''Anthochaera'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of birds in the

honeyeater The honeyeaters are a large and diverse family, Meliphagidae, of small to medium-sized birds. The family includes the Australian chats, myzomelas, friarbirds, wattlebirds, miners and melidectes. They are most common in Australia and New Gui ...

family. The

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

are endemic to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and include the little wattlebird, the

red wattlebird The red wattlebird (''Anthochaera carunculata'') is a passerine bird native to southern Australia. At in length, it is the second largest species of Australian honeyeater. It has mainly grey-brown plumage, with red eyes, distinctive pinkish-re ...

, the western wattlebird, and the

yellow wattlebird The yellow wattlebird (''Anthochaera paradoxa'') is a species of bird in the honeyeater family Meliphagidae. Other names include the long wattlebird or Tasmanian wattlebird. Taxonomy French zoologist François Marie Daudin described the yellow ...

. A

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

study has shown that the regent honeyeater also belongs in this genus.

Description

Of the five species in the genus only the

(''Anthochaera paradoxa'') and the

(''A. carunculata'') have the wattles of their common name. These are bare fleshy appendages, usually wrinkled and often brightly coloured, hanging from the cheeks, neck or throat, and presumably serving for display. A common name for species of the genus is wattlebird, a term also used for unrelated avian species.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Anthochaera'' was introduced in 1827 by the naturalists

Nicholas Aylward Vigors Nicholas Aylward Vigors (1785 – 26 October 1840) was an Ireland, Irish zoologist and politician. He popularized the classification of birds on the basis of the quinarian system. Early life Vigors was born at Old Leighlin, County Carlow, in 1 ...

and

Thomas Horsfield Thomas Horsfield (May 12, 1773 – July 24, 1859) was an American physician and natural history, naturalist who worked extensively in Indonesia, describing numerous species of plants and animals from the region. He was later a curator of the Eas ...

. The name is derived from the Greek ''anthos'' meaning flower or bloom and ''khairō'' meaning to enjoy. The

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

was designated as the little wattlebird by the German ornithologist

Hans Friedrich Gadow Hans Friedrich Gadow (8 March 1855 – 16 May 1928) was a Germany, German-born ornithologist who worked in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Britain. His work on the classification of birds based on anatomical and morphological characte ...

in 1884. The regent honeyeater (''Anthochaera phrygia'') was formerly placed in its own genus, ''Xanthomyza'', but placed with the ''Anthochaera'' genus in a 2004

study. The genus ''Anthochaera'' is

sister group In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and ...

to the species '' Acanthagenys rufogularis'', the spiny-cheeked honeyeater, separated as a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

genus.

Species and distribution

The genus ''Anthochaera'' contains the following species:

References

External links

Wattlebird videos
on the Internet Bird Collection {{Taxonbar, from=Q262603 Endemic birds of Australia Bird genera Taxa named by Thomas Horsfield Taxa named by Nicholas Aylward Vigors

Description

Taxonomy

Species and distribution

See also

References

External links