Eastern Whipbird
Encyclopedia
The Eastern Whipbird is an insectivorous
passerine
bird native to the east coast of Australia
, its whip-crack call a familiar sound in forests of eastern Australia. Two subspecies are recognised. Heard much more often than seen, it is a dark olive-green and black in colour with a distinctive white cheek patch and crest. The male and female are similar in plumage.
as two separate species in 1802 from early colonial illustrations, first as the White-cheeked Crow (Corvus olivaceus), then as the Coachwhip Flycatcher (Muscicapa crepitans). The bird became commonly known as Coachwhip Bird or Stockwhip Bird. John Gould
recorded the aboriginal term Djou from the Hunter Region of New South Wales.
Its specific name is derived from its olive colouration, though was soon placed in the new genus Psophodes
by Nicholas Aylward Vigors
and Thomas Horsfield
, derived from the Greek
psophōdes/ψοφωδης meaning 'noisy'. The family placement has changed, some now placing it in a large broadly defined inclusive Corvidae
, while others split it and several other genera into the Quail-thrush family Cinclosomatidae
. Other research proposes that the Quail-thrush
es are themselves distinctive, leaving the whipbirds and wedgebills in a family with the proposed name Psophodidae. The name "Eupetidae" had been used for this grouping; however, because of the distant relationship of the Rail-babbler to the other members of this group uncovered in research by Jønsson et al. (2007) that name is more appropriately used for the monotypic family which contains this species.
(1.7-2.5 oz
) in weight, it is olive green with a black head and breast. It has a small black crest with a white cheek-patch on its face. It has a paler abdomen with a long dark olive-green tail tipped with white. The iris is brown and bill is black with blackish feet. The male is slightly larger than the female. Juveniles are a duller olive-brown and lack the white cheek stripes and dark throat.
The Eastern Whipbird is generally shy, and is heard much more often than seen. Its long drawn out call - a long note, followed by a "whip crack" (which is the source of the common name) and some follow on notes - is one of the most distinctive sounds of the eastern Australian bush. The call is usually a duet between the male and female, the male producing the long note and whip crack and female the following notes. Calls are most frequent in the early morning, though do occur through the day with small peaks at noon and sunset. Though male calls are consistent across the species range, a high degree of variation in female calls has been reported.
to Townsville
. At least one study has found it to be a specialist species in terms of habitat and threatened by urbanisation.
Insectivore
An insectivore is a type of carnivore with a diet that consists chiefly of insects and similar small creatures. An alternate term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of eating insects....
passerine
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird native to the east coast of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, its whip-crack call a familiar sound in forests of eastern Australia. Two subspecies are recognised. Heard much more often than seen, it is a dark olive-green and black in colour with a distinctive white cheek patch and crest. The male and female are similar in plumage.
Taxonomy
The Eastern Whipbird was mistakenly described by John LathamJohn Latham (ornithologist)
John Latham was an English physician, naturalist and author. He was born at Eltham in Kent, and was the eldest son of John Latham, a surgeon there, and his mother was a descendant of the Sothebys, in Yorkshire....
as two separate species in 1802 from early colonial illustrations, first as the White-cheeked Crow (Corvus olivaceus), then as the Coachwhip Flycatcher (Muscicapa crepitans). The bird became commonly known as Coachwhip Bird or Stockwhip Bird. John Gould
John Gould
John Gould was an English ornithologist and bird artist. The Gould League in Australia was named after him. His identification of the birds now nicknamed "Darwin's finches" played a role in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...
recorded the aboriginal term Djou from the Hunter Region of New South Wales.
Its specific name is derived from its olive colouration, though was soon placed in the new genus Psophodes
Psophodes
Psophodes is a genus of four, or possibly five, species of songbirds endemic to Australia, known as whipbirds and wedgebills.-Species:* Eastern Whipbird, Psophodes olivaceus* Western Whipbird, Psophodes nigrogularis...
by Nicholas Aylward Vigors
Nicholas Aylward Vigors
Nicholas Aylward Vigors was an Irish zoologist and politician.Vigors was born at Old Leighlin, County Carlow. He studied at Trinity College, Oxford. He served in the army during the Peninsular War from 1809 to 1811. He then returned to Oxford, graduating with a B.A. in 1815 and in 1817 with an...
and Thomas Horsfield
Thomas Horsfield
Thomas Horsfield M. D. was an American physician and naturalist.Horsfield was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He was the grandson of Timothy Horsfield, Sr., a colonel and justice of the peace in Bethlehem, and a friend mentioned in Benjamin...
, derived from the Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
psophōdes/ψοφωδης meaning 'noisy'. The family placement has changed, some now placing it in a large broadly defined inclusive Corvidae
Corvidae
Corvidae is a cosmopolitan family of oscine passerine birds that contains the crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, treepies, choughs and nutcrackers. The common English names used are corvids or the crow family , and there are over 120 species...
, while others split it and several other genera into the Quail-thrush family Cinclosomatidae
Cinclosomatidae
Cinclosomatidae is a family of passerine birds native to Australia and nearby areas. It has a complicated taxonomic history and different authors vary in which birds they include in the family. It includes at least the quail-thrushes , 5 species of ground-dwelling birds found in Australia and New...
. Other research proposes that the Quail-thrush
Quail-thrush
Quail-thrush is the term applied to any member of the genus Cinclosoma, which contains five species of birds who are related to neither quails nor thrushes though have characteristics of both. The genus is found in Australia and New Guinea in a variety of habitats ranging from rainforest to deserts...
es are themselves distinctive, leaving the whipbirds and wedgebills in a family with the proposed name Psophodidae. The name "Eupetidae" had been used for this grouping; however, because of the distant relationship of the Rail-babbler to the other members of this group uncovered in research by Jønsson et al. (2007) that name is more appropriately used for the monotypic family which contains this species.
Subspecies
Two subspecies are recognized:- P. o. olivaceus, the nominate subspecies, is found from eastern VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
to southeastern QueenslandQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
.
- P. o. lateralis is found on the Atherton TablelandAtherton TablelandThe Atherton Tableland is a fertile plateau which is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia. It is located west to south-south-west inland from Cairns, well into the tropics, but its elevated position provides a climate suitable for dairy farming. It has an area of around...
and is smaller and browner.
Description
A slim bird some 26-30 cm (10-12 in) in length and 47-72 gGram
The gram is a metric system unit of mass....
(1.7-2.5 oz
Ounce
The ounce is a unit of mass with several definitions, the most commonly used of which are equal to approximately 28 grams. The ounce is used in a number of different systems, including various systems of mass that form part of the imperial and United States customary systems...
) in weight, it is olive green with a black head and breast. It has a small black crest with a white cheek-patch on its face. It has a paler abdomen with a long dark olive-green tail tipped with white. The iris is brown and bill is black with blackish feet. The male is slightly larger than the female. Juveniles are a duller olive-brown and lack the white cheek stripes and dark throat.
The Eastern Whipbird is generally shy, and is heard much more often than seen. Its long drawn out call - a long note, followed by a "whip crack" (which is the source of the common name) and some follow on notes - is one of the most distinctive sounds of the eastern Australian bush. The call is usually a duet between the male and female, the male producing the long note and whip crack and female the following notes. Calls are most frequent in the early morning, though do occur through the day with small peaks at noon and sunset. Though male calls are consistent across the species range, a high degree of variation in female calls has been reported.
Distribution and habitat
The Eastern Whipbird is found in wet temperate forests including both rainforests and wet sclerophyll forests, generally near water. It occurs from eastern Victoria north through to central Queensland. A northern race, sometimes known as the Northern Whipbird (Psophodes olivaceus lateralis) is found in the wet tropics of North Queensland from CooktownCooktown, Queensland
Cooktown is a small town located at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland where James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, for repairs in 1770. At the 2006 census, Cooktown had a population of 1,336...
to Townsville
Townsville, Queensland
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland. Adjacent to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef, it is in the dry tropics region of Queensland. Townsville is Australia's largest urban centre north of the Sunshine Coast, with a 2006 census...
. At least one study has found it to be a specialist species in terms of habitat and threatened by urbanisation.
Behaviour
The Eastern Whipbird is insectivorous, recovering insects from leaf litter on the forest floor.Reproduction
Whipbirds are monogamous. Breeding occurs form late winter through spring; a loosely built bowl of twigs and sticks lined with softer material such as grasses, located in shrubs or trees less than 3-4 m (10-12 ft) above the ground. Several broods may be laid the an extended breeding season. A clutch of two eggs, pale blue with blackish splotches and spots, measuring 28 x 20 mm. Female incubate and brood the eggs and nestlings, though males help feed and take a more active role in looking after fledglings for 6 weeks after leaving the nest.External links
- Eastern Whipbird videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection
- Eastern Whipbird Fact Sheet on the Birds in Back Yards site.
- Eastern Whipbird description and call.
- Eastern Whipbird call.