Fernwren
{{Short description|Genus of birds}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Fernwren
| image = Fernwren.jpg
| status = EN
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Oreoscopus
| parent_authority = North, 1905
| species = gutturalis
| authority = (De Vis, 1889)
}}
The fernwren (Oreoscopus gutturalis) is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae. It is monotypic within the genus Oreoscopus.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. {{ISBN|978-84-96553-42-2}}
It is endemic to northern Queensland in Australia. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forest and tropical moist montane forest.
Taxonomy
The fernwren was first described by the English zoologist and ornithologist Charles Walter De Vis in 1889, and grouped with the scrubwrens as Sericornis gutturalis. It was later included in the genus Crateroscelis, along with three species of mouse-warblers found in New Guinea, but was subsequently moved to the monotypic genus Oreoscopus (established by North in 1905). The fernwren is a basal (subfamily) member of Acanthizidae and sister to the genus Pachycare.Schodde, R. and Christidis, L. (2014). "Relicts from Tertiary Australasia: undescribed families and subfamilies of songbirds (Passeriformes) and their zoogeographic signal". Zootaxa. 3786 (5): 501–522.Gill, F. and D. Donsker, eds. (2020). IOC World Bird List (v 10.1). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.10.1. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
The generic name Oreoscopus derives from the Ancient Greek oros meaning 'mountain' and scopos meaning 'guardian' or 'watcher'.{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling|title=Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird-names|last=Jobling|first=James A.|page=283|access-date = 2020-04-16}} The specific epithet gutturalis is Mediaeval Latin for 'of the throat', referring to the prominent white throat of this species.{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling|title=Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird-names|last=Jobling|first=James A.|page=182|access-date = 2020-04-16}} It was also known colloquially as the collared scrubwren.Pizzey, Graham; Doyle, Roy (1980) A Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. Collins Publishers, Sydney. ISBN o73222436-5
Description
The fernwren has a white eyebrow and throat, enclosing a dark brown face. Beneath the white throat, it has a black bib.Morcombe, Michael (2012) Field Guide to Australian Birds. Pascal Press, Glebe, NSW. Revised edition. {{ISBN|978174021417-9}} It has a long-slender bill. The upperparts are dark olive-brown and the underparts paler.Simpson, Ken, Day, N. and Trusler, P. (6th edn., 1999). Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. Ringwood, Victoria: Penguin Books Australia {{ISBN|067087918-5}}. It is {{convert|12|-|14|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length. The female is very similar to the male. Juveniles are dark brown without the white facial markings of the adult.
Distribution and habitat
The fernwren is found in northeast Queensland rainforest between {{convert|300|-|1500|m|ft|abbr=on}} above sea-level,{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2016 |title=Oreoscopus gutturalis |volume=2016 |page=e.T22704520A93973740 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22704520A93973740.en |access-date=17 November 2021}} although more often above {{convert|650|m|ft|abbr=on}}. It is found in the Paluma Range, near Townsville, and from the Tully Gorge National Park northwards to Cape Tribulation.{{cite web|url=https://ebird.org/map/fernwr1|title=eBird species map: Fernwren|access-date=2020-04-16}} It is sedentary and classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Behaviour
The fernwren forages in the moist leaf-litter amongst the ferns and dense shrubbery, particularly in shady gullies of highland rainforests. As it searches through the accumulated debris of the forest floor, it frequently bows its head and flicks its short tail. It feeds on arthropods and small skinks (Scincidae).Gregory, P. (2020). "Fernwren (Oreoscopus gutturalis), version 1.0." In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.fernwr1.01 It has a variety of calls, including high-pitched squeaks and whistles, a softer chattering sequence, and a buzzing, scolding call.
Breeding
In the breeding season from July to January (mainly October and November), the male and female fernwrens together construct a domed nest, often hidden beneath an overhanging bank, fallen log or in a small cave amid the ferns. The nest is composed of twigs, rootlets, moss, and lichen. The female lays a clutch of two eggs, which are glossy white, sometimes finely spotted chestnut and tan. The eggs measure {{convert|22|mm|in|abbr=on}} long by {{convert|17|mm|in|abbr=on}} wide. Incubation by the female lasts about 29 days, and nestlings are fed by both sexes for 21-23 days.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Commonscat|Oreoscopus gutturalis}}
{{Wikispecies|Oreoscopus gutturalis}}
{{Passeriformes|Pa.|state=collapsed}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1587309}}
Category:Birds of Cape York Peninsula
Category:Endemic birds of Queensland