Yellow-throated Scrubwren
Neosericornis citreogularis
Small rainforest bird with yellow throat patch. Primarily olive brown with yellow edges to the primaries. Has a dark face with a pale streak above the eye. Inhabits rainforest habitats on the east coast of Australia. It is usually seen actively hopping around and foraging on the rainforest floor, as it feeds exclusively on the ground. May mimic the calls of other species.
Identification
The yellow-throated scrubwren measures 12.5–15 cm (5–6 in) in length. The male bird has a black masked face and ear coverts, with yellow throat and eyebrow. The iris is reddish and upperparts brownish and underparts paler. The wing primaries are yellow and relatively long legs pinkish or cream. The female has a brownish face. Calls include a loud harsh chatter, and a lively song, the latter can be a response to a loud noise such as a car door slamming.
Taxonomy
The yellow-throated scrubwren was described and illustrated by the English bird artist and ornithologist John Gould in 1838, and given the binomial name Sericornis citreogularis. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin terms cǐtreus 'pertaining to citrus' and gǔla 'throat', hence 'yellow-throated'. The northern subspecies cairnsii was described by amateur ornithologist Gregory Mathews in 1912. The yellow-throated scrubwren was formerly placed in the genus Sericornis but a phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences published in 2018 found that the species was not closely related to other scrubwrens nor to the mouse-warblers. The species was therefore assigned to a separate genus Neosericornis, which had been proposed by Mathews in 1912. The generic name Neosericornis derives from the Ancient Greek neos 'new', serikos 'silken', and ornis 'bird'.
- Scientific name
- Neosericornis citreogularis
- Authority
- (Gould, 1838)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Acanthizidae
- Genus
- Neosericornis
Range and habitat
The species is found in two disjunct distributions; in coastal north Queensland from Cooktown to Townsville, and from Hervey Bay in southern coastal Queensland south through to southeastern New South Wales. The usual habitat is rainforest gullies, generally with streams nearby. In the Sydney Basin this may be the Illawarra escarpment, and wetter places in the Dharug- and Royal National Parks.<p>Insectivorous, they feed at ground level, unlike the related large-billed scrubwren (S. magnirostris) which lives in the same wet forest habitat but forages higher in the leaf layer and on branches.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Thick-billed Parrot
Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha
Very local, long-tailed, and social parrot of mountains in northwest Mexico. Feeds in pine and pine-oak forests. Nests colonially in groves of giant aspens, whose soft trunks allow nest cavities to be excavated. Usually found in flocks, of 10–100 birds, less often in scattered pairs; often located by its far-carrying, raucous laughing calls. No similar species in its range; note the red forehead and small red shoulder patches. In flight shows a broad yellow stripe under the wings.
Eastern Parotia
Parotia helenae
A fairly large, short-tailed bird of mid-montane forest canopy. Male is mainly black with a bronzy-scaled chest and 6 antennalike feathers projecting from the back of the head. Note the blue eyes. The female is warm-brown above with barred underparts and a black head. The male has an elaborate dance at a terrestrial display court. Females are similar to female lophorinas, but are larger and lack a pale eyebrow stripe. The vocalizations are poorly known, but likely include various rasps and parrotlike squawks.
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