White-browed scrubwren

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White-browed scrubwren
White-browed scrubwren Sericornis frontalis DSC zxc.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Acanthizidae
Genus: Sericornis
Species:
S. frontalis
Binomial name
Sericornis frontalis
(Vigors & Horsfield, 1827)

The white-browed scrubwren (Sericornis frontalis) is a passerine bird found on the New England Tablelands and coastal areas of Australia. Placed in the family Pardalotidae in the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, this has met with opposition and indeed is now known to be wrong; they rather belong to the independent family Acanthizidae.

Contents

It is insectivorous and inhabits undergrowth, from which it rarely ventures, though can be found close to urban areas. It is 11–14 cm (4.3–5.5 in) long and predominantly brown in colour with prominent white brows and pale eyes, though the three individual subspecies vary widely. Found in small groups, it is sedentary and engages in cooperative breeding. The larger Tasmanian scrubwren was formerly considered a subspecies of this species.

Taxonomy

The white-browed scrubwren was originally described by naturalists Nicholas Aylward Vigors and Thomas Horsfield in 1827. The specific epithet frontalis derived from the Latin frons "eyebrow". [2] It is now divided into two subspecies:

The scrubwrens by Neville William Cayley, including S. humilis on the right. Cayley p20 Scrubwrens.png
The scrubwrens by Neville William Cayley, including S. humilis on the right.

S. humilis, the Tasmanian scrubwren , is found in Tasmania and Bass Strait islands and was formerly considered a subspecies of the white-browed scrubwren. It is larger at 13.5 cm long and lays larger eggs.

S. maculatus, known as the spotted scrubwren, occurs in coastal southern Australia, from Kangaroo Island and Adelaide westwards to Shark Bay in Western Australia. It is known to intergrade with the nominate subspecies where their ranges overlap. [3] Genetic analysis in a 2018 study of the family found that this taxon was more divergent from S. f. frontalis than the Tasmanian or Atherton scrubwrens and hence proposed its reclassification as a species. [4] It was reclassified as a species in 2019.

Description

Mainland birds measure 11.5 cm (4+12 in) in length and olive brown upperparts (greyish brown in the spotted subspecies and dark brown in Tasmania), with prominent pale irises and a white brow. The throat is white with faint streaks in the subspecies frontalis and laevigaster and heavily spotted in maculatus. Ear coverts are grey in frontalis and black in laevigaster, and brownish in the other two subspecies. The underparts are pale, though buff in laevigaster. The thin bill is black. The Females are duller overall and generally have pale gray lores, whereas males have blackish lores. This allows most individuals to be reliably sexed in the field. The call is a loud high-pitched ts-cheer. [5]

Distribution and habitat

The species favours forested or scrubby areas with plentiful undergrowth, from which it rarely ventures. It is a common bird in bushland areas around Sydney, and the New England Tablelands. [6] It is sedentary.

Behaviour

female of race frontalis calling Scrub wren female Vocalising444.jpg
female of race frontalis calling

Scrubwrens are predominantly insectivorous. They can be hard to spot but are very vocal and easy to localise. They occur in small groups of up to six birds and engage in cooperative breeding; namely that group members all help to feed and rear the young. [7]

Reproduction

Breeding season is June or July to November or December, with the nest a domelike structure of dried grasses and leaves, sticks, bark and ferns and feathers for lining. It is placed near or on the ground in dense cover. A clutch of two or three 20 x 15 mm eggs is laid; they vary from brownish-violet to brownish-white in colour with darker spots or blotches. The Tasmanian scrubwren lays larger eggs some 23 x 17 mm in dimensions. [8]

Related Research Articles

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

Pardalotes or peep-wrens are a family, Pardalotidae, of very small, brightly coloured birds native to Australia, with short tails, strong legs, and stubby blunt beaks. This family is composed of four species in one genus, Pardalotus, and several subspecies. The name derives from a Greek word meaning "spotted". The family once contained several other species now split into the family Acanthizidae.

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

The red-browed pardalote is a small brightly coloured insectivorous passerine, endemic to Australia. A gleaning specialist, they forage primarily in eucalypt trees . The Latin word rubricatus means red-ochred which is descriptive of their orange-red eyebrow. Other common names include red-browed diamondbird, bellbird, cape red-browed, pale red-browed, fawn-eyed, fawn-eyebrowed and pallid or red-lored pardalote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown thornbill</span> Species of bird

The brown thornbill is a passerine bird usually found in eastern and south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania. It can grow up to 10 cm (3.9 in) long, and feeds on insects. It is brown, grey and white. The species has five subspecies.

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

The yellow-rumped thornbill is a species of passerine bird from the genus Acanthiza. The genus was once placed in the family Pardalotidae but that family was split and it is now in the family Acanthizidae. There are four subspecies of yellow-rumped thornbill. It is a small, brownish bird with a distinctive yellow rump and thin dark bill. It inhabits savannah, scrub and forests across most of Australia and eats insects. The species engages in cooperative breeding.

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

The weebill is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae. It is an insectivorous passerine that is found throughout mainland Australia. At 8 to 9 cm long, it is Australia's smallest bird. It was originally described by John Gould in 1838, and four subspecies are recognised. The weebill's plumage is nondescript, with olive-grey upperparts and paler, more yellowish underparts. It grades from more brownish plumage in the southern regions of Australia to more yellow in tropical areas.

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

The yellow-throated scrubwren is a passerine in the family Acanthizidae that is found in parts of eastern coastal Australia. It was formerly placed in the genus Sericornis, but is now the only species in the genus Neosericornis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut-rumped thornbill</span> Species of bird

The chestnut-rumped thornbill is a small passerine bird in the family Acanthizidae, endemic to Australia.

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

The scrubtit is a species of bird in the thornbill family Acanthizidae. It is endemic to Tasmania and King Island in Australia. Its natural habitat is the temperate rainforest, Nothofagus beech forest and eucalypt woodland. It is a small species that resembles the Sericornis scrubwrens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern whiteface</span> Species of bird

The southern whiteface is a small passerine found in arid regions across most of the southern half of the Australian continent, excluding Tasmania. Superficially finch-like in appearance, this insectivorous bird is relatively common throughout most of its range, however, overall populations appear to be in decline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speckled warbler</span> Species of bird

The speckled warbler is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae. It is endemic to eastern Australia. Its natural habitat is temperate forests.

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

The strong-billed honeyeater is a species of bird in the family Meliphagidae. It is one of two species of the genus Melithreptus endemic to Tasmania. Its natural habitat is temperate forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fernwren</span> Genus of birds

The fernwren is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae. It is monotypic within the genus Oreoscopus.

<i>Sericornis</i> Genus of birds

Sericornis is a genus of small, mainly insectivorous birds, the scrubwrens in the family Acanthizidae. Despite the similarity in shape and habits, the true wrens (Troglodytidae) are a quite unrelated group of passerines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tasmanian scrubwren</span> Species of bird

The Tasmanian scrubwren or brown scrubwren is a bird species endemic to the temperate forests of Tasmania and nearby King Island. It lives in the understory of rainforest, woodland, dry forest, swamps and coastal scrublands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Large-billed scrubwren</span> Species of bird

The large-billed scrubwren is a passerine bird in the family Acanthizidae, endemic to eastern Australia. It is found in denser undergrowth in temperate forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

<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">Acanthizidae</span> Family of birds

The Acanthizidae—known as the bristlebirds, pardalotes and Australian warblers—are a family of passerine birds which also include gerygones, the thornbills Acanthiza, and the scrubwrens of Sericornis. The Acanthizidae family consists of small to medium passerine birds, with a total length varying between 8 and 19 centimetres. They have short rounded wings, slender bills, long legs, and a short tail. Most species have olive, grey, or brown plumage, although some have patches of a brighter yellow. The weebill is the smallest species of acanthizid, and the smallest Australian passerine; the largest is the pilotbird.

S. frontalis may refer to:

The spotted scrubwren is a bird species native to coastal southern Australia, from Adelaide westwards to Shark Bay in Western Australia. It was formerly considered conspecific with the white-browed scrubwren, and is known to hybridize with that species where their ranges overlap in the Adelaide area. Genetic analysis in a 2018 study of the family found that this taxon was more divergent from the white-browed scrubwren than the Tasmanian or Atherton scrubwrens and hence proposed its reclassification as a species. It was reclassified as a species in 2019.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Sericornis frontalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22704539A93974545. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22704539A93974545.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. Simpson, D.P. (1979). Cassell's Latin Dictionary (5th ed.). London: Cassell Ltd. p. 883. ISBN   0-304-52257-0.
  3. Condon, HT (1951). "Notes on the birds of South Australia: occurrence, distribution and taxonomy". J. Aust. Ornithol. 20: 26–68.
  4. Norman, Janette A.; Christidis, Les; Schodde, Richard (2018). "Ecological and evolutionary diversification in the Australo-Papuan scrubwrens (Sericornis) and mouse-warblers (Crateroscelis), with a revision of the subfamily Sericornithinae (Aves: Passeriformes: Acanthizidae)". Organisms Diversity & Evolution. 18 (2): 241–59. doi:10.1007/s13127-018-0364-8. S2CID   46967802.
  5. Simpson K, Day N, Trusler P (1993). Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. Ringwood, Victoria: Viking O'Neil. p. 392. ISBN   0-670-90478-3.
  6. Roberts, Peter (1993). Birdwatcher's Guide to the Sydney Region. Kenthurst, New South Wales: Kangaroo Press. p. 132. ISBN   0-86417-565-5.
  7. Bell, HL (1983). "Cooperative Breeding by the White-browed Scrubwren Sericornis frontalis" (PDF). Emu. 82 (supplement): 315–16. doi:10.1071/mu9820315s . Retrieved 2007-10-21.
  8. Beruldsen, G (2003). Australian Birds: Their Nests and Eggs. Kenmore Hills, Qld: self. pp. 295–96. ISBN   0-646-42798-9.