland, and is found in mangroves, paperbark swamp forests, and woodland. [9]

Feeding

The lemon-bellied flyrobin is an insectivore, hunting its prey in the foliage or dead branches of trees and shrubs and only rarely on the ground. [10] Fieldwork in Kakadu National Park found that it occasionally caught large insects over 2 centimetres (0.79 in) in length; insects were generally caught by the bird hawking or sallying. [10]

Breeding

Breeding throughout its range, the lemon-bellied flyrobin breeds from August to February, raising one or two broods a season. The nest is a small dish-shaped structure made of bark and grasses in the fork of a tree. A single egg measuring 19 by 14 millimetres (0.75 by 0.55 in) is laid, pale blue with brownish markings. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australasian robin</span> Family of birds

The bird family Petroicidae includes 51 species in 19 genera. All are endemic to Australasia: New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand and numerous Pacific Islands as far east as Samoa. For want of an accurate common name, the family is often called the Australasian robins. Within the family species are known variously as robins, scrub-robins and flyrobins. They are only distantly related to the European robin of Europe, north Africa and western Asia, a member of family Muscicapidae.

<i>Eopsaltria</i> Genus of birds

Eopsaltria is a genus of small forest passerines known in Australia as the yellow robins. They belong to the Australasian robin family Petroicidae. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek for "dawn singer/song" because of their dawn chorus. They are inquisitive and bold birds, and have been reported perching on the shoulders or boots of people in the bush. Open eucalyptus woodlands are their preferred habitat. The ornithologist John Gould likened the behaviour and mannerisms of the eastern and western yellow robin to those of the European robin. The name "yellow robin" itself was applied to the eastern yellow robin by the early settlers of New South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pied monarch</span> Species of bird

The pied monarch is a species of bird in the monarch-flycatcher family, Monarchidae. It is endemic to coastal Queensland in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-bellied flyrobin</span> Species of songbird native to New Caledonia

The yellow-bellied flyrobin is a species of passerine bird in the Australasian robin family Petroicidae. It is the only species in the genus Cryptomicroeca. The yellow-bellied flyrobin is endemic to New Caledonia, where it occurs on the island of Grande Terre. It occupies a range of habitats, including dry lowlands, woodland, Pinus and Pandanus forest, and humid forest from sea level up to 1,525 m (5,000 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-breasted robin</span> Species of songbird native to southwestern Australia

The white-breasted robin is a passerine bird in the Australasian robin family Petroicidae and the yellow robin genus Eopsaltria. Occasionally it is placed in the genus Quoyornis Mathews, 1912. It is endemic to southwestern Australia. Unlike many other Australian robins, it lacks bright colours in its plumage, being a predominantly greyish bird with white underparts. Like other closely related Australasian robins, it is a cooperative breeder. It is sedentary, with pairs or small groups maintaining territories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western yellow robin</span> Species of songbird native to southern Australia

The western yellow robin is a species of bird in the Australasian robin family, Petroicidae, native to Australia. Described by John Gould in 1838, the western yellow robin and its Australian relatives are not closely related to either the European or American robins, but they appear to be an early offshoot of the Passerida group of songbirds. Ranging between 13.5 and 15.5 cm long, it has grey upperparts, and a grey breast and head, broken by whitish streaks near the bill and below the eye, with a conspicuous yellow belly. The sexes are similar in appearance. Two subspecies are recognized: subspecies griseogularis, which has a yellow rump, and subspecies rosinae with an olive-green rump.

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

The black-chinned honeyeater is a species of passerine bird in the family Meliphagidae. It is endemic to Australia. Two subspecies are recognised. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical dry forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacky winter</span> Species of bird

The jacky winter is a small grey-brown robin found commonly throughout Australia and also in Papua New Guinea. The jacky winter acquired its name due to rapid and strong vocalisations, which sound like jacky-jacky winter-winter. Their call is also often referred to as sounding like peter-peter-peter. Its habitats include open woodlands and farmlands.

<i>Microeca</i> Genus of birds

Microeca is a genus of passerine birds in the Australasian robin family Petroicidae. The species in this genus are commonly known as flyrobins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olive flyrobin</span> Species of songbird native to New Guinea

The olive flyrobin is a species of bird in the Australasian robin family Petroicidae that is found in New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-legged flyrobin</span> Species of songbird native to New Guinea and northern Australia

The yellow-legged flyrobin or yellow-legged flycatcher is a species of passerine bird in the Australasian robin family Petroicidae. It is found in New Guinea and Cape York Peninsula. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canary flyrobin</span> Species of songbird native to New Guinea

The canary flyrobin, also known as the Papuan flycatcher, canary robin, canary flycatcher, or montane flycatcher, is a species of bird in the family Petroicidae. It is found in New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests with elevations from 1,100–3,500 m (3,609–11,483 ft). Currently, its population is believed to be stable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden monarch</span> Species of bird

The golden monarch is a species of passerine bird in the family Monarchidae found in New Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. The golden monarch displays marked sexual dimorphism, the male a striking golden colour with black mask, wings and tail, the female a golden or golden-olive colour. Both bear a characteristic 'teardrop' white pattern below the eye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leaden flycatcher</span> Species of bird

The leaden flycatcher is a species of passerine bird in the family Monarchidae. Around 15 cm (6 in) in length, the male is lustrous azure with white underparts, while the female possesses leaden head, mantle and back and rufous throat and breast. It is found in eastern and northern Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical mangrove forests in the northern parts of its range, in the south and inland it is eucalypt woodland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-headed myzomela</span> Passerine bird of the honeyeater family

The red-headed myzomela or red-headed honeyeater is a passerine bird of the honeyeater family Meliphagidae found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. It was described by John Gould in 1840. Two subspecies are recognised, with the nominate race M. e. erythrocephala distributed around the tropical coastline of Australia, and M. e. infuscata in New Guinea. Though widely distributed, the species is not abundant within this range. While the IUCN lists the Australian population of M. e. infuscata as being near threatened, as a whole the widespread range means that its conservation is of least concern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pink robin</span> Species of songbird native to southeastern Australia

The pink robin is a small passerine bird native to southeastern Australia. Its natural habitats are cool temperate forests of far southeastern Australia. Like many brightly coloured robins of the family Petroicidae, it is sexually dimorphic. Measuring 13.5 cm (5.3 in) in length, the robin has a small, thin, black bill, and dark brown eyes and legs. The male has a distinctive white forehead spot and pink breast, with grey-black upperparts, wings and tail. The belly is white. The female has grey-brown plumage. The position of the pink robin and its Australian relatives on the passerine family tree is unclear; the Petroicidae are not closely related to either the European or American robins, but appear to be an early offshoot of the Passerida group of songbirds.

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

The white-browed robin is a species of bird in the family Petroicidae. It is endemic to north-eastern Australia. Its natural habitats are forest, woodland and scrub, often near water. It formerly included the buff-sided robin as a subspecies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pale-yellow robin</span> Species of songbird native to eastern Australia

The pale-yellow robin is a species of passerine bird in the family Petroicidae. It is endemic to eastern Australia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is a nondescript bird with grey head and olive upperparts, white throat and yellow underparts. The sexes are similar. Two subspecies are recognised: the smaller nana from North Queensland, and the larger and uncommon nominate race capito from southeast Queensland and northeastern New South Wales. It is insectivorous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific robin</span> Species of songbird native to islands in southwestern Pacific

The Pacific robin, is a red-breasted Australasian robin in the passerine bird genus Petroica found in Melanesia and Polynesia. It is similar in plumage to the scarlet robin of Australia, and until recently the two were considered conspecific until split in 1999 by Schodde and Mason. Thirteen subspecies of Pacific robin are currently recognised, and these subspecies display considerable variation in plumage, foraging preferences, and habitat. The Norfolk robin was previously considered a subspecies of the Pacific robin, but is now considered a distinct species.

Kempiella is a genus of birds in the Australasian robin family Petroicidae that are found in Australia and New Guinea.

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2017). "Microeca flavigaster". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T103736933A118827297. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T103736933A118827297.en . Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Gould, John (1843). "In Proceedings of meeting of Zoological Society of London". Proceedings of Meeting of Zoological Society of London. 10: 131–40 [132–33].
  3. 1 2 Gray, Jeannie; Fraser, Ian (2013). Australian Bird Names: A Complete Guide. Csiro Publishing. pp. 255–56. ISBN   978-0-643-10471-6.
  4. 1 2 3 Schodde, Richard; Mason, I.J. (1999). The Directory of Australian Birds : Passerines. A Taxonomic and Zoogeographic Atlas of the Biodiversity of Birds in Australia and its Territories. Collingwood, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. pp. 375–77. ISBN   9780643102934.
  5. ↑ Ford, Hugh A. (1986). "Avian Hybridization and Allopatry in the Region of the Einasleigh Uplands and Burdekin-Lynd Divide, North-eastern Queensland". Emu. 86 (2): 87–110. doi:10.1071/MU9860087.
  6. ↑ Christidis, L; Irestedt, M; Rowe, D; Boles, W E & Norman, J A (2011). "Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA phylogenies reveal a complex evolutionary history in the Australasian robins (Passeriformes: Petroicidae)" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 61 (3): 726–38. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.08.014. PMID   21867765.
  7. ↑ Christidis, Leslie; Boles, Walter (2008). The Taxonomy and Species of Birds of Australia and its Territories. Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union. p. 202. ISBN   978-0-643065-11-6.
  8. ↑ Johnstone, R.E. "Intergradation between Lemon-breasted Flycatcher Microeca flavigaster Gould and Brown-tailed Flycatcher Microeca tormenti Mathews in Cambridge Gulf, Western Australia" (PDF). Records of the Western Australian Museum. 11 (3): 291–95.
  9. 1 2 Slater, Peter (1974). A Field Guide to Australian Birds: Passerines. Adelaide: Rigby. p. 167. ISBN   0-85179-813-6.
  10. 1 2 Brooker, M.G.; Braithwaite, R.W.; Estbergs, J.A. (1990). "Foraging Ecology of Some Insectivorous and Nectarivorous Species of Birds in Forests and Woodlands of the Wet-Dry Tropics of Australia". Emu. 90 (4): 215–30. doi:10.1071/MU9900215.
  11. ↑ Beruldsen, Gordon (2003). Australian Birds: Their Nests and Eggs. Kenmore Hills, Qld: self. p. 338. ISBN   0-646-42798-9.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.