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
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Chunky medium-sized tanager found in the canopy of lowland and foothill forest from extreme eastern Panama to northwest Ecuador. Unmistakable in range: pale silvery-gray overall with a black face, a black shoulder, and messy black and gold spotting on the breast and nape. Pairs or small groups are typically seen in the canopy, sometimes perched quite conspicuously at the edge of forest. Often follows mixed-species flocks.
Cinnamon-banded Kingfisher
Todiramphus australasia
A handsome forest kingfisher with a blue-green back, rich cinnamon underparts, a broad cinnamon eyebrow and collar, a wide blackish line through the eye, and a dark cap. Juvenile duller, with a white-tipped bill, a mottled breast, and scaling on some wing feathers. Inhabits forest and forest edge in lowlands and lower hills, rarely wandering into local gardens. Distinguished from Sacred and Collared Kingfishers by its almost completely umber-colored underside and its broad brow. Its swift, descending trill, “keeeerrrrer,” is often heard, as is its harsh “krrrreee-kreeee” notes and its yapping calls.
Chinese Shortwing
Brachypteryx sinensis
Shy and skulky ground-dweller of hill forests with dense undergrowth; especially favors damp, dark areas near streams, fallen trunks, and accumulated debris. Male is slate-blue, with paler undertail and lower belly; also note his thin white eyebrow. Female is dark dirt-brown, with paler underparts and a faint rufous eyering. Difficult to see in tangled understory, but can be readily detected through the male’s song, a series of pure, short whistles followed by a quick jumble of notes, which sometimes include a buzz. Calls include a “tchik” and a rattling series.
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