Regent Honeyeater
| Regent Honeyeater | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Meliphagidae |
| Genus: | Xanthomyza Swainson, 1837 |
| Species: | X. phrygia |
| Binomial name | |
| Xanthomyza phrygia (Shaw, 1794) |
|
 |
|
| Distribution of the Regent Honeyeater | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Anthochaera phrygia |
|
The Regent Honeyeater (Xanthomyza phrygia) is an endangered bird endemic to Australia. It feeds on nectar and insects within eucalyptus forests. Recent genetic research suggests it is closely related to the wattlebirds.
Contents |
[edit] Distribution
The Regent Honeyeater was once common in wooded areas of eastern Australia, especially along the inland slopes of the Great Dividing Range. It once could be found as far west as Adelaide, but is now gone from South Australia and western Victoria. The population is now scattered, with the three main breeding areas being the Bundarra-Barabba area and Capertee Valley of New South Wales, and north-eastern Victoria.[1]
[edit] Important Bird Areas
BirdLife International has identified the following sites as being important for Regent Honeyeaters: [2]
- Queensland
- New South Wales
- Brisbane Water
- Bundarra-Barraba
- Capertee Valley
- Greater Blue Mountains
- Hastings-Macleay
- Hunter Valley
- Lake Macquarie
- Mudgee-Wollar
- Richmond Woodlands
- Tuggerah
- Victoria
[edit] Behaviour
The Regent Honeyeater exhibits unusual behaviour, in that particularly during winter, isolated individuals of this species associate with and then often mimic the calls of wattlebirds and friarbirds. Although many birds use vocal copying behaviour, no other bird species is known to use vocal mimicry of close relatives in this way. See Veerman, P.A. 1992 & 1994 Australian Bird Watcher.
[edit] Conservation status
The Regent Honeyeater is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List and under both Australia's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and Queensland's Nature Conservation Act 1992. The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010, compiled by researchers from Charles Darwin University and published in October 2011 by the CSIRO, added the Regent Honeyeater to the "Critically Endangered" list, giving habitat loss as the major threat.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Menkhorst, Peter; Schedvin, Natasha; & Geering, David (1999-05-00). "Regent Honeyeater (Xanthomyza phrygia) Recovery Plan 1999-2003". Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Australia. http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/recovery/regent-h-eater/index.html#12. Retrieved 2011-06-08.
- ^ BirdLife International. (2011). Important Bird Areas. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2012-01-02.
- ^ Garnett, Stephen; Szabo, Judit and Dutson, Guy (2011). The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010. Collingwood, Vic: CSIRO. ISBN 9780643103689.
[edit] External links
- Info on the Regent Honeyeater from BirdsAustralia.com
- BirdLife Species Factsheet.
- New South Wales - Department of Environment: Regent Honeyeater threatened species profile.
- BirdLife International (2004). Xanthomyza phrygia. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is endangered
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Xanthomyza phrygia |
 |
Wikispecies has information related to: Xanthomyza phrygia |
 |
This article about a honeyeater is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
