Western wattlebird
{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{speciesbox
| name = Western wattlebird
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| image = Birds of Australia Gould vol 4 plate 57.jpg
| image_caption = Illustration of pair by Gould and Richter, 1848
| genus = Anthochaera
| species = lunulata
| authority = Gould, 1838
| synonyms = Anthochaera chrysoptera
}}
The western wattlebird (Anthochaera lunulata) is a passerine bird in the honeyeater family, Meliphagidae. It is restricted to south-western Australia.
Taxonomy
The species description was published by John Gould in 1838, from a specimen collected at the Swan River and held at "Fort Pitt, Chatham collection".Anthochaera lunulata Gould, J. 1838. A Synopsis of the Birds of Australia, and the Adjacent Islands. London : J. Gould 8 pp., 73 pls. [Pt 3, published Apr. 1838, publication dated as 1837–1838 The entry in his The Birds of Australia (1848) gives a common name of "Lunulated Wattle-Bird", and notes that the colonists referred to it as the little wattlebird.
A treatment as a western population of the species Anthochaera chrysoptera, and thus conspecific with the 'little wattlebird' group of the eastern states, is cited by some authorities. Both species are assigned to the subgenus Anthochaera (Anellobia), taking its name from the generic description of Jean Cabanis (1851). Other workers regard this as a separate species, A. lunulata, based on morphological and plumage differences, and a different eye colour in these two populations. The taxonomy enthusiast, G. M. Mathews, published a description as the subspecies Anthochaera chrysoptera albani in his Austral Avian Record (1923),Anthochaera chrysoptera albani Mathews, G.M. 1923. Additions and Corrections to my Lists of the Birds of Australia.Austral Avian Records 5: 33-44 [Date published 21 Feb 1923] now regarded as a synonym for this species.{{cite web |title=Anthochaera (Anellobia) lunulata : Western Wattlebird |url=https://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:afd.taxon:f42e1db9-0a88-466a-b6f8-9ce92c8b9dfc# |website=bie.ala.org.au |publisher=Atlas of Living Australia |access-date=21 October 2018 |language=en-AU}}
The epithet lunulata 'crescent-shaped' is derived from Latin lunula for 'little moon'.[https://www.hbw.com/dictionary/key-to-scientific-names-in-ornithology?name=lunulata+%2F+lunulatus lunulata / lunulatus] Jobling, J. A. (2018). Key to Scientific Names in Ornithology. In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.) (2018). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
Description
The adult western wattlebird has dark grey-brown upper-parts with pale streaks and spots.
It has a dark brown forehead, crown and nape, streaked with fine, whitish shafts.
Underparts are dark grey, streaked and tipped white.
It has a blackish-brown streak bordering the eye, and has a red iris.
A large honeyeater, it is long and slender. A sample of both sexes recorded sizes of 29–33 centimetres in length, 65–78 grams in weight for the males; and 27–30 cm and 47–57 g for the females. The weight range for unsexed birds is 45.5–83 grams.
Distribution
Found in the southwest of Australia, in the high rainfall area formerly dominated by forest and woodland. They occur toward the coast from Israelite Bay north to Geraldton, and inland to the Stirling Range, Lake Grace and Northam.Pizzey, Graham; Doyle, Roy. (1980) A field guide to the birds of Australia. Collins Publishers, Sydney
Gallery
References
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- Schodde, R.; & Mason, I.J. (1999). The Directory of Australian Birds: Passerines. CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne. {{ISBN|0-643-06456-7}}
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