Crescent honeyeater
Crescent honeyeater | |
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Male (above) and female (below) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Meliphagidae |
Genus: | Phylidonyris |
Species: | P. pyrrhopterus
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Binomial name | |
Phylidonyris pyrrhopterus (Latham, 1801)
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Crescent honeyeater range | |
Synonyms | |
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The crescent honeyeater (Phylidonyris pyrrhopterus) is a
It has dark grey plumage and paler underparts, highlighted by yellow wing-patches and a broad, black crescent, outlined in white, down the sides of its breast. The species exhibits slight sexual dimorphism, with the female being duller in colour than the male. Juvenile birds are similar to the female, though the yellow wing-patches of male nestlings can be easily distinguished.
The male has a complex and variable song, which is heard throughout the year. It sings from an exposed perch, and during the breeding season performs song flights. The crescent honeyeater is found in areas of dense vegetation including sclerophyll forest and alpine habitats, as well as heathland, and parks and gardens, where its diet is made up of nectar and invertebrates. It forms long-term pairs, and often stays committed to one breeding site for several years. The female builds the nest and does most of the caring for the two to three young, which become independent within 40 days of laying its egg.
The parent birds use a range of anti-predator strategies, but nestlings can be taken by snakes,
Taxonomy
The crescent honeyeater was originally described by ornithologist John Latham in 1801 as Certhia pyrrhoptera, because of an assumed relationship with the treecreepers Certhia.[2] It was later named Certhia australasiana by George Shaw in 1812,[3] Melithreptus melanoleucus by Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1817,[4] and Meliphaga inornata by John Gould in 1838.[5] The generic term comes from the French phylidonyre, which combines the names for a honeyeater and a sunbird (previously thought to belong to the same family).[6] The specific epithet is derived from the Ancient Greek stems pyrrhos meaning 'fire' and pteron meaning 'wing', in reference to the yellow wing patches.[7] Some guidebooks have the binomial name written as Phylidonyris pyrrhoptera;[8] however, a review in 2001 ruled that the genus name was masculine, hence pyrrhopterus is the correct specific name.[9] Two subspecies are recognised: the nominate form P. p. pyrrhopterus over most of its range; and P. p. halmaturinus, which is restricted to Kangaroo Island and the Mount Lofty Ranges.[6]
A 2004 molecular study showed its close relatives to be the
"Crescent honeyeater" has been designated as the official common name for the species by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOC).[13] Other common names include chinawing, Egypt and horseshoe honeyeater.[14][15] Gould called it the Tasmanian honeyeater.[16]
Description
Appearance
The crescent honeyeater measures 14–17 centimetres (5.5–6.7 in) in length with a wingspan of 16–23 centimetres (6.3–9.1 in), and it weighs about 16 grams (0.56 oz).
While both subspecies have the same general appearance, the female of halmaturinus has paler plumage than the nominate race, and both male and female have a smaller wing and tail and longer bill. The halmaturinus population on Kangaroo Island has a significantly shorter wing and longer bill than the Mount Lofty population, although this size variation of an insular form is at odds with Allen's and Bergmann's rules.[6]
Vocalisation
The crescent honeyeater has a range of musical calls and songs. One study recorded chatter
Distribution and habitat
There are records of scattered populations of the crescent honeyeater on the
While the crescent honeyeater occupies a wide variety of habitats including coastal
The movements of the crescent honeyeater within its range are incompletely known. There is widespread evidence of seasonal migration to lower altitudes in cooler months, yet a proportion of the population remains sedentary.[6] Autumn and winter migration to the lowland coastal areas is seen in southern Tasmania, where it is not unusual to see it in urban parks and gardens,[24] as well as in Gippsland, and the New South Wales Central and South Coast. In the Sydney region, some birds appear to move down from the Blue Mountains to Sydney for the cooler months, yet others remain in either location for the whole year. It is only seen in alpine and subalpine areas of the Snowy Mountains in warmer snow-free months (mainly October to April). Other populations of crescent honeyeaters follow a more nomadic pattern of following food sources; this has been recorded in the Blue Mountains and parts of Victoria.[6]
Behaviour
Breeding
Crescent honeyeaters occupy territories during the breeding season of July to March, with pairs often staying on in the territory at the end of the season and committing to one breeding site for several years.[6] Banding studies have recaptured birds within metres of the nest in which they were raised, and one female was re-trapped at the banding place almost ten years later.[6] The pairs nest solitarily, or in loose colonies with nests around 10 metres (33 ft) apart. The male defends the territory, which is used both for foraging and breeding, though during the breeding season he is more active in protecting the area, and therefore much more vocal. During courtship the male performs song flights, soaring with quivering wings and continuously calling with a high piping note.[25]
The female builds the nest close to the boundary of the territory, usually near water, low in the shrubs. It is a deep, cup-shaped, bulky nest of cobweb, bark, grass, twigs, roots and other plant materials, lined with grass, down, moss, and fur.
Parent birds have been observed using a range of anti-predator strategies: the female staying on the nest until almost touched; one or other of the pair performing distraction displays, fluttering wings and moving across the ground; the female flying rapidly at the intruder; and both birds giving harsh scolding calls when a kookaburra, tiger snake or currawong approached.[25] The nests of the crescent honeyeater are usually low in the shrubs, which makes them and their young vulnerable to predation by snakes and other birds; however, domestic and feral cats are the most likely predators to hunt this species.[15]
Crescent honeyeaters pair in long-term relationships that often last for the whole year; however, while they are socially monogamous, they appear to be sexually promiscuous. One study found that only 42% of the nestlings were sired by the male partner at the nest, despite paternity guards such as pairing and territorial defence.[26] The crescent honeyeaters observed exhibited a number of characteristics consistent with genetic promiscuity: sexual dimorphism, with sex-specific plumages identifiable at nestling stage; reduced male contribution to feeding and caring for the young; vigorous defence of the territory by the male; and frequent intrusions into other territories by females which were tolerated by the males holding those territories.[26]
Feeding
The crescent honeyeater is arboreal,
Conservation status
While the population numbers and distribution are sufficient for the crescent honeyeater to be listed as of
References
- ^ . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ Latham, John (1801). Supplementum Indicis Ornithologici, sive Systematis Ornithologiae (in Latin). London: G. Leigh, J. & S. Sotheby. p. xxxviii.
- ^ Shaw, George (1812). General Zoology, or Systematic Natural History. Aves. Vol. VIII. London: Kearsley, Wilkie & Robinson. p. 226.
- ^ Vieillot, L.P. (1817). Nouveau Dictionnaire d'Histoire Naturelle, appliquée aux arts, principalement à l'Agriculture, à l'Écomomie rurale et domestique, à la Médecine, etc. Par une société de naturalistes et d'agriculteurs. Nouvelle edition (in French). Vol. 14. Paris: Déterville. p. 328.
- ^ Gould, John (1838). A Synopsis of the Birds of Australia, and the Adjacent Islands. London: J. Gould. Part IV, Appendix p. 5.
- ^ ISBN 0-19-553071-3.
- ISBN 0-19-910207-4.
- ^ ISBN 0-670-90478-3.
- ISSN 0007-1595.
- PMID 15120392.
- PMID 28017855.
- PMID 15263073.
- ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2021). "Honeyeaters". World Bird List Version 11.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ISBN 073222436-5
- ^ a b c d "Phylidonyris pyrrhoptera". Life in the Suburbs: promoting urban biodiversity in the ACT. The Australian National University. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
- ^ Gould, John (1865). Handbook to the Birds of Australia. London: J. Gould. p. 493.
- ^ S2CID 86730978.
- .
- ^ .
- ^ doi:10.1071/MU926120.
- ISBN 1-876282-10-X.
- ISSN 0045-0316.
- .
- ^ ISBN 0-646-42798-9.
- ^ .
- ^ S2CID 85028730.
- ^ ISSN 0038-2973.
- .
- ISBN 0-644-07124-9.
- ISBN 0-86417-878-6. plate 3.
- ^ Ford, Hugh A. (1976). "The Honeyeaters of Kangaroo Island" (PDF). South Australian Ornithologist. 27: 134–38. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-01-27.
External links