Western wattlebird
The western wattlebird (Anthochaera lunulata) is a passerine bird in the honeyeater family, Meliphagidae. It is restricted to south-western Australia.
| Western wattlebird | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Illustration of pair by Gould and Richter, 1848 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Meliphagidae |
| Genus: | Anthochaera |
| Species: | A. lunulata |
| Binomial name | |
| Anthochaera lunulata Gould, 1838 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Anthochaera chrysoptera | |
Taxonomy
The species description was published by John Gould in 1838, from a specimen collected at the Swan River and held at "Fort Pitt, Chatham collection".[2] The entry in his The Birds of Australia (1848) gives a common name of "Lunulated Wattle-Bird", and notes that the colonists referred to it as the little wattlebird.[3] A treatment as a western population of the species Anthochaera chrysoptera, and thus conspecific with the 'little wattlebird' group of the eastern states, is cited by some authorities. Both species are assigned to the subgenus Anthochaera (Anellobia), taking its name from the generic description of Jean Cabanis (1851).[4] Other workers regard this as a separate species, A. lunulata, based on morphological and plumage differences, and a different eye colour in these two populations.[5] The taxonomy enthusiast, G. M. Mathews, published a description as the subspecies Anthochaera chrysoptera albani in his Austral Avian Record (1923),[6] now regarded as a synonym for this species.[4]
The epithet lunulata 'crescent-shaped' is derived from Latin lunula for 'little moon'.[7]
Description
The adult western wattlebird has dark grey-brown upper-parts with pale streaks and spots. It has a dark brown forehead, crown and nape, streaked with fine, whitish shafts. Underparts are dark grey, streaked and tipped white. It has a blackish-brown streak bordering the eye, and has a red iris.
A large honeyeater, it is long and slender. A sample of the genders recorded sizes of 29–33 centimetres in length, 65–78 grams in weight for the males; and 27–30cm and 47–57g for the females. The weight range for unsexed birds is 45·5–83 grams.[5]
Distribution
Found in the southwest of Australia, in the high rainfall area formerly dominated by forest and woodland. They occur toward the coast from Israelite Bay north to Geraldton, and inland to the Stirling Range, Lake Grace and Northam.[8]
References
- BirdLife International (2012). "Anthochaera lunulata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Anthochaera lunulata Gould, J. 1838. A Synopsis of the Birds of Australia, and the Adjacent Islands. London : J. Gould 8 pp., 73 pls. [Pt 3, published Apr. 1838, publication dated as 1837–1838
- Gould, John (1848). The Birds of Australia. Volume 4. London: Printed by R. and J. E. Taylor; pub. by the author, 1840–1848. pp. Pl. 57, et seq.
- "Anthochaera (Anellobia) lunulata : Western Wattlebird". bie.ala.org.au. Atlas of Living Australia. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
- Higgins, P., Christidis, L. & Ford, H. (2018). Western Wattlebird (Anthochaera lunulata). 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, Barcelona. (retrieved from www.hbw.com on 21 October 2018).
- Anthochaera chrysoptera albani Mathews, G.M. 1923. Additions and Corrections to my Lists of the Birds of Australia.Austral Avian Records 5: 33-44 [Date published 21 Feb 1923]
- lunulata / lunulatus Jobling, J. A. (2018). Key to Scientific Names in Ornithology. In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.) (2018). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
- Pizzey, Graham; Doyle, Roy. (1980) A field guide to the birds of Australia. Collins Publishers, Sydney
- Schodde, R.; & Mason, I.J. (1999). The Directory of Australian Birds: Passerines. CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne. ISBN 0-643-06456-7