The naming of Gilbert's Honeyeater

“If you have not already honoured my poor name in your works, I know of no species that would delight me more than … this beautiful bird”, wrote John Gilbert to the famous ornithologist John Gould in 1844. Gould rebuffed him, “…as I have lately named a Pachycephala after you I cannot with propriety add your name to this new bird”. The beautiful new bird discussed was the now-extinct Paradise Parrot, one of Gilbert’s most famous discoveries, and the Pachycephala was of course Gilbert’s Whistler. However Gould had erred, not realising he had already described the whistler a few years earlier. Thus the honorific was relegated to the western subspecies P. inornata gilbertii, and it is only by chance that the English name of an Australian bird still honours his faithful collector John Gilbert.

More than 170 years later, the influential IOC World Bird List [1] did what Gould found so difficult, when on 23rd April 2015 they quietly renamed Melithreptus chloropsis as Gilbert’s Honeyeater. The same English name was adopted when the species was finally split on the eBird/Clements checklist in August 2015. The background to this name change reveals an interesting story of a Western Australian ornithological pioneers, and of modern-day debates about taxonomy and nomenclature.

Gilbert's Honeyeater Melithreptus chloropsis (subadult). Donnelley River, WA

Cheynes Beach: Twitching in a skulkers paradise

Cheynes Beach is a superb birding location, best known for its opportunities to encounter the ‘Big Three’ endemic skulkers of the south-west: Noisy Scrub-bird, Western Bristlebird, and nominate race Western Whipbird. Prime target for most birders is the scrub-bird, which is generally a little easier to see here than at nearby Two Peoples Bay, as the birds here are more habituated to humans (note that’s easIER, not easy). However there are many other treats hidden in the scenic, botanically-rich heaths, and nature-lovers shouldn’t leave disappointed even if they don’t manage to glimpse one or more of the famous skulkers - which is certainly a possibility!

The track to Back Beach (Loop Track), with Baxter's Banksia (Banksia baxteri). NSB habitat to the left (dense cover and reeds), bristlebird habitat to the right (long-burnt low open heath). 

New almost-endemic species for WA: Western Whistler

WA gained a surprise almost-endemic species recently when the south-western forms of Golden Whistler were split by the IOC (on Dec 31) as the full species Western Whistler Pachycephala occidentalis.

Western Whistler Pachycephala occidentalis, adult male at Wungong Gorge near Perth

The curious case of the Red-bellied Spinipig

NB: The following should be prefaced - in the manner of any modern climate debate - with “…I’m not a taxonomic scientist, BUT…”

The July release of the “Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines” (del Hoyo & Collar, Lynx Edicions/BirdLife) [1] marks the start of the brave new era in which BirdLife International team up with the Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) crew on the impressively ambitious, if slightly mad, project to review and illustrate the entirety of the world’s avifauna in two volumes. Since BirdLife Australia will adopt these changes by default, unfortunately this means Australia’s ‘official’ bird list is, yet again (groan), being decided by A BOOK. And in this case, a book extraordinarily revising all the species of the world on the premise of a single scientific paper, Tobias et al’s 2010 paper, “Quantitative limits for species delimitation” [2] [available open access here]. The Tobias paper outlines a hitherto untested numerical scoring method for defining whether a pair of related taxa are ‘distinct enough’ to qualify as separate species. The method uses sympatric (co-existing, hence undisputed) species pairs to calibrate a universal threshold, which can then be used to test allopatric (geographically separated) pairs, which can be much harder to define. The answer, it turns out, is 7.* 

In a rather left-field move, HBW/BirdlLife have thus resplit the Pilbara’s “Rufous-bellied Spinifex Pigeon” (or spinipig as the locals call them) Geophaps ferruginea, which compared to nominate plumifera (now White-bellied Spinifex Pigeon), is:

• generally redder [ferruginea = rusty]
• entirely red-brown below, lacking a white belly
• richer red-brown above (plumifera more grey-brown)
• only a grey and black pectoral band, i.e. lacks white band
• slightly smaller
• plume slightly shorter [3]
• iris red to orange-red (cf. yellow to orange-yellow) [4]

"Red-bellied" Spinifex Pigeon Geophaps [plumifera] ferruginea, Wickham WA. Note the red (not grey-brown) back.

South-west Endemics Part 4: Red-capped Parrot - The illegitimate child of inseparable parents?

The species name spurius, meaning illegitimate, might seem an incongruous name for a bird so elegant and beautiful - albeit slightly gaudy – as southwest WA’s endemic Red-capped Parrot Purpureicephalus spurius. The name stems from the fact that immatures are so plain as to hardly seem related to the extraordinarily vivid, though not often seen, bright adult male. The majority of birds observed lie between these extremes, with a partial or duller version of the male plumage, and one might be tempted to label these as females. However - perhaps obviously, given the extreme gender ratio this would imply - identifying the sex of adult birds is not so straightforward. In fact HANZAB [1] states that females are “very similar to male and often inseparable”.

An immature Red-capped Parrot, the 'illegitimate child' that gives the species its Latin name. It is thought to be impossible to sex immatures on plumage characteristics, but if this is an older immature (as suggested by the mauve breast), then it is probably a female, as males acquire a red cap more rapidly than females [2].

South-west Endemics Part 3: Western Wattlebird

For visiting birders seeking the 15 bird species endemic to south-west Western Australia, Western Wattlebird Anthochaera lunulata may well be one of the first endemics you see after stepping off the plane. Or, as at least one recent experience has shown, it might be one of the last you see before you leave the state cursing it! This enigmatic species also has the annoying habit of suddenly disappearing from the Perth metropolitan area the week before the WA Twitchathon in early December. It seems that the patchy distribution and erratic local movements of Western Wattlebird are mysterious to say the least.

Western Wattlebird Anthochaera lunulata in favoured coastal plain habitat, with flowering Banksia and Woollybush. Note the long silvery cheek stripe, plain crown and relatively unstreaked back.

The range of Western Wattlebird stretches from Geraldton to Israelite Bay, though rarely inland of Great Southern Hwy north of the Stirling Ranges. But within this range, as noted by Serventy & Whittell [1], they are ‘rather local in distribution’. A recent straw poll on the local birdswa mailing list revealed they are unknown in some Perth gardens, despite being common nearby. In some areas, at some times of the year – one contributor suggested autumn - they can become noticeably common and vocal in suburban gardens, though any pattern of local movement seems hard to pin down. In the Perth hills (and elsewhere, eg. Yanchep) they seem associated with flowering Parrotbush Banksia (Dryandra) sessilis; in coastal plain Banksia woodland they are possibly (anecdotally) associated with the long-flowering Woollybush Adenanthos sericeus - both fairly common plants. Yet in the 1985 Perth Metropolitan Bird Project surveys [2] they were ‘often present’ at only 18 metro sites, and no seasonal fluctuation was detected. In other words, they are found where you find them!  

The cline and fall of Western Fieldwren

The Western Fieldwren (Calamanthus [campestris] montanellus) has long had an on-again, off-again place on the Australian list. Even as the 1926 official RAOU Checklist [1] listed four Fieldwrens - Striated (fuliginosus), Rufous (campestris), Rusty (isabellinus/rubiginosus), and ‘Rock Fieldwren’ (montanellus) – the contemporary list of Mathews [2] listed only Striated and Rufous as species. A parallel situation exists today, with the international taxonomy of the IOC [3] recognizing montanellus as the full species Western Fieldwren, while Clements and the ‘official’ checklist of Christidis & Boles [4] lump it with Rufous. But it’s easy to forget that back then – until 1983 in fact - the ‘lumpers’ routinely aligned montanellus with Striated Fieldwren, on the basis of their shared olive and yellow (and lack of rufous) colouration. 

Given that interest is now stirring over how the ‘official’ Australian list will be maintained in the future, it’s worth a look back over the long-simmering arguments around the species status of the Western Fieldwren. 



Western Fieldwren Calamanthus [campestris] montanellus from the Stirling Ranges. Note the olive toned and heavily-streaked back; creamy-buffy underparts; russet on head confined to forehead; limited rufous in rump and tailbase; brown (not chestnut) lores; dull tail tips. This individual has a little more rufous than a ‘classic’ montanellus, notably in the cap and fringing on the wings.
[Image © Kay Parkin (http://kayparkinbirding.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/cheynes-beach-south-west-wa.html),
used with permission]

Victoria Dam: Perth's Hidden Endemic Hotspot

For years, visiting twitchers in a hurry to see some South-west endemics have headed out on Albany Highway in solemn pilgrimage to Wungong Gorge. While many have no doubt succeeded (though recently it has been less reliable for Red-eared Firetail), Wungong is to be honest a fairly dismal place, heavily degraded with weed growth (not to mention the occasional seedy characters hanging round the toilet block!). Well, allow Leeuwin Current Birding to reveal our preferred one-stop-shop for all the local endemics: Victoria Dam (alternatively known as Victoria Reservoir).

Victoria Dam is reached by an access road signposted off Masonmill Rd, a short loop road off Canning Rd in Carmel. A short distance along the access road, you reach a boom gate with a carpark on the right .On weekends, the boom gate is closed, so you have to park in this carpark and walk the rest of the way along the access road (about 1km each way). When the first gate is open, you can drive further along the access road until you reach another boom gate, with a second carpark on the left. The road is no public access (by car or on foot) from this point on as it’s the ranger’s residence, so you need to park here.  There is a walk trail leading downhill from this carpark to the base of the dam wall (see map below). This trail passes through an area of nice marri/jarrah forest, past a small patch of wandoo, and onto a set of wooden steps that lead down to the top of the dam wall (Perth city is visible in the distance from the top of the steps, framed by the sides of the valley). From the top of the dam, you can follow a bitumen road down to the base of the dam wall, where there is a grassed picnic area and toilets. Thickets of ti-tree and Calothamnus beneath the dam wall, and thick vegetation along the creekline, provide dense cover for some of south-west WA’s more secretive, gully-loving bird species.

A female Western Spinebill, one of many south-west endemics commonly found at Victoria Dam.

WA Endemic Subspecies - An Annotated List: Part 3: The Kimberley

This is the final of our three part annotated list of WA's endemic subspecies, covering the far north-east of the state: the Kimberley region.

So sudden is the avifaunal shift across the boundary between the Pilbara (Eyrean) and the Kimberley (Torresian) regions, with tropical groups such as lorikeets, parrots, cuckoos, kingfishers and rollers making a dramatic appearance, that Major Whitlock once described it as like “entering a new country” [5]. The rugged mountain ranges and northern plateau of the Kimberley once created a massive Pleistocene drought refuge, separated from similar escarpment country in the Northern Territory by the drier plains of the Bonaparte paleobarrier at the foot of the gulf.  That said, the last of our three lists of WA regional endemics is surprisingly the shortest. Many of these are rock-loving taxa, including the two endemic species, the iconic Black Grasswren, and the eponymous Kimberley Honeyeater, first split from White-lined Honeyeater in C&B 2008 [4]. However the Kimberley also has some very distinctive subspecies, perhaps most notably the yellow-faced race blaauwi of Partridge Pigeon, and one of the ‘Lavender-flanked’ forms of Variegated Fairy-Wren, race rogersi. The Kimberley also has a handful of mangrove-dwelling endemic subspecies, though some of these are shared with the Pilbara. A few ‘almost endemics’ cross the border to the natural barrier of the Victoria River in the NT.

For those that missed it, a handy 2-page checklist of WA endemics can be downloaded here.

Species endemic to WA - Kimberley
Black Grasswren Amytornis housei
Dusky Gerygone Gerygone tenebrosa tenebrosa (also Pilbara G. t. christophori)
Kimberley Honeyeater Meliphaga fordiana

Subspecies endemic to WA - Kimberley
White-quilled Rock Pigeon Petrophassa albipennis albipennis
Partridge Pigeon Geophaps smithii blaauwi
Rainbow Pitta Pitta iris johnstoneiana
Variegated Fairy-wren Malurus lamberti rogersi
Green-backed Gerygone Gerygone chloronotus darwini
Varied Triller Lalage leucomela macrura
Mangrove Golden Whistler Pachycephala melanura melanura (also Pilbara)
White-breasted Whistler Pachycephala lanioides lanoides
Lemon-bellied Flycatcher Microeca flavigaster tormenti
Mangrove Robin Peneonanthe pulverulenta cinereiceps (also Pilbara)
Yellow White-eye Zosterops luteus balstoni (also Pilbara)
Horsfield’s Bushlark Mirafra javanica halli

Subspecies almost endemic to WA - Kimberley (range extends into small part of adjacent NT)
Purple-crowned Fairy-Wren Malurus coronatus coronatus
White-plumed Honeyeater Lichenostomus penicillatus calconi
Silver-backed Butcherbird Cracticus torquatus argenteus
Long-tailed Finch Poephila acuticauta acuticauta

WA Endemic Subspecies - An Annotated List: Part 2: The Pilbara and Arid Zone

This is the second of three checklists of bird species and subspecies endemic (or nearly so) to the state of Western Australia, featuring taxa of the Pilbara and arid zones of the state, an area more defined by what it is not – the heavily forested south-west or geologically distinct Kimberley – than what it is. This vast region comprises several geographic divisions, namely the Pilbara, Gascoyne, Mid West and Goldfields – but in biogeographic terms is usually treated as part of an even larger bioregion, the Eyrean Region covering most of central Australia,

At first glance the area seems poorly endowed with endemics. It contains only one WA endemic species, Dusky Gerygone, and even this is also found in the Kimberley. However a look at subspecies level reveals some interesting patterns of endemism:
* A cluster of subspecies centred on the Hamersley Ranges betrays their status as a drought refuge during ancient climatic fluctuations. Most notable here is the rock-loving race whitei of the Striated Grasswren, which remains a promising candidate for splitting as a full species.
* A long gap in the distribution of coastal mangroves along the length of 80 Mile Beach has apparently existed long enough to allows subspeciation in several mangrove-dwelling birds (Torresian Kingfisher, Dusky Gerygone, White-breasted Whistler), but interestingly not in others (Mangrove Golden Whistler, Yellow White-eye)
* The larger islands off the mid-west coast, namely the Abrolhos; Dirk Hartog, Bernier and Dorre Islands in the Shark Bay area; and Barrow Island, all support one or more endemic subspecies, many of them Vulnerable.
* Several endemic taxa inhabit the Nullarbor Plain, the greater part of which lies in Western Australia - most notably, Nullarbor Quail-thrush, which has very recently been resurrected as a full species.
* Finally, several species spanning the vast Eyrean interior have managed to diverge into eastern and western populations in the absence of any obvious barrier. Most important here is the recently split (and very nearly endemic) Western Quail-thrush (formerly race marginatum of Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush), but also notably ‘Western’ Whiteface castaneiventris, which has diverged quite strongly from eastern birds despite continuous distribution across the interior.

For those that missed it, a handy 2-page checklist of WA endemics can be downloaded here.

Species endemic to WA – Pilbara and Arid Zone
Dusky Gerygone Gerygone tenebrosa christophori (also in Kimberley G. t. tenebrosa)

Species almost endemic to WA - Pilbara and Arid Zone (range extends into adjacent states)
Naretha Bluebonnet Northiella narethae
Western Quail-thrush Cinclosoma marginatum

Subspecies endemic to WA – Pilbara and Arid Zone
Spinifex Pigeon Geophaps plumifera ferruginea 
Peaceful Dove Geopelia striata clelandi 
Bar-shouldered Dove Geopelia humeralis headlandi
Blue-winged Kookaburra Dacelo leachii occidentalis
Torresian Kingfisher Todiramphus sordidus pilbara
Little Corella Cacatua sanguinea westralensis
  [Pheasant Coucal Centropus phasianinus highami] 
Western Bowerbird Chlamydera guttata carteri
Black-tailed Treecreeper Climacteris melanura wellsi
Striated Grasswren Amytornis striatus whitei*
Western [Thick-billed] Grasswren Amytornis textilis textilis
Rufous Fieldwren Calamanthus campestris rubiginosis, C. c. wayensis
White-browed Scrubwren Sericornis frontalis balstoni
Weebill Smicrornis brevirostris ochragaster
Southern Whiteface Aphelocephala leucopsis castaneiventris
Australian Magpie Cracticus tibicen longirostris
Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina novaehollandiae subpallida
Mangrove Golden Whistler Pachycephala melanura melanura  (also Kimberley)
White-breasted Whistler Pachycephala lanoides carnarvoni
Mangrove Robin Peneonanthe pulverulenta cinereiceps (also Kimberley)
Horsfield’s Bushlark Mirafra javanica woodwardi
Yellow White-eye Zosterops luteus balstoni (also Kimberley)

Subspecies endemic to WA – Midwest offshore islands
Painted Button-quail Turnix varius scintillans
Lesser Noddy Anous tenuirostris melanops
White-winged Fairy-wren Malurus leucopterus leucopterus, M. l. edouardi
Variegated Fairy-wren Malurus lamberti bernieri
Southern Emu-wren Stipiturus malachurus hartogi
Rufous Fieldwren Calamanthus campestris hartogi, C. c. dorrie 

Subspecies almost endemic to WA - Pilbara and Arid Zone (range extends into adjacent states)
Galah Eolophus roseicapilla roseicapilla
Naretha Bluebonnet Northiella narethae
White-plumed Honeyeater Lichenostomus penicillatus carteri

WA Endemic Subspecies - An Annotated List: Part 1: Southwest

This is the first of three checklists of bird species and subspecies endemic (or nearly so) to the state of Western Australia. The distributions of these, for the most part, correspond approximately to the three biogeographic ‘refuge’ areas of the State (the South-west, Hamersley, and Kimberley refuges), which due to their rockier and more hilly terrain offered climatic refuge during cyclical periods of aridity throughout the Pleistocene. These refuges are, in turn, separated from each other (and those of neighbouring States) by coastward extensions of the less hospitable arid interior, namely the Nullarbor, Murchison, Canning, and Bonaparte paleo-barriers.

The South-west region has a very high level of botanical and faunal endemism, and birds are no exception – in fact with now 15 endemic full species (or 16 if you accept Western Fieldwren), South-west WA is rivalled only by far-north Queensland as an endemic bird region within Australia. What is probably less well appreciated is the high number of endemic bird subspecies in the greater South-west region, several of which are potential candidates for splitting as full species once molecular phylogenies are investigated. An even greater number are shared with South Australia’s  Eyre Peninsula, due to the former presence of a continuous belt of mallee below the Nullarbor cliffs in times of lower sea levels, which made the Nullarbor Barrier much leakier than it is today. We include some of these ‘almost endemics’ here (ie. range extends a small way into SA), but only for those subspecies which do not - according to Schodde and Mason’s distribution maps [1] - extend fully into the Eyre Peninsula itself.

A handy two-page Checklist of WA’s endemics is available - collect em’ all!

Updated Feb 2017, IOC 7.1

Species endemic to WA – Southwest
Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus latirostris
Baudin’s Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus baudinii
Western Corella Cacatua pastinator pastinator, C. p. derbyi
Red-capped Parrot Purpureicephalus spurius
Western Rosella Platycercus icterotis icterotis, P. i. xanthogenys 
Western Ground Parrot Pezoporus flaviventris
Noisy Scrub-bird Atrichornis clamosus
Red-winged Fairy-Wren Malurus elegans
Western Spinebill Acanthorhynchus superciliosus 
Gilbert's Honeyeater Melithreptus chloropsis
Western Wattlebird Anthochaera lunulata 
Western Bristlebird Dasyornis longirostris
  [Western Fieldwren Calamanthus (campestris) montanellus]
Western Thornbill Acanthiza inornata
White-breasted Robin Eopsaltria georgiana
Red-eared Firetail Stagonopleura oculata

Species ALMOST endemic to WA – Southwest
Western Whistler Pachycephala occidentalis

Subspecies endemic to WA – Southwest
Cape Barren Goose Cereopsis novaehollandiae grisea
Musk Duck Biziura lobata lobata
Little Shearwater Puffinus assimilis tunneyi
Australasian Swamphen Porphyrio melanotus bellus
  [Lewin’s Rail Lewinia pectoralis clelandi  - EXTINCT]
Brush Bronzewing Phaps elegant occidentalis
Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus banksii naso
Regent Parrot Polytelis anthopeplus anthopeplus (westralensis)
Australian Ringneck Barnardius zonarius semitorquatus  
Elegant Parrot Neophema elegans carteri
Rock Parrot Neophema petrophila petrophila
Splendid Fairy-wren Malurus splendens splendens
Southern Emu-wren  Stipiturus malachurus westernensis
  [Rufous Bristlebird Dasyornis broadbenti litoralis – EXTINCT (?)]
New Holland Honeyeater Phylidonyris novaehollandiae longirostris
White-cheeked Honeyeater Phylidonyris nigra gouldii*
Yellow-throated Miner Manorina flavigula obscura
Shy Heathwren Hylacola cauta whitlocki
White-browed Scrubwren Sericornis frontalis maculatus
Western Gerygone Gerygone fusca fusca
White-browed Babbler Pomatostomus superciliosus ashbyi
Western Whipbird Psophodes nigrogularis nigrogularis 
Copperback Quail-Thrush Cinclosoma clarum fordianum
Crested Shrike-tit Falcunculus frontatus leucogaster*
Australian Magpie Cracticus tibicen dorsalis
Grey Fantail Rhipidura albiscapa preissi (also Pilbara)
Scarlet Robin Petroica boodang campbelli **
Western Yellow Robin Eopsaltria griseogularis griseogularis
Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena carteri (also Pilbara)
Little Grassbird Megalurus gramineus thomasi

Subspecies almost endemic to WA – Southwest (extends into small part of neighbouring SA)
Singing Honeyeater Lichenostomus virescens virescens
Yellow-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza chrysorrhoa chrysorrhoa 
Black-faced Woodswallow Artamus cinereus cinereus
Grey Currawong Streptera versicolor plumbea
Australian Raven Corvus coronoides perplexus**
Australian Reed Warbler Acrocephalus australis gouldi (also Pilbara)
Silvereye Zosterops lateralis chloronotus 
Australasian Pipit Anthus australis bilbali

For Australian listers - Introduced species established only in WA
Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis
Mute Swan Cygnus olor

(* = possible future splits)

South-west Endemics Part 2: White-breasted Robin

The White-breasted Robin (Eopsaltria georgiana) is a characteristic resident of tangled gullies and thick understorey in the karri and jarrah forests of south-west WA, though there is also a lesser-known relict population in coastal gully thickets north of Perth. “A quietly garbed but attractive bird” was Serventy and Whittell’s description [1], capturing surprise that a grey and white robin should be so much more striking than a plumage description would make it sound.

White-breasted Robin Eopsaltria georgiana

“Peculiar” was Leach’s more prosaic assessment [2]. Taxonomy of the White-breasted Robin has been surprisingly controversial, given that to superficial appearances it seems a typical (if colourless) Eopsaltria robin. It shares many mannerisms with the Eastern and Western Yellow Robins, such as the habit of clinging sideways to low trunks and branches, motionless except for occasional flicking of the tail and wings. Like them it is initially shy but hopelessly inquisitive, and cannot resist checking you out if you sit still for a moment. Indeed it is so similar to the Yellow Robins that this complex has long been considered a classic example of speciation by double invasion, with successive waves into the south-west forests evolving to lose all (White-breasted Robin) or half (Western Yellow Robin) of an originally fully yellow breast (Eastern Yellow Robin).

However it has sufficient differences from the Yellow Robins, particularly its eggs, to persistently trouble taxonomists. Campbell first removed it from Eopsaltria to Amaurodryas (now Melanodryas) based on a perceived “oological” association with the Dusky Robin of Tasmania; Mathews lumped it instead with Mangrove Robin in the genus Quoyornis, where it remained isolated for some time after Mangrove Robin was split off to yet another monospecific genus Peneonanthe [2]. However a 2009 molecular phylogenetic study [3] reported the unexpected finding that the White-breasted Robin may instead be most closely related to the ‘other’ yellow robins - the two Tregellasia robins (the White-faced and Pale Yellow Robin of north-eastern rainforests).
UPDATE: Christidis et al 2011 [6] confimed this unexpected paraphyletic status of Eopsaltria and recommended that White-breasted Robin return to the genus Quoyornis.

Endemic-In-Waiting: Western White-naped Honeyeater

UPDATE: This species was renamed Gilbert's Honeyeater in the IOC list from v5.2, and the same name was adopted by eBird/Clements when split in 2015.

As we wait in post-C&B limbo to discover which body will replace Christidis & Boles [1] as the official arbiters of the Australian list, it appears almost certain that the next revision – by whoever – will split the western form of the White-naped Honeyeater (Melithreptus lunatus) as M. chloropsis. This change has already been adopted by the influential IOC World Bird List from v2.6 (Oct 23 2010) [2] and restores the species described and named by Gould himself in 1848 [3].

Both Gould and modern taxonomists cite the western form’s larger size, longer and thicker bill, thicker black margin around chin, and different colouration of the bare skin above the eye, which is bright red in lunatus but white to very pale blue-green in chloropsis (Latin for green-eyed). In support of re-splitting the species, a recent molecular analysis by Toon et al. (2010) [4] has demonstrated the two are paraphyletic, meaning that M. lunatus is more closely related to another species (the Black-headed Honeyeater M. affinis of Tasmania) than it is to its previously-alleged subspecies M. l. chloropsis. [Incidentally, Toon et al. found surprisingly “shallow” genetic differences in M. brevirostris, so I don’t think we’ll be seeing the elevation to species of Western Brown-headed Honeyeater leucogenys any time soon].

A Western White-naped Honeyeater, Melithreptus chloropsis, from marginal jarrah/karri forest at Donnelly River (near Bridgetown).

South-west Endemics Part 1: Red-eared Firetail

The Red-eared Firetail is an attractive finch endemic to the southwest of WA. As there is only one native firetail in the region, many locals tend to just call them “Firetails” or “Firetail Finches”. The Red-browed Finch, which also has a fiery tail, is present in some Perth hills locations and has established a self-sustaining population from aviary escapees at least 50 years ago [1]. So they are tickable too!

Adult Red-eared Firetail.

ID Feature: White-tailed Black-Cockatoos

Although recognised as distinct forms as long ago as 1933 (by none other than ornithologist Ivan Carnaby), Carnaby's (Calyptorhynchus latirostris) and Baudin's (C. baudinii) Black Cockatoos were only officially split by the first Christidis & Boles checklist in 1994 [1]. They are typically described in field guides as 'identical except for bill length', which can be unhelpful for birders who can't get a decent look at the upper mandible. We hope the following information is more useful!

Bill Length (but don't forget width!)
This is the obvious and defining difference between the two species, and reflects a difference in feeding habits. Baudin's use their very long mandible tips to carefully extract seeds from woody fruits (e.g. marri gumnuts), leaving little damage on the nut. Carnaby's tend to much more destructive and will chew the rim off marri nuts to access the seeds.

A male Baudin's Black-Cockatoo carefully hooks the seeds out of a marri nut. Note the brownish tinge to plumage (see General Description below).