Anthochaera

Anthochaera
	Red wattlebird (Anthochaera carunculata)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Meliphagidae
Genus:	Anthochaera; Vigors & Horsfield, 1827
Type species
	Merops chrysopterus; Latham, 1801
Species
	See text

Anthochaera is a genus of birds in the honeyeater family. The species are native to Australia and include the little wattlebird, the red wattlebird, the western wattlebird, and the yellow wattlebird. A molecular phylogenetic study has shown that the regent honeyeater also belongs in this genus.

Description

Of the five species in the genus only the yellow wattlebird (Anthochaera paradoxa) and the red wattlebird (A. carunculata) have wattles.[1] These are bare fleshy appendages, usually wrinkled and often brightly coloured, hanging from the cheeks, neck or throat, and presumably serving for display.

A common name for species of the genus is wattlebird, a term also used for unrelated avian species.

Taxonomy

The genus Anthochaera was described in 1827 by Nicholas Aylward Vigors and Thomas Horsfield.[2] The type species was subsequently designated as the little wattlebird by the German ornithologist Hans Friedrich Gadow in 1884.[3][4] The word Anthochaera is derived from the Greek anthos meaning flower or bloom and khairō meaning to enjoy.[5]

The regent honeyeater (Anthochaera phrygia) was formerly placed in its own genus Xanthomyza but was moved to Anthochaera based on phylogenetic analysis using DNA sequence data.[6][7]

A molecular phylogenetic analysis has shown that the genus Anthochaera is the sister group to the monotypic genus Acanthagenys containing the spiny-cheeked honeyeater.[8]

	Spiny-cheeked honeyeater (Acanthagenys rufogularis)

	Little wattlebird (Anthochaera chrysoptera)

	Western wattlebird (Anthochaera lunulata)

Regent honeyeater (Anthochaera phrygia)

	Red wattlebird (Anthochaera carunculata)

	Yellow wattlebird (Anthochaera paradoxa)

Cladogram showing the relationship between the wattlebirds.[8]

Species and distribution

The genus Anthochaera contains the following species:[7]

Common name	Scientific name	Distribution
Red wattlebird	Anthochaera carunculata	southeast Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and southwest Western Australia
Little wattlebird	Anthochaera chrysoptera	coastal and sub-coastal south-eastern Australia
Yellow wattlebird	Anthochaera paradoxa	Tasmania
Western wattlebird	Anthochaera lunulata	south-western Australia.
Regent honeyeater	Anthochaera phrygia	South Eastern Australia

References

Higgins, P.; Christidis, L.; Ford, H.; Bonan, A. (2008). "Honeyeaters (Meliphagidae)". In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
Vigors, N.A.; Horsfield, T. (1826). "A description of the Australian birds in the collection of the Linnean Society; with an attempt at arranging them according to their natural affinities (Part 1)". Transactions of the Linnean Society of London. 15 (1): 170–331 [320–321]. The title page gives the year as 1826 but the issue was not published until 1827.
Gadow, Hans (1884). Catalogue of the Passeriformes or Perching Birds in the Collection of the British Museum. Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum. Volume 9 Cinnyrimorphae: containing the families Nectariniidae and Meliphagidae (Sun-birds and Honey-eaters). London: Trustees of the British Museum. p. 262.
Salomonsen, F. (1967). "Family Maliphagidae, Honeyeaters". In Paynter, R.A. Jnr. (ed.). Check-list of birds of the world (Volume 12). Cambridge, Mass.: Museum of Comparative Zoology. pp. 338–450 [444–445].
Jobling, J.A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 49. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
Driskell, A.C.; Christidis, L. (2004). "Phylogeny and evolution of the Australo-Papuan honeyeaters (Passeriformes, Meliphagidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 31 (3): 943–960. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2003.10.017. PMID 15120392.
Gill, Frank; Donsker, David (eds.). "Honeyeaters". World Bird List Version 5.4. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
Marki, P.Z.; Jønsson, K.A.; Irestedt, M.; Nguyen, J.M.; Rahbek, C.; Fjeldså, C. (2017). "Supermatrix phylogeny and biogeography of the Australasian Meliphagides radiation (Aves: Passeriformes)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 107: 516–529. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2016.12.021. hdl:10852/65203. PMID 28017855.

External links

Wattlebird videos on the Internet Bird Collection

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[hbwfamily-1] Higgins, P.; Christidis, L.; Ford, H.; Bonan, A. (2008). "Honeyeaters (Meliphagidae)". In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 23 January 2017.

[2] Vigors, N.A.; Horsfield, T. (1826). "A description of the Australian birds in the collection of the Linnean Society; with an attempt at arranging them according to their natural affinities (Part 1)". Transactions of the Linnean Society of London. 15 (1): 170–331 [320–321]. The title page gives the year as 1826 but the issue was not published until 1827.

[3] Gadow, Hans (1884). Catalogue of the Passeriformes or Perching Birds in the Collection of the British Museum. Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum. Volume 9 Cinnyrimorphae: containing the families Nectariniidae and Meliphagidae (Sun-birds and Honey-eaters). London: Trustees of the British Museum. p. 262.

[4] Salomonsen, F. (1967). "Family Maliphagidae, Honeyeaters". In Paynter, R.A. Jnr. (ed.). Check-list of birds of the world (Volume 12). Cambridge, Mass.: Museum of Comparative Zoology. pp. 338–450 [444–445].

[5] Jobling, J.A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 49. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.

[6] Driskell, A.C.; Christidis, L. (2004). "Phylogeny and evolution of the Australo-Papuan honeyeaters (Passeriformes, Meliphagidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 31 (3): 943–960. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2003.10.017. PMID 15120392.

[ioc-7] Gill, Frank; Donsker, David (eds.). "Honeyeaters". World Bird List Version 5.4. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 26 December 2015.

[marki-8] Marki, P.Z.; Jønsson, K.A.; Irestedt, M.; Nguyen, J.M.; Rahbek, C.; Fjeldså, C. (2017). "Supermatrix phylogeny and biogeography of the Australasian Meliphagides radiation (Aves: Passeriformes)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 107: 516–529. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2016.12.021. hdl:10852/65203. PMID 28017855.