Western whipbird
| Black-throated whipbird | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Psophodidae |
| Genus: | Psophodes |
| Species: | P. nigrogularis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Psophodes nigrogularis Gould, 1844
| |
The western whipbird (Psophodes nigrogularis) is a passerine bird found in several scattered populations in Southwest Australia. It is predominantly olive green in colour. The western whipbird has sometimes been split into two species: the black-throated whipbird and the white-bellied whipbird.
Taxonomy
[edit]The western whipbird was formally described in 1844 by the English ornithologist John Gould based on a specimen collected by John Gilbert in the Wongan Hills of Western Australia. Gould coined the current binomial name Psophodes nigrogularis.[2][3] The specific epithet combines the Latin niger meaning "black" with Modern Latin gularis meaning "throated".[4]
Four subspecies are recognised:[5]
- P. n. nigrogularis Gould, 1844 – Two Peoples Bay, far southwest South Australia: (Endangered) The western heath subspecies is now restricted to a small patch east of Albany, having disappeared from large parts of its range due to land clearance.[6]
- P. n. oberon Schodde & Mason, IJ, 1991 – southwest Western Australia, east of Two Peoples Bay: (Rare) The western mallee subspecies is found in scattered populations between the Stirling Ranges and Ravensthorpe. It is apparently common in the Fitzgerald River National Park.[7]
- P. n. leucogaster Howe & Ross, JA, 1933 – coastal central south South Australia (white-bellied whipbird group)
- P. n. lashmari Schodde & Mason, IJ, 1991 – Kangaroo Island (off southeast South Australia) (white-bellied whipbird group)
The subspecies P. n. leucogaster and P. n. lashmari have been considered as a separate species, the white-bellied whipbird.[5][8]
Description
[edit]The western whipbird is a slim bird some 21–25 cm (8.3–9.8 in) in length. It is predominantly olive green with a black throat and a narrow white cheek-patch edged with black on its face. It has a small crest and a long dark olive-green tail tipped with white, its underparts are a paler olive colour. The bill is black with blackish feet. Juveniles are a duller olive-brown in colour and lack the white cheek stripes and dark throat.[9]
Breeding
[edit]Breeding occurs in spring. The nest is a bowl of twigs and sticks lined with softer material such as grasses, located in shrubs or trees less than 1–2 m (3–7 ft) above the ground. A clutch of two eggs, pale blue with blackish splotches and spots, measuring 26 mm × 19 mm (1.0 in × 0.7 in), is laid.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Psophodes nigrogularis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22705330A94013438. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22705330A94013438.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ Gould, John (1844). The Birds of Australia. Vol. 3. London: self. Plate 16 and text.
- ^ Mayr, Ernst; Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, eds. (1964). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 10. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 230.
- ^ Jobling, James A. "nigrogularis". The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
- ^ a b Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (February 2025). "Australasian babblers, logrunners, satinbirds, berrypeckers, wattlebirds, whipbirds, jewel-babblers, quail-thrushes". IOC World Bird List Version 15.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
- ^ Garnett. p158
- ^ Garnett. p159
- ^ Burbidge, A.H.; Joseph, L.; Toon, A.; White, L.C.; McGuire, A.; Austin, J.J. (2017). "A case for realigning species limits in the southern Australian whipbirds long recognised as the Western Whipbird (Psophodes nigrogularis)". Emu. 117 (3): 254–263. Bibcode:2017EmuAO.117..254B. doi:10.1080/01584197.2017.1313685. S2CID 90267260.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Beruldsen, G (2003). Australian Birds: Their Nests and Eggs. Kenmore Hills, Qld: self. p. 346. ISBN 0-646-42798-9.