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Willie wagtail

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Willie Wagtail
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Order:
Passeriformes
Family:
Rhipiduridae
Genus:
Rhipidura
Species:
R. leucophrys
Binomial name
Rhipidura leucophrys
Latham, 1802

The Willie (or Willy) Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) is a passerine bird native to Australia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, and eastern Indonesia. It is a frequent sight in most habitats excepting treeless grasslands and thick forest. Measuring 19 to 21.5 cm (7½-8½ in) in length, the Willie Wagtail is starkly coloured with almost all black upperparts and white underparts. The male and female have similar plumage.

It is insectivorous and spends much time chasing prey in open habitat. It has responded well to human alteration of the landscape and is a common sight in urban areas such as lawns, parks, and gardens. It was widely featured in aboriginal folklore around the country as either a bringer of bad news or a stealer of secrets.

Taxonomy

The Willie Wagtail was first described by ornithologist John Latham in 1801 as Turdus leucophrys.[2] Its specific epithet is derived from the Ancient Greek words leukos 'white' and ǒphrys 'eyebrow'.[3] Other early scientific names include Muscicapa tricolor by Viellot,[4] and Rhipidura motacilloides by Nicholas Aylward Vigors and Thomas Horsfield in 1827, who erected the genus Rhipidura.[5]

The species was generally referred to by John Gould and other early writers as the Black-and-white Fantail, although the current name was occasionally noted. However, Willie Wagtail rapidly became widely accepted sometime after 1916. 'Wagtail' is derived from its active behaviour, while the origins of 'Willie' are obscure.[6] Other vernacular names applied include Frogbird, Morning Bird, Shepherd's Companion (due to its accompanying of livestock), and Australian Nightingale.[7] Many aboriginal names are onomatopoeic, based on the sound of its scolding call.[8] In Central Australia, southwest of Alice Springs, the Pitjantjatjara word is tjintir-tjintir(pa).[9] Among the Kamilaroi, it is thirrithirri.

The Willie Wagtail is unrelated to the Eurasian wagtails of the family Motacillidae. Instead it is a member of a group of birds called the fantails in the genus Rhipidura, which are classified as a subfamily Rhipidurinae within the drongo family Dicruridae, together with the monarch flycatchers,[10] or in their own family Rhipiduridae.[11]

Early molecular research in the late 1980s and early 1990s revealed that the fantails belong to a large group of mainly Australasian birds known as the Corvida parvorder comprising many tropical and Australian passerines.[12] More recently, the grouping has been refined somewhat as the fantails have been classified in a 'Core corvine' group with the crows and ravens, shrikes, birds of paradise, monarch flycatchers, drongos and mudnest builders.[13]

Subspecies

The following three subspecies are generally recognised:[14]

Description

closeup showing white facial features

An adult Willie Wagtail is generally between 19 and 21.5 cm (7.5-8.5 in) in length and weighs 17-24 g (0.6-0.85 oz). The tail measures 10-11 cm (approx 4 in) and the pointed bill 1.64-1.93 cm (approx 0.75 in). The male and female have similar plumage; the head, throat, upper breast, wings, upperparts, and tail are all black, with a white eyebrow, 'whiskers' and underparts. The bill and legs are black and the iris dark brown. Immature birds may have pale tips in their wings.[7] Their most notable feature (which gives them their name) is their long black tail, which they fan out and "wag" from side to side when hunting. The Willie Wagtail has longer legs than other fantails, which may be an adaptation to foraging on the ground.[17]

Vocalisation

The Wagtail is very "chatty" with a number of distinct vocalisations and can be quite noisy. Its most-recognised call is a rapid "chit-chit-chit-chit" but it also has more tuneful sounds in its repertoire. John Gold reported it sounded like a child's rattle or "small cog-wheels of a steam mill".[8] In his book What Bird is That? (1935), Neville Cayley, said it has "a pleasant call resembling sweet pretty little creature, frequently uttered during the day or night, especially on moonlight nights".[18]

Distribution and habitat

The Willie Wagtail's range includes the entire mainland of Australia and northern Tasmania, and extends to New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, and eastern Indonesia. There is one record from Mangere Island in the Chatham Islands archipelago east of New Zealand in 2002.[19]

It is at home in a wide variety of habitats, but avoids dense forest, instead favouring semi-open woodland or grassland with scattered trees.[7] It has responded well to human alteration of the landscape and can often be seen hunting in open, grassed areas such as lawns, gardens, parkland, and sporting grounds. On Guadalcanal, it was reported from open areas and coconut groves.[20]

Behaviour

in flight

The Willie Wagtail is almost always on the move and rarely still for more than a few moments during daylight hours. Even while perching they will flick their long tails from side to side, twisting about looking for prey. Birds are encountered singly or in pairs.[7]

The Willie Wagtail is highly territorial and can be quite fearless in defence of its territory; it will harry not only small birds but also much larger species such as the Australian Magpie, Raven, Laughing Kookaburra, or Wedge-tailed Eagle.[8] The bird's white eyebrows become flared and more prominent in an aggressive display, and settled and more hidden when submissive.[21]

Feeding

The Willie Wagtail perches on low branches, fences, posts, and the like, watching for insects and other small invertebrates in the air or on the ground . A wide variety of arthropods are consumed, including butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, dragonflies, bugs, spiders, centipedes, and millipedes.[22] It has been recorded killing small lizards such as skinks and geckos in a study in Madang on Papua New Guinea's north coast.[23] The tailbones of these lizards have been found in their faeces although it is unclear whether the whole animal was eaten or merely the tail. Either way they are only a very occasional prey item forming between 1 and 3% of the total diet.[23] Evidence from the study in Madang suggested that the birds selectively fed their nestlings larger prey.[23]

It usually hunts by hawking flying insects such as gnats, flies, and small moths, but will occasionally glean from the ground. They will often hop along the ground and flit behind people and animals, such as cattle, sheep or horses, as they walk over grassed areas, to catch any creatures disturbed by their passing. It has also been reported taking ticks from the skin of grazing animals.[6] Its adaptability and opportunistic feeding have probably assisted it in adapting to human habitation.[22]

Breeding

Nest well guarded

Birds generally pair for life. The breeding season for the Willie Wagtail is from July to December, with anywhere up to four broods taking place, and occurring after rain in drier regions. They build a cup-like nest on a tree branch away from leaves or cover, less than 5 m (16 ft) above the ground. Rafters and eaves may also be used. It has been observed to build its nest in the vicinity of those of the Magpie-lark (Grallina cyanoleuca), possibly taking advantage of the latter bird's territoriality and aggression toward intruders. Similarly, they are not afraid to build near human habitation either.[21]

The nest consists of grass stems, strips of bark, and other fibrous material which is bound and woven together with spider web. Even hair from pet dogs and cats may be used.[21] The female lays two to four small cream-white eggs with brownish markings measuring 16 x 21 mm and incubates them.[24] The clutch is incubated for 14 days, and the nestlings remain in the nest for another 14 days.[25] Both parents take part in feeding the young.[26][27]

The female Pallid Cuckoo (Cuculus pallidus) will lay eggs in a Willie Wagtail nest, although the hosts generally recognise and eject the foreign eggs, so successful brood parasitism is rare.[25]

Cultural depictions

The Willie Wagtail was a feature in aboriginal folklore around Australia.[28] In parts of southeastern Australia, such as among the Ngarrindjeri of the Lower Murray River, and the Narrunga People of the Yorke Peninsula,[29] it is known as the bearer of bad news.[28] It was also thought to be able to steal a person's secrets while lingering around camps eavesdropping, so women would be close-lipped when the Willie Wagtail was around.[21] Called the Kuritoro bird in New Guinea's eastern highlands, its appearance was significant in the mourning ceremony by a widow for her dead husband. She would offer him banana flowers; the bird's singing nearby would confirm the dead man's soul had taken the offering.[30] The Willie Wagtail has also been depicted on postage stamps in Palau and the Solomon Islands.[31]

References

  1. ^ Template:IUCN2006
  2. ^ Latham J (1802). Supplementum Indicis Ornithologici, sive Systematis Ornithologiae. London: G. Leigh, J. & S. Sotheby p. xlv
  3. ^ Liddell, Henry George and Robert Scott (1980). A Greek-English Lexicon (Abridged Edition). United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-910207-4.
  4. ^ Template:Fr icon Vieillot LP (1818). Nouveau Dictionnaire d'Histoire Naturelle, appliquée aux arts, principalement à l'Agriculture, à l'Écomomie rurale et domestique, à la Médecine, etc. Par une société de naturalistes et d'agriculteurs. Nouvelle Édition. Paris: Déterville Vol. 26 2nd Edn [490].
  5. ^ Vigors NA, Horsfield T. (1827). A description of the Australian birds in the collection of the Linnean Society; with an attempt at arranging them according to their natural affinities. Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. 15: 170-331
  6. ^ a b Boles, Walter E. (1988). The Robins and Flycatchers of Australia. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. pp. p. 381. ISBN 0-207-15400-7. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  7. ^ a b c d e Boles, p. 387
  8. ^ a b c Boles, p. 382
  9. ^ Cliff Goddard (1992). Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara To English Dictionary (2nd edition ed.). Alice Springs: Institute for Aboriginal Development. pp. p. 151. ISBN 0-949659-64-9. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); |pages= has extra text (help)
  10. ^ Christidis L, Boles WE (1994). The Taxonomy and Species of Birds of Australia and its Territories. Melbourne: RAOU.
  11. ^ Christidis L, Boles WE (2008). Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds. Canberra: CSIRO Publishing. pp. p. 174. ISBN 9780643065116. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  12. ^ Sibley, Charles Gald & Ahlquist, Jon Edward (1990): Phylogeny and classification of birds. Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn.
  13. ^ Cracraft J, Barker FK, Braun M, Harshman J, Dyke GJ, Feinstein J, Stanley S, Cibois A, Schikler P, Beresford P, García-Moreno J, Sorenson MD, Yuri T, Mindell DP (2004). "Phylogenetic relationships among modern birds (Neornithes): toward an avian tree of life". In Cracraft J, Donoghue MJ (ed.). Assembling the tree of life. New York: Oxford Univ. Press. pp. 468–89. ISBN 0195172345. {{cite book}}: line feed character in |chapter= at position 60 (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ Mason IJ, Schodde R (1999). The Directory of Australian Birds: Passerines. Canberra: CSIRO. ISBN 0-643-06457-7. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  15. ^ Gould J (1848). Introduction to the Birds of Australia. London: J. Gould viii 134 p. xxxix
  16. ^ Template:Fr icon Quoy JRC, Gaimard JP in Dumont-d'Urville, J. (1830). Voyage de découvertes de l'Astrolabe exécuté par ordre du Roi, pendant les anneés 1826-1827-1828-1829, sous le commandement de M.J. Dumont-d'Urville. Zoologie. Paris: J. Tastu Vol. 1 i p. 180
  17. ^ Harrison CJO (1976). "Some aspects of adaptation and evolution in Australian Fan-tailed Flycatchers". Emu. 76: 115–19. doi:10.1071/MU9760115. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  18. ^ Lambert, James. "More additions to the Australian Lexicographical Record". ANU National Dictionary Centre. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  19. ^ Gummer H (2002). "First record of willie wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) for New Zealand" (PDF). Notornis. 49: 186–88. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  20. ^ Donaghho WR (1950). "Observations of Some Birds of Guadalcanal and Tulagi". The Condor. 52 (3): 127–32. doi:10.2307/1364897.
  21. ^ a b c d Boles, p. 384
  22. ^ a b Adriano S, Calver MC (1995). "Diet of Breeding Willie Wagtails Rhipidura leucophrys in Suburban Western Australia" (PDF). Emu. 95: 138–41. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  23. ^ a b c Dyrcz A, Flinks H (1995). "Nestling and Adult Diet of the Willie Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys Near Madang, Papua New Guinea" (PDF). Emu. 95: 123–26. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  24. ^ Beruldsen, G (2003). Australian Birds: Their Nests and Eggs. Kenmore Hills, Qld: self. pp. p. 359. ISBN 0-646-42798-9. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  25. ^ a b Marchant S (1974). (abstract) "Analysis of nest-records of the Willie Wagtail". Emu. 74: 149–60. doi:10.1071/MU974149. Retrieved 2008-06-11. {{cite journal}}: Check |url= value (help)
  26. ^ Dyrcz A (1994). (abstract) "Breeding Biology and Behavior of the Willie Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys in the Madang Region, Papua New Guinea". Emu. 94: 17–26. doi:10.1071/MU9940017. Retrieved 2008-06-11. {{cite journal}}: Check |url= value (help)
  27. ^ Goodey W, Lill A (1993). (abstract) "Parental Care by the Willie Wagtail in Southern Victoria". Emu. 93: 180–87. doi:10.1071/MU9930180. Retrieved 2008-06-11. {{cite journal}}: Check |url= value (help)
  28. ^ a b Clarke, Philip (2004). Where the Ancestors Walked: Australia as an aboriginal landscape. Allen & Unwin. pp. p. 23. ISBN 1741140706. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  29. ^ "The story of Buthera's Rock: A Story of the Narrunga People of Yorke Peninsula". Point Pearce Aboriginal School. 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
  30. ^ Aufenanger H (1980). "On the Human Soul: Reports from the Eastern Highlands of New Guinea" (PDF). Asian Folklore Studies. 39 (1): 79–114. doi:10.2307/1177518. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  31. ^ Scharning K (2008). "Stamps showing 142013000 Willie-wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys". Theme Birds on Stamps. self. Retrieved 2008-06-11.
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