| Noisy scrubbird | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Atrichornithidae |
| Genus: | Atrichornis |
| Species: | A. clamosus |
| Binomial name | |
| Atrichornis clamosus (Gould, 1844) | |
The noisy scrubbird (Atrichornis clamosus) is a species of bird in the family Atrichornithidae. It is endemic to the coastal heaths of south-western Australia (east of Albany).
The noisy scrubbird features a dark brown coloured back, rust-like coloured wings and a speckled chestnut colored breast region with a grey-brown or pink bill and brown or silver legs and feet. They vary from 19–23 cm. in length and 25-58 grams. [3] The males are distinguished from the females by exhibiting a black triangle on their throat . [4] They are closely related to the lyrebird, having only evolutionarily separated from them approximately 30-35 million years ago. They prefer feeding upon small invertebrates, such as ants and beetles, in the extremely dense understory and vegetative cover that only occurs after environmental damages.
The noisy scrubbird is one of Australia's rarest birds. It was presumed extinct until a population was discovered at Two Peoples Bay, east of Albany in Western Australia in the 1960s. Since then a recovery plan has been put into action. Populations of the bird have been translocated to nearby Bald Island, in Waychinicup National Park, as well as the Porongorup Ranges, where a bushfire had destroyed much of the population.
A reason that the noisy scrubbird's populations are so threatened is due to them being a very endemic species with specific living conditions and niche. In addition, they also require very dense leaf litter to feed upon the leaf-degrading invertebrates which they prefer. They typically inhabit areas that have been recovering for approximately 10 years, but there has been reported colonizations as soon as 2 years following the damage. The scrubbird has never been recorded to inhabit an area that has not been burnt or damaged in the previous 50 years. Their known range is approximately 45 km² combined including the Two Peoples Bay and Bald Island populations. [3]
Noisy scrubbirds are sexually mature at approximately 5 years of age for males and the first breeding season for females. Unlike many other birds they lay one egg at a time and have a clutch size of only 2 eggs. The nest is a circular-shaped structure typically built in low-lying shrubbery, rushes or sedges and is made from common sticks, leaves and decaying plant matter. [3] Males play no part in the nest-building, but it is believed they may defend the territory the female has laid her eggs in. The eggs are incubated for approximately 36 days prior to hatching, and then the chicks leave the nest 4–6 weeks after hatching. [4] In a 2005 study there is considered to be approximately 695 individual scrubbirds remaining, and included in that approximation are 278 territorial males. It was presumed that for each territorial male there were 2.5 females [3]
The noisy scrubbird is listed on the IUCN Red List as an endangered species. [1] The species was presumed extinct when Edwin Ashby searched unsuccessfully at Ellensbrook (Margaret River) in 1920, although he noted a report by a resident of its call and movements in deep karri forest and anticipated it would be rediscovered in similar habitat. [5]
The populations of the noisy scrubbird are declining despite 50 years of conservation and management. [4] Major threats include forest fires, predation by introduced species such as foxes, feral cats and black rats, degradation of habitat, soil fungi, introduced mammals, climate change and lack of genetic variation. The management conducted has focused heavily on predation control and gaining data by surveying and radio trackers. While there have been some great successes with the reintroduction and management of the scrubbirds, lightning-induced fires have damaged much of the management progress. [3]
The fungi Phytophthora cinnamomi has become more abundant in the scrubbird's range and has the ability to kill and degrade massive amounts of forest, which can heavily affect the diversity of the forest, and could easily and rapidly displace many of the remaining scrubbirds. Forest dieback due to this fungi has been shown to increase the amount of predators in the area, but has not been proven to have any effect on the scrubbird's populations yet. [3]
Translocations to native ranges have been attempted several times with little success due to the noisy scrubbird requiring a very specific habitat. These translocations even required the removal of all potential predators for the scrubbird, but still had little success. [4]
The best conservation method would be to reintroduce the scrubbird to its native ranges by carefully monitoring the populations and controlling forest fires. A fire event in the few major concentrations of its populations could be detrimental to all previous conservation efforts. [4]
Waychinicup National Park is in Western Australia, 404 kilometres (251 mi) southeast of Perth and 65 kilometres (40 mi) east of Albany, along the coast of the Southern Ocean.
The common goldeneye or simply goldeneye is a medium-sized sea duck of the genus Bucephala, the goldeneyes. Its closest relative is the similar Barrow's goldeneye. The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek boukephalos, a reference to the bulbous head shape of the bufflehead. The species name is derived from the Latin clangere.
Scrubbirds are shy, secretive, ground-dwelling birds of the family Atrichornithidae. There are just two species. The rufous scrubbird is rare and very restricted in its range, and the noisy scrubbird is so rare that until 1961 it was thought to be extinct. Both are native to Australia.
The Canada jay, also known as the gray jay, grey jay, camp robber, or whisky jack, is a passerine bird of the family Corvidae. It is found in boreal forests of North America north to the tree line, and in the Rocky Mountains subalpine zone south to New Mexico and Arizona. A fairly large songbird, the Canada jay has pale grey underparts, darker grey upperparts, and a grey-white head with a darker grey nape. It is one of three members of the genus Perisoreus, a genus more closely related to the magpie genus Cyanopica than to other birds known as jays. The Canada jay itself has nine recognized subspecies.
The Snares penguin, also known as the Snares crested penguin and the Snares Islands penguin, is a penguin from New Zealand. The species breeds on the Snares Islands, a group of islands off the southern coast of the South Island. It is a yellow-crested penguin, with a size of 50–70 cm (19.5–27.5 in) and a weight of 2.5–4 kg (5.5–8.8 lb). It has dark blue-black upper parts and white underparts. It has a bright yellow eyebrow-stripe which extends over the eye to form a drooping, bushy crest. It has bare pink skin at the base of its large red-brown bill.
The noisy miner is a bird in the honeyeater family, Meliphagidae, and is endemic to eastern and southeastern Australia. This miner is a grey bird, with a black head, orange-yellow beak and feet, a distinctive yellow patch behind the eye, and white tips on the tail feathers. The Tasmanian subspecies has a more intense yellow panel in the wing, and a broader white tip to the tail. Males, females and juveniles are similar in appearance, though young birds are a brownish-grey. As the common name suggests, the noisy miner is a vocal species with a large range of songs, calls, scoldings and alarms, and almost constant vocalisations, particularly from young birds. One of four species in the genus Manorina, the noisy miner itself is divided into four subspecies. The separation of the Tasmanian M. m. leachi is of long standing, and the mainland birds were further split in 1999.
The lance-tailed manakin is a small passerine bird which breeds in tropical Central and South America from Costa Rica to northern Venezuela. This manakin is a fairly common bird of dry and moist deciduous forests, but not rainforest. It is a small, compact bird about 13 centimetres (5 in) long and similar to the blue-backed manakin, but both sexes have the two central tail feathers elongated to form a spike. Males have black plumage with a blue back, a red crown and orange legs. Females and juveniles are olive-green with paler underparts. At breeding time, males are involved in a cooperative behaviour during which they jump up and down alternately. This is a fairly common species with a wide range, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
Walden's hornbill locally called dulungan, also known as the Visayan wrinkled hornbill, rufous-headed hornbill or writhe-billed hornbill, is a critically endangered species of hornbill living in the rainforests on the islands of Negros and Panay in the Philippines. It is closely related to the writhed hornbill, but can be recognized by the yellow throat and ocular skin in the male, and the blue throat and ocular skin in the female. Its binomial name commemorates the Scottish ornithologist Viscount Walden.
The golden-shouldered parrot, also known as the alwal, arrmorral, minpin, thaku and antbed parrot , is a rare bird of southern Cape York Peninsula, in Queensland, Australia. A small parrot related to the more common hooded parrot of the Northern Territory and the extinct paradise parrot of Queensland and New South Wales.
The South Island robin is a sparrow-sized bird found only in New Zealand, where it has the status of a protected endemic species. The birds are sparsely distributed through the South Island and Stewart Island/Rakiura, although the distribution is not continuous. The nominate, and the Stewart Island robin are the two subspecies. The species is closely related to the North Island robin, and also to the extremely rare black robin of the Chatham Islands.
The vermilion flycatcher is a small passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family found throughout South America and southern North America. It is a striking exception among the generally drab Tyrannidae due to its vermilion-red coloration. The males have bright red crowns, chests, and underparts, with brownish wings and tails. Females lack the vivid red coloration and can be hard to identify—they may be confused for the Say's phoebe. The vermilion flycatcher's song is a pit pit pit pidddrrrreeedrr, which is variable and important in establishing a territory. Riparian habitats and semi-open environments are preferred. As aerial insectivores, they catch their prey while flying. Their several months-long molt begins in summer.
The western corella also known as the western long-billed corella, is a species of white cockatoo endemic to south-western Australia.
The red-and-blue lory is a small, strikingly-colored parrot endemic to Indonesia. The species inhabits a single island, Karakelong, in the Indonesian archipelago, although it was formerly found on the Sangihe Islands and other parts of the Talaud Islands.
The black cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. The species is distributed widely across sub-Saharan Africa. There are two subspecies. This cuckoo has a very wide range and is quite common so it is classified as a least-concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The pavonine cuckoo is a Neotropical cuckoo with a long graduated tail and a short crest. It is one of three species of Neotropical cuckoo which are known to be brood parasites.
The rufous scrubbird is a bird species in the family Atrichornithidae. It is endemic to Australia.
The red-naped trogon is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The Hispaniolan trogon, also known as cacos is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It is endemic to Hispaniola in the Caribbean. It is one of the only two trogon species found in the Caribbean. It is the national bird of Haiti.
Bald Island is an island that is located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. The island is 1.5 kilometres (1 mi) offshore from Cheynes Beach and is a protected area managed by the Department of Parks and Wildlife.
George Masters (1837–1912) was a zoologist, active in Australia during the 19th century.
| Authority control databases: National |
|---|
