Pilotbird
Pycnoptilus floccosus
Small, chunky bird with a cocked tail, found in wet forested areas and heathland in eastern Victoria and southeastern New South Wales. Dark chocolate brown plumage, with faintly mottled chest and rufous-tinted throat and rump. Forages on the ground, turning over leaf litter using strong legs. Call is loud and clear, easily remembered as a whistled "guinea-a-week."
识别特征
The pilotbird is a large, plump species of acanthizid, measuring around 18 centimetres (7.1 in) in length and weighing 27 grams (0.95 oz). The plumage of the underparts is reddish-brown with scalloping on the chest and the centre of the belly speckled dull white. The upperparts are chocolate-brown. The bill is short and finely pointed. Its tail is broad and semi-erect, and flicked up and down when feeding.
分类信息
The species was first described by English ornithologist John Gould in 1851. The generic name Pycnoptilus derives from the Ancient Greek pyknos 'thick' and ptilon 'feather'. Its specific epithet floccosus is Late Latin for 'flocked with wool'. There are two subspecies: the nominate subspecies Pycnoptilus floccosus floccosus lives in alpine areas; and P. f. sandfordi lives in lowland forest.
- 学名
- Pycnoptilus floccosus
- 命名信息
- Gould, 1851
- 目
- Passeriformes
- 科
- Acanthizidae
- 属
- Pycnoptilus
分布与栖息地
The pilotbird is found from the Wollemi National Park and Blue Mountains National Park in New South Wales through to the Dandenong Ranges, near Melbourne in Victoria. Its natural habitat is temperate wet sclerophyll forests and occasionally temperate rainforest, where there is dense undergrowth with abundant debris. It is sedentary and common.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
Its name comes from its supposed habit of following lyrebirds, taking prey that they flush, and also from its call guiding bushmen seeking for lyrebirds. This habit is well known but seldom observed. The pilotbird is highly terrestrial, feeding on or near the ground and when disturbed it runs swiftly on strong legs. Its call has been described as "piercing and sweet". The male makes a far-carrying call of wit-wit-weet-WHEER to which the female may respond with a softer wit-a-wit-ee.<p>The breeding season for the pilotbird is from August to December. The globular nest is built with a side-entrance and hidden amongst the accumulated debris on the forest floor. It is an untidy construction of bark, ferns, dead leaves and rootlets. A clutch of usually two eggs, each measuring 27 by 20 mm (1.06 by 0.79 in) and varying in colour from grey-green to purple-brown, is incubated by the female for 20–22 days. During the nestling period, which lasts 14–17 days, the male will often feed the female or help with the care of the nestlings, if the female has a subsequent brood. The nests are sometimes parasitised by the fan-tailed cuckoo (Cacomantis flabelliformis).
保护状况
The pilotbird is fairly common within its small range, which has reduced as a result of forest clearance and urban development, but much of its habitat is within national parks or reserves. Its habitat is also threatened by climate change, severe weather and bushfires; nevertheless, the most recent assessment in October 2016 classified the pilotbird as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. The pilotbird was listed as Vulnerable under the EPBC Act in 2022, in response to the 2019/2020 Australian Bushfires, which burnt 47% of its distribution, and contributed to an estimated 30-50% decline in the population.
- 种群趋势
- declining
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Short-toed Coucal
Centropus rectunguis
Burly long-tailed cuckoo. Adult is coal-black with bright rufous wings and back. Juvenile is messier-looking, with extensive pale barring over much of the upper body. Very similar in appearance to Greater Coucal, but Short-toed is smaller and shorter-tailed. Prefers dense lowland and foothill rainforest but can also be found in scrubby or grassy areas with extensive cover. Gives sad muffled hoots.
Enggano Imperial-Pigeon
Ducula oenothorax
Large pigeon from Enggano island off Sumatra. Other than deep green wings and back, predominantly pale gray, though slightly darker on the back of the neck. Distinctive pale pink wash across the chest. Inhabits wooded areas including edge and second growth near human habitation. No pigeons of a similar size and color occur on the island. Very vocal, with a wide repertoire, including a purring “krooooo”.
Bougainville White-eye
Zosterops hamlini
Small social songbird, often encountered foraging in upper levels of forest. Mostly olive-green above with a yellow undertail. Belly, chest, and throat gray. Note the smudgy black patch in front of the eye and bright white eye-ring. Found in forest and forest edge from around 900 to 1950 meters of elevation. Similar to Yellow-throated White-eye, but upperparts less yellow and throat gray. Common calls include a loud mellow “peeeu” and high-pitched “peep-peep” foraging calls.
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