Mulga Parrot
Psephotellus varius
Medium-sized colorful parrot, widespread across more arid and semi-arid woodlands of southern inland Australia. Adult male very brightly colored and striking in appearance, primarily turquoise-green with dark blue and yellow in the wings and yellow and red in lower belly. Female primarily brownish-green but with splashes of turquoise, blue, red, and yellow. Typically feeds on the ground. Calls include a repeated, clear, rising "whitt."
识别特征
The Mulga Parrot measures about 27–32 cm (10.5–12.5 in) in length with a 30–42 cm (12–16.5 in) wingspan, and it weighs 50–60 g (1.8–2.1 oz), the mulga parrot is a medium-sized parrot of slim build and long tail. The species is sexually dimorphic, the sexes differing markedly in plumage. The male mulga parrot is multicolored, from which the alternate common name many-coloured parrot is derived. It is a bright green overall, with a bluish tinge on the neck and above the eye, and paler on the breast. The rump is light green. The forehead is yellow and there is a red patch on the back of the head. The lower belly and thighs are yellowish marked with orange-red and the wings greenish apart from the yellow median wing coverts and blue outer webs of primaries. The long tail is an assortment of colours: the two long central feathers are dark blue tinged with green, the outer feathers are blue shading to white and there is some red on the upper tail coverts. Its bill is a blue-grey edged with black, and iris is brown. The female is duller overall, with an olive-brown head and chest, duller yellow forehead and red patch on the back of the head, and pale green belly, and more brown-grey bill. It sometimes also has a red shoulder.
分类信息
The mulga parrot was given its current scientific name of Psephotellus varius by American zoologist Austin Hobart Clark in 1910, after its name Psephotus multicolor was ruled invalid as the original combination (Psittacus multicolor) had been used for another species. Gregory Mathews proposed the name Psephotus dulciei in 1911 for the same reason, unaware of Clark's proposal, which was published earlier and hence had priority.<p>Mathews described two additional subspecies of mulga parrot in 1912: P. varius rosinae, from a specimen collected from Yorke Peninsula, noting that it had less red on the abdomen and its upper breast was a darker green, and P. varius exsul from a specimen from Mount Magnet in Western Australia, reporting it had a more blue than green color overall, particularly on the cheeks. In 1917, he revised his classification, noting that he had assumed the type collection came from New South Wales but was now made aware that Brown's original specimen came from the Eyre Peninsula on the Spencer Gulf. He added P. varius ethelae from a collection from the Macdonnell Ranges, noting it had all over paler plumage, and renamed the New South Wales form P. varius orientalis, noting its brighter plumage and more prominent red color on the abdomen.<p>In 1941, Herbert Condon recognised subspecies varius and orientalis, but conceded evidence was lacking in confirming the other two.<p>In 1955, British evolutionary biologist Arthur Cain reviewed various described subspecies and found none were valid.<p>Cain concluded in 1955 that within the genus Psephotus the mulga parrot was more closely related to the golden-shouldered parrot than to the red-rumped parrot.<p>A 2011 genetic study including nuclear and mitochondrial DNA found that the mulga parrot was closely related to the red-capped parrot, the two lineages having diverged in the Miocene. The combined lineage itself diverging from one giving rise to the hooded and golden-shouldered parrots.<p>A 2018 genetic analysis of specimens across the mulga parrot's range found that there were two lineages that had diverged around 402,000 years ago and recently expanded. The Flinders Ranges and Eyre Peninsula appear to have been the barrier between the two lineages. Preliminary investigation into physical characteristics that might distinguish them suggested that the red patch on the abdomen was possibly brighter and more extensive in the eastern population. McElroy and colleagues agreed the two populations were distinct enough to be recognised as subspecies, however it is unclear to which group the type specimen belongs to.<p>John Gould called this bird "many-coloured parakeet" or "many-coloured parrot", a term used during the 19th century. The RAOU proposed "mulga parrot" in 1926. Other common names include various parrot and varied parrot.<p>A 2015 study of museum specimens found that the bill surface area of male mulga parrots had increased by 10.7% between 1871 and 2008. This is consistent with the hypothesis of Allen's rule, where appendages are larger in warmer climates to assist with heat loss.
- 学名
- Psephotellus varius
- 命名信息
- (Clark, AH, 1910)
- 目
- Psittaciformes
- 科
- Psittaculidae
- 属
- Psephotellus
分布与栖息地
The species ranges across the drier interior of the Australian continent, from Western New South Wales from Collarenebri, West Wyalong and Griffith westwards through the northwestern tip of Victoria and across South Australia and into the drier central regions of Western Australia west to the Wheatbelt and north to the Pilbara. The mulga parrot is generally encountered in pairs in arid grassland and mulga scrubland.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- declining
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
American Avocet
Recurvirostra americana
Distinctive large shorebird with a long, thin, upturned bill. Look for bold black-and-white wings and long blue-gray legs. Breeding adults have buffy-orange wash on head and neck; grayish in winter. Females have more sharply upturned bills than males. Widespread and fairly common in North America, although rare or absent from much of the eastern U.S. Usually seen in flocks, sometimes numbering into the hundreds, foraging in shallow wetlands or estuaries. Feeds by swinging its head back-and-forth through the water to catch small invertebrates.
Cryptic Becard
Pachyramphus salvini
Small becard occurring from southwest Colombia to northwest Peru, mainly on the west slope of the Andes and in the Marañon drainage, but (perhaps seasonally?) on the east slope of the Andes as well. Mostly found in foothills, in middle to upper levels of humid montane forest, dry forest, and more open second-growth. Male is mostly gray with bold white edges on the wing feathers and a black cap with pale spectacles. Compare with White-winged Becard, which has a black back and dark lores. Female is very different; look for her brown cap bordered with black, white spectacles, pale yellowish belly, and tawny edges on wing feathers. Extremely similar to Black-and-white Becard, with potential range overlap on the east slope of the Andes in Ecuador and Peru. Male Cryptic shows a narrower upper wingbar, paler lores, a grayer upperside of the tail, and a more slender bill than Black-and-white. Female Cryptic has a duller brownish crown with a narrower black border. These features may all be difficult or impossible to assess in the field; some birds are best left unidentified. Also note voice: song a fast series of two sweet downslurred whistles followed by a stuttered upslurred whistle, often repeated two or three times. Black-and-white’s song is slower, with longer notes.
Santarem Parakeet
Pyrrhura amazonum
Long-tailed parakeet, mostly green with a scaled breast; has a narrow blue forehead and lacks a red patch on edge of shoulders. Feeds in small groups in the canopy of both humid non-flooded and seasonally flooded forests, as well as forest edges. Most often seen fleetingly, flying in noisy flocks through the sub-canopy. The similar Painted Parakeet has a larger blue patch on the forehead and red shoulder patch. The calls of Painted and Santarem parakeets are apparently indistinguishable.
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