The western whipbird (''Psophodes nigrogularis'') is a passerine bird found in several scattered populations in
Southwest Australia
Southwest Australia is a biogeographic region in Western Australia. It includes the Mediterranean-climate area of southwestern Australia, which is home to a diverse and distinctive flora and fauna.
The region is also known as the Southwest Au ...
. It is predominantly olive green in colour. The western whipbird has sometimes been split into two species: the black-throated whipbird and the white-bellied whipbird.
Taxonomy
The western whipbird was
formally described
A species description is a formal scientific description of a newly encountered species, typically articulated through a scientific publication. Its purpose is to provide a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differ ...
in 1844 by the English ornithologist
John Gould
John Gould (; 14 September 1804 – 3 February 1881) was an English ornithologist who published monographs on birds, illustrated by plates produced by his wife, Elizabeth Gould (illustrator), Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists, includ ...
based on a specimen collected by
John Gilbert in the
Wongan Hills
Wongan Hills is a range of low flat-topped hills in the Avon Wheatbelt bioregion of Western Australia. It is located at , in the Shire of Wongan–Ballidu.
History
The range was first recorded in 1836 by Surveyor General of Western Australia Jo ...
of
Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
. Gould coined the current
binomial name
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, altho ...
''Psophodes nigrogularis''. The specific epithet combines the
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
''niger'' meaning "black" with
Modern Latin
Neo-LatinSidwell, Keith ''Classical Latin-Medieval Latin-Neo Latin'' in ; others, throughout. (also known as New Latin and Modern Latin) is the style of written Latin used in original literary, scholarly, and scientific works, first in Italy d ...
''gularis'' meaning "throated".
Four
subspecies
In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
are recognised:
* ''P. n. nigrogularis''
Gould, 1844 –
Two Peoples Bay, far southwest
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
: (Endangered) The western heath subspecies is now restricted to a small patch east of
Albany, having disappeared from large parts of its range due to land clearance.
[Garnett. p158]
* ''P. n. oberon''
Schodde
Richard Schodde, OAM (born 23 September 1936) is an Australian botanist and ornithologist.
Schodde studied at the University of Adelaide, where he received a BSc (Hons) in 1960 and a PhD in 1970. During the 1960s he was a botanist with the CSI ...
&
Mason, IJ, 1991 – southwest
Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
, east of Two Peoples Bay: (Rare) The western mallee subspecies is found in scattered populations between the Stirling Ranges and Ravensthorpe. It is apparently common in the
Fitzgerald River National Park
Fitzgerald River National Park is a national park in the Shire of Ravensthorpe, Shires of Ravensthorpe and the Shire of Jerramungup in Western Australia, southeast of Perth. The park is recognised on National Heritage List (Australia), Austral ...
.
[Garnett. p159]
* ''P. n. leucogaster'' Howe & Ross, JA, 1933 – coastal central south South Australia (white-bellied whipbird group)
* ''P. n. lashmari'' Schodde & Mason, IJ, 1991 –
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island (, ) is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island, Northern Territory, Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest of Adelaide. Its closest point to the mainland is Snapper Poi ...
(off southeast South Australia) (white-bellied whipbird group)
The subspecies ''P. n. leucogaster'' and ''P. n. lashmari'' have been considered as a separate species, the white-bellied whipbird.
[
]
Description
The western whipbird is a slim bird some in length. It is predominantly olive green with a black throat and a narrow white cheek-patch edged with black on its face. It has a small crest and a long dark olive-green tail tipped with white, its underparts are a paler olive colour. The bill is black with blackish feet. Juveniles are a duller olive-brown in colour and lack the white cheek stripes and dark throat.
Breeding
Breeding occurs in spring. The nest is a bowl of twigs and sticks lined with softer material such as grasses, located in shrubs or trees less than above the ground. A clutch of two eggs, pale blue with blackish splotches and spots, measuring , is laid.
References
Sources
* Garnett, S. (1993) ''Threatened and Extinct Birds Of Australia''. Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union. National Library, Canberra.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1922967
black-throated whipbird
Endemic birds of Southwest Australia
Vulnerable fauna of Australia
black-throated whipbird