Fairy Gerygone
Gerygone palpebrosa
Small plain bird with thin bill. Upperparts grayish brown with green tinges, underparts yellow. In male, distinct white facial markings extend from above the base of the bill to the chin. In female and juvenile, facial markings indistinct, usually just a light loral patch (above bill). Compare larger Green-backed Honeyeater, with pale eye and dark lores. Inhabits subtropical wet forests, usually edges and surrounding habitats, and mangroves.
Identification
Adult birds have olive upperparts and yellow underparts, brownish tails, short black bills and legs, and red eyes. The male has a black throat. The subspecies flavida can be distinguished from subspecies personata by the white tip of its tail.
Taxonomy
Alfred Russel Wallace described the species as Gerygone palpebrosa in 1865, from a specimen from the Aru Islands. The species name is derived from the Latin palpebra "eyelid", for the bird's facial markings. A taxon known commonly as the fairy warbler, Gerygone flavida was described from the Herbert River in Queensland and initially treated as a separate species. However, birds further north along the Queensland coastline became gradually more like Gerygone palpebrosa, indicating there was no delineation between the two forms. This and the similarity of their songs indicated they were a single species.<p>Other common names recorded include black-throated, black-headed or masked gerygone, warbler or flyeater, hornet-nest bird, from a propensity to nest near wasp nests. These names were applied to what was thought a separate species—Gerygone personata described by John Gould in 1866—from far north Queensland which has been sunk into this one. What was described as Gerygone flavida was given the names yellow warbler/gerygone/flyeater, Cardwell gerygone or Herbert River flyeater.<p>Genetic study indicates that the fairy gerygone is most closely related to the green-backed gerygone (Gerygone chloronota), their ancestors having diverged around two million years ago.<p>Six subspecies are recognised:
- Scientific name
- Gerygone palpebrosa
- Authority
- Wallace, 1865
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Acanthizidae
- Genus
- Gerygone
Range and habitat
It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.<p>The fairy gerygone is listed by the IUCN as being of Least Concern. No particular threats have been identified and the bird has a wide range and stable population.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Male fairy gerygones hold themselves erect and sing a loud melodious song when they hear the calls of predators, particularly their main predator the black butcherbird. The purpose for this is unclear, though it is possibly a form of advertising to potential mates, promoting the male's prowess at singing in times of danger.<p>The fairy gerygone nests near wasp nests, possibly to keep itself safe from predators.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Chestnut-crested Antbird
Rhegmatorhina cristata
Striking, medium-sized antbird, brown above and rich chestnut below, with a black face and broad white bare eye-ring. Females have thin black bars above. Inhabits the understory of humid forest, where it is always found foraging at army-ant swarms. The song is a series of ascending whistles that finishes with harsh descending notes.
Band-bellied Owl
Pulsatrix melanota
Impressive, strongly-patterned owl of cloud forest along the east slope of the Andes. Note brown breast, banded belly, and white “X” on otherwise dark face. Juvenile is creamy white with a black mask. Usually first detected by its far-carrying song that is often given as a duet. One owl starts with a pulsing series of low-pitched, guttural notes. Another owl responds with a similar vocalization but at a slightly different pitch, and after a few moments the first owl sings again.
Great Spinetail
Synallaxis hypochondriaca
Handsome spinetail with a highly restricted range, known only from arid Andean valleys southeast of the city of Cajamarca in northern Peru. It has a white throat and eyebrow, a streaky breast, and chestnut wings and tail. Plumage is similar to Necklaced Spinetail, but Great is much larger, and the two species do not overlap. Inhabits thorny scrub and cacti. Vocalizations include fast rattles and shrill, doubled chirps.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.