Goldenface
Encyclopedia
The Goldenface is a species of passerine
bird
endemic to New Guinea
. It is the only species (monotypic
) within the genus Pachycare.
family, based on its bright yellow plumage and voice, and the species is sometimes known as the Dwarf Whistler. Others have suggested placing it with the Australasian robins in the family Petroicidae
, but the nest
architecture is unlike that of the family; in fact its nests more closely resemble those of the thornbills in the family Acanthizidae
, another family to which it has sometimes been aligned. This relationship was supported by a 2009 molecular study which placed the species in that family. There are four subspecies.
, were it occurs in both Papua
and Papua New Guinea
. The preferred habitat of the Goldenface is hill and montane forest, between 400 and 1800 m; it is usually commoner in dense forest between 1800 and 1600 m.
of the species is striking; the nominate subspecies has a slate grey back, tail, wing, cap and back of the neck and bright yellow face, throat, breast and belly. From the crown to the shoulder the face is bordered with a black line, and the terital feathers
of the wing are tipped with black and white. The eye and bill
is black and the legs are pink. There is a small amount of sexual dimorphism
, with the female resembling the male closely except in having a dusky patch on the face. Immature birds of either sexes resemble the female. The three other subspecies resemble the nominate subspecies with minor differences. The subspecies P. f. subaurantium has darker upperparts and a slight orange tint. P. f. randi has much oranger underparts and face, and P. f. subpallidiumm has much paler upperparts and the most yellow undersides. The identification of Goldenface study skins held in museum collections
is complicated by the tendency of the plumage colours used to identify the subspecies fading after death.
s when foraging.
Little is known about the breeding biology of the Goldenface. It may be slightly seasonal; birds in breeding condition have been found in August and October, and eggs and nestlings have been found in from June to November. The nest
, which is built by both parents, is globular in shape and has a downward pointing side entrance.
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
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
endemic to New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
. It is the only species (monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
) within the genus Pachycare.
Taxonomy and systematics
The placement of this species and genus within the passerines is uncertain. It has been suggested that it belongs with the whistlers, in the PachycephalidaePachycephalidae
The family Pachycephalidae, collectively the whistlers, includes the whistlers, shrike-thrushes, shrike-tits, pitohuis and Crested Bellbird, and is part of the ancient Australo-Papuan radiation of songbirds. Its members range from small to medium in size, and occupy most of Australasia...
family, based on its bright yellow plumage and voice, and the species is sometimes known as the Dwarf Whistler. Others have suggested placing it with the Australasian robins in the family Petroicidae
Petroicidae
The bird family Petroicidae includes roughly 45 species in about 15 genera. All are endemic to Australasia: New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand and numerous Pacific Islands as far east as Samoa. For want of an accurate common name, the family is often called the Australasian robins. Within the...
, but the nest
Bird nest
A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American Robin or Eurasian Blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the...
architecture is unlike that of the family; in fact its nests more closely resemble those of the thornbills in the family Acanthizidae
Acanthizidae
The Acanthizidae, also known as the Australasian warblers, are a family of passerine birds which include gerygones, thornbills, and scrubwrens. The Acanthizidae consists of small to medium passerine birds, with a total length varying between 8 and 19 cm. They have short rounded wings, slender...
, another family to which it has sometimes been aligned. This relationship was supported by a 2009 molecular study which placed the species in that family. There are four subspecies.
Range and distribution
The species is endemic to the island of New GuineaNew Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, were it occurs in both Papua
Papua (Indonesian province)
Papua comprises most of the western half of the island of New Guinea and nearby islands. Its capital is Jayapura. It's the largest and easternmost province of Indonesia. The province originally covered the entire western half of New Guinea...
and Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
. The preferred habitat of the Goldenface is hill and montane forest, between 400 and 1800 m; it is usually commoner in dense forest between 1800 and 1600 m.
Description
The Goldenface is a small whistler, around 13 cm in length and weighing 14–19 g. The plumagePlumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
of the species is striking; the nominate subspecies has a slate grey back, tail, wing, cap and back of the neck and bright yellow face, throat, breast and belly. From the crown to the shoulder the face is bordered with a black line, and the terital feathers
Flight feather
Flight feathers are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges while those on the tail are called rectrices . Their primary function is to aid in the generation of both thrust and lift, thereby...
of the wing are tipped with black and white. The eye and bill
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
is black and the legs are pink. There is a small amount of sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
, with the female resembling the male closely except in having a dusky patch on the face. Immature birds of either sexes resemble the female. The three other subspecies resemble the nominate subspecies with minor differences. The subspecies P. f. subaurantium has darker upperparts and a slight orange tint. P. f. randi has much oranger underparts and face, and P. f. subpallidiumm has much paler upperparts and the most yellow undersides. The identification of Goldenface study skins held in museum collections
Bird collections
Bird collections are curated repositories of scientific specimens consisting of birds and their parts. They are a research resource for ornithology, the science of birds, and for other scientific disciplines in which information about birds is useful...
is complicated by the tendency of the plumage colours used to identify the subspecies fading after death.
Behaviour
Insects and spiders form the majority of the diet of this species. These prey items are gleaned from the outer foliage of trees, usually in the mid-story, sometimes entering the top stories of the forest. Goldenfaces will sometimes join mixed-species feeding flockMixed-species feeding flock
A mixed-species feeding flock, also termed a mixed-species foraging flock, mixed hunting party or informally bird wave, is a flock of usually insectivorous birds of different species, that join each other and move together while foraging...
s when foraging.
Little is known about the breeding biology of the Goldenface. It may be slightly seasonal; birds in breeding condition have been found in August and October, and eggs and nestlings have been found in from June to November. The nest
Bird nest
A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American Robin or Eurasian Blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the...
, which is built by both parents, is globular in shape and has a downward pointing side entrance.