Yellow-rumped thornbill

Last updated

Yellow-rumped thornbill
Acanthiza chrysorrhoa - Yellow-rumped Thornbill.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Acanthizidae
Genus: Acanthiza
Species:
A. chrysorrhoa
Binomial name
Acanthiza chrysorrhoa
(Quoy & Gaimard, 1832)
Subspecies [2]
  • A. c. normantoni - (Mathews, 1913)
  • A. c. leighi - Ogilvie-Grant, 1909
  • A. c. leachi - Mathews, 1912
  • A. c. chrysorrhoa - (Quoy & Gaimard, 1832)
Yellow-Rumped Thornbill.png
Distribution of the yellow-rumped thornbill

The yellow-rumped thornbill (Acanthiza chrysorrhoa) 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.

Contents

Taxonomy

The yellow-rumped thornbill was described as Saxicola chrysorrhoa by the French naturalists Jean René Constant Quoy and Joseph Paul Gaimard in 1830, from a specimen collected in King George Sound. [3] The specific epithet derives from Ancient Greek khrysos 'gold' and orrhos 'rump'. [4] Four subspecies are recognised: the nominate chrysorrhoa of Western Australia, leachi of Tasmania, leighi of eastern Australia, and normantoni of central and northern Australia. Butterbum is a colloquial name used by Australian birdwatchers.

A 2017 genetic study using both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA found the yellow-rumped thornbill was an early offshoot within the thornbill genus, its ancestor diverging from that of all other thornbills just over 10 million years ago. [5]

Description

The yellow-rumped thornbill is the largest species of thornbill, 9.5–12 cm (3.7–4.7 in) long and weighing 9 g (0.32 oz). [6] It has a short tail and a long slender bill. The species has a distinctive yellow rump, a black forehead with white spots, grey head and neck, a white line above the eye and white throat. The belly is white with light buff below the wings. The wings are grey and the tail is black. The plumage varies somewhat, depending on subspecies.

Voice

The yellow-rumped thornbill has a distinctive song described as "twittering, musical, sweet, high-pitched". [6] The species is also reported to be an accomplished mimic of other birds, in particular mimicking the alarm calls of the noisy miner.

Distribution and habitat

The species has a wide distribution across western, southern and eastern Australia as well as Tasmania; it is absent from the north coast of Western Australia, parts of central Australia, northern Queensland and central and northern Northern Territory. The species inhabits a wide range of habitats, including open forest and woodland, grasslands, savannah and scrubland.

Feeding

The yellow-rumped thornbill is insectivorous; major prey items include ants, beetles, bugs and lerps. [6] Other items eaten include spiders, flies and seeds. The species usually forages in small groups of between 3-12 individuals, and may join mixed species-flocks with other small insectivorous passerines such as the speckled warbler (Pyrrholaemus sagittatus), weebill (Smicrornis brevirostris), and other species of thornbill.

Breeding

Tamborine, SE Queensland, Australia

Breeding takes place from July to December, with one, two or even more broods a year. Nesting usually occurs as a pair, but sometimes one to three helpers will assist the breeding pair. The nest is a messy dome-shaped structure made of dried grass and other vegetation hidden low down among dense foliage or shrubs, or sometimes in vines or mistletoe. Atop the dome is a cup-shaped depression which serves as a false nest, while the real nest is inside with a concealed entrance. [7] A clutch of three or four dull-white oval eggs, lightly spotted with red-brown mostly at the large end and each measuring 18 mm × 13 mm (0.71 in × 0.51 in), is laid. [8] The female incubates the clutch, and the clutch takes around 16–18 days to hatch. On hatching both parents help feed the brood. The nestling period is around 19 days. The species is parasitised by the shining bronze-cuckoo and the fan-tailed cuckoo. [7] Many species of bird take eggs and chicks from the nest, including red wattlebirds, currawongs, Australian magpies and ravens, and many honeyeaters will destroy their nests in order to steal nesting material. Ringing studies have found that the species can live for up to nine years. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flame robin</span> Small passerine bird native to southeastern Australia

The flame robin is a small passerine bird native to Australia. It is a moderately common resident of the coolest parts of south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Like the other two red-breasted Petroica robins—the scarlet robin and the red-capped robin—it is often simply called the robin redbreast. Like many brightly coloured robins of the Petroicidae, it is sexually dimorphic. Measuring 12–14 cm (4.7–5.5 in) long, the flame robin has dark brown eyes and a small thin black bill. The male has a brilliant orange-red chest and throat, and a white patch on the forehead above the bill. Its upper parts are iron-grey with white bars, and its tail black with white tips. Female coloration is a muted grey-brown. Its song has been described as the most musical of its genus.

<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">Rifleman (bird)</span> Species of bird

The rifleman is a small insectivorous passerine bird that is endemic to New Zealand. It belongs to the family Acanthisittidae, also known as the New Zealand wrens, of which it is one of only two surviving species. The rifleman resembles a wren in form, but is not related to the family of true wrens, Troglodytidae, nor the fairy-wrens of Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scarlet robin</span> Songbird species native to southern Australia

The scarlet robin is a common red-breasted Australasian robin in the passerine bird genus Petroica. The species is found on continental Australia and its offshore islands, including Tasmania. The species was originally split in 1999 by Schodde and Mason, and as the original collection by Gmelin was from Norfolk Island, this retained the name of multicolor, and is now known as the Norfolk robin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand fernbird</span> Species of bird

The New Zealand fernbird or simply fernbird is an insectivorous bird endemic to New Zealand. In the Māori language, it is named kōtātā or mātātā.

<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">Splendid fairywren</span> Species of bird

The splendid fairywren is a passerine bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It is also known simply as the splendid wren or more colloquially in Western Australia as the blue wren. The splendid fairywren is found across much of the Australian continent from central-western New South Wales and southwestern Queensland over to coastal Western Australia. It inhabits predominantly arid and semi-arid regions. Exhibiting a high degree of sexual dimorphism, the male in breeding plumage is a small, long-tailed bird of predominantly bright blue and black colouration. Non-breeding males, females and juveniles are predominantly grey-brown in colour; this gave the early impression that males were polygamous as all dull-coloured birds were taken for females. It comprises several similar all-blue and black subspecies that were originally considered separate species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-capped robin</span> A small passerine bird native to Australia

The red-capped robin is a small passerine bird native to Australia. Found in drier regions across much of the continent, it inhabits scrub and open woodland. Like many brightly coloured robins of the family Petroicidae, it is sexually dimorphic. Measuring 10.5–12.5 cm (4.1–4.9 in) in length, the robin has a small, thin, black bill, and dark brown eyes and legs. The male has a distinctive red cap and red breast, black upperparts, and a black tail with white tips. The underparts and shoulders are white. The female is an undistinguished grey-brown. This species uses a variety of songs, and males generally sing to advertise territories and attract females. Birds are encountered in pairs or small groups, but the social behaviour has been little studied.

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

The buff-rumped thornbill is a small passerine bird species belonging to the genus Acanthiza, most of which are endemic to Australia. Measuring 8–10 cm in length, this unassuming thornbill is characterised by its plain greenish brown upperparts and very pale-yellow underparts, with a distinctive buff coloured rump. The tail has a broad, blackish band with a paler tip. Adults possess white irises, whilst juveniles have dark eyes. The buff-rumped thornbill is one of 14 species within the genus Acanthiza genus, which are recognisable by their thin, pointed bill. Species are unique in their plumage and distribution. Despite their shared name, the genus is not related to hummingbirds.

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

The inland thornbill was originally described by English ornithologist John Gould in The Birds of Australia. Inland thornbills are within the order passerines. The inland thornbill belongs to the genus Acanthiza, which now has three more species than the eleven outlined by Gould in The Birds of Australia. The Noongar people of southwestern Western Australia call A. apicalis "Djoobi-Djoolbang". The inland thornbill is also known as the broad-tail thornbill and presently contains several subspecies that were once considered independent species. The word apicalis comes from the Latin for 'tipped'.

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

The striated thornbill is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae. It is endemic to Australia, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.

<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">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">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">White-winged fairywren</span> Australian species of bird

The white-winged fairywren is a species of passerine bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It lives in the drier parts of Central Australia; from central Queensland and South Australia across to Western Australia. Like other fairywrens, this species displays marked sexual dimorphism and one or more males of a social group grow brightly coloured plumage during the breeding season. The female is sandy-brown with light-blue tail feathers; it is smaller than the male, which, in breeding plumage, has a bright-blue body, black bill, and white wings. Younger sexually mature males are almost indistinguishable from females and are often the breeding males. In spring and summer, a troop of white-winged fairywrens has a brightly coloured older male accompanied by small, inconspicuous brown birds, many of which are also male. Three subspecies are recognised. Apart from the mainland subspecies, one is found on Dirk Hartog Island, and another on Barrow Island off the coast of Western Australia. Males from these islands have black rather than blue breeding plumage.

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

The dusky robin is a small passerine bird native to Tasmania. A member of the Australian robin family Petroicidae, it is known by many other names such as Dozey, Sad, Sleepy, Stump, Tasmania/Wood Robin; Native Sparrow or Sad Bird.

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

The Vanikoro flycatcher is a species of monarch flycatcher in the family Monarchidae. It has a slightly disjunct distribution, occurring on Vanikoro island and in Fiji.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western silvereye</span> Subspecies of bird

The western silvereye is a small greenish bird in the Zosteropidae or White-eye family. It is a subspecies of the silvereye that occurs in Western Australia and South Australia. It is sometimes called the white-eye or greenie. Aboriginal names for the bird include jule-we-de-lung or julwidilang from the Perth area and poang from the Pallinup River.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2017). "Acanthiza chrysorrhoa". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T22704647A118670405. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22704647A118670405.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. Gill F, D Donsker & P Rasmussen (Eds). 2020. IOC World Bird List (v10.2). doi : 10.14344/IOC.ML.10.2.
  3. Quoy, J.R.C. & Gaimard, J.P. in Dumont-d'Urville, J. (1830). Voyage de découvertes de l'Astrolabe exécuté par ordre du Roi, pendant les anneés 1826-1827-1828-1829, sous le commandement de M.J. Dumont-d'Urville. Zoologie. Paris: J. Tastu Vol. 1 i p197
  4. Jobling, James A. (2010). "Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird-names" . Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  5. Marki, Petter Z.; Jønsson, Knud A.; Irestedt, Martin; Nguyen, Jacqueline M.T.; Rahbek, Carsten; Fjeldså, Jon (2017). "Supermatrix phylogeny and biogeography of the Australasian Meliphagides radiation (Aves: Passeriformes)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 107: 516–29. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2016.12.021. hdl: 10852/65203 . PMID   28017855.
  6. 1 2 3 4 del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & Christie D. (editors). (2007). Handbook of the Birds of the World, Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Lynx Edicions. P. 608, ISBN   978-84-96553-42-2
  7. 1 2 Beruldsen, G (2003). Australian Birds: Their Nests and Eggs. Kenmore Hills, Qld: self. p. 302. ISBN   0-646-42798-9.
  8. Pizzey, Graham; Doyle, Roy (1980) A Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. Collins Publishers, Sydney. ISBN   073222436-5