Redthroat
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The redthroat (''Pyrrholaemus brunneus'') is a small, mostly ground-dwelling species of
bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...
in the family Acanthizidae. It is
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to Australia, occurring mostly in arid and semi-arid areas containing
acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Austral ...
and chenopod shrublands. The species has a distinctive red throat patch and is able to mimic the calls of numerous other bird species.


Taxonomy

The first formal description of the redthroat was by the English
ornithologist Ornithology, from Ancient Greek ὄρνις (''órnis''), meaning "bird", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is a branch of zoology dedicated to the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related discip ...
and bird artist
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 ...
in 1841 under the present
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 ...
''Pyrrholaemus brunneus''. The name of the genus ''Pyrrholaemus'' is from classical Greek ' meaning 'flame-coloured' or 'red' and ' for 'throat'. The
specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), 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 gramm ...
' is
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 ...
for 'brown'. The redthroat is a small
passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped') which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines generally have an anisodactyl arrangement of their ...
bird within the family Acanthizidae, also known as the Australasian warblers. The Acanthizidae were once regarded as a subfamily within the family Pardalotidae; although current revisions place the Acanthizidae in their own family, sister to the Pardalotidae. The species most closely related to the redthroat are the speckled warbler (''Chthonicola sagittata''), which was previously classified in the same genus as the redthroat (''Pyrrholaemus''), and the pilotbird (''Pycnoptilus floccosus''). Recent phylogenetic studies have found that this clade of species (''Pyrrholaemus-Chthonicola-Pyncnoptilus'') is sister to the heathwrens and fieldwrens (''Hylacola-Calamanthus'').


Description

A small shy greyish-brown bird, the redthroat is most often seen swiftly darting through low branches and shrubs or hopping mouse-like on the ground. Only adult males have the distinctive small, rusty-brown throat patch, which gives the species its common name and the absence of which makes the identification of females and juveniles more difficult. The upper part of the head, body, wings, and tail are a dark brownish-grey, particularly dark on the rump and tail. While the underbody is predominantly whitish-grey, with a more whitish belly and pale buff colour blending into the flanks and undertail-coverts. The tail has prominent white patches on the tips of the outer feathers, which can be seen during flight and with the tail folded. Fine off-white scalloping is visible on the forehead, with off-white eye rings and lores merging into the lighter underparts of the body. It may be confused with some thornbill species, which are more compact with a shorter tail than the redthroat. It is unlikely to be mistaken for fieldwrens or heathwrens, which have a more strongly upturned tail at rest. The melodious call, similar to that of a canary, has sustained warbling and loud cheery notes. In addition to its own calls, the redthroat is able to
mimic In evolutionary biology, mimicry is an evolved resemblance between an organism and another object, often an organism of another species. Mimicry may evolve between different species, or between individuals of the same species. In the simples ...
the calls of numerous other birds, including the
pied butcherbird The pied butcherbird (''Cracticus nigrogularis'') is a songbird native to Australia. Described by John Gould in 1837, it is a black and white bird long with a long hooked bill. Its head and throat are black, making a distinctive hood; the Bird ...
, rufous fieldwren, grey fantail, fairywrens, and thornbills. The redthroat has even been known to mimic the non-vocal sound of whistling wingbeats made by a crested pigeon in flight. Although both sexes call throughout the year, during the breeding season male calls are more sustained. The species is vocal when foraging and will also sing while perched atop shrubs and taller trees.


Distribution

The redthroat is endemic to mainland Australia, occurring in all states and territories, except the
Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...
and
Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...
. The species is most prevalent in Western Australia and South Australia. It has a widespread but scattered distribution throughout most of South Australia. In Western Australia, the species is not present in the far north or the south-east, but is prevalent throughout the mid-latitudes of the state. In the Northern Territory, the species is restricted to the south of the state, around the
Simpson Desert The Simpson Desert is a large area of dry, red sandy plain and dunes in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Queensland in central Australia. It is the fourth-largest Deserts of Australia, Australian desert, with an area of . The Wangka ...
and the
MacDonnell Ranges The MacDonnell Ranges, or Tjoritja in Arrernte language, Arrernte, is a mountain range located in southern Northern Territory. MacDonnell Ranges is also the name given to an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, interim Australia ...
. In Queensland, the species is restricted to inland south-western regions. In Victoria, the species is restricted to the mallee regions in the northwest of the state. In
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, the species is only known to occur in the far west, in several core populations, including Broken Hill, Tibooburra, Penarie and Nearie Lake Nature Reserve. The species is thought to be mostly sedentary, with no evidence to suggest seasonal migration. Individuals recaptured after banding have all been found within of the banding site.


Habitat

The habitat of the redthroat consists primarily of arid and semi-arid regions of inland Australia, but it also occupies some coastal areas, as well as plains and rangelands. Communities it favours are most often acacia and chenopod shrublands. These communities are usually characterised by an overstory of mulga (''
Acacia aneura ''Acacia aneura'', commonly known as mulga, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to inland Australia. It is a variable shrub or small tree with flat, narrowly linear to elliptic phyllodes, cylindrical spike ...
''), red mulga ('' A. cyperophylla''), or lacewood (''A. shirleyi'') with an understory of saltbush (''
Atriplex ''Atriplex'' () is a plant genus of about 250 species, known by the common names of saltbush and orache (; also spelled orach). It belongs to the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae ''s.l.''. The genus is quite variable and ...
spp''.), bluebush (''
Chenopodium ''Chenopodium'' is a genus of numerous species of perennial or annual herbaceous flowering plants known as the goosefoot, which occur almost anywhere in the world. It is placed in the family Amaranthaceae in the APG II system; older classifica ...
spp''.) or emu bush ('' Eremophila spp''.). However, in some areas the species is known to occur in mallee with a diverse understory, semi-arid woodlands, ''
Banksia ''Banksia'' is a genus of around 170 species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes, and woody fruiting "cones" and head ...
'' and tea tree thickets and shrublands with an overstory of white cypress. The consistent feature among these habitats appears to be the presence of a complex understory, which provides suitable foraging and nesting resources for this shy, mostly ground-dwelling species.


Diet and foraging behaviour

Redthroats are
omnivore An omnivore () is an animal that regularly consumes significant quantities of both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize t ...
s with a diet consisting of seeds from grasses and shrubs as well as a broad variety of invertebrates, such as spiders, insects, and gastropods. Observations of redthroat foraging behaviour found that the species predominantly forages at heights of less than 1m (73% of observations) and was not observed foraging at heights greater than 3m. This study found that redthroats feed mostly by pouncing on prey from the ground or
gleaning Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops in the field after harvest. During harvest, there is food that is left or missed often because it does not meet store standards for uniformity. Sometimes, fields are left because they were not ec ...
in low vegetation, with very few instances of hunting on the wing. Another study of foraging behaviour found that all observations of foraging occurred on the ground (<0.1 m), using a combination of gleaning and probing.


Breeding and nesting

Breeding mostly occurs between June–December with some geographic variation in timing. Little is known about sexual behaviour, although the species appears to breed in pairs. Nests are relatively large for a bird of its size , often domed, spherical or domed with a round entrance near the top . They are usually constructed of bark strips and bark fibre, often lined with feathers, fur or soft plant material. Nests are located on or close to the ground among shrubs, grass tussocks, at the base of trees, in fallen logs or in small depressions. Two to four eggs are laid and the female is solely responsible for incubating the eggs. The redthroat and the closely related speckled warbler are the only members of the acanthizids that have a solid coloured chocolate-brown egg. Furthermore, the redthroat (and the speckled warbler) are the primary host species of some
brood parasite Brood may refer to: Nature * Brood, a collective term for offspring * Brooding, the incubation of bird eggs by their parents * Bee brood, the young of a beehive * Individual broods of North American periodical cicadas: ** Brood X, the largest ...
s, such as the black-eared cuckoo (''Chrysococcyx osculans'')and fan-tailed cuckoo (''Cacomantis flabelliformis''), which remove redthroat eggs from the nest and lay their own similar looking eggs.


Conservation status

Populations of redthroats have declined in many areas throughout Australia and the species is subject to many threatening processes. This has warranted its conservation listing in New South Wales and Victoria as follows: * The redthroat is listed as ''threatened'' on the Victorian
Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act (1988) The ''Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988'', also known as the ''FFG Act'', is an act of the Victorian Parliament designed to protect species, genetic material and habitats, to prevent extinction and allow maximum genetic diversity within the Au ...
. Under this Act, an ''Action Statement'' for the recovery and future management of this species has not yet been prepared.Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria
* On the 2013 advisory list of threatened vertebrate fauna in Victoria, the redthroat is listed as ''endangered''. * The redthroat is listed at ''vulnerable'' under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act (1995) In New South Wales, several threatening processes affecting redthroat populations have been formally identified, including the following: * Clearing of suitable vegetation communities can cause range contractions and isolate populations. *
Overgrazing Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature ...
by feral herbivores, particularly goats, can cause habitat degradation and prevent habitat regeneration for the species. * The infestation of suitable habitat by the noxious environmental weed
Mesquite Mesquite is a common name for some plants in the genera ''Neltuma'' and '' Strombocarpa'', which contain over 50 species of spiny, deep-rooted leguminous shrubs and small trees. They are native to dry areas in the Americas. Until 2022, these ge ...
also impacts habitat values and foraging resources. * Given that redthroats are predominantly ground-dwelling and nesting birds, they are also highly susceptible to predation by exotic predators, such as
fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...
es and
cat The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...
s. Although the species is not yet federally listed under the
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 The ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and cult ...
, the threatening processes listed above are present throughout most of the species distribution. The ongoing impacts of land clearing, noxious weeds, introduced herbivores, and introduced predators are likely to cause further declines throughout the species range, which may warrant further environmental protection measures.


References

* Del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & Christie D. (editors). (2006). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Lynx Edicions. {{Taxonbar, from=Q1310023 Pyrrholaemus Endemic birds of Australia Birds described in 1841 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot