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Photo by tcollins
Darwin, Australia, September 2006

Philemon citreogularis

[edit] Identification

Length 26cm
Male:

• Brownish-grey above
• Paler grey on neck and collar
• A bare blue-grey face patch
• Pale greyish white below with fine white streaking on the breast.
  

Females are slightly smaller, but otherwise similar.
Juveniles are browner above, with yellow chin and throat

Their scientific name "citreogularis" means yellow throat but it is only the juveniles that have it.

[edit] Distribution

Australasia: found in New Guinea, Australia: New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia, Melanesia.

Summer breeding migrant in south.

Juvenile
Photo by aussietrev
Queensland, Australia, September 2008

[edit] Taxonomy

[edit] Subspecies^[1]

• P. c. papuensis:

• Trans-Fly savanna of southern New Guinea

• P. c. sordidus:

• Northern Australia (Broome, Western Australia to northern Queensland)

• P. c. citreogularis:

• Eastern Australia (Cape York Peninsula to northern Victoria and southern South Australia)

Four other subspecies: occidentalis, breda, carpenteriae, johnstoni^[2] are not recognised by all authorities.

[edit] Habitat

Open forests, tropical and eucalypt woodlands, near rivers; swamp-woodlands; mangroves; orchards, parks, gardens.

[edit] Behaviour

350px|right|Mobbing an Australian Magpie Photo by aussietrev Queensland, Australia, October 2008

[edit] Diet

Their diet is mainly invertebrates and nectar, also flowers, fruit and seeds. They choose shady treetops to forage in.

[edit] Breeding

Both parents build the nest, a large deep open cup, which is lined with soft materials such as fine grass, always associated with water. The female alone incubates the eggs, but both parents feed the young.

[edit] Vocalisation

Noisy

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.
2. Avibase
3. Birds in Backyards
4. BF Member observations

• List of references

[edit] External Links