Norfolk golden whistler

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Norfolk golden whistler
Pachycephala pectoralis xanthoprocta.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Pachycephalidae
Genus: Pachycephala
Species: P. pectoralis
Subspecies:P. p. xanthoprocta
Trinomial name
Pachycephala pectoralis xanthoprocta
Gould, 1838
Synonyms
  • Pachycephala xanthoprocta

The Norfolk golden whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis xanthoprocta), also known as the Norfolk Island whistler or Norfolk Island thickhead, and locally as the “tamey”, is a small bird in the whistler family, Pachycephalidae. It is a subspecies of the Australian golden whistler and endemic to Norfolk Island, an Australian territory in the Tasman Sea, between Australia and New Zealand.

<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.

Family is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy; it is classified between order and genus. A family may be divided into subfamilies, which are intermediate ranks between the ranks of family and genus. The official family names are Latin in origin; however, popular names are often used: for example, walnut trees and hickory trees belong to the family Juglandaceae, but that family is commonly referred to as being the "walnut family".

Pachycephalidae family of birds

The Pachycephalidae are a family of bird species that includes the whistlers, shrikethrushes, and three of the pitohuis, and is part of the ancient Australo-Papuan radiation of songbirds. Its members range from small to medium in size, and occupy most of Australasia. Australia and New Guinea are the centre of their diversity and, in the case of the whistlers, the South Pacific islands as far as Tonga and Samoa and parts of Asia as far as India. The exact delimitation of boundaries of the family are uncertain, and one species, the golden whistler, has been the subject of intense taxonomic scrutiny in recent years, with multiple subspecies and species-level revisions.

Contents

Description

Males of the Norfolk Island subspecies differ from those of other subspecies in lacking the bright yellow, white and black markings and being similar to the females, though somewhat yellower. Relative to most other subspecies it is smaller, with a longer tail and heavier bill. [1] [2]

Distribution and habitat

The whistler is restricted to Norfolk Island, where it is largely confined to the Mt Pitt section of the Norfolk Island National Park and remnant wooded areas within 2 km of the park. It inhabits shrubby understorey in subtropical rainforest, palm forest and Norfolk Island pines, as well as in regenerating forest. It also visits gardens. [1] [3] [4] [5]

Norfolk Island National Park Protected area in Norfolk Island, Australia

Norfolk Island National Park is a protected area of 6.50 km2 (2.51 sq mi) established in 1984 and managed by the Commonwealth of Australia. It comprises two sections, the Mount Pitt section on Norfolk Island in the South Pacific Ocean with an area of 4.60 km2 (1.78 sq mi) and the neighboring 1.90 km2 (0.73 sq mi) Phillip Island, as well as the much smaller Nepean Island. The National Park serves as a nature sanctuary for several severely endangered species, as well as a vacation spot for outdoor enthusiasts. The Norfolk Island group is a Commonwealth of Australia external territory and the park is managed by the Director of National Parks. It is the only place in the world where the Norfolk Island parakeet and the white-chested white-eye occur.

Rainforest type of forest with high rainfall

Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with annual rainfall in the case of tropical rainforests between 250 and 450 centimetres, and definitions varying by region for temperate rainforests. The monsoon trough, alternatively known as the intertropical convergence zone, plays a significant role in creating the climatic conditions necessary for the Earth's tropical rainforests.

Forest dense collection of trees covering a relatively large area

A forest is a large area dominated by trees. Hundreds of more precise definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing and ecological function. According to the widely used Food and Agriculture Organization definition, forests covered 4 billion hectares (9.9×109 acres) (15 million square miles) or approximately 30 percent of the world's land area in 2006.

Status and conservation

After a period of decline during the 1960s and 1970s, the population of the Norfolk golden whistler was estimated in 2005 at 535 breeding pairs. Ongoing threats include habitat degradation and predation by black rats and feral cats. It is considered vulnerable because of the restricted size of the population and area of its distribution. [6] Ongoing conservation management actions include control of rats and feral cats to minimise predation as well as control of invasive weeds to minimise habitat degradation. It is proposed to reintroduce the whistler to nearby Phillip Island when the regenerating habitat there is suitable. [7]

Black rat species of rodent

The black rat —also known as ship rat, roof rat, or house rat—is a common long-tailed rodent of the stereotypical rat genus Rattus, in the subfamily Murinae.

Feral cat domestic cat that has returned to the wild

A feral cat is a freely ranging wild-living domestic cat that avoids human contact: it does not allow itself to be handled or touched, and usually remains hidden from humans. Some feral cats may become more comfortable with people who regularly feed them, but even with long-term attempts at socialization they usually remain fearful.

Vulnerable species IUCN conservation category

A vulnerable species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as likely to become endangered unless the circumstances that are threatening its survival and reproduction improve.

Notes

  1. 1 2 Schodde & Mason, p.442.
  2. ↑ Higgins & Peter, p.1118.
  3. ↑ Higgins & Peter, p.1102.
  4. ↑ Garnett & Crowley, p.559.
  5. ↑ Commonwealth of Australia, p.1.
  6. ↑ Garnett & Crowley, pp.559 and 633.
  7. ↑ Commonwealth of Australia, p.6.

Related Research Articles

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References

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