Little wattlebird
| Little wattlebird | |
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A. chrysoptera
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| Anthochaera chrysoptera (Latham, 1801)
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The little wattlebird (Anthochaera chrysoptera), also known as the brush wattlebird, is a honeyeater, a passerine bird in the family Meliphagidae. It is found in coastal and sub-coastal south-eastern Australia.
Contents
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by the ornithologist John Latham in 1801 under the binomial name Merops chrysoptera.[2][3] Its specific epithet is derived from the Ancient Greek chryso "golden", and pteron "wing(ed)".[4]
The International Ornithologists' Union recognise three subspecies:[3]
- A. c. chrysoptera (Latham, 1801) – eastern and southeastern Australia
- A. c. halmaturina (Mathews, 1912) – Kangaroo Island (off southern Australia)
- A. c. tasmanica (Mathews, 1912) – Tasmania
The western wattlebird (A. lunulata) was at one time considered as a subspecies.[5]
Description
The little wattlebird is a medium to large honeyeater, but the smallest wattlebird.[6] The appearance is similar to the yellow wattlebird and the red wattlebird.[7] The little wattlebird lacks the wattles[8] which characterise the wattlebirds.
Juveniles are duller with less streaking and have a browner eye.[6]
Distribution and habitat
The little wattlebird is found in banksia/eucalypt woodlands, heathlands, tea-tree scrub, sandplain-heaths, lantana thickets, wild tobacco, parks and gardens.[7]
Behaviour
Call
Calls include a strident cookay-cok, a raucous fetch the gun, a mellow guttural yekkop, yekkop and many squeaky, musical lilting notes. The alarm call is a kwock or shnairt!.[7]
Breeding
September 2002, NSW
Breeding takes place from June to December.[7] The female wattlebird generally constructs the nest,[6] a loose, untidy cup of twigs lined with shredded bark and placed from 1 to 10m high in the fork of a banksia, tea-tree or eucalypt sapling.[7] 1-2 eggs are laid and may be spotted red-brown, purplish red or salmon-pink in colour.[7] The female incubates the eggs alone.[6] Both sexes care for young chicks.[6]
Feeding
Little wattlebirds feed on nectar obtained with a long, brush-tipped tongue, adapted for probing deep into flowers.[6] They also feed on insects, berries and some seeds.[6] Most feeding is done perched but some insects are caught in mid-air. Birds may feed alone or in groups.[6]
References
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- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 Birds in Backyards - Little Wattlebird
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Backyard Birdwatch - Red Wattlebird
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