Rawnsley's Bowerbird
Encyclopedia
Rawnsley’s Bowerbird, also known as Rawnsley’s Satin Bird or the Blue Regent, is a rare intergeneric hybrid between a Satin Bowerbird
(Ptilonorhynchus violaceus) and a Regent Bowerbird
(Sericulus chrysocephalus).
It is based on a unique specimen collected by Henry Charles Rawnsley at Witton, near Brisbane
in Queensland
, Australia
, on 14 July 1867. It was described and illustrated (as Ptilonorhynchus rawnsleyi) in the same year by Silvester Diggles
in Part 15 of his three-volume work The Ornithology of Australia
. It has at various times been considered to be a valid bowerbird species, an aberrant individual of the Satin Bowerbird, or an adult hybrid individual resulting from the natural crossing of a Regent Bowerbird with a Satin Bowerbird. The specimen disappeared prior to 1950 and a second example was not recorded until sightings and photographic evidence of another bird were obtained in November 2003 and January 2004 at Beechmont
, South East Queensland
, adjacent to the Lamington National Park
.
Satin Bowerbird
The Satin Bowerbird, Ptilonorhynchus violaceus is a bowerbird endemic to eastern Australia.A rare natural intergeneric hybrid between the Satin Bowerbird and the Regent Bowerbird is known as Rawnsley's Bowerbird.-Distribution:...
(Ptilonorhynchus violaceus) and a Regent Bowerbird
Regent Bowerbird
The Regent Bowerbird, Sericulus chrysocephalus is a medium-sized, up to 25 cm long, sexually dimorphic bowerbird. The male bird is black with a golden orange-yellow crown, mantle and black-tipped wing feathers. It has yellow bill, black feet and yellow iris...
(Sericulus chrysocephalus).
It is based on a unique specimen collected by Henry Charles Rawnsley at Witton, near Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
in 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...
, 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...
, on 14 July 1867. It was described and illustrated (as Ptilonorhynchus rawnsleyi) in the same year by Silvester Diggles
Silvester Diggles
Silvester Diggles was an Australian artist and musician of British origin, as well as being a noted amateur ornithologist and entomologist....
in Part 15 of his three-volume work The Ornithology of Australia
The Ornithology of Australia
The Ornithology of Australia comprises three volumes of lithographed, hand-coloured, illustrations of Australian birds with accompanying text...
. It has at various times been considered to be a valid bowerbird species, an aberrant individual of the Satin Bowerbird, or an adult hybrid individual resulting from the natural crossing of a Regent Bowerbird with a Satin Bowerbird. The specimen disappeared prior to 1950 and a second example was not recorded until sightings and photographic evidence of another bird were obtained in November 2003 and January 2004 at Beechmont
Beechmont, Queensland
Beechmont is a residential village located in the Gold Coast hinterland of eastern Australia.The suburb is positioned on a forested ridge leading from the Lamington Plateau to Tambourine Mountain...
, South East Queensland
South East Queensland
South East Queensland is a region of the state of Queensland in Australia, which contains approximately two-thirds of the state population...
, adjacent to the Lamington National Park
Lamington National Park
Lamington is a national park in Queensland, Australia, lying on the Lamington Plateau of the McPherson Range on the Queensland/New South Wales border...
.