Mangrove Gerygone
Encyclopedia
The Mangrove Gerygone is a species of bird
in the Australian warbler family
Acanthizidae
. The species is also known as the Mangrove Warbler. The species is thought to form a superspecies
with the closely related Fan-tailed Gerygone
of Melanesia
and the Australian Western Gerygone
. There are three subspecies of Mangrove Gerygone, G. l. pallida, found in southern New Guinea
, the nominate race G. l. levigaster, which is found from coastal Western Australia
to coastal north Queensland
, and G. l. cantator, which is found from coastal Queensland to New South Wales
. The species is uncommon in New Guinea and has suffered some declines due to mangrove clearances but is not considered threatened by the IUCN.
The species is princiapally distributed in mangrove
forests and in forests and woodland adjacent to mangroves. The species will move into nearby forests from mangroves to feed, particularly in the breeding season. Where its range overlaps with that of the Large-billed Gerygone
in the Kimberley it is actually displaced from the mangroves and is instead found in scrubland dominated by paperbarks and acaia.
The Mangrove Gerygone is a typical member of the genus Gerygone, they are small birds with rounded wings, 9–11 cm long and weighing 6 g. The plumage
is grey above with a white throat, belly, flanks and rump. There is a distinct white eye stripe. The bill
and legs are black and the iris
is red. The subspecies G. l. pallida is slightly browner above and G. l. cantator is slightly larger and heavier. The song, which is similar to that of the Western Gerygone, has been described as "sweet, rich, tuneful".
The species feeds in the foliage of trees on insects, including beetle
s, grasshopper
s, wasp
s, ant
s and moth
s. It is less likely to catch prey in the air than other gerygones, but will join mixed-species feeding flock
s with white-eye
s, honey-eaters and fantail
s. The species mostly feeds in the canopy but will forage amongst the roots of mangroves.
The Mangrove Gerygone breeds throughout the year, although principally in spring-summer in the east of Australia and during the dry season in the north. The female builds the oval domed nest
. It is constructed out of roots, grass, spider webs, moss, seaweed and bark, and hangs from mangroves. Two to three eggs, are laid in the nest and are incubated for 14–17 days. Both parents feed the chick for another 14–17 days. A number of cuckoo
species are brood parasite
s of this species.
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...
in the Australian warbler family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
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...
. The species is also known as the Mangrove Warbler. The species is thought to form a superspecies
Superspecies
A superspecies is a group of at least two more or less distinctive species with approximately parapatric distributions. Not all species complexes, whether cryptices or ring species are superspecies, and vice versa, but many are...
with the closely related Fan-tailed Gerygone
Fan-tailed Gerygone
The Fan-tailed Gerygone is a species of bird in the Acanthizidae family.It is found in New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 26 July 2007....
of Melanesia
Melanesia
Melanesia is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western end of the Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea, and eastward to Fiji. The region comprises most of the islands immediately north and northeast of Australia...
and the Australian Western Gerygone
Western Gerygone
The Western Gerygone is a species of bird in the Acanthizidae family.It is endemic to Australia.Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
. There are three subspecies of Mangrove Gerygone, G. l. pallida, found in southern 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...
, the nominate race G. l. levigaster, which is found from coastal Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
to coastal north Queensland
Queensland
Queensland 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...
, and G. l. cantator, which is found from coastal Queensland to New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. The species is uncommon in New Guinea and has suffered some declines due to mangrove clearances but is not considered threatened by the IUCN.
The species is princiapally distributed in mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
forests and in forests and woodland adjacent to mangroves. The species will move into nearby forests from mangroves to feed, particularly in the breeding season. Where its range overlaps with that of the Large-billed Gerygone
Large-billed Gerygone
The Large-billed Gerygone is a species of bird in the Acanthizidae family. The Biak Gerygone, formerly considered a distinct species, is now placed herein as a subspecies .- References :...
in the Kimberley it is actually displaced from the mangroves and is instead found in scrubland dominated by paperbarks and acaia.
The Mangrove Gerygone is a typical member of the genus Gerygone, they are small birds with rounded wings, 9–11 cm long and weighing 6 g. The plumage
Plumage
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...
is grey above with a white throat, belly, flanks and rump. There is a distinct white eye stripe. The 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...
and legs are black and the iris
Iris (anatomy)
The iris is a thin, circular structure in the eye, responsible for controlling the diameter and size of the pupils and thus the amount of light reaching the retina. "Eye color" is the color of the iris, which can be green, blue, or brown. In some cases it can be hazel , grey, violet, or even pink...
is red. The subspecies G. l. pallida is slightly browner above and G. l. cantator is slightly larger and heavier. The song, which is similar to that of the Western Gerygone, has been described as "sweet, rich, tuneful".
The species feeds in the foliage of trees on insects, including beetle
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
s, grasshopper
Grasshopper
The grasshopper is an insect of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. To distinguish it from bush crickets or katydids, it is sometimes referred to as the short-horned grasshopper...
s, wasp
Wasp
The term wasp is typically defined as any insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a bee nor an ant. Almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it or parasitizes it, making wasps critically important in natural control of their...
s, ant
Ant
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
s and moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
s. It is less likely to catch prey in the air than other gerygones, but will join mixed-species feeding flock
Mixed-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 with white-eye
White-eye
White-eye can refer to:*White-eye , a large family of birds.*White-eye , a species of fish.*White-eye mutation, a mutation in Drosophila melanogaster linked to the X chromosome, found by reciprocal cross breeding experiments in 1906.*A lioness member of the Marsh Pride of lions that have featured...
s, honey-eaters and fantail
Fantail
Fantails are small insectivorous birds of southern Asia and Australasia belonging to the genus Rhipidura in the family Rhipiduridae...
s. The species mostly feeds in the canopy but will forage amongst the roots of mangroves.
The Mangrove Gerygone breeds throughout the year, although principally in spring-summer in the east of Australia and during the dry season in the north. The female builds the oval domed 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...
. It is constructed out of roots, grass, spider webs, moss, seaweed and bark, and hangs from mangroves. Two to three eggs, are laid in the nest and are incubated for 14–17 days. Both parents feed the chick for another 14–17 days. A number of cuckoo
Cuckoo
The cuckoos are a family, Cuculidae, of near passerine birds. The order Cuculiformes, in addition to the cuckoos, also includes the turacos . Some zoologists and taxonomists have also included the unique Hoatzin in the Cuculiformes, but its taxonomy remains in dispute...
species are brood parasite
Brood parasite
Brood parasites are organisms that use the strategy of brood parasitism, a kind of kleptoparasitism found among birds, fish or insects, involving the manipulation and use of host individuals either of the same or different species to raise the young of the brood-parasite...
s of this species.