Mistletoebird
Encyclopedia
The Mistletoebird is a species of flowerpecker
native to most of Australia
(though absent from Tasmania
and the driest desert areas), and also to the eastern Maluku Islands
of Indonesia
in the Arafura Sea
between Australia and New Guinea
. They also must live where there are trees and shrubs, so that they can build their nests. The bird eats a variety of different foods such as berries and assorted types of insects.
(D. geelvinkianum) to be each other's closest relative.
There are four subspecies
, which differ in plumage details, primarily of the males:
s (hence the name) and other plants. The diet also includes nectar, pollen
, spider
s, and insect
s.
The species consumes the fruit of Amyema quandang
(grey mistletoe), ignored by other fruit-consuming birds, that has led to a state of mutualism.
By eating the mistletoe, this bird is able to spread the seeds, which is a parasitic plant
. When the birds eat the berries, the seeds pass through them, which takes anywhere from 4–25 minutes. Then when they excrete the seeds, they are sticky and stick to the branch of a tree and sprout.
Flowerpecker
The flowerpeckers are a family, Dicaeidae , of passerine birds. The family comprises two genera, Prionochilus and Dicaeum, with 44 species in total. The family has sometimes been included in an enlarged sunbird family Nectariniidae. The berrypeckers of the family Melanocharitidae and the painted...
native to most 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...
(though absent from Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
and the driest desert areas), and also to the eastern Maluku Islands
Maluku Islands
The Maluku Islands are an archipelago that is part of Indonesia, and part of the larger Maritime Southeast Asia region. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone...
of Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
in the Arafura Sea
Arafura Sea
The Arafura Sea lies west of the Pacific Ocean overlying the continental shelf between Australia and New Guinea.-Geography:The Arafura Sea is bordered by Torres Strait and through that the Coral Sea to the east, the Gulf of Carpentaria to the south, the Timor Sea to the west and the Banda and Ceram...
between Australia and 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...
. They also must live where there are trees and shrubs, so that they can build their nests. The bird eats a variety of different foods such as berries and assorted types of insects.
Taxonomy
Genetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA of 70% of flowerpecker species showed the Mistletoebird and Red-capped FlowerpeckerRed-capped Flowerpecker
The Red-capped Flowerpecker is a small passerine bird endemic to, and widespread within, New Guinea and adjacent islands...
(D. geelvinkianum) to be each other's closest relative.
Description
The Mistletoebird is small, 9–10 cm long and 7.5–11 g weight. The male is glossy blue-black above, with a red chest and a slight red undertail, and a black centre stripe running down its white belly. The female is dark grey above, with a white throat, light grey underparts, and just a touch of pinkish-red under the tail. The eyes, bill and legs are black; the bill is just over a centimetre long, slender, slightly downcurved and sharply pointed. Immature birds are similar to the female, but have an orange-pink bill instead of black.There are four subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
, which differ in plumage details, primarily of the males:
- Dicaeum hirundinaceum hirundinaceum Shaw & Nodder, 1792. Australia. Extensive red on throat and chest; flanks grey.
- Dicaeum hirundinaceum keiense Salvadori, 1874. Watubela archipelagoWatubela archipelagoWatubela is an archipelago in the Maluku Islands, east of Ceram and north of Kai Islands, and southwest of Bomberai Peninsula of Papua, Indonesia. It includes islands Kasiui and Tioor.-External links:*...
, Indonesia. Red on chest limited. - Dicaeum hirundinaceum ignicolle G. R. Gray, 1858. Aru IslandsAru IslandsThe Aru Islands are a group of about ninety-five low-lying islands in the Maluku province of eastern Indonesia. They also form a regency of Indonesia.-Geography:...
, Indonesia. Flanks yellow-buff. - Dicaeum hirundinaceum fulgidum P. L. Sclater, 1883. Tanimbar IslandsTanimbar IslandsThe Tanimbar Islands, also called Timor Laut, are a group of about 65 islands in the Maluku province of Indonesia, including Fordata, Larat, Maru, Molu, Nuswotar, Selaru, Selu, Seira, Wotap, Wuliaru and Yamdena.-Geography:...
, Indonesia. Flanks buff, red on chest limited, and throat pale buff.
Food
The Mistletoebird eats a variety of different foods. It commonly eats the berries of mistletoeMistletoe
Mistletoe is the common name for obligate hemi-parasitic plants in several families in the order Santalales. The plants in question grow attached to and within the branches of a tree or shrub.-Mistletoe in the genus Viscum:...
s (hence the name) and other plants. The diet also includes nectar, pollen
Pollen
Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
, spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s, and insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s.
The species consumes the fruit of Amyema quandang
Amyema quandang
Amyema quandang is a species of hemi-parasitic shrub which is widespread throughout the mainland of Australia, especially arid inland regions, sometimes referred to as the grey mistletoe.-Description:...
(grey mistletoe), ignored by other fruit-consuming birds, that has led to a state of mutualism.
Breeding
The female Mistletoebird builds the nest by herself with no help from the male. The nest is made of crushed plants and spider webs, which holds it together and holds it to the tree. She will lay the eggs in the nest and look after them till they hatch. When they have hatched both parents will feed them.By eating the mistletoe, this bird is able to spread the seeds, which is a parasitic plant
Parasitic plant
A parasitic plant is one that derives some or all of its sustenance from another plant. About 4,100 species in approximately 19 families of flowering plants are known. Parasitic plants have a modified root, the haustorium, that penetrates the host plant and connects to the xylem, phloem, or...
. When the birds eat the berries, the seeds pass through them, which takes anywhere from 4–25 minutes. Then when they excrete the seeds, they are sticky and stick to the branch of a tree and sprout.