Atherton scrubwren? Curtain fig tree, Queensland, Australia (1 Viewer)

[Fwin71]

Hello there,
I am a French birder and with my girlfriend, I travelled one month through Australia for birds. I would need your help for a few IDs over the next weeks.
In this post, I am posting pictures of a scrubwren which to me behaved more like Atherton than large-billed scrubwren : indeed, it was foraging alone, quietly and low on the tree trunks (below the deck surrounding the Curtain tree fig in the Atherton tablelands). But I have also seen large-billed scrubwren foraging quite low. On the few pictures I managed to take, it may as well match more closely the Atherton scrubwren (first pic : more brownish, whitish fawn eyebrow ; second pic : tail more reddish brown at base) but could you please confirm (or infirm)? Thanks in advance!

 

[Jon Turner]

Hello there,
I am a French birder and with my girlfriend, I travelled one month through Australia for birds. I would need your help for a few IDs over the next weeks.
In this post, I am posting pictures of a scrubwren which to me behaved more like Atherton than large-billed scrubwren : indeed, it was foraging alone, quietly and low on the tree trunks (below the deck surrounding the Curtain tree fig in the Atherton tablelands). But I have also seen large-billed scrubwren foraging quite low. On the few pictures I managed to take, it may as well match more closely the Atherton scrubwren (first pic : more brownish, whitish fawn eyebrow ; second pic : tail more reddish brown at base) but could you please confirm (or infirm)? Thanks in advance!

I think the fig tree (wow!) was where we had Atherton's Scrubwren back in 2014. But those pics are a bit obscured.

 

[chowchilla]

The default scrubwren at Curtain Fig Tree is the Large-billed Scrubwren. I've speculated on the presence of Atherton Scrubwren at this site myself in the past, but haven't had it confirmed.

 

[THE_FERN]

The default scrubwren at Curtain Fig Tree is the Large-billed Scrubwren. I've speculated on the presence of Atherton Scrubwren at this site myself in the past, but haven't had it confirmed.

The op pic looks dark and there's evidence of rufous somewhere around the tail base (2nd photo). Doesn't that give hope?

 

[Jon Turner]

The default scrubwren at Curtain Fig Tree is the Large-billed Scrubwren. I've speculated on the presence of Atherton Scrubwren at this site myself in the past, but haven't had it confirmed.

I was hoping you would see this Chow! I have Atherton Scrubwren on my list but couldn't be sure where. A 'Scrubwren' was one of the only birds we saw there I think.

 

[chowchilla]

The op pic looks dark and there's evidence of rufous somewhere around the tail base (2nd photo). Doesn't that give hope?

Indeed. I've had scrubwrens there in the past that had me wondering. Remember, this is a species we didn't even know existed until recently. They can be pretty cryptic, and I have speculated that people typically 'default' to the one that is supposed to be there, as it were.

 

[chowchilla]

I was hoping you would see this Chow! I have Atherton Scrubwren on my list but couldn't be sure where. A 'Scrubwren' was one of the only birds we saw there I think.

They certainly occur at higher altitudes such as Hypipamee and Mt Lewis, and those are good places to study the differences when you get a good view of one.

 

[sicklebill]

I have only seen Large-billed at the Curtain Fig, Lake Eacham etc, and I think it's too low an altitude for Atherton. The stuff about foraging heights is not much use as a definitive character as both species can forage at low, mid or even high levels, though Atherton may have a preference for keeping lower. If you can get a recording that might help. I do find a quite strong yellow wash to the underparts is quite frequent and helpful in distinguishing it, and I also don't think there is much overlap, many low altitude records are likely erroneous.
It was established as a distinct species from Large-billed by Galbraith & Parker (1969) and again by Schodde (1975), though the species designation belongs to arch-splitter Mathews in 1920.

 

[Fwin71]

Thank you all. Indeed, like you said, there is not enough evidence from the pictures only and I have no calls to complement my observation. And on ebird I haven't seen sightings of this species at this specific site. Also, later, close to Lake Eacham, I had a large-billed scrubwren foraging very low and you are confirming that behaviour alone is not sufficient. So I'll not count this species and I will come back one day to Australia and tick it in Mount Lewis. Thanks again!