Little friarbird
Little friarbird | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Meliphagidae |
Genus: | Philemon |
Species: | P. citreogularis |
Binomial name | |
Philemon citreogularis (Gould, 1837) | |
The little friarbird (Philemon citreogularis), also known as the little leatherhead or yellow throated friarbird, is the smallest of the friarbirds within the Philemon genus.[2] It is found Throughout northern and eastern Australia as well as southern Papua New Guinea.[2] It lives a very prominent life whereby it can easily be seen chasing other honeyeaters and is very vocal.[3] However, the little friarbird is usually spotted high up in trees as it rarely is seen on the ground.[3]
Description
The little friarbird ranges from 25–30 cm in length.[4] The average size tends to be 27 cm with an average weight of 67g.[5] Although males and females tend to be very similar in appearance, males are larger.[3]
The little friarbird can be easily distinguished from other friarbirds by the absence of a casque (a prominent ridge or bump present on the beak).[6] Another key recognisable feature is the bare blue skin present under the eye which widens over the cheek (The bare blue skin can be grey to black in tone).[5][7][8] Dark feathers are present both above and below the blue skin.[8] The top of the head and body are a dark grey-brown with a dull white fringe present on the nape which flows around to a wide patch on the side of the neck.[6] Fine silky white feathers are present under the chin with silvery white streaks flowing down the breast merging to pale grey for the under body of the little friarbird.[4][6]
The little friarbird also has a black curved bill, dark brown eyes with bluish black legs.[6] Its flight characteristics involve wing-beats which are shallow and quivering in nature.[2] The tail is clearly square cut when spread with slight pale tips present on the tail feathers.[2]
Juveniles
Juvenile little friarbirds tend to have a paler appearance with a lighter facial skin.[8] The chin throat and in some cases, upper breast tends to appear as a washed yellow with yellow spots on side of breast.[2][8] The terming ‘citregularis’ is a descriptive term frequently used to describe young birds which have a yellow fore neck.[6] The tail feathers also tend to appear as a shallower cut unlike the adult little friarbirds.[6]
Voice
The little friarbird has a very distinct voice consisting of a repeated liquid mellow ‘gee-wit’ or chewip’.[2] When breeding, the song is extended and includes chattering scoldings.[2]
Diet
The little friarbird has been observed feeding alone, in pairs and small flocks.[5] However, they are rarely seen feeding on the ground as they prefer to remain in the trees and feed with other honeyeaters in mixed groups.[5] They feed on nectar, blossoms, fruit, invertebrates and sometimes flowers and seeds.[3][5][7]
Location
The little friarbird is present most predominantly in northern Australia with seasonal movements to south-east Australia.[5] They have been witnessed as far West as Port headland in Western Australia through the Kimberleys into the northern portion of the Northern Territory.[2] They have been sighted throughout most of Queensland going as far inland as Mount Isa and Opalton.[2] They also spread throughout the south East of Australia inhabiting the states of New South Wales, Victoria, Australian Capital Territory and South Australia.[2]
The little Friarbird have been sighted along the Murray River and throughout the Riverina within New South Wales and predominant water bodies in Victoria such as Hattah lakes.[2] They have also been sighted as far as Morgan in South Australia.[2] They are also present in South Papua New Guinea and a variety of islands adjacent to Australia.[2][7]
Habitat
The little friarbird is found most predominantly around water bodies.[2] They can be seen in swamp woodlands, mangroves, shrub communities, open forests and woodlands dominated by Eucalyptus tree species.[5] They also inhabit orchards, vineyards and gardens during a good flowering season.[2] They may also inhabit arid zones, however only where water bodies extend well into the area.[5]
Breeding
The little friarbird form monogamous pairs to breed.[3] Breeding records vary with the earliest being witnessed in July through to the latest being February.[6][7] Pairs share the role of building the nest which is a deep open cup which is flimsy and able to be seen through (eggs are visible).[4][5][6] The nest comprises a large variety of materials including bark fiber, fine grass, spiders’ web, rootlets and hair.[2][6] The nest is usually built over a water body low in tree branches, often suspended in twigs 2–10 meters high and built within dropped foliage.[2] Up to 2 broods can be raised within a single breeding season with the female being the sole incubator of the eggs.[4] A single nesting period tends to take 14 days within which 13 days of incubation occurs.[5] During the breeding season the little friarbird is often parasitized by the common koel, Eudynamys scolopacea, a common cuckoo species.[3][5]
Eggs
The nest would usually consist of 2–3 eggs (sometimes 4) which tend to be an oval to tapered oval shape averaging 28mm by 20mm in size.[2][4][7] The eggs appear chestnut in colour and can be a whitish pink to salmon red, or spotted purplish red to purple.[2]
References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2013). "Philemon citreogularis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Pizzey, Graham (1991). A field guide to the birds of Australia. Sydney: Harper Collins. pp. 320–321. ISBN 0 00 219205 5.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Little Friarbird". Birdlife Australia. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Jones, Raymond M. "Little Friarbird - Australian Bush Birds". www.australianbushbirds.info. Retrieved 2017-06-09.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Little Friarbird | BIRDS in BACKYARDS". www.birdsinbackyards.net. Retrieved 2017-06-09.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Macdonald, J (1973). Birds of Australia. Sydney: A. H. & A. W. Reed Pty Ltd. p. 426. ISBN 0 589 07117 3.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Pizzey, Graham (2007). The field guide to the birds of Australia. Sydney: Harper Collins. p. 380. ISBN 9780207199356.
- 1 2 3 4 Simpson, K. & Day, N. (1996). Field guide to the birds of Australia. Melbourne: Penguin books Australia. pp. 190–191. ISBN 0 670 86305 X.
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