The Zoochat Photographic Guide to Meliphagoidea (honeyeaters and allies)

[Chlidonias]

Calamanthus
Three species, one of which is represented in the Zoochat galleries.

The Striated Fieldwren is sexually-dimorphic (although not extremely pronounced) while the other two species are not.



Rufous Fieldwren Calamanthus campestris
Seven subspecies: campestris, dorrie, hartogi, isabellinus, rubiginosus, wayensis, winiam


Found across southern Australia: campestris around the coasts from Western Australia to NSW; dorrie on Dorre Island off Western Australia; hartogi on Dirk Hartog Island off Western Australia; isabellinus in the inland areas of southeast Australia; rubiginosus in far west-central Western Australia; wayensis in central Western Australia; and winiam in southeast South Australia and western Victoria.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Striated Fieldwren Calamanthus fuliginosus
Four subspecies: albiloris, bourneorum, diemenensis, fuliginosus


Found in southeast Australia, including Tasmania: albiloris in southeast Victoria to southeast NSW; bourneorum in southeast South Australia to western Victoria; diemenensis in western Tasmania; and fuliginosus in eastern Tasmania.


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (male of the subspecies diemenensis). The sexes look very similar but males have a white throat which contrasts with the buff breast; in females the throat is buff like the rest of the underparts.

Striated Fieldwren - ZooChat


Photo by @Terry Thomas in the wild, Australia (male of the subspecies fuliginosus).

Striated Fieldwren - ZooChat



Western Fieldwren Calamanthus montanellus
Monotypic.


Endemic to southwest Western Australia.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.

 

[Chlidonias]

Hylacola
Two species, one of which is represented in the Zoochat galleries.

Both species are sexually-dimorphic, with males having white underparts and eye-stripe and females buff underparts and eye-stripe (with black streaking on the breast in both sexes).



Shy Heathwren Hylacola cauta
Four subspecies: cauta, halmaturina, macrorhyncha, whitlocki


Found in southern Australia: cauta from south-central South Australia to northwest Victoria; halmaturina on Kangaroo Island; macrorhyncha in central NSW; and whitlocki in southwest Western Australia.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Chestnut-rumped Heathwren Hylacola pyrrhopygia
Three subspecies: parkeri, pedleri, pyrrhopygia


Found in south and southeast Australia: parkeri in the Mt Lofty Ranges (South Australia); pedleri in the Flinders Ranges (South Australia); and pyrrhopygia over the rest of the range in southeast South Australia to northeast NSW.


Both photos by @Hix in the wild, Australia (both being males of the subspecies pyrrhopygia).

Chestnut-rumped Heathwren - ZooChat

Chestnut-rumped Heathwren - ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

Pycnoptilus
One species, which is not represented in the Zoochat galleries.



Pilotbird Pycnoptilus floccosus
Two subspecies: floccosus and sandlandi


Found in southeast Australia, with floccosus in the Snowy Mountains (NSW) and sandlandi in coastal NSW and Victoria.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.

 

[Chlidonias]

Pyrrholaemus
Two species, one of which is represented in the Zoochat galleries.

The Speckled Warbler was formerly placed in its own genus, Chthonicola.


Both species are sexually-dimorphic, the main differences being that the male Redthroat has a red throat (lacking in females) and the male Speckled Warbler has a black eyebrow-stripe (brown in females).



Redthroat Pyrrholaemus brunneus
Monotypic.


Found from southwest to south-central Australia


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Speckled Warbler Pyrrholaemus sagittatus
Monotypic.


Found in southeast Australia, from southeast Queensland to southwest Victoria.


Both photos by @Hix in the wild, Australia (male birds - note the obvious black eyebrow-stripe).

Speckled Warbler - ZooChat

Speckled Warbler - ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

Origma
Three species, one of which is represented in the Zoochat galleries.

The genus formerly contained just a single species (the Rock Warbler or Origma O. solitaria of Australia). The two Mouse-Warblers of New Guinea, previously in the genus Crateroscelis, were moved to Origma in 2018.



Rusty Mouse-Warbler Origma murina
Four subspecies: capitalis, monacha, murina, pallida


Found in lowland forests of New Guinea: capitalis on the islands of Waigeo, Batanta, and Misool; monacha on the Aru Islands; murina across most of New Guinea and on the islands of Salawati and Yapen; and pallida in south-central New Guinea.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Mountain Mouse-Warbler Origma robusta
Six subspecies: bastille, diamondi, deficiens, robusta, peninsularis, sanfordi


Found in montane forests of New Guinea: bastille in the north-central coast ranges; diamondi in the Foja Mountains; deficiens in the Cyclops Mountains; robusta in the northeast and southeast; peninsularis on the Vogelkop Peninsula; and sanfordi in the central mountains.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Rock Warbler Origma solitaria
Monotypic.


Endemic to southeast NSW (Australia).


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia. There is no difference in plumage between the sexes.

Rock Warbler - ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

Neosericornis
One species, which is represented in the Zoochat galleries.

Formerly in the genus Sericornis.



Yellow-throated Scrubwren Neosericornis citreogularis
Three subspecies: cairnsi, citreogularis, intermedius


Endemic to the coastal forests of eastern Australia: cairnsi on the Atherton Tablelands in northeast Queensland; citreogularis in NSW; and intermedius in southeast Queensland (between the other two subspecies).


Photo by @WhistlingKite24 in the wild, Australia (male of the subspecies intermedius).

Yellow-throated Scrubwren - ZooChat


Photo by @WhistlingKite24 in the wild, Australia (female of the subspecies intermedius).

Yellow-throated Scrubwren - ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

Aethmyias
Six species, none of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

A "new" genus of mostly-montane scrubwrens from New Guinea which was resurrected in 2018 to house six species which had previously been placed in the genera Crateroscelis (now no longer in use) and Sericornis. The genus had originally been created in 1879 for a single species, A. spilodera.



Grey-green Scrubwren Aethomyias arfakianus
Monotypic.


Found throughout much of montane New Guinea.



Bicoloured Scrubwren Aethomyias nigrorufus
Monotypic.


Found from west-central to southeast New Guinea.



Papuan Scrubwren Aethomyias papuensis
Three subspecies: buergersi, meeki, papuensis


Found in the montane forests of central (buergersi), west-central (meeki), and east (papuensis) New Guinea.



Buff-faced Scrubwren Aethomyias perspicillatus
Monotypic.


Found in montane forests from west-central to southeast New Guinea.



Vogelkop Scrubwren Aethomyias rufescens
Monotypic.


Found only in montane regions of the Vogelkop Peninsula (in the northwest of New Guinea).



Pale-billed Scrubwren Aethomyias spilodera
Five subspecies: aruensis, ferrugineus, granti, gutattus, spilodera


Found throughout much of New Guinea and several surrounding islands: aruensis from the Aru Islands; ferrugineus on the islands of Waigeo and Batanta; granti from the southern slopes of west-central New Guinea; gutattus from the Trans-Fly region in the south to the Huon Peninsula in the northeast; and spilodera from the island of Yapen, and the mountains of the Vogelkop Peninsula and northern New Guinea.

 

[Chlidonias]

Sericornis
Eight species, five of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

This genus formerly contained several other species, notably the Yellow-throated Scrubwren Neosericornis citreogularis, as well as several New Guinea species now placed in Aethomyias.

Five species are found in Australia, two in New Guinea, and one in both Australia and New Guinea.

The sexes in most, but not all, species can be visually distinguished but the differences are quite minimal, mainly being the male having a darker or richer colour of the face.



Tropical Scrubwren Sericornis beccarii
Eight subspecies: beccarii, cyclopum, dubius, idenburgi, minimus, randi, weylandi, wondiwoi


Found in the mountains over much of New Guinea, as well as on Queensland's Cape York Peninsula: beccarii on the Aru Islands; cyclopum in the Weyland, Wandammen, Foja, and Cyclops Mts; dubius in east-central Cape York Peninsula; idenburgi in the Gauttier Mts and slopes above the Idenburg River; minimus in the northern Cape York Peninsula; randi in the Trans-Fly region of southern New Guinea; weylandi in west-central New Guinea; and wondiwoi in the Wondiwoi Mts.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



White-browed Scrubwren Sericornis frontalis
Six subspecies: flindersi, frontalis, harterti, laevigaster, rosinae, tweedi

The Spotted Scrubwren S. maculatus of Western Australia was formerly included within this species.


Found in eastern Australia, although there is a lot of disagreement over how many subspecies there are and where their distributions start and end: flindersi on islands in the Bass Strait; frontalis from east-central NSW to southeast South Australia; harterti in southern Victoria from the Otway Ranges to Wilson's Promontory; laevigaster in Queensland (from the Atherton Tablelands south to about Bundaberg, or south to the NSW border, depending on source); rosinae in the Mt Lofty Ranges (South Australia); and tweedi in northeast NSW (between the Hunter and Tweed Rivers, although some would extend it also well into southern Queensland, which otherwise is considered laevigaster range).


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (male of the subspecies frontalis).

White-browed Scrubwren - ZooChat


Photo by @WhistlingKite24 in the wild, Australia (male of the subspecies laevigaster / tweedi, depending on which distribution map one follows, photographed in southeast Queensland).

White-browed Scrubwren - ZooChat


Photo by @WhistlingKite24 in the wild, Australia (male of the subspecies laevigaster / tweedi showing the buff underparts of the northern form, photographed in southeast Queensland).

White-browed Scrubwren - ZooChat


Photo by @WhistlingKite24 in the wild, Australia (female of the subspecies laevigaster / tweedi, photographed in southeast Queensland).

White-browed Scrubwren (Sericornis frontalis) - ZooChat


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (male of the subspecies tweedi, photographed in northeast NSW).

White-browed Scrubwren - wild bird - ZooChat


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (juvenile of the subspecies frontalis).

White-browed Scrubwren (juvenile) - ZooChat



Tasmanian Scrubwren Sericornis humilis
Two subspecies: humilis and tregellasi

Also called the Brown Scrubwren.


Endemic to Tasmania (humilis) and King Island in Bass Strait (tregellasi).


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (male bird of the subspecies humilis).

Tasmanian Scrubwren - ZooChat


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (female bird of the subspecies humilis).

Tasmanian Scrubwren - ZooChat


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (juvenile bird of the subspecies humilis).

Tasmanian Scrubwren juvenile - ZooChat



Atherton Scrubwren Sericornis keri
Monotypic.


Endemic to the Atherton Tablelands in northeast Queensland.


Photo by @DaLilFishie in the wild, Australia. There is no difference in plumage between the sexes.

Atherton Scrubwren (Sericornis keri) - ZooChat



Spotted Scrubwren Sericornis maculatus
Four subspecies: ashbyi, balstoni, maculatus, mellori

Formerly treated as conspecific with the White-browed Scrubwren S. frontalis of eastern Australia.


Found in southern Australia, with ashbyi on Kangaroo Island; balstoni in coastal west-central Western Australia; maculatus in southwest Western Australia; and mellori from south-central Western Australia to south-central South Australia.


Photo by @DaLilFishie in the wild, Australia (male bird of the subspecies maculatus).

Spotted Scrubwren - ZooChat



Large-billed Scrubwren Sericornis magnirostris
Three subspecies: howei, magnirostris, viridior

The scientific name may also be spelled magnirostra.


Found in eastern Australia, with howei in southeast Victoria; magnirostris from southeast Queensland to northeast Victoria; and viridior in northeast Queensland.


Both photos by @WhistlingKite24 in the wild, Australia (subspecies magnirostris). There is no difference in plumage between the sexes. The second photo I included as it effectively shows the large bill of the name.

Large-billed Scrubwren - ZooChat

wild - Large-billed Scrubwren (Sericornis magnirostra) - ZooChat



Large Scrubwren Sericornis nouhuysi
Six subspecies: adelberti, cantans, monticola, nouhuysi, oorti, stresemanni


Found in montane New Guinea, with adelberti in the Adelbert Ranges; cantans on the Vogelkop Peninsula; monticola in the southeast; nouhuysi in west-central; oorti on the Huon Peninsula and in the Herzog Mountains; and stresemanni in central New Guinea.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Perplexing Scrubwren Sericornis virgatus
Five subspecies: boreonesioticus, jobiensis, imitator, pontifex, virgatus


Found in the mountain forests of northwest and north-central New Guinea: boreonesioticus in the Bewani Mts, Torricelli Mts, and Prince Alexander Mts; jobiensis on the island of Yapen; imitator in the Arfak Mountains; pontifex in the Victor-Emmanuel Mts, Hunstein Range, and Sepik Mts; and virgatus on the northern slopes of Sepik-Ramu drainage.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.

 

[Chlidonias]

Gerygone
Twenty species, ten of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

These are small warbler-like birds of a mainly Australasian distribution, predominantly in Australia and New Guinea with some species found as far east as New Zealand and the Chatham Islands, and some west through the Indonesian archipelago. One species (G. sulphurea) is found as far west as continental Southeast Asia.

The species in this genus are typically called gerygones in official bird lists, but in general usage are mostly called warblers (e.g. Grey Warbler rather than Grey Gerygone). Here I have just retained Gerygone as the common name for all of them, for the sake of consistency.

In most species the male and female are alike in appearance.



Chatham Islands Gerygone Gerygone albofrontata
Monotypic.


Endemic to the Chatham Islands, east of New Zealand.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Green-backed Gerygone Gerygone chloronota
Two subspecies: chloronota and darwini


The nominate race chloronota is found in New Guinea and the surrounding islands, as well as in the north of Australia's Northern Territory, while darwini is restricted to northeast Western Australia.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Yellow-bellied Gerygone Gerygone chrysogaster
Three subspecies: chrysogaster, neglecta, notata


Found in New Guinea and some of the surrounding islands: chrysogaster over most of New Guinea, and on Yapen and the Aru Islands; neglecta on the islands of Waigeo and Batanta; and notata on the Vogelkop Peninsula and on the island of Salawati.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Rennell Gerygone Gerygone citrina
Monotypic.


Endemic to the island of Rennell, in the Solomon Islands.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Rufous-sided Gerygone Gerygone dorsalis
Five subspecies: dorsalis, fulvescens, keyensis, kuehni, senex


Found on islands in the Flores Sea (Indonesia): dorsalis on the Tanimbar Islands; fulvescens in the Lesser Sundas from Romang to Babar; keyensis on the Tayandu and Kai Islands; kuehni on Damar in the Lesser Sundas; and senex on the Sulawesi islands of Kalaotoa and Madu.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Fan-tailed Gerygone Gerygone flavolateralis
Four subspecies: correlae, flavolateralis, lifuensis, rouxi


Endemic to Melanesia, with correlae in the Vanuatu islands; flavolateralis on New Caledonia and on Mare (in the Loyalty Islands); lifuensis on Lifou (in the Loyalty Islands); and rouxi on Ouvea (in the Loyalty Islands).


Photo by @Hix in the wild, New Caledonia (juvenile of the subspecies flavolateralis).

Fan-tailed Gerygone (juvenile - ZooChat



Western Gerygone Gerygone fusca
Three subspecies: exsul, fusca, mungi


Found over much of Australia (despite the common name), with exsul found from north-central Queensland south to Victoria; fusca in southwest Western Australia; and mungi from Western Australia to northwest Queensland.


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (subspecies exsul).

Western Gerygone - ZooChat



Biak Gerygone Gerygone hypoxantha
Monotypic.


Endemic to the island of Biak, off northwest New Guinea.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Grey Gerygone Gerygone igata
Monotypic.


Endemic to New Zealand.


Photo by @Hix in the wild, New Zealand (adult bird).

Grey Warbler (Gerygone igata) - ZooChat


Photo by @Chlidonias in the wild, New Zealand (juvenile bird, with yellow at the bill base and with brown eyes [adults have red eyes]).

Grey Warbler (Gerygone igata) - ZooChat



Plain Gerygone Gerygone inornata
Monotypic.


Found in the Lesser Sundas (Indonesia), from Sawu to Timor and Wetar.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Lord Howe Gerygone Gerygone insularis
Monotypic.


Endemic to Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea (between Australia and New Zealand). Extinct.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Mangrove Gerygone Gerygone levigaster
Three subspecies: cantator, levigaster, pallida


Found in the coastal mangrove forests of northern and eastern Australia and southern New Guinea, with cantator from central Queensland to central NSW, levigaster from northern Western Australia to Queensland's Cape York Peninsula, and pallida in southern New Guinea.


Photo by @WhistlingKite24 in the wild, Australia (subspecies cantator).

Mangrove Gerygone - ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

Large-billed Gerygone Gerygone magnirostris
Six subspecies: affinis, brunneipectus, cairnsensis, conspicillata, magnirostris, rosseliana


Found in New Guinea and surrounding islands, and in northern Australia: affinis across northern New Guinea and on the islands of Yapen, Manam and Karkar; brunneipectus in southern New Guinea, and on the Aru Islands and the Torres Strait islands; cairnsensis on Queensland's Cape York Peninsula; conspicillata on the Raja Ampat islands northwest of New Guinea, and on the Vogelkop Peninsula; magnirostris from northeast Western Australia to northeast Northern Territory; and rosseliana on the D'Entrecasteaux and Louisiade Archipelagos east of New Guinea.


Photo by @DaLilFishie in the wild, Australia (subspecies cairnsensis).

Large-billed Gerygone (Gerygone magnirostris cairnsensis) - ZooChat



Norfolk Island Gerygone Gerygone modesta
Monotypic.


Endemic to Norfolk Island in the Tasman Sea (between Australia and New Zealand).


Photo by @Dannelboyz in the wild, Norfolk Island.

Norfolk Island Gerygone, Gerygone modesta - ZooChat



Brown Gerygone Gerygone mouki
Three subspecies: amalia, mouki, richmondi


Found in eastern Australia, with amalia in east-central Queensland, mouki in northern Queensland, and richmondi from southeast Queensland to southeast Victoria.


Photo by @DaLilFishie in the wild, Australia (subspecies mouki).

Wet Tropics Brown Gerygone (Gerygone mouki mouki) - ZooChat


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (subspecies richmondi).

Brown Gerygone - ZooChat


Photo by @Chlidonias in the wild, Australia (subspecies richmondi, at its nest).

Brown Gerygone (Gerygone mouki) at the nest - ZooChat



White-throated Gerygone Gerygone olivacea
Three subspecies: cinerascens, olivacea, rogersi


Found in New Guinea and Australia: cinerascens on the south coast of southeast New Guinea, and on Queensland's Cape York Peninsula; olivacea down Australia's east coast from Queensland to Victoria; and rogersi across northern Australia from northeast Western Australia to northwest Queensland.


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (adult of the subspecies olivacea).

White-throated Gerygone - ZooChat


Photo by @WhistlingKite24 in the wild, Australia (immature of the subspecies olivacea, still showing some yellow feathering on the throat. In juveniles the throat is entirely yellow).

White-throated Gerygone - ZooChat



Fairy Gerygone Gerygone palpebrosa
Five subspecies: flavida, palpebrosa, personata, tarara, wahnesi


Found throughout most of New Guinea and also extending down into Queensland (Australia): flavida in central and south Queensland; palpebrosa on the Vogelkop Peninsula and across southern New Guinea, and on the Raja Ampat Islands and the Aru Islands; personata on Queensland's Cape York Peninsula; tarara in the Trans-Fly region of southern New Guinea; and wahnesi on the island of Yapen and across northern New Guinea.


Photo by @WhistlingKite24 in the wild, Australia (male of the subspecies flavida - females lack the white moustache-stripes and have pale throats; in this subspecies, originally described as a separate species, the plumage differences are a lot less distinct than in the other subspecies, in which males have very dark heads and throats making the white moustache-stripes stand out much more).

Fairy Gerygone - ZooChat


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (male of the subspecies personata - females lack the white moustache-stripes and have a pale throat).

Fairy Gerygone male (ssp. personata) - ZooChat



Brown-breasted Gerygone Gerygone ruficollis
Monotypic.


Found across the mountains of New Guinea.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Golden-bellied Gerygone Gerygone sulphurea
Five subspecies: flaveola, muscicapa, rhizophorae, simplex, sulphurea


Distribution stretches from Peninsular Malaysia and south Vietnam eastwards throughout the Philippines, and the Greater and Lesser Sundas: flaveola is found on Sulawesi, Selayar Island, and the Banggai Islands; muscicapa on Enggano Island (west of Sumatra); rhizophorae in the southern Philippine Islands (Mindanao and Sulu groups); simplex through the rest of the Philippine Islands; and sulphurea from Peninsular Malaysia and south Vietnam eastwards throughout the Greater and Lesser Sundas (Indonesia).


Photo by @LaughingDove in the wild, Thailand (subspecies sulphurea).

Golden-bellied Gerygone - Bang Poo - ZooChat



Dusky Gerygone Gerygone tenebrosa
Two subspecies: christophori and tenebrosa


Endemic to coastal Western Australia, with christophori in the west and tenebrosa in the northwest.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.

 

[Chlidonias]

Acanthiza
Fourteen species, ten of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

A genus of very small warbler-like birds with short slender bills, which are commonly known as thornbills. Almost all species are restricted to Australia, with just two species endemic to New Guinea.

There is no difference in plumage between the sexes.



Inland Thornbill Acanthiza apicalis
Four subspecies: albiventris, apicalis, cinerascens, whitlocki


Found over much of Australia except the north, east, and Tasmania: albiventris from central Queensland to northern Victoria; apicalis from southwest Western Australia to southeast South Australia; cinerascens in southwest Queensland; and whitlocki in central Australia from Western Australia across the Northern Territory to South Australia.


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (subspecies albiventris).

Inland Thornbills - ZooChat



Yellow-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza chrysorrhoa
Four subspecies: chrysorrhoa, leachi, leighi, normantoni


Found across most of Australia except the north: chrysorrhoa from southwest Western Australia to southwest South Australia; leachi in Tasmania; leighi from south-central South Australia through Victoria and NSW to southeast Queensland; and normantoni in inland southwest Northern Territory to inland Queensland.


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (Tasmanian subspecies leachi).

Yellow-rumped Thornbill - ZooChat


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (eastern Australian subspecies leighi).

Yellow-rumped Thornbill - ZooChat



Grey Thornbill Acanthiza cinerea
Monotypic.


Found in the montane forests of New Guinea.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Tasmanian Thornbill Acanthiza ewingii
Two subspecies: ewingii and rufifrons


Endemic to Tasmania and nearby islands in the Bass Strait: ewingii in Tasmania and on Flinders Island, and rufifrons on King Island.


Photo by @DaLilFishie in the wild, Australia (subspecies ewingii).

Tasmanian Thornbill - ZooChat



Western Thornbill Acanthiza inornata
Monotypic.


Endemic to southwest Western Australia.


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia.

Western Thornbill - ZooChat



Slender-billed Thornbill Acanthiza iredalei
Three subspecies: hedleyi, iredalei, rosinae


Found across southern Australia: hedleyi in southeast South Australia and western Victoria; iredalei from south-central Western Australia to south-central South Australia; and rosinae in the Gulf of St Vincent (South Australia).


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Mountain Thornbill Acanthiza katherina
Monotypic.


Restricted to the montane forests of northeast Queensland.


Photo by @DaLilFishie in the wild, Australia.

Mountain Thornbill (Acanthiza katherina) - ZooChat



Striated Thornbill Acanthiza lineata
Four subspecies: alberti, clelandi, lineata, whitei


Found in eastern and southeastern Australia: alberti in southeast Queensland; clelandi in southeast South Australia and western Victoria; lineata in southwest Victoria to northeast NSW; and whitei on Kangaroo Island.


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (subspecies lineata).

Striated Thornbill - ZooChat



New Guinea Thornbill Acanthiza murina
Monotypic.


Found in montane forests in central to southeast New Guinea.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Yellow Thornbill Acanthiza nana
Three subspecies: flava, modesta, nana


Found in eastern Australia: flava in Queensland's Atherton Tablelands; modesta in inland areas from Queensland to Victoria and southeast South Australia; and nana in coastal regions from Moreton Bay (Queensland) to Eden (NSW).


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (subspecies modesta).

Yellow Thornbill - ZooChat


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (subspecies nana).

Yellow Thornbill - ZooChat



Brown Thornbill Acanthiza pusilla
Six subspecies: dawsonensis, diemenensis, magnirostris, pusilla, samueli, zietzi


Found in eastern and southeastern Australia: dawsonensis in east-central Queensland; diemenensis in Tasmania and on Kent Island (in the Bass Strait); magnirostris on King Island (in Bass Strait); pusilla from south-central Queensland to Southeast South Australia; samueli in the Mount Lofty Ranges (South Australia); and zietzi on Kangaroo Island.


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (Tasmanian subspecies diemenensis).

Brown Thornbill - ZooChat


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (eastern Australian subspecies pusilla).

Brown Thornbill - ZooChat


Photo by @WhistlingKite24 in the wild, Australia (Kangaroo Island subspecies zietzi).

Kangaroo Island Brown Thornbill - ZooChat



Buff-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza reguloides
Four subspecies: australis, nesa, reguloides, squamata


Found down eastern Australia: australis from southeast South Australia to southern Victoria; nesa in southeast Queensland; reguloides from northeast NSW to southern Victoria; and squamata in east-central Queensland.


Photo by @LaughingDove in the wild, Australia (subspecies nesa). The Queensland subspecies have yellow undeparts.

Buff-rumped Thornbill - Lamington National Park - ZooChat


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (subspecies reguloides).

Buff-rumped Thornbill - ZooChat



Slaty-backed Thornbill Acanthiza robustirostris
Monotypic.


Found from southern Western Australia across to southwest Queensland.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Chestnut-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza uropygialis
Monotypic.


Found across mostly-inland Australia, from southwest Western Australia to southeast Queensland and northern Victoria.


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia. The white eye is diagnostic - other chestnut-rumped species (apart for the range-restricted Mountain Thornbill) have red eyes.

Chestnut-rumped Thornbill - ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

Aphelocephala
Three species, one of which is represented in the Zoochat galleries.

There is no difference in plumage between the sexes in any of the three species.



Southern Whiteface Aphelocephala leucopsis
Two subspecies: castaneiventris and leucopsis


Found across most of Australia: castaneiventris in Western Australia, and leucopsis from southeast Western Australia to northern Victoria and southeast Queensland.


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (adult of the subspecies leucopsis).

Southern Whiteface - ZooChat


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (juvenile of the subspecies leucopsis).

Southern Whiteface - ZooChat



Banded Whiteface Aphelocephala nigricincta
Monotypic.


Found across central Australia, from Western Australia to southwest Queensland and northeast South Australia.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Chestnut-breasted Whiteface Aphelocephala pectoralis
Monotypic.


Restricted to northeast South Australia.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.

 

[Chlidonias]

MALURIDAE - Australian wrens
Twenty-two species in six genera, of which fourteen species from three genera are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


A family of small mostly-terrestrial birds similar in appearance to Old World warblers or wrens. In the past they have variously been placed amongst the Old World warblers, Old World flycatchers, or babblers.

There are twenty-two species in the family, of which six species are from New Guinea and all the rest from Australia. None of the New Guinea species are depicted here.

They will be covered in this thread in the following order. Asterisked species are represented by photos from the Zoochat galleries (fourteen species from three genera).



Chenorhamphus (2 species - none depicted)
Campbell's Fairy-Wren Chenorhamphus campbelli
Broad-billed Fairy-Wren Chenorhamphus grayi

Clytomyias (1 species - not depicted)
Orange-crowned Fairy-Wren Clytomyias insignis

Sipodotus (1 species - not depicted)
Wallace's Fairy-Wren Sipodotus wallacii

Malurus (12 species - 9 depicted)
White-shouldered Fairy-Wren Malurus alboscapulatus
*Lovely Fairy-Wren Malurus amabilis
*Purple-backed Fairy-Wren Malurus assimilis
*Purple-crowned Fairy-Wren Malurus coronatus
*Superb Fairy-Wren Malurus cyaneus
Emperor Fairy-Wren Malurus cyanocephalus
*Red-winged Fairy-Wren Malurus elegans
*Variegated Fairy-Wren Malurus lamberti
*White-winged Fairy-Wren Malurus leucopterus
*Red-backed Fairy-Wren Malurus melanocephalus
Blue-breasted Fairy-Wren Malurus pulcherrimus
*Splendid Fairy-Wren Malurus splendens

Stipiturus (3 species - 2 depicted)
Southern Emu-Wren Stipiturus malachurus
*Malle Emu-Wren Stipiturus mallee
*Rufous-crowned Emu-Wren Stipiturus ruficeps

Amytornis (13 species - 3 depicted)
Kalkadoon Grasswren Amytornis ballarae
Grey Grasswren Amytornis barbatus
Carpentarian Grasswren Amytornis dorotheae
*Eyrean Grasswren Amytornis goyderi
Black Grasswren Amytornis housei
Short-tailed Grasswren Amytornis merrotsyi
Thick-billed Grasswren Amytornis modestus
*Dusky Grasswren Amytornis purnelli
Opalton Grasswren Amytornis rowleyi
*Striated Grasswren Amytornis striatus
Western Grasswren Amytornis textilis
Rufous Grasswren Amytornis whitei
White-throated Grasswren Amytornis woodwardi

 

[Chlidonias]

Chenorhamphus
Two species, neither of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

Formerly included in the genus Malurus.



Campbell's Fairy-Wren Chenorhamphus campbelli
Monotypic.


Found in the central regions of southern lowland New Guinea.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Broad-billed Fairy-Wren Chenorhamphus grayi
Monotypic.


Found in New Guinea from the Vogelkop Peninsula (in the northwest) to north-central New Guinea, and on the island of Salawati.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.

 

[Chlidonias]

Clytomyias
One species, which is not represented in the Zoochat galleries.

Formerly included in the genus Malurus.



Orange-crowned Fairy-Wren Clytomyias insignis
Two subspecies: insignis and oorti


Found in the montane forests of New Guinea, with insignis restricted to the Vogelkop Peninsula, and oorti through the rest of the central highlands to the east of the island.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.

 

[Chlidonias]

Sipodotus
One species, which is not represented in the Zoochat galleries.

Formerly included in the genus Malurus.



Wallace's Fairy-Wren Sipodotus wallacii
Two subspecies: coronatus (syn. capillatus) and wallacii


Found in New Guinea and surrounding islands: coronatus in southern New Guinea and on the Aru Islands, and wallacii in northern New Guinea and the Vogelkop Peninsula, and on the islands of Yapen and Misool.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.

 

[Chlidonias]

Malurus
Twelve species, nine of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

A genus of very small wren-like birds found mostly in Australia, with two species from New Guinea. They live on or near the ground, often in family groups, and are sexually-dimorphic (males and females have different plumages). Typically the juveniles, adult females and non-breeding males look very similar to one another, while males in breeding plumage are extremely colourful.

They are typically called Fairy-Wrens (or Fairywrens, or Fairy Wrens) in Australia.

The genera Chenorhamphus, Clytomyias and Sipodotus, comprising four species in total and all from New Guinea, were formerly also included in the genus Malurus.




White-shouldered Fairy-Wren Malurus alboscapulatus
Six subspecies: aida, alboscapulatus, kutubu, lorentzi, moretoni, naimii


Found in New Guinea: aida from the neck of the Vogelkop Peninsula to north-central New Guinea; alboscapulatus on the head of the Vogelkop Peninsula; kutubu in south-central New Guinea; lorentzi in southern New Guinea; moretoni in southeast New Guinea; and naimii in eastern New Guinea.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Lovely Fairy-Wren Malurus amabilis
Monotypic.


Found only on Queensland's Cape York Peninsula.


Photo by @LaughingDove in the wild, Australia (male bird).

Lovely Fairy-wren - Cattana Wetlands - ZooChat



Purple-backed Fairy-Wren Malurus assimilis
Four subspecies: assimilis, bernieri, dulcis, rogersi

Formerly considered conspecific with the Variegated Fairy-Wren M. lamberti, which is now monotypic and restricted to southeast Australia.


Found over much of Australia: assimilis in most of the country except the southwest, northeast, southeast and Tasmania; bernieri on Bernier Island off Western Australia; dulcis in the north of the Northern Territory; and rogersi in the northeast of Western Australia.


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (male of the subspecies assimilis).

Purple-backed Fairy Wren - ZooChat


Photo by @WhistlingKite24 in the wild, Australia (female of the subspecies assimilis).

Purple-backed Fairywren - ZooChat



Purple-crowned Fairy-Wren Malurus coronatus
Two subspecies: coronatus and macgillivrayi


Found in northern Australia, with coronatus from north-central Western Australia to west-central Northern Territory, and macgillivrayi from east-central Northern Territory to northwest Queensland.


Photo by @WhistlingKite24 at Featherdale Wildlife Park, Australia (male).

Purple-crowned Fairywren - ZooChat


Photo by @Chlidonias at Featherdale Wildlife Park, Australia (female).

Female Purple-crowned Fairy Wren (Malurus coronatus) - ZooChat


Photo by @Hix at Featherdale Wildlife Park, Australia (I think this must be a non-breeding male).

Purple-crowned Fairy Wren - ZooChat



Superb Fairy-Wren Malurus cyaneus
Six subspecies: ashbyi, cyaneus, cyanochlamys, elizabethae, leggei, samueli


Found in southeast Australia, including Tasmania: ashbyi on Kangaroo Island; cyaneus in Tasmania; cyanochlamys from central Queensland to western Victoria; elizabethae on King Island in the Bass Strait; leggei in southeastern South Australia; and samueli on Flinders Island in Bass Strait.


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (male of the Kangaroo Island subspecies ashbyi).

Superb Blue Wren male - wild - ZooChat


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (female of the Kangaroo Island subspecies ashbyi).

Superb Blue Wren - ZooChat


Photo by @Chlidonias in the wild, Australia (adult male of the Tasmanian subspecies cyaneus).

Superb Blue Wren (Malurus cyaneus cyaneus) - ZooChat


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (male of the Tasmanian subspecies cyaneus in partial breeding plumage).

Superb Fairy Wren - ZooChat


Photo by @DaLilFishie in the wild, Australia (immature male of the Tasmanian subspecies cyaneus).

Tasmanian Superb Fairywren (Malurus cyaneus cyaneus) - ZooChat


Photo by @DaLilFishie in the wild, Australia (female of the Tasmanian subspecies cyaneus).

Tasmanian Superb Fairywren (Malurus cyaneus cyaneus) - ZooChat


Photo by @WhistlingKite24 at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Australia (adult male of the eastern Australian subspecies cyanochlamys).

Superb Fairywren - ZooChat


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (immature male of the eastern Australian subspecies cyanochlamys).

Superb Blue Wren - non-breeding male - ZooChat


Photo by @WhistlingKite24 in the wild, Australia (young male of the eastern Australian subspecies cyanochlamys, attaining breeding plumage).

Superb Fairywren - ZooChat


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (female of the eastern Australian subspecies cyanochlamys).

Superb Fairy Wren female - ZooChat


Photo by @WhistlingKite24 in the wild, Australia (adult male of the South Australian subspecies leggei).

South Australian Superb Fairywren - ZooChat



Emperor Fairy-Wren Malurus cyanocephalus
Three subspecies: bonapartii, cyanocephalus, mysorensis


Found in New Guinea and surrounding islands: bonapartii in the Aru Islands and in southern New Guinea; cyanocephalus in northern New Guinea and the Vogelkop Peninsula, and on the island of Salawati; and mysorensis on the island of Biak.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.

 

[Chlidonias]

Red-winged Fairy-Wren Malurus elegans
Monotypic.


Endemic to southwest Western Australia.


Photo by @Najade in the wild, Australia (male bird).

Red-winged Fairywren (Malurus elegans) - ZooChat


Photo by @Najade in the wild, Australia. I think this is a non-breeding male. This is the only species of Malurus in which females can have dark bills, but in both females and juveniles the lores are chestnut, whereas they are black in males.

Red-winged Fairywren (Malurus elegans) - ZooChat



Variegated Fairy-Wren Malurus lamberti
Monotypic.

Formerly considered conspecific with the Purple-backed Fairy-Wren M. assimilis.


Found in southeast Australia from southeast Queensland to southeast NSW.


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (adult male).

Variegated Fairywren - ZooChat


Photo by @WhistlingKite24 in the wild, Australia (young male attaining breeding plumage).

Variegated Fairywren - ZooChat


Photo by @WhistlingKite24 in the wild, Australia (adult female).

Variegated Fairywren - ZooChat


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (juvenile).

Variegated Fairy Wren - ZooChat



White-winged Fairy-Wren Malurus leucopterus
Three subspecies: edouardi, leuconotus, leucopterus


Found over a large part of Australia, with edouardi restricted to Barrow Island off Western Australia; leuconotus over most of Australia except the north, south, east, and Tasmania; and leucopterus restricted to Dirk Hartog Island off Western Australia.


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (adult male of the subspecies leuconotus). This appears to be the only photo of an adult male in the Zoochat galleries.

White-winged Fairy Wren - ZooChat


Photo by @WhistlingKite24 in the wild, Australia (immature male of the subspecies leuconotus).

White-winged Fairywren - ZooChat


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (female of the subspecies leuconotus).

White-winged Fairy Wren female - ZooChat



Red-backed Fairy-Wren Malurus melanocephalus
Two subspecies: cruentatus and melanocephalus


Found in north and eastern Australia, with cruentatus across the north from northeast Western Australia to Queensland's Cape York Peninsula; and melanocephalus down the east coast in Queensland and NSW.


Photo by @LaughingDove in the wild, Australia (adult male of the subspecies cruentatus).

Red-backed Fairy-wren - Kingfisher Park - ZooChat


Photo by @WhistlingKite24 in the wild, Australia (adult male of the subspecies melanocephalus).

wild - Red-backed Fairywren - ZooChat


Photo by @WhistlingKite24 in the wild, Australia (immature male of the subspecies melanocephalus).

Red-backed Fairywren - ZooChat


Photo by @Chlidonias in the wild, Australia (female of the subspecies melanocephalus).

female Red-backed Fairy Wren (Malurus melanocephala) - ZooChat



Blue-breasted Fairy-Wren Malurus pulcherrimus
Monotypic.


Found from southwest Western Australia to south-central South Australia.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Splendid Fairy-Wren Malurus splendens
Four subspecies: callainus, emmottorum, melanotus, splendens


Found in west and central Australia: callainus from east Western Australia to the Northern Territory and South Australia; emmottorum in central Queensland; melanotus in east South Australia to southern Queensland; and splendens in Western Australia.

DNA studies suggest that this may be a species complex containing three species: callainus in central Australia, melanotus (including emmottorum) in east-central Australia, and splendens in the southwest.


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (adult male of the subspecies melanotus).

Splendid Fairy-wren - ZooChat


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (adult male of the subspecies splendens).

Splendid Fairy-wren - ZooChat


Photo by @Goura at Perth Zoo, Australia (adult female of the subspecies splendens).

Birds of the Southwest - ZooChat


Photo by @LaughingDove in the wild, Australia (females [with pale bills] and non-breeding males [with blue wings] of the subspecies splendens).

Eclipse and Female Splendid Fairy Wrens - Wungong Gorge - ZooChat


Photo by @Terry Thomas in the wild, Australia (juvenile bird).

Splendid Fairy-wren. - ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

Stipiturus
Three species, two of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

The common name Emu-Wren comes from the unusual tail structure, likened to emu feathers, although this cannot be seen in the few photos present in the Zoochat galleries.

All species are sexually-dimorphic, with males having violet throats.



Southern Emu-Wren Stipiturus malachurus
Eight subspecies: halmaturinus, hartogi, intermedius, littleri, malachurus, parimeda, polionotum, westernensis


Found throughout much of eastern and southern Australia: halmaturinus on Kangaroo Island; hartogi on Dirk Hartog Island off Western Australia; intermedius in the Mt Lofty Ranges in South Australia; littleri in western Tasmania; malachurus in eastern Australia from southeast Queensland to south-central Victoria; parimeda on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula; polionotum in southeast South Australia and southwest Victoria; and westernensis in southwest Western Australia.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Mallee Emu-Wren Stipiturus mallee
Monotypic.


Restricted to the mallee country of north-western Victoria and south-eastern South Australia.


Photo by @Dannelboyz of a wild-caught bird, Australia (male).

Mallee Emuwren - Stipiturus mallee - ZooChat



Rufous-crowned Emu-Wren Stipiturus ruficeps
Monotypic.


Arid interior of Australia, from west-central Western Australia to southwest Queensland and north-central South Australia.


Photo by @Najade at Monarto Safari Park, Australia.

Rufous-crowned Emu-wren (Stipiturus ruficeps) - ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

Amytornis
Thirteen species, three of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

All species are restricted to Australia, usually in inland parts of the country, where they live on the ground or in low scrub.

All species are sexually-dimorphic in plumage, although the differences are quite small - in most species the difference is just that females have a chestnut patch on the flank which males lack.



Kalkadoon Grasswren Amytornis ballarae
Monotypic.


Found in west-central Queensland.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Grey Grasswren Amytornis barbatus
Two subspecies: barbatus and diamantina


Found in east-central Australia, with barbatus in the Bulloo River drainage (Queensland and NSW), and diamantina in the Diamantina River drainage (Queensland and South Australia).


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Carpentarian Grasswren Amytornis dorotheae
Monotypic.


Found in far northeastern Northern Territory and far northwest Queensland.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Eyrean Grasswren Amytornis goyderi
Monotypic.


Found in the Simpson and Strzelecki Deserts in central Australia.


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (male bird).

Eyrean Grasswren - ZooChat


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Australia (female bird - note the chestnut flanks).

Eyrean Grasswren - ZooChat



Black Grasswren Amytornis housei
Monotypic.


Found in the Kimberley of Western Australia.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Short-tailed Grasswren Amytornis merrotsyi
Two subspecies: merrotsyi and pedleri


Found in South Australia, with merrotsyi in the Flinders Ranges and pedleri in the Gawler Ranges.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Thick-billed Grasswren Amytornis modestus
Seven subspecies: cowarie, curnamona, indulkanna, inexpectatus, modestus, obscurior, raglessi


Found in central Australia, with cowarie in the Sturt Stony Desert (South Australia); curnamona in the Lake Frome Basin (South Australia); indulkanna in the southern Northern Territory and north-central South Australia; inexpectatus in NSW; modestus in the southern Northern Territory; obscurior in northwest NSW; and raglessi in the Flinders Ranges (South Australia).


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Dusky Grasswren Amytornis purnelli
Monotypic.


Found in north-central Australia, in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.


Photo by @Hix at Alice Springs Desert Park, Australia.

Dusky Grasswren - ZooChat



Opalton Grasswren Amytornis rowleyi
Monotypic.


Found in central Queensland.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Striated Grasswren Amytornis striatus
Two subspecies: howei and striatus


Found in east-central Australia, with howei in southeast South Australia, northwest Victoria, and southwest NSW; and striatus in central NSW.


Photo by @Hix at Cleland Wildlife Park, Australia.

Striated Grasswren - ZooChat



Western Grasswren Amytornis textilis
Three subspecies: macrourus, myall, textilis


Found in western and southern Australia, with macrourus in southwest Australia; myall in southern South Australia; and textilis in far west Western Australia.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Rufous Grasswren Amytornis whitei
Four subspecies: aenigma, oweni, parvus, whitei


Found in western and southern Australia: aenigma in the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia; oweni in inland Australia from central Western Australia to central Queensland and northwest South Australia; parvus in the Cape Range of far west Western Australia; and whitei in the Pilbara Ranges of west Western Australia.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



White-throated Grasswren Amytornis woodwardi
Monotypic.


Found in the far north-central Northern Territory.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.